JP2021047848A - Reading system - Google Patents

Abstract

To specify, by less labor, an article used by a user.SOLUTION: An input box 110 is provided with an input hole 111 for inputting a mount 60 having a wireless tag 70 pasted thereon, for storing article discrimination information for discriminating an article used by a user. When the mount 60 is inputted into the input box 110, an antenna 30 receives electric wave radiated from the wireless tag 70. A reader/writer 20 reads the article discrimination information from the wireless tag 70 through the antenna 30. A control device 10 transmits the article discrimination information read by the reader/writer 20 to a terminal device 200.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a reading system.

Currently, various techniques are known to identify the goods used by the user in order to charge the user for the cost of the goods. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for identifying a medical material used by a patient by using a barcode in order to charge the patient for the cost of the medical material such as a drug or a syringe.

Specifically, in Patent Document 1, when a medical material is used, the bar code label affixed to the medical material or the package of the medical material is peeled off, and the peeled bar code label is affixed to the patient's medical record. Is described. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that when the examination is completed, the barcode is read from the barcode label attached to the medical record by the reader and the information is input to the computer.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-10978

However, the method of identifying the medical material used by the patient by reading a barcode may be troublesome. For example, when a patient uses a large number of medical materials, it takes time and effort to read many barcodes. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique for identifying an article used by a user with little effort.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a reading system for identifying an article used by a user with little effort.

In order to achieve the above object, the reading system according to the present disclosure is
A loading box provided with a loading hole for loading a sheet-shaped member to which a tag for identifying an article, which stores article identification information for identifying an article used by a user, is attached.
An antenna that receives radio waves radiated from the article identification tag when the sheet-shaped member is thrown into the loading box, and
A reading means for reading the article identification information from the article identification tag via the antenna, and
A transmission means for transmitting the article identification information read by the reading means to a receiving device is provided.

An operation confirmation tag attached to the loading box and storing operation confirmation information read for confirmation of the reading operation by the reading means is further provided.
The antenna further receives the radio wave radiated from the operation confirmation tag, and receives the radio wave.
The reading means further reads the operation confirmation information from the operation confirmation tag via the antenna, and further reads the operation confirmation information.
When the reading means does not read the operation confirmation information, the transmitting means may transmit the abnormality notification information notifying that the reading operation by the reading means is abnormal to the receiving device.

When the number of the sheet-shaped members put into the loading box reaches a predetermined number, the transmitting means may transmit the collection instruction information instructing the collection of the sheet-shaped members to the receiving device. Good.

When the strength of the radio wave received by the antenna from the article identification tag is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity, the transmitting means may transmit the article identification information to the receiving device.

When the reading means reads the same article identification information a plurality of times within a predetermined time, the transmitting means may transmit the same article identification information to the receiving device.

The transmitting means does not have to transmit the transmitted article identification information to the receiving device until a predetermined time elapses after the transmitting means transmits the article identification information to the receiving device. ..

In addition to the article identification information read by the reading means, the transmitting means may further transmit device identification information for identifying the reading means to the receiving device.

In addition to the article identification information read by the reading means, the transmitting means may further transmit time identification information for identifying the time when the reading means reads the article identification information to the receiving device.

The input hole has an elongated shape and may be provided on the ceiling portion of the input box.

A limiting member that restricts the movement of the sheet-shaped member when the sheet-shaped member passes through the charging hole may be further provided inside the loading box.

The limiting member is the first limiting member provided on the inner surface of the first side wall, which is a side wall extending in the longitudinal direction of the loading hole among the four side walls included in the loading box, and the four side walls. A second limiting member provided on the inner surface of the second side wall, which is a side wall facing the first side wall, is provided.
The height of the lower end of the first limiting member may be higher than the height of the upper end of the second limiting member.

The input hole is formed so as to be surrounded by the upper ends of the four side walls included in the input box.
A notch may be provided at the upper end of one of the four side walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the input hole.

The loading box is provided with a discharge hole formed by being surrounded by the lower ends of the four side walls included in the loading box.
An inclined portion inclined inward may be provided at the lower end portion of one of the four side walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the input hole.

The article identification tag is attached to a predetermined position on the sheet-shaped member in a predetermined direction.
The length of the input hole may be shorter than the length of the sheet-shaped member and longer than the width of the sheet-shaped member.

The article identification tag includes an adhesive portion that has been adhesively processed and a non-adhesive portion that has not been adhesively processed.
The sheet-shaped member is designated with the attachment position of the article identification tag and the attachment direction of the article identification tag.
The sticking direction of the article identification tag may be specified so that when the article identification tag passes through the insertion hole, the adhesive portion passes through the insertion hole before the non-adhesive portion. ..

The antenna is a flat antenna having a radiation receiving surface that emits a power supply radio wave that is a radio wave for supplying power and receives a tag information-containing radio wave that is a radio wave radiated from the article identification tag. A first conductor layer having an open portion, a second conductor layer, and an insulator layer provided between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer are provided, and the radio wave for power supply is provided. It is a first plane antenna that forms an leaching region on the surface of the first conductor layer by leaching from the opening.
The article identification tag includes a dipole antenna having two elements extending in opposite directions with respect to a feeding point, and a radio wave containing the tag information in response to the dipole antenna receiving the power supply radio wave. It is a passive tag provided with a control circuit for radiating to the dipole antenna.
When the sheet-shaped member is charged, the article identification tag is the difference between the electric field strength of the power supply radio wave at one end of the dipole antenna and the electric field strength of the power supply radio wave at the other end of the dipole antenna. The electric field strength difference may pass through a position larger than the strength difference threshold according to the reception sensitivity of the dipole antenna.

The planar antenna is installed in the input box so that the radiation receiving surface is parallel to the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the input hole.
When the sheet-shaped member is inserted, one end of the dipole antenna overlaps the radiation receiving surface of the article identification tag when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface, and the other end of the dipole antenna receives the radiation. It may pass through a position that does not overlap the surface.

The flat antenna is installed in the input box so that the longitudinal direction of the radiation receiving surface is the vertical direction.
A plurality of the article identification tags are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the sheet-like member, and the dipole antenna included in each of the plurality of article identification tags is in the width direction of the sheet-like member. The plurality of article identification tags are attached so as to extend to
The inner end of the dipole antenna included in the first article identification tag belonging to the first row of the plurality of article identification tags and the first article identification tag belonging to the second row of the plurality of article identification tags. The distance between the tag and the inner end of the dipole antenna included in the adjacent second article identification tag is shorter than the width of the radiation receiving surface, and the outer end of the dipole antenna included in the first article identification tag. The distance between the portion and the outer end portion of the dipole antenna included in the second article identification tag may be longer than the width of the radiation receiving surface.

The distance between the center of the dipole antenna included in the first article identification tag and the center of the dipole antenna included in the second article identification tag may be equal to the width of the radiation receiving surface.

The article identification tag includes a dipole antenna having two elements extending in opposite directions with respect to the feeding point.
The antenna is a linear conductor that is field-coupled or magnetically coupled in close proximity to the dipole antenna, a flat-plate conductor that is arranged so as to face the linear conductor, and a signal that is connected to one end of the linear conductor. A second flat antenna including a feeding portion including a terminal and a ground terminal connected to the flat conductor, and a terminal resistance portion connecting the other end of the linear conductor and the flat conductor.
The article identification tag is a region in which at least a part of the dipole antenna surrounds the linear conductor on the second plane antenna when the sheet-shaped member is inserted, when viewed from the thickness direction of the second plane antenna. It may pass through a position overlapping the conductor surrounding area.

The conductor surrounding area is substantially quadrangular.
The second plane antenna may be arranged so that two opposing sides of the four sides constituting the conductor surrounding region extend in the vertical direction.

In the sheet-shaped member, a plurality of the article-identifying tags are arranged in a plurality of rows in the longitudinal direction of the sheet-shaped member, and the dipole antenna included in each of the plurality of article-identifying tags has the width of the sheet-shaped member. The plurality of article identification tags are attached so as to extend in the direction.
The horizontal length of the conductor enclosing region is from the center line connecting the centers of the article identification tags belonging to the row of one end of the plurality of article identification tags to the other of the plurality of article identification tags. It may be longer than the length to the center line connecting the centers of the article identification tags belonging to the end row.

The linear conductor may be provided in a meander shape within the conductor surrounding area.

The linear conductor may be provided in a spiral shape within the conductor surrounding area.

The space width, which is the length of the space through which the sheet-shaped member passes inside the input box in the thickness direction of the second flat antenna, may be in the range of 3 mm to 20 mm.

A width adjusting member for adjusting the space width may be further provided.

The receiving device is a server that manages the article.
Further equipped with the above server
The server may include receiving means for receiving the article identification information from the transmitting means via a communication network.

The server
Further provided with a storage means for storing inventory information indicating the inventory of the goods,
When the receiving means receives the article identification information from the transmitting means, the server may update the inventory information stored in the storage means.

Used for managing goods in hospitals
The sheet-shaped member identifies at least one of patient information indicating a patient who used the article, room information indicating a room in which the input box is installed, and doctor information indicating a doctor in charge of the patient. An identifier is provided,
The server may further include a storage means for storing the article identification information in association with the identifier.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to identify the article used by the user with little effort.

Configuration diagram of the reading system according to the first embodiment Configuration diagram of the control device according to the first embodiment Configuration diagram of the wireless tag according to the first embodiment Perspective view of the reading device according to the first embodiment External view of the antenna according to the first embodiment Sectional view of line AA in FIG. External view of the mount according to the first embodiment Explanatory drawing of function of restriction member which concerns on Embodiment 1. A flowchart showing a reading process executed by the control device according to the first embodiment. External view of the mount according to the second embodiment Front view of the input box according to the third embodiment Side view of the input box according to the third embodiment External view of the antenna according to the third embodiment FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB. External view of the mount according to the third embodiment Explanatory drawing of the direction of attaching the wireless tag Configuration diagram of the server according to the third embodiment External view of the antenna according to the fourth embodiment Sectional view of line CC in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
First, the configuration of the reading system 1000 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The reading system 1000 is used for managing goods in a hospital. The reading system 1000 is a system that reads tag information for identifying the article 400 from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60 prepared for each user in order to identify the article 400 used by the user with little effort. .. In this embodiment, the user is a patient and the article 400 is a medical material used by the patient. The reading system 1000 is used to charge the patient for the cost of medical material. The tag information is, for example, information indicating a character string composed of a numerical value or an alphabet. As shown in FIG. 1, the reading system 1000 includes a control device 10, a reading device 100, and a storage unit 120. In the present embodiment, the axis extending upward in the vertical direction is the Z axis, the axis orthogonal to the Z axis is the X axis, and the axis orthogonal to the Z axis and the X axis is the Y axis.

The control device 10 is a device that controls the overall operation of the reading system 1000. The control device 10 controls the reading of tag information by the reading device 100. Specifically, the control device 10 is connected to the reading device 100 via the communication cable 55, instructs the reading device 100 to read the tag information, and receives the read tag information from the reading device 100. Further, the control device 10 transmits the tag information to the terminal device 200 via the communication network 300. The communication cable 55 is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. The control device 10 is, for example, a terminal device such as a notebook computer, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone.

The configuration of the control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 10 includes a processor 11, a flash memory 12, a touch screen 13, a first communication interface 14, and a second communication interface 15. The processor 11 controls the overall operation of the control device 10. The processor 11 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an RTC (Real Time Clock).

The flash memory 12 stores various types of information. The touch screen 13 is a user interface, receives various information from the user, and presents various information to the user. The first communication interface 14 communicates with the reading device 100 via the communication cable 55 under the control of the processor 11. The second communication interface 15 communicates with the terminal device 200 via the communication network 300 under the control of the processor 11. The control device 10 is an example of the transmission means.

The reading device 100 will be described later. The storage unit 120 is a container for storing the mount 60 discharged from the reading device 100. The storage unit 120 can store a large number of mounts 60. The mount 60 stored in the storage unit 120 may be collected every specified time (for example, 24 hours), or may be collected in response to the number of stored mounts 60 reaching the specified number. Good.

The terminal device 200 is a device that receives information from the control device 10 via the communication network 300 and executes various processes. For example, the terminal device 200 executes a process of calculating the cost to be charged to the user based on the information received from the control device 10. The terminal device 200 is, for example, a computer including a processor, a flash memory, a touch screen, and a communication interface. The terminal device 200 is an example of a receiving device.

The communication network 300 connects the control device 10 and the terminal device 200 in a communicable manner. The communication network 300 may be a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

The article 400 is an article that is used by the user and is charged to the user. In the present embodiment, the article 400 is a medical material whose cost is charged to the patient among the medical materials in the medical field. Such medical materials include, for example, disposable medical devices such as syringes and catheters, and pharmaceuticals such as injections, infusions, and tablets. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the article 400 is stored in the storage case 410 to which the wireless tag 70 for storing the article identification information for identifying the article 400 is attached.

The wireless tag 70 is incorporated in a sticker and can be freely removed and attached. The wireless tag 70 may be attached to the article 400 instead of the storage case 410. In the present embodiment, when the patient uses the article 400, the nurse removes the wireless tag 70 from the storage case 410 and attaches the wireless tag 70 to the patient mount 60. The timing at which the nurse inserts the mount 60 into the reading device 100 is arbitrary. For example, the nurse may insert the mount 60 into the reader 100 at a predetermined time, or when the mount 60 has no place where the wireless tag 70 can be attached, the mount 60 is inserted into the reader 100. You may put it in. The mount 60 is an example of a sheet-shaped member.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the wireless tag 70 will be described with reference to FIG. The wireless tag 70 is a passive tag that stores article identification information, which is tag information for identifying the article 400. A passive tag uses a radio wave for power supply as a power source in response to receiving a radio wave for supplying power (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as "radio wave for power supply"), and a radio wave containing tag information (hereinafter, referred to as "radio wave for power supply"). It is a radio tag that radiates "tag information containing radio waves" as appropriate. The passive tag is a tag that does not have a built-in battery among wireless IC (Integrated Circuit) tags in an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system. The wireless tag 70 is an example of an article identification tag.

The wireless tag 70 includes a base material 71, a feeding point 72, a dipole antenna 73, and an IC chip 76. The base material 71 is a sheet-like member that supports the dipole antenna 73 and the IC chip 76. The base material 71 is, for example, a seal made of a transparent insulator. The feeding point 72 is a terminal pair for supplying an AC signal corresponding to the power supply radio wave from the dipole antenna 73 to the IC chip 76 and supplying an AC signal corresponding to the tag information containing radio wave from the IC chip 76 to the dipole antenna 73. Is.

The dipole antenna 73 is a linear antenna in which two conductors, that is, two elements are symmetrically provided. The dipole antenna 73 includes an element 74 and an element 75 extending in opposite directions with respect to the feeding point 72. The element 74 has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70 while meandering in the width direction of the wireless tag 70, and has a short length in the thickness direction of the wireless tag 70. The element 74 has the same shape as the element 75. The element 74 and the element 75 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the feeding point 72.

The dipole antenna 73 supplies the current generated by the potential difference generated between the element 74 and the element 75 to the IC chip 76 via the feeding point 72 when receiving the power supply radio wave. Further, when the dipole antenna 73 radiates the radio wave containing the tag information, the dipole antenna 73 generates a potential difference between the element 74 and the element 75 according to the current supplied from the IC chip 76 via the feeding point 72. The dipole antenna 73 is an example of a dipole antenna. The IC chip 76 has a function of obtaining electric power from a radio wave for power supply, a function of storing tag information, a function of radiating a radio wave containing tag information, and the like. The IC chip 76 is an example of a control circuit.

The length of the element 74 in the longitudinal direction of the radio tag 70 and the length of the element 75 in the longitudinal direction of the radio tag 70 are about 1/4 of the wavelengths of the radio waves radiated and received, respectively. That is, the length of the dipole antenna 73 in the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70 is about ½ of the wavelengths of the radio waves radiated and received.

Here, of the two ends of the element 74 in the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70, the end farther from the feeding point 72 is referred to as the end 77. Further, of the two ends of the element 75 in the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70, the end farther from the feeding point 72 is designated as the end 78. In this case, the length from the end 77 to the end 78 is about 1/2 the wavelength of the radio waves radiated and received.

Next, the configuration of the reading device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the visible part is shown by a solid line, and the part hidden behind other parts and not visible is shown by a broken line. The reading device 100 is a device that reads the article identification information from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60. The reading device 100 includes a reader / writer 20, an antenna 30, a wireless tag 80, a loading box 110, a limiting member 131, and a limiting member 132.

The reader / writer 20 reads the tag information from the passive tag according to the control by the control device 10. Specifically, the reader / writer 20 reads the article identification information from the wireless tag 70, which is a passive tag, and reads the operation confirmation information from the wireless tag 80, which is a passive tag. Hereinafter, the article identification information and the operation confirmation information are appropriately referred to as tag information.

The reader / writer 20 can write tag information to the passive tag according to the control by the control device 10, but the description of writing the tag information will be omitted. The reader / writer 20 is connected to the control device 10 via the communication cable 55. Further, the reader / writer 20 is connected to the antenna 30 via the communication cable 50. The communication cable 50 is, for example, a coaxial cable for transmitting a high frequency signal.

When the reader / writer 20 receives the information instructing the reading of the tag information from the control device 10, the reader / writer 20 transmits a high frequency signal corresponding to the power supply radio wave to the antenna 30. Further, when the reader / writer 20 receives a high frequency signal corresponding to the tag information containing radio wave from the antenna 30, the reader / writer 20 transmits the tag information indicated by the received high frequency signal to the control device 10. In the present embodiment, the reader / writer 20 obtains tag information from a passive tag by a radio wave method using radio waves in the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band, that is, a frequency between 300 MHz and 3 GHz (for example, 920 MHz). It shall be read.

The reader / writer 20 includes a processor that controls the overall operation of the reader / writer 20, a device-side communication interface that is connected to the control device 10 via the communication cable 55, and an antenna that is connected to the antenna 30 via the communication cable 50. It is equipped with a side communication interface and various electric circuits involved in transmitting and receiving radio waves. The processor includes, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, and RTC. The electric circuit includes, for example, a modulation circuit, a demodulation circuit, an oscillation circuit, and a power supply circuit. The reader / writer 20 is an example of a reading means.

The antenna 30 is an antenna that receives radio waves including tag information under the control of the reader / writer 20. Specifically, the antenna 30 radiates a power supply radio wave corresponding to a high frequency signal supplied from the reader / writer 20 via the communication cable 50. Further, the antenna 30 receives the tag information-containing radio wave radiated by the passive tag in response to the reception of the power supply radio wave. The antenna 30 transmits a high-frequency signal corresponding to the tag information-containing radio wave to the reader / writer 20 via the communication cable 50.

The antenna 30 is fixed inside the loading box 110 so that tag information can be read from the passive tag existing inside the loading box 110. Specifically, the antenna 30 is arranged so as to radiate the power supply radio wave in the positive direction of the X-axis and receive the tag information-containing radio wave in the negative direction of the X-axis. The antenna 30 is an example of an antenna and a planar antenna.

The flat antenna is a flat plate antenna having a radiation receiving surface that spreads two-dimensionally, and it is desirable that the electric field strength according to the radiated radio waves greatly depends on the distance from the radiation receiving surface. For example, in FIG. 1, it is preferable that the electric field strength according to the radio wave radiated from the antenna 30 is sufficiently large inside the input box 110 and sufficiently small outside the input box 110. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress omission of reading of tag information from the passive tag inside the loading box 110 and erroneous reading of tag information from the passive tag outside the loading box 110.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the antenna 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is an external view of the antenna 30 when viewed from the positive direction of the X-axis. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The antenna 30 is a sheet-like medium that propagates radio waves used in two-dimensional communication. The sheet shape means a shape having a spread as a two-dimensional surface and a thin thickness.

The shape of the antenna 30 is such that the length of the antenna 30 in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as “length”) is longer than the length of the antenna 30 in the width direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as “width”). The width of the antenna 30 is sufficiently longer than the length in the thickness direction of the antenna 30 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “thickness”). The size of the antenna 30 can be adjusted as appropriate. In this embodiment, the width of the antenna 30 is 10 cm. The antenna 30 has a function of causing the power supply radio wave supplied from the reader / writer 20 to leak from the surface of the antenna 30 while propagating in the width direction of the antenna 30 and the longitudinal direction of the communication sheet.

As shown in FIG. 6, the antenna 30 is basically configured by stacking the cover layer 34, the conductor layer 31, the insulator layer 33, the conductor layer 32, and the cover layer 35 in this order. The layers included in the antenna 30 are laminated by, for example, thin-film deposition, sputtering, spray coating, or the like.

The conductor layer 31 is a layer having conductivity and having holes formed in a mesh shape. The conductor layer 31 has a function of leaking radio waves propagating inside the antenna 30 from the opening to form an leaching region 37. The perforated portion is a portion having an insulating property, for example, air. The shape of the perforated portion is, for example, an equilateral triangle. The length of one side of the equilateral triangle is preferably shorter than the wavelength of the radio wave. The conductor layer 31 may be made of any material as long as it contains a conductive material. For example, the conductor layer 31 is composed of a metal such as copper, silver, aluminum, stainless steel, nickel, various alloys, and a fiber structure in which conductive threads are woven or woven. The conductor layer 31 is an example of the first conductor layer.

The conductor layer 32 is a flat plate-like layer that has conductivity and does not have an opening. The conductor layer 32 has a function of suppressing leakage of radio waves propagating inside the antenna 30 from the back surface of the antenna 30. The back surface of the antenna 30 is the surface on which the cover layer 35 is provided, out of the two surfaces of the antenna 30. On the other hand, the surface of the antenna 30 is the surface on which the cover layer 34 is provided, out of the two surfaces of the antenna 30. The surface of the antenna 30 is appropriately referred to as a radiation receiving surface 38. The conductor layer 32 may be made of any material as long as it contains a conductive material. For example, the conductor layer 32 is composed of a metal such as copper, silver, aluminum, stainless steel, nickel, various alloys, and a fiber structure in which conductive threads are woven or woven. The conductor layer 32 is an example of the second conductor layer.

The insulator layer 33 is a layer having an insulating property. The insulator layer 33 is a layer provided between the conductor layer 31 and the conductor layer 32. The insulator layer 33 is a sheet-like insulator that constitutes a dielectric layer that propagates radio waves. The insulator layer 33 has a function of propagating the radio wave supplied from the radio wave interface 40 in the direction in which the antenna 30 spreads.

The structure of the insulator layer 33 is, for example, a fiber structure such as a non-woven fabric containing an air layer, a resin plate, a foamed resin, or the like. The material of the insulator layer 33 is, for example, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate (polytrimethylene terephthalate). PTT). The insulator layer 33 may be made of air.

The cover layer 34 is a layer that covers the surface of the conductor layer 31. The cover layer 34 has a function of protecting the conductor layer 31. The cover layer 34 is made of an insulator. The cover layer 34 is made of, for example, various films and various resins. The cover layer 35 is a layer that covers the surface of the conductor layer 32. The cover layer 35 has a function of protecting the conductor layer 32. The cover layer 35 is made of, for example, various films and various resins.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the antenna 30 has a radio wave interface 40 for supplying radio waves (AC signals) to the antenna 30 at one end in the longitudinal direction. The radio wave interface 40 is connected to the reader / writer 20 by a communication cable 50. Further, the antenna 30 has a radio wave absorbing portion 47 for absorbing radio waves at the other end in the longitudinal direction.

The communication cable 50 is a cable for connecting the reader / writer 20 and the radio wave interface 40. The communication cable 50 is a coaxial cable including an inner conductor 51 and an outer conductor 52. The inner conductor 51 is a conductor to which a signal potential is applied, and is composed of, for example, a copper wire. The outer conductor 52 is a conductor to which a ground potential is applied, and is composed of, for example, a braided copper wire. The inner conductor 51 and the outer conductor 52 are insulated from each other.

The radio wave interface 40 includes a conductor layer 41, a conductor layer 42, an insulator layer 43, an electrode 44, an electrode 45, and a connector 46. The conductor layer 41 is a layer formed on one surface of the insulator layer 43, and is a layer composed of conductors. The conductor layer 42 is a layer formed on the other surface of the insulator layer 43, and is a layer composed of conductors. The insulator layer 43 is a layer sandwiched between the conductor layer 41 and the conductor layer 42, and is a layer composed of an insulator.

The electrode 44 is a flat plate-shaped electrode arranged so as to straddle the conductor layer 41 and the cover layer 34. The electrode 45 is a flat plate-shaped electrode arranged so as to straddle the conductor layer 42 and the cover layer 35. The connector 46 is a connector provided on one surface of the conductor layer 41 into which the communication cable 50 is inserted. The connector 46 is composed of a conductor.

The inner conductor 51 is connected to the conductor layer 42 through a through hole provided in the substrate composed of the conductor layer 41, the conductor layer 42, and the insulator layer 43. On the other hand, the outer conductor 52 is connected to the connector 46. Therefore, the inner conductor 51, the conductor layer 42, and the electrode 45 are electrically connected, and the outer conductor 52, the connector 46, the conductor layer 41, and the electrode 44 are electrically connected. That is, a signal potential is applied to the electrode 45, and a ground potential is applied to the electrode 44. Then, the radio wave (alternating current signal) supplied between the electrode 45 and the electrode 44 propagates through the antenna 30.

The radio wave absorbing unit 47 absorbs the supplied radio wave. The radio wave absorbing unit 47 suppresses the radio waves propagating through the antenna 30 from being reflected at the other end of the antenna 30. The radio wave absorbing unit 47 includes a radio wave absorber 48 and a conductor plate 49. The radio wave absorber 48 absorbs the supplied radio wave and converts it into heat energy. The conductor plate 49 is a plate-shaped conductor having a U-shaped cross section.

Here, when an AC signal is supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the antenna 30, radio waves corresponding to the AC signal are transmitted inside the antenna 30. Then, the radio wave transmitted inside the antenna 30 seeps out from the surface of the antenna 30, creating a proximity field. More specifically, the radio wave supplied to the antenna 30 propagates in the insulator layer 33 between the conductor layer 31 and the conductor layer 32 from the connector 46 to the radio wave absorbing unit 47.

Then, the radio wave propagating in the insulator layer 33 leaks out to the leaching region 37 in the immediate vicinity of the conductor layer 31 by leaching out from the mesh-shaped opening formed in the conductor layer 31. This leached radio wave (evanescent wave) is not propagated to a distant place, and forms a near field in the leaching region 37 in the immediate vicinity of the conductor layer 31.

The leaching region 37 is a region in which radio waves propagating in the antenna 30 leak from one surface of the antenna 30. Generally, when the passive tag is placed parallel to the antenna 30 in the leaching region 37, communication between the reader / writer 20 and the passive tag is possible. Here, in order to realize stable communication, the length of the leaching region 37 in the Z-axis direction, that is, the thickness of the leaching region 37 is set to the position in the longitudinal direction of the antenna 30 and the position in the width direction of the antenna 30. It is preferable that it is independent and constant. The thickness of the leaching region 37 depends on the magnitude of the transmitted power for radiating the power supply radio wave. The thickness of the leaching region 37 becomes thicker as the transmission power increases.

The wireless tag 80 is a passive tag attached to the reading device 100 in order to determine whether or not the reading device 100 is in a state in which the tag information can be read. The wireless tag 80 is arranged so that the operation confirmation information stored in the wireless tag 80 can be constantly read by the reading device 100. In the present embodiment, the antenna 30 transmits and receives linearly polarized waves in which the vibration direction of the electric field is the longitudinal direction of the antenna 30, and the antenna 30 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the antenna 30 is the vertical direction. Therefore, the radio waves transmitted and received by the antenna 30 are vertically polarized.

Therefore, the wireless tag 80 is fixed inside the input box 110 so as to receive the vertically polarized power supply radio wave and radiate the vertically polarized tag information containing radio wave. That is, the wireless tag 80 is fixed inside the loading box 110 so that it can receive and radiate vertically polarized waves. Specifically, the radio tag 80 is arranged inside the leaching region 37 so that the longitudinal direction of the radio tag 80 is parallel to the Z axis and the radiation receiving surface of the radio tag 80 is orthogonal to the X axis.

The operation confirmation information is information read for confirming the reading operation by the reader / writer 20. The operation confirmation information may be any information as long as it is information that can be distinguished from the article identification information. In other words, the operation confirmation information may be any information as long as it can be identified as the information stored in the wireless tag 80. The wireless tag 80 has basically the same configuration as the wireless tag 70, except that the tag information to be stored is different. The wireless tag 80 is an example of an operation confirmation tag.

The loading box 110 is a box that accepts loading of the mount 60 to which the wireless tag 70 is attached. The loading box 110 has a function of limiting the orientation of the mount 60 so that the reading device 100 can easily read the article identification information. Further, the loading box 110 has a function of delivering the mount 60 into which the article identification information is read to the storage unit 120. The loading box 110 basically has a shape in which the top plate and the bottom plate are removed from a rectangular parallelepiped box having a top plate, a bottom plate, a front plate, a rear plate, a right plate, and a left plate.

The top plate is the plate with the larger Z-axis coordinates of the two plates orthogonal to the Z-axis. The bottom plate is the plate having the smaller Z-axis coordinate of the two plates orthogonal to the Z-axis. The front plate is the plate having the smaller Y-axis coordinate of the two plates orthogonal to the Y-axis. The rear plate is the plate having the larger Y-axis coordinate among the two plates orthogonal to the Y-axis. The right plate is the plate with the larger X-axis coordinate of the two plates orthogonal to the X-axis. The left plate is the plate with the smaller X-axis coordinates of the two plates orthogonal to the X-axis. The antenna 30 is attached to the inner surface of the left plate. A wireless tag 80 is attached to the inner surface of the right plate. The front plate, the rear plate, the right plate, and the left plate are appropriately referred to as side walls.

The loading box 110 has no top plate and is provided with an elongated loading hole 111 in the ceiling portion. The loading hole 111 is an opening provided in the loading box 110 for receiving the loading of the mount 60. Further, the input box 110 has no bottom plate and is provided with an elongated discharge hole 112 at the bottom portion. The discharge hole 112 is an opening provided in the loading box 110 for discharging the mount 60. The input box 110 is an example of an input box.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the mount 60 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7. The mount 60 is a sheet-like member to which the wireless tag 70 can be attached. The mount 60 is a member for holding the wireless tag 70, and is preferably a member having some flexibility. The mount 60 is, for example, thick paper. The mount 60 is an example of a sheet-shaped member.

As shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable that W1 which is the width of the mount 60 is shorter than L1 which is the length of the mount 60. Further, it is preferable that the length of the input hole 111, that is, the length of the input hole 111 in the Y-axis direction is longer than W1 and shorter than L1. According to such a configuration, the mount 60 is suppressed from being inserted in the horizontal direction, and the mount 60 is inserted in the vertical direction. As a result, appropriate reading of the article identification information by the reading device 100 can be expected. The fact that the mount 60 is oriented horizontally means that the longitudinal direction of the mount 60 is substantially parallel to the Y-axis. The vertical orientation of the mount 60 means that the longitudinal direction of the mount 60 is substantially parallel to the Z axis.

Here, the wireless tag 70 is set so that the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70, which is the polarization direction of the wireless tag 70, and the longitudinal direction of the antenna 30, which is the polarization direction of the antenna 30, coincide with each other when the mount 60 is inserted. There is a method of attaching to the mount 60. In other words, this method is a method of attaching the wireless tag 70 to the mount 60 so that the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70 and the longitudinal direction of the mount 60 coincide with each other.

However, in this method, when the mount 60 is inserted, the radio tag 70 is wirelessly overlapped with the radiation receiving surface 38 when viewed from the X-axis direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38 included in the antenna 30. It is necessary to attach the tag 70 to the mount 60. The fact that the two members overlap when viewed from a certain direction means that the two members overlap when the two members are projected onto a plane orthogonal to this direction.

Here, the width of the antenna 30 is designed according to the wavelength of the radio wave used, and it may be difficult to widen the width of the antenna 30. In addition, it may be difficult to increase the length of the antenna 30 and the length of the input box 110. Therefore, in this method, the area on the mount 60 to which the wireless tag 70 can be attached is narrow, and it may be difficult to increase the number of wireless tags 70 that can be attached to the mount 60.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, another method is adopted in order to increase the number of wireless tags 70 that can be attached to the mount 60. That is, in the present embodiment, when the mount 60 is inserted, one end of the wireless tag 70 overlaps with the radiation receiving surface 38 when viewed from the X-axis direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38 included in the antenna 30, and is wireless. The wireless tag 70 is attached to the mount 60 so that the other end of the tag 70 does not overlap the radiation receiving surface 38.

That is, in the present embodiment, when the mount 60 is inserted, one end of the wireless tag 70 is greatly affected by the power supply radio wave, and the other end of the wireless tag 70 is hardly affected by the power supply radio wave. , The wireless tag 70 is attached to the mount 60. Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the mount 60 is loaded, one end of the wireless tag 70 is arranged inside the leaching area 37, and the other end of the wireless tag 70 is arranged outside the leaching area 37. Try to be as long as possible. The leaching region 37 is a region where the power supply radio wave radiated from the radiation receiving surface 38 of the antenna 30 can reach.

In the above configuration, while the power supply radio wave is radiated when the mount 60 is input, the electric field strength due to the power supply radio wave is large at one end of the wireless tag 70, and the electric field strength is large at the other end of the wireless tag 70 for power supply. The electric field strength due to radio waves is small. The difference in electric field strength between both ends of the dipole antenna 73 is larger than the strength difference threshold value according to the reception sensitivity of the dipole antenna 73. The electric field strength basically means the maximum value among the instantaneous values of the electric field strength that changes periodically when the radio wave for power supply is radiated. In such an arrangement of the wireless tag 70, between one end of the wireless tag 70 and the other end of the wireless tag 70 regardless of the direction of the electric field at one end of the wireless tag 70 and the direction of the electric field at the other end of the wireless tag 70. A large potential difference occurs in. That is, according to such a configuration, a potential difference is generated between both ends of the wireless tag 70 regardless of the relationship between the polarization direction of the antenna 30 and the polarization direction of the wireless tag 70, and the wireless tag 70 transmits radio waves for power supply. It can be received and can emit radio waves containing tag information.

Further, according to such a configuration, the number of wireless tags 70 that can be attached to the mount 60 can be increased. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of wireless tags 70 are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the mount 60, and the longitudinal directions of the plurality of wireless tags 70 coincide with the width direction of the mount 60. The mount 60 is attached to the mount 60 so that only one end inside each of the plurality of wireless tags 70 overlaps with the radiation receiving surface 38 included in the antenna 30 when the mount 60 is inserted. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, nine wireless tags 70 of the wireless tags 70A, 70B, 70C, 70D, 70F, 70G, 70H, 70I, and 70J are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the mount 60. The nine wireless tags 70 are attached to the mount 60 so that the dipole antenna 73 included in each of the nine wireless tags 70 extends in the width direction of the mount 60.

Here, the row composed of the arrangement of the four wireless tags 70 of the wireless tags 70A, 70B, 70C, and 70D is set as the first row, and the five wireless tags 70 of the wireless tags 70F, 70G, 70H, 70I, and 70J. The column composed of the sequences of is referred to as the second column. In this case, the radio tag 70A belonging to the first row and the radio tag 70F belonging to the second row and adjacent to the radio tag 70A are shorter than W2 in which D1 is the width of the radiation receiving surface 38 and D2 receives radiation. It is arranged so as to be longer than W2, which is the width of the surface 38. The wireless tag 70A is an example of a tag for identifying the first article. The wireless tag 70F is an example of a tag for identifying a second article.

D1 is the distance between the end 78A, which is the inner end of the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70A, and the end 77F, which is the inner end of the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70F. Further, D2 is the distance between the end 77A, which is the outer end of the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70A, and the end 78F, which is the outer end of the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70F. The inside means that the coordinates in the width direction of the mount 60 are close to the coordinates of the center of the mount 60 in the width direction of the mount 60. On the other hand, the outside means that the coordinates in the width direction of the mount 60 are far from the coordinates of the center of the mount 60 in the width direction of the mount 60.

Here, in order to efficiently generate a potential difference between both ends of the dipole antenna 73, it is preferable that one half of the dipole antenna 73 overlaps with the radiation receiving surface 38. Therefore, in the above example, it is preferable that D3, which is the distance between the center point 79A of the dipole antenna 73 included in the radio tag 70A and the center point 79F of the dipole antenna 73 included in the radio tag 70F, is equal to W2. It should be noted that the concept that D3 and W2 are equal does not require that D3 and W2 exactly match, and that there may be a slight difference (for example, a difference of about 10%) between D3 and W2. Is.

Further, in order to limit the position of the mount 60 in the Y-axis direction when the mount 60 is loaded, it is preferable that the length of the insertion hole 111 is slightly longer than W1 which is the width of the mount 60. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the variation in the positional relationship between the position of the antenna 30 in the Y-axis direction and the position of the mount 60 in the Y-axis direction when the mount 60 is loaded.

Further, it is preferable that the mount 60 is provided with a mark 61 indicating a position and an angle to which the wireless tag 70 should be attached. For example, in FIG. 7, marks 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 61E, 61F, 61G, 61H, 61I, 61J are attached to the mount 60 as marks 61 indicating the positions and angles to which the wireless tag 70 should be attached. An example is shown. The mark 61 may be any mark as long as it indicates the position and angle to which the wireless tag 70 should be attached. For example, the mark 61 may be a line indicating the outer frame of the area to which the wireless tag 70 should be attached, or may be a rectangle indicating the area to which the wireless tag 70 should be attached. For example, when the article 400 is used, the nurse attaches the wireless tag 70 removed from the article 400 or the storage case 410 to the mount 60 at the position and angle indicated by the mark 61.

Here, the longer the length of the antenna 30, and the slower the moving speed of the mount 60, the longer the readable time of the article identification information. However, it may be difficult to make the length of the antenna 30 too long. Therefore, a method of limiting the moving speed of the mount 60 by using the limiting member 131 and the limiting member 132 will be described below with reference to FIG.

The limiting member 131 and the limiting member 132 restrict the movement of the mount 60 when the mount 60 passes through the input hole 111. The limiting member 131 and the limiting member 132 are made of a material that causes appropriate friction between the limiting member 131 and the mount 60. The limiting member 131 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 113, which is the side wall extending in the longitudinal direction of the charging hole 111, out of the four side walls included in the charging box 110. The limiting member 132 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 114, which is the side wall facing the side wall 113, out of the four side walls included in the loading box 110. Here, the height of the lower end of the limiting member 131 is higher than the height of the upper end of the limiting member 132.

According to such a configuration, when the mount 60 is loaded, a frictional force is generated between at least one of the two surfaces of the mount 60 and at least one of the limiting member 131 and the limiting member 132, and the mount is generated. 60 movements are restricted. As a result, it is suppressed that the moving speed of the mount 60 becomes too fast when the mount 60 is loaded. If the moving speed of the mount 60 is too fast, the time during which the wireless tag 70 can receive the power supply radio wave becomes short, and it becomes difficult to read the article identification information. The limiting member 131 is an example of the limiting member and the first limiting member. The limiting member 132 is an example of a limiting member and a second limiting member. The side wall 113 is an example of the first side wall. The side wall 114 is an example of the second side wall.

Here, a state in which the tag information is read by the reading device 100 will be described. The antenna 30 periodically radiates power supply radio waves in the positive direction of the X-axis under the control of the reader / writer 20. On the other hand, the wireless tag 80 receives the power supply radio wave radiated by the antenna 30, and uses the power supply radio wave as a power source to direct the tag information containing radio wave including the operation confirmation information in the negative direction of the X-axis. Radiate. The antenna 30 receives the tag information-containing radio wave radiated by the wireless tag 80. In this way, the reading device 100 can always read the operation confirmation information from the wireless tag 80 in the normal operating state.

On the other hand, the reading device 100 cannot read the operation confirmation information from the wireless tag 80 in an abnormal operating state. Various causes can be considered as the cause of the abnormal operating state. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the communication cable 50 itself, when the connection of the communication cable 50 becomes abnormal, when an abnormality occurs in the reader / writer 20 itself, or when an abnormality occurs in the antenna 30 itself, the arrangement of the antenna 30 is performed. Is abnormal, the wireless tag 80 itself is abnormal, the arrangement of the wireless tag 80 is abnormal, or a foreign substance such as metal is thrown into the loading box 110. It is considered to be the cause of the operating condition.

Here, it is assumed that the mount 60 is loaded from the loading hole 111 provided in the loading box 110. In this case, the orientation of the mount 60 and the moving speed of the mount 60 are limited by the shape and size of the mount 60, the shape and size of the input hole 111, the shape and size of the limiting member 130, and the like. That is, the orientation of the mount 60 is limited to the direction in which the longitudinal direction of the mount 60 is substantially parallel to the Z axis and the thickness direction of the mount 60 is substantially orthogonal to the X axis. Further, the moving speed of the mount 60 does not increase so much. As a result, the reading device 100 can read the article identification information a plurality of times from each of the plurality of wireless tags 70 attached to the mount 60 while the mount 60 falls inside the loading box 110.

Next, the reading process executed by the control device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The reading process is executed in response to an operation instructing the control device 10 to start the reading process.

First, the processor 11 included in the control device 10 starts reading the tag information (step S101). Specifically, for example, the processor 11 transmits start instruction information instructing the reader / writer 20 to start reading the tag information. The reader / writer 20 starts reading the tag information in response to receiving the start instruction information. Specifically, the reader / writer 20 controls the antenna 30 to repeatedly execute a process of radiating a radio wave for power supply and a process of receiving a radio wave containing tag information.

When the processor 11 completes the process of step S101, it determines whether or not the tag information has been received (step S102). Specifically, the processor 11 determines whether or not the first communication interface 14 has received the tag information from the reader / writer 20. The tag information is either the article identification information or the operation confirmation information. Further, in addition to the tag information, the reader / writer 20 transmits the time identification information, the reception strength information, and the device identification information to the control device 10.

The time identification information is information indicating the time when the reader / writer 20 reads the tag information. The reception strength information is information indicating the reception strength of radio waves including tag information. The device identification information is information indicating the identification information of the reader / writer 20. In the present embodiment, the correspondence information, which is information indicating the correspondence between the identification information of the reader / writer 20 and the user identification information for identifying the patient in the hospital room in which the reader / writer 20 is installed, is the terminal device 200. It is stored in the flash memory etc. provided by. That is, the terminal device 200 can identify the user who used the article 400 from the device identification information.

When the processor 11 determines that the tag information has been received (step S102: YES), the processor 11 determines whether or not the strength of the received radio wave is equal to or higher than the predetermined strength (step S103). For example, the processor 11 determines whether or not the reception intensity of the radio wave including the tag information is equal to or higher than the predetermined intensity based on the reception intensity information received from the reader / writer 20. The default intensity is a threshold value for the reception intensity of radio waves.

The default intensity is weaker than the reception intensity of the tag information-containing radio wave radiated by the passive tag existing inside the input box 110, and less than the reception intensity of the tag information-containing radio wave radiated by the passive tag existing outside the input box 110. It is preferable that it is also strong. It is preferable that the predetermined intensity is obtained in advance by an experiment or the like prior to the execution of the reading process. It is preferable to ignore the tag information included in the tag information-containing radio wave having a reception intensity less than the predetermined intensity even if it is read. This is because there is a high possibility that such tag information is erroneously read from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60 that has not been loaded into the loading box 110.

When the processor 11 determines that the strength of the received radio wave is equal to or higher than the predetermined strength (step S103: YES), the processor 11 records the tag information (step S104). For example, the processor 11 records the tag information in the flash memory 12 in association with the time identification information and the device identification information. When the processor 11 completes the process of step S104, the processor 11 determines whether or not the received tag information is the article identification information (step S105). The tag information is either the article identification information or the operation confirmation information, and the operation confirmation information is predetermined. Therefore, the processor 11 determines whether or not the read tag information is the operation confirmation information.

When the processor 11 determines that the received tag information is the article identification information (step S105: YES), the processor 11 determines whether or not the same article identification information has been continuously received (step S106). For example, the processor 11 determines whether or not the same article identification information has been received two or more times within the latest specified time (for example, 1 second). The moving speed of the mount 60 loaded in the loading box 110 is limited by the action of the limiting members 131 and 132. Therefore, when the mount 60 is properly loaded into the loading box 110, the article identification information is read from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60 a plurality of times in succession.

Therefore, the article identification information read a plurality of times in succession is determined to be the article identification information read from the wireless tag 70 attached to the correctly inserted mount 60. On the other hand, the article identification information read only once is determined to be, for example, the article identification information erroneously read from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60 that has not been loaded into the loading box 110.

When the processor 11 determines that the same article identification information has been continuously received (step S106: YES), the processor 11 determines whether or not the received article identification information has not been transmitted (step S107). For example, the processor 11 determines whether or not the received article identification information has not been transmitted within the latest specified time. This specified time is, for example, a collection cycle of the mount 60 (for example, one day). By this determination, for example, the article identification information erroneously read from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60 stored in the storage unit 120, and the article identification information already transmitted may be transmitted again. It can be suppressed.

When the processor 11 determines that the received article identification information has not been transmitted (step S107: YES), the processor 11 transmits the article identification information to the terminal device 200 (step S108). For example, the processor 11 associates the article identification information with the time identification information and the device identification information, and transmits the article identification information to the terminal device 200 via the second communication interface 15.

When the processor 11 completes the process of step S108, the processor 11 updates the number of storage mounts (step S109). The number of storage mounts is the number of mounts 60 stored in the storage unit 120. The number of storage mounts is counted up by one for reading one or more article identification information in a short period of time.

For example, assuming that the mount 60 is inserted at intervals of 5 seconds or more, if two article identification information is read in less than 5 seconds, the two wireless tags 70 attached to the same mount 60. It is considered that the article identification information has been read from each of the items, and the number of storage mounts is counted up by one. On the other hand, under the above premise, when two article identification information is read at intervals of 5 seconds or more, it is considered that the article identification information is read from each of the two wireless tags 70 attached to different mounts 60. The number of storage mounts is counted up by two.

For example, in step S108, when the current article identification information is transmitted after 5 seconds or more have elapsed from the transmission time of the previous article identification information, the processor 11 counts up the number of storage mounts by one. On the other hand, if the processor 11 transmits the current article identification information before the lapse of 5 seconds from the previous transmission time of the article identification information in step S108, the processor 11 does not count up the number of storage mounts. The number of storage mounts is reset when the mount 60 is collected from the storage unit 120. Information indicating the number of storage mounts is stored in, for example, the flash memory 12.

When the processor 11 completes the process of step S109, the processor 11 determines whether or not the number of storage mounts is equal to or greater than the specified value (step S110). This specified value is a threshold value for determining whether or not to instruct to collect the mount 60. This specified value is smaller than the upper limit of the number of mounts 60 that can be stored in the storage unit 120. When the processor 11 determines that the number of storage mounts is equal to or greater than the specified value (step S110: YES), the processor 11 transmits the collection instruction information to the terminal device 200 (step S111). The collection instruction information is information that instructs the user to collect the mount 60 stored in the storage unit 120.

When the processor 11 determines that the tag information has not been received (step S102: NO), and when it determines that the strength of the received radio wave is not equal to or higher than the predetermined strength (step S103: NO), the received tag information is the article. When it is determined that the information is not the identification information (step S105: NO), when it is determined that the same article identification information is not continuously received (step S106: NO), it is determined that the received article identification information is not untransmitted. In the case (step S107: NO), when it is determined that the number of storage mounts is not equal to or more than the specified value (step S110: NO), when the process in step S111 is completed, whether or not the operation confirmation information is not received for the specified time or more. (Step S112).

The specified time is a threshold value for determining whether or not the reading device 100 is operating normally. The specified time is a value larger than the maximum value of the duration of non-reception of the operation confirmation information when the reading device 100 is operating normally. The specified time is, for example, a time of several seconds to several minutes. When the processor 11 determines that the operation confirmation information has not been received for the specified time or longer (step S112: YES), the processor 11 transmits the abnormality notification information to the terminal device 200 (step S113). The abnormality notification information is information for notifying the user of the terminal device 200 of an abnormality of the reading device 100.

When the processor 11 determines that the operation check information is not not received for the specified time or longer (step S112: NO), or when the process of step S113 is completed, the processor 11 determines whether or not there is an instruction to reset the number of storage mounts. (Step S114). The instruction to reset the number of storage mounts is an instruction given by the user when the mount 60 is collected from the storage unit 120. The reset instruction is realized, for example, by operating the touch screen 13 included in the control device 10 or transmitting information from the terminal device 200 to the control device 10.

When the processor 11 determines that there is an instruction to reset the number of storage mounts (step S114: YES), the processor 11 resets the number of storage mounts (step S115). For example, the processor 11 resets the number of storage mounts stored in the flash memory 12 to 0. When the processor 11 determines that there is no reset instruction for the number of storage mounts (step S114: NO), or when the process of step S115 is completed, the processor 11 returns the process to step S102.

In the present embodiment, when the mount 60 is loaded into the loading box 110, the article identification information is read from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60, and the article identification information is transmitted to the terminal device 200. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to identify the article used by the user with less effort. When the wireless tag 70 is inserted using the mount 60, the orientation, position, and moving speed of the wireless tag 70 can be easily restricted as compared with the case where the wireless tag 70 is inserted alone, and the article identification information can be read. Easy to remove.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the operation confirmation information cannot be continuously read, the abnormality notification information is transmitted to the terminal device 200. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to notify the user that there is a possibility of omission of reading the article identification information due to an abnormality in the reading device 100.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is transmitted to the terminal device 200 that the number of mounts 60 stored in the storage unit 120 has reached a predetermined number. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the mount 60 from being stored too much in the storage unit 120 and erroneously reading the transmitted article identification information.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the intensity of the tag information-containing radio wave received from the wireless tag 70 is less than the predetermined intensity, the transmission of the article identification information is postponed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the probability that the mount 60 that has not been loaded into the loading box 110 is erroneously determined to have been loaded into the loading box 110.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the same article identification information is continuously read, the article identification information is transmitted to the terminal device 200. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the probability that the mount 60 that has not been loaded into the loading box 110 is erroneously determined to have been loaded into the loading box 110.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is suppressed that the same article identification information is transmitted to the terminal device 200 until the specified time elapses after the article identification information is transmitted to the terminal device 200. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the probability that one use of the article 400 is erroneously determined to be a plurality of uses.

Further, in the present embodiment, the device identification information is transmitted to the terminal device 200 in addition to the article identification information. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to identify the reader / writer 20 that has acquired the article identification information. In the present embodiment, the terminal device 200 can also identify the user who used the article 400 based on the device identification information and the correspondence information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the time identification information is transmitted to the terminal device 200 in addition to the article identification information. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to inform the user of the time when the article 400 is used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the input hole 111 having an elongated shape is provided in the ceiling portion of the input box 110. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the orientation of the mount 60 at the time of loading is maintained so that the surface of the mount 60 is substantially orthogonal to the vertical direction. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the wireless tag 70 is maintained in an appropriate orientation when the mount 60 is loaded, and improvement in reading accuracy of the article identification information can be expected.

Further, in the present embodiment, a limiting member 131 and a limiting member 132 that limit the movement of the mount 60 are provided inside the loading box 110. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the moving speed of the mount 60 is limited, and improvement in the reading accuracy of the article identification information can be expected.

Further, in the present embodiment, the limiting member 131 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 113, the limiting member 132 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 114 facing the side wall 113, and the height of the lower end of the limiting member 131 is the upper end of the limiting member 132. Higher than the height of. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, an appropriate frictional force can be generated between the mount 60 and the limiting member 131 or the limiting member 132 without hindering the loading of the mount 60. That is, according to the present embodiment, the moving speed of the mount 60 is appropriately restricted, and further improvement in the reading accuracy of the article identification information can be expected.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wireless tag 70 is attached to the mount 60 at a predetermined position in a predetermined direction, the length of the insertion hole 111 is shorter than the length of the mount 60, and the width of the mount 60. Longer than. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the position and orientation of the wireless tag 70 when the mount 60 is inserted are appropriately restricted, and improvement in reading accuracy of the article identification information can be expected.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the mount 60 is inserted, the wireless tag 70 has a difference between the electric field strength due to the power supply radio wave at one end of the dipole antenna 73 and the electric field strength due to the power supply radio wave at the other end of the dipole antenna 73. The electric field strength difference is larger than the strength difference threshold according to the reception sensitivity of the dipole antenna 73. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a potential difference due to the power supply radio wave can be generated between both ends of the dipole antenna 73, and the article identification information can be read.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the mount 60 is inserted, the wireless tag 70 has only one end of the dipole antenna 73 as the radiation receiving surface 38 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38 included in the antenna 30 which is a flat antenna. Pass through the position where it overlaps with. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a potential difference due to the power supply radio wave can be generated between both ends of the dipole antenna 73 regardless of the polarization direction of the power supply radio wave, and the article identification information can be read. is there.

Further, in the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the radiation receiving surface 38 is the vertical direction, a plurality of wireless tags 70 are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the mount 60 on the mount 60, and the dipole antenna 73 is mounted on the mount 60. A plurality of wireless tags 70 are attached so as to extend in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the distance between the inner ends of the two adjacent dipole antennas 73 in the width direction of the mount 60 is shorter than the width of the radiation receiving surface 38, and the distance between the outer ends of the two dipole antennas 73 is shorter than the width of the radiation receiving surface 38. The distance between the ends is longer than the width of the radiation receiving surface 38. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, many wireless tags 70 can be attached to the mount 60 when the reading of the article identification information using the potential difference is adopted.

Further, in the present embodiment, the distance between the centers of two dipole antennas 73 adjacent to each other in the width direction of the mount 60 is equal to the width of the radiation receiving surface 38. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the above-mentioned potential difference is likely to occur, and improvement in the accuracy of reading the article identification information using the above-mentioned potential difference can be expected.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38, only one end of the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70 is overlapped with the radiation receiving surface 38, so that the power supply radio wave is polarized regardless of the polarization direction. , An example in which the article identification information can be read has been described. In the present embodiment, an example in which the direction of the wireless tag 70 is aligned with the polarization direction of the power supply radio wave will be described.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of wireless tags 70 are attached to the mount 62 so that the longitudinal direction of the dipole antenna 73 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the mount 62. Further, in the present embodiment, when the mount 62 is loaded, a plurality of dipole antennas 73 pass through a position where the entire dipole antenna 73 overlaps the radiation receiving surface 38 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38. The wireless tag 70 is attached. The shape and size of the mount 62 are the same as those of the mount 60.

In FIG. 10, four passive tags can be attached to the mount 62, and marks 61A, 61B, 61C, and 61D are attached to the mount 62 as marks 61 indicating the positions and orientations to which the wireless tag 70 can be attached. An example is shown. More specifically, in FIG. 10, the wireless tag 70A is attached to the position indicated by the mark 61A, the wireless tag 70B is attached to the position indicated by the mark 61B, and the wireless tag 70C is attached to the position indicated by the mark 61C. , An example is shown in which the wireless tag 90 is attached to the position indicated by the mark 61D.

Here, the wireless tag 90 is a passive tag that stores user identification information for identifying a user who is a patient, not article identification information for identifying the article 400. As described above, not only the wireless tag 70 for storing the article identification information but also the wireless tag 90 for storing the user identification information can be attached to the mount 62. In this case, it is preferable that the control device 10 reads the user identification information together with the article identification information and transmits the user identification information together with the article identification information to the terminal device 200. According to such a configuration, the terminal device 200 uses the article 400 without performing the user identification process using the device identification information and the user identification process based on the user-designated operation on the control device 10 or the terminal device 200. Can be identified.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of wireless tags 70 are oriented on the mount 62 according to the polarization direction of the antenna 30, and the dipole antenna 73 is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38 when the mount 62 is inserted. The whole is attached at a position where it overlaps with the radiation receiving surface 38. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is expected that the reading accuracy of the article identification information will be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, in addition to the wireless tag 70 that stores the article identification information, the wireless tag 90 that stores the user identification information is attached to the mount 62. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the user who used the article 400 can be easily identified.

(Embodiment 3)
In the first embodiment, an example of adopting an antenna 30 as a plane antenna, which receives the tag information containing radio wave radiated by the wireless tag 70 passing through the leaching region 37 and acquires the tag information from the wireless tag 70, has been described. In the present embodiment, an example of adopting a planar antenna that acquires tag information from the wireless tag 70 by electric field coupling or magnetic field coupling in close proximity to the wireless tag 70 will be described. Further, in the present embodiment, an input box having a thickness thinner than the thickness of the input box 110 is adopted so that the distance between the flat antenna and the wireless tag 70 is not so long.

Compared with the reading system 1000 according to the first embodiment, the reading system 1000 according to the present embodiment includes a reading device 100A instead of the reading device 100, and is connected to the control device 10 via the communication network 300. The difference is that the server 210 shown in 17 is provided and the mount 63 is used instead of the mount 60. The description of the same configurations and functions as those of the first and second embodiments will be omitted or simplified.

The configuration of the loading box 110A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a front view of the loading box 110A. FIG. 12 is a side view of the loading box 110A. The reading device 100A according to the present embodiment is a device that reads article identification information from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 63 shown in FIG. 15, and includes a reader / writer 20 (not shown), a loading box 110A, and width adjustment. A member 133, a width adjusting member 134, and an antenna 500 are provided.

The loading box 110A is a box that accepts loading of the mount 63 to which the wireless tag 70 is attached. The loading box 110A has a function of limiting the orientation of the mount 63 so that the article identification information can be easily read by the reading device 100A. Further, the loading box 110A has a function of delivering the mount 63 into which the article identification information is read to the storage unit 120. The charging box 110A is an example of a charging box.

The loading box 110A includes four side walls, that is, the side wall 102, the side wall 103, the side wall 104, and the side wall 105. The side wall 102, the side wall 103, the side wall 104, and the side wall 105 are plate-shaped members that form a path through which the mount 63 passes. The side wall 102 and the side wall 103 are arranged in parallel with the wall on which the loading box 110A is installed. The side wall 102 is arranged more away from the wall on which the input box 110A is installed than the side wall 103. That is, the side wall 102 is arranged closer to the user than the side wall 103. The side wall 104 is arranged on the left side of the side wall 105 when viewed from the user. That is, the coordinates of the Y-axis of the side wall 104 are smaller than the coordinates of the Y-axis of the side wall 105.

The loading box 110A is provided with a loading hole 111A into which the mount 63 is loaded and a discharge hole 112A into which the mount 63 is discharged. The charging hole 111A is formed so as to be surrounded by the upper ends of the four side walls included in the charging box 110A. The input hole 111A is formed in an elongated shape in the ceiling portion of the input box 110A. The discharge hole 112A is formed so as to be surrounded by the lower ends of the four side walls included in the loading box 110A. The discharge hole 112A is formed in an elongated shape at the bottom portion of the input box 110A. The longitudinal direction of the input hole 111A and the longitudinal direction of the discharge hole 112A coincide with each other. The side wall 102 and the side wall 103 extend in the longitudinal direction of the insertion hole 111A, and the side wall 104 and the side wall 105 extend in the lateral direction of the insertion hole 111A. The input hole 111A is an example of the input hole. The discharge hole 112A is an example of a discharge hole.

A notch 102A extending upward is provided at the upper end of the side wall 102. The cutout portion 102A serves to guide the user's hand to the upper part of the loading box 110A when the user loads the mount 63 into the loading box 110A. That is, the notch 102A motivates the user to move the hand holding the mount 63 to a position where the notch 102A is located and to release the mount 63 at this position. Due to the presence of the notch 102A, the mount 63 can be expected to be held near the antenna 500 for a certain period of time, and the moving speed of the mount 63 in the loading box 110A is expected to be suppressed. it can. That is, the presence of the cutout portion 102A can be expected to reduce omission of reading tag information. The notch portion 102A is an example of the notch portion.

Further, an inclined portion 102B inclined inward is provided at the lower end portion of the side wall 102. The inclined portion 102B is formed by, for example, bending the lower end portion of the side wall 102 so as to approach the side wall 103. The inclined portion 102B serves to reduce the moving speed of the mount 63 when the mount 63 is ejected from the loading box 110A. The inclination angle of the inclined portion 102B, that is, the angle formed by the inner surface of the inclined portion 102B and the Z axis can be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the material of the inclined portion 102B, the material of the mount 63, and the like. The inclination angle of the inclined portion 102B is preferably, for example, about 30 °. The presence of the inclined portion 102B can be expected to reduce omission of reading tag information. The inclined portion 102B is an example of the inclined portion.

Further, in the central portion of the side wall 102, an opening portion 102C extending in the vertical direction is provided. The opening 102C allows the user to observe the inside of the loading box 110A. Since the antenna 500 does not radiate radio waves at least in the distance, it is not necessary to provide the four side walls with a function of absorbing radio waves to shield the antenna 500. That is, it is not necessary to use metal to form the four side walls. The four side walls are made of, for example, resin.

The antenna 500 is an antenna for acquiring tag information from the wireless tag 70 under the control of the reader / writer 20. Specifically, the antenna 500 includes a transmission line through which a high-frequency signal supplied from the reader / writer 20 flows via the communication cable 50. Electric power is supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the wireless tag 70 by closely coupling the transmission line included in the antenna 500 and the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70 by electric field coupling or magnetic field coupling. The wireless tag 70 sends a high-frequency signal including tag information to the dipole antenna 73 based on the supplied electric power. The antenna 500 transmits a high frequency signal flowing through the transmission line by electric field coupling or magnetic field coupling to the reader / writer 20 via the communication cable 50. The reader / writer 20 acquires tag information included in the high frequency signal received from the antenna 500.

The antenna 500 is fixed inside the loading box 110A so that the tag information can be read from the passive tag existing inside the loading box 110A. Specifically, the antenna 500 is arranged on the surface of the side wall 103 so that the surface on which the transmission line is formed faces the side wall 102. The antenna 500 is an example of an antenna and a second plane antenna. The second plane antenna has a shorter readable distance for tag information than the first plane antenna, and reads tag information only from the closer wireless tag 70.

When reading tag information using the antenna 500, the wireless tag 70 needs to be arranged at a position extremely close to the surface of the antenna 500. Therefore, the space width, which is the length in the thickness direction of the antenna 500 in the space through which the mount 63 passes inside the loading box 110A, needs to be short to some extent. In FIG. 12, D4 indicates this spatial width. If this space width is too long, tag information may be missed, and if this space width is too short, the mount 63 may not smoothly pass through the loading box 110A.

This space width is adjusted according to, for example, the surface material of the mount 63, the processing state, the surface material of the side wall 102 and the side wall 103, the processing state, and the like. This space width is, for example, preferably in the range of 3 mm to 20 mm, more preferably in the range of 6 mm to 16 mm, and even more preferably in the range of 8 mm to 12 mm. In this embodiment, the space width is 10 mm.

The width adjusting member 133 and the width adjusting member 134 are members for adjusting the space width. The width adjusting member 133 and the width adjusting member 134 are, for example, elongated plate-shaped members, and are arranged inside the side wall 102 so as to extend in the vertical direction. For example, the width adjusting member 133 is arranged at one end of the input hole 111A in the Y-axis direction, and the width adjusting member 134 is arranged at the other end of the input hole 111A in the Y-axis direction.

The space width is basically the width in the X-axis direction of the space sandwiched between the surface orthogonal to the X-axis including the surface of the antenna 500 and the surface orthogonal to the X-axis including the surface of the width adjusting member 133. .. The space width is adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the width adjusting member 133 and the thickness of the width adjusting member 134. The width adjusting member 133 and the width adjusting member 134 are fixed to the side wall 102 by screws, double-sided tape, an adhesive, or the like. The width adjusting member 133 and the width adjusting member 134 are examples of the width adjusting member.

Next, the configuration of the antenna 500 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is an external view of the antenna 500. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the antenna 500 includes a linear conductor 510, a flat conductor 520, a dielectric plate 530, a feeding portion 540, and a terminating resistor portion 550.

The linear conductor 510 is a conductor that is electrically coupled or magnetically coupled in close proximity to the dipole antenna 73. The linear conductor 510 is a plate or film of a conductor having a predetermined width and thickness and extending linearly on one plane. The linear conductor 510 is provided on one surface of the dielectric plate 530. The shape of the linear conductor 510 when viewed in a plane can be adjusted as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the shape of the linear conductor 510 when viewed in a plan view is a meander shape extending in the Z-axis direction while meandering in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction. The linear conductor 510 is an example of a linear conductor.

The flat conductor 520 is a flat conductor arranged so as to face the linear conductor 510. The flat conductor 520 is provided on the other surface of the dielectric plate 530. The dielectric plate 530 is a plate-shaped dielectric sandwiched between the linear conductor 510 and the flat conductor 520. The linear conductor 510, the flat conductor 520, and the dielectric plate 530 form a microstrip line. The flat conductor 520 is an example of a flat conductor.

The power feeding unit 540 supplies the high-frequency signal supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the antenna 500, and supplies the high-frequency signal flowing through the antenna 500 to the reader / writer 20. The power feeding unit 540 is connected to the reader / writer 20 via the communication cable 50. The power feeding unit 540 includes a signal terminal 541 connected to one end of the linear conductor 510 and a ground terminal 542 connected to the flat conductor 520. The signal terminal 541 is a terminal that connects the signal line of the communication cable 50 and one end of the linear conductor 510. The ground terminal 542 is a terminal for connecting the ground wire of the communication cable 50 and the flat conductor 520. The power feeding unit 540 is, for example, a connector to which a coaxial cable is connected. The power feeding unit 540 is an example of the power feeding unit.

The terminating resistor portion 550 is a terminating resistor that connects the other end of the linear conductor 510 and the flat conductor 520. The terminating resistor portion 550 adjusts the impedance between one end of the linear conductor 510 and the flat conductor 520. The terminating resistance portion 550 is an example of the terminating resistance portion.

The impedance between the signal terminal 541 and the ground terminal 542, that is, the internal impedance of the reader / writer 20, is defined as Zi. Let Z be the characteristic impedance of the linear conductor 510. Let Zr be the impedance of the terminating resistor section 550. Let L be the path length from one end of the linear conductor 510 to the other end of the linear conductor 510. Let λ be the wavelength of the radio wave used by the reader / writer 20. Here, Z, which is the impedance when the entire antenna 500 is viewed from the feeding unit 540, can be calculated using the equations (1) and (2) with j as an imaginary unit.
Z = Zo (Zr + jZo × tan βL) / (Zo + jZr × tan βL) Equation (1)
β = 2π / λ equation (2)

Considering the equations (1) and (2), if any of the equations (3) and (4) is satisfied, the impedance mismatch in the feeding unit 540 does not occur, and the power reflection and the power reflection Resonance does not occur. Note that n is a natural number. In the present embodiment, the antenna 500 in which both the equation (3) and the equation (4) are satisfied is adopted.
Zi = Zoo = Zr equation (3)
Zi = Zr and L = nλ / 2 equation (4)

In the present embodiment, the wireless tag 70 close to the linear conductor 510 transmits tag information by utilizing the electromagnetic energy generated in the vicinity of the linear conductor 510 when a current flows through the linear conductor 510. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given.

When a high-frequency signal is supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the antenna 500, a current flows through the linear conductor 510 constituting the microstrip line. When an electric current flows through the linear conductor 510, an electromagnetic field is generated in the very vicinity of the linear conductor 510. By this electromagnetic field, the linear conductor 510 and the dipole antenna 73 passing in the very vicinity of the linear conductor 510 are coupled, and power is supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the wireless tag 70. Further, when the wireless tag 70 radiates a radio wave containing tag information, a current flows through the dipole antenna 73, and an electromagnetic field is generated in the immediate vicinity of the dipole antenna 73. By this electromagnetic field, the linear conductor 510 and the dipole antenna 73 are coupled, and the tag information is transmitted from the wireless tag 70 to the reader / writer 20.

The above-mentioned electromagnetic field is a general term for an electric field and a magnetic field, and the above-mentioned coupling includes an electric field coupling and a magnetic field coupling. The electric field coupling is, for example, a capacitive coupling between the linear conductor 510 and the dipole antenna 73. The magnetic field coupling is, for example, an electromagnetic induction coupling between the linear conductor 510 and the dipole antenna 73. The linear conductor 510 and the dipole antenna 73 may be coupled by at least one of an electric field coupling and a magnetic field coupling. In the present embodiment, the linear conductor 510 and the dipole antenna 73 are coupled by both electric field coupling and magnetic field coupling.

The antenna 30 according to the first embodiment spreads the high frequency signal supplied from the reader / writer 20 as an electromagnetic wave in two dimensions. On the other hand, in the antenna 500 according to the present embodiment, a high frequency signal supplied from the reader / writer 20 is passed through the linear conductor 510 as an electric current. Since the antenna 500 is less likely to dissipate energy than the antenna 30, good reading of tag information can be expected in the immediate vicinity of the antenna 500. A description of the basic principle of the antenna 500 is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-16445.

Next, the configuration of the mount 63 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The mount 63 is a sheet-like member to which the wireless tag 70 can be attached. The mount 63 is a member for holding the wireless tag 70, and is preferably a member having some flexibility. The mount 63 is, for example, thick paper. The mount 63 is an example of a sheet-shaped member.

As shown in FIG. 15, it is preferable that W1 which is the width of the mount 63 is shorter than L1 which is the length of the mount 63. Further, it is preferable that the length of the input hole 111, that is, the length of the input hole 111 in the Y-axis direction is longer than W1 and shorter than L1. According to such a configuration, the mount 63 is suppressed from being inserted in the horizontal direction, and the mount 63 is inserted in the vertical direction. As a result, appropriate reading of the article identification information by the reading device 100 can be expected.

In the present embodiment, the tag information can be read if the linear conductor 510 included in the antenna 500 and the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70 are parallel and close to each other. Then, when the mount 63 passes through the loading box 110A, most of the mount 63 is parallel to and close to the antenna 500, but the end portion of the mount 63 may not be close to the antenna 500. Therefore, the wireless tag 70 is attached to the mount 63 so that at least a part of the dipole antenna 73 passes through a position overlapping the conductor surrounding area 560 when viewed from the thickness direction of the antenna 500 when the mount 63 is inserted. .. If at least a part of the dipole antenna 73 included in the wireless tag 70 overlaps with the conductor surrounding area 560, the dipole antenna 73 and the linear conductor 510 are coupled to each other, so that the reader / writer 20 obtains tag information from the wireless tag 70. Can be read.

The conductor surrounding area 560 is an area surrounding the linear conductor 510 on the antenna 500. The linear conductor 510 is provided in a meander shape within the conductor surrounding area 560. The shape of the conductor enclosing region 560 is preferably a substantially quadrangle. This is because when the shape of the conductor surrounding area 560 is substantially quadrangular, the tag information can be read for a certain period of time regardless of the coordinates in the width direction of the mount 63 at the attachment position of the wireless tag 70. In the present embodiment, the shape of the antenna 500 when viewed in a plan view is substantially square, and the shape of the conductor surrounding region 560 is substantially square. The antenna 500 is arranged so that two opposing sides of the four sides constituting the conductor surrounding area 560 extend in the vertical direction. The conductor surrounding area 560 is an example of the conductor surrounding area.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of wireless tags 70 are arranged in three rows along the longitudinal direction of the mount 63, and the dipole antenna 73 included in each of the plurality of wireless tags 70 extends in the width direction of the mount 63. It is attached to one side. FIG. 15 shows an example in which 15 wireless tags 70 are attached in three rows on one surface of the mount 63. In FIG. 15, in order to facilitate understanding, the reference numeral of the wireless tag 70 is not shown as appropriate.

Further, W3, which is the horizontal length of the conductor surrounding region 560, is longer than D4, which is the length from the center line 65A to the center line 65B. The center line 65A is a line connecting the centers of the radio tags 70 belonging to the row at one end of the plurality of radio tags 70. The center line 65B is a line connecting the centers of the radio tags 70 belonging to the other end row of the plurality of radio tags 70. According to such a configuration, when the mount 63 is loaded into the loading box 110A, the position, size, etc. of the loading holes 111 are set so that at least a part of all the wireless tags 70 passes through the position where they overlap with the conductor surrounding area 560. Can be adjusted.

The antenna 500 according to the present embodiment can have a conductor surrounding area 560 having a size of about 20 cm × 20 cm. Therefore, if the wireless tag 70 has a length of about 5 cm, the tag information can be appropriately read from all of the plurality of wireless tags 70 attached to the mount 63 in three rows. On the other hand, in the antenna 30 according to the first embodiment, the width of the antenna 30 is limited to about 10 cm by design. Therefore, when reading tag information from three or more rows of wireless tags 70 using the antenna 30, it is necessary to install the antenna 30 so that the width direction of the antenna 30 coincides with the vertical direction. However, in this case, since the readable distance of the tag information is 10 cm and the readable time of the tag information is short, the tag information may not be read properly.

Next, a method of attaching the wireless tag 70 to the mount 63 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the wireless tag 70 has an adhesive portion 70K that has been adhesively processed and a non-adhesive portion 70L that has not been adhesively processed. The adhesive portion 70K is, for example, a portion of one surface of the sheet-shaped wireless tag 70 to which an adhesive is applied so that the wireless tag 70 can be attached to another member. The non-adhesive portion 70L is, for example, a portion of one surface of the sheet-shaped wireless tag 70 that is not coated with an adhesive. In the present embodiment, the adhesive portion 70K is a portion of one surface of the wireless tag 70 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70 and includes one end in the width direction of the wireless tag 70. The non-adhesive portion 70L is a portion of one surface of the wireless tag 70 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the wireless tag 70 and includes the other end in the width direction of the wireless tag 70.

The mounting position of the wireless tag 70 and the sticking direction of the wireless tag 70 are specified on the mount 63. The sticking position of the wireless tag 70 is specified by, for example, the figure 67 drawn on the mount 63. Figure 67 is a figure showing an area to which the wireless tag 70 should be attached. The sticking direction of the wireless tag 70 is specified by, for example, the position of the figure 68 drawn in the figure 67. FIG. 68 is a figure showing an area in the figure 67 to which the adhesive portion 70K should be attached. That is, the user can grasp the direction in which the wireless tag 70 should be attached in the figure 67 according to the relative position of the figure 68 in the figure 67.

Here, the sticking direction of the wireless tag 70 is specified so that when the wireless tag 70 passes through the insertion hole 111A, the adhesive portion 70K passes through the insertion hole 111A before the non-adhesive portion 70L. For example, when a figure 66 indicating the direction in which the mount 63 is inserted is drawn on the mount 63, the figure 68 is drawn closer to the tip of the arrow in the figure 67. According to such a configuration, when the mount 63 is loaded into the loading box 110A, the wireless tag 70 is unlikely to be peeled off from the mount 63.

Further, the mount 63 has an identifier that identifies at least one of patient information indicating the patient who used the article 400, room information indicating the room in which the input box 110A is installed, and doctor information indicating the doctor in charge of the patient. Is provided. There are various methods for providing the identifier on the mount 63. In the present embodiment, a method of providing an identifier on the mount 63 by attaching a wireless tag 81 that stores this identifier as tag information to the mount 63 is adopted.

Next, the server 210 will be described with reference to FIG. The server 210 is a server that manages the article 400. The server 210 may be a cloud server in cloud computing. The server 210 is an example of a receiving device. As shown in FIG. 17, the server 210 includes a processor 21, a hard disk 22, a user interface 23, and a communication interface 24.

The processor 21 controls the overall operation of the server 210. The processor 21 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an RTC. The hard disk 22 stores various types of information. The hard disk 22 is an example of a storage means. The user interface 23 is a user interface of the server 210. The user interface 23 includes a liquid crystal display, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. The communication interface 24 communicates with the control device 10 via the communication network 300 under the control of the processor 21.

The communication interface 24 receives the article identification information from the control device 10 via the communication network 300. The communication network 300 may be any communication network. For example, the communication network 300 may be a carrier line constructed outside the hospital by a mobile communication operator, a user network constructed inside the hospital by a network administrator, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). , Registered trademark) may be a network according to the standard. The communication interface 24 is an example of the receiving means.

The hard disk 22 stores inventory information indicating the inventory of the article 400. This inventory information is information indicating the remaining quantity of the article 400 for each type of the article 400. Here, the control device 10 transmits the article identification information to the server 210 when the article 400 is used. Therefore, when the server 210 receives the article identification information from the control device 10, the server 210 updates the inventory information stored in the hard disk 22. Specifically, the server 210 updates the inventory information so that the remaining quantity of the goods 400 of the type indicated by the goods identification information is reduced by one.

Further, in the present embodiment, the mount 63 is provided with an identifier that identifies at least one of patient information, room information, and doctor information. The server 210 stores the article identification information received from the control device 10 and the identifier provided on the mount 63 in association with each other in the hard disk 22.

For example, it is assumed that a wireless tag 81 that stores tag information including this identifier is attached to the mount 63. In this case, the reading device 100 reads the article identification information from the wireless tag 70 and the identifier from the wireless tag 81 when the mount 63 is loaded into the loading box 110A. Then, the reading device 100 transmits the article identification information and the identifier to the control device 10. The control device 10 transmits the article identification information and the identifier received from the reading device 100 to the server 210. The server 210 stores the article identification information received from the control device 10 and the identifier in association with each other in the hard disk 22. In this case, the server 210 can identify which patient used the article 400 indicated by the article identification information, which room it was used in, or which doctor's patient used it.

In this embodiment, the antenna 500 is used to read the tag information. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the readable distance of the tag information is extremely short, it is possible to prevent the tag information from being erroneously acquired from the wireless tag 70 away from the antenna 500. Further, according to the present embodiment, the antenna 500 does not emit radio waves at least in the distance. Therefore, a structure for absorbing radio waves and shielding the antenna 500 is unnecessary, and the weight and cost of the reading device 100 can be reduced. In addition, there are few restrictions on the installation location of the reading device 100, and the degree of freedom in installing the reading device 100 is high.

Further, according to the present embodiment, even when the wireless tag 70 comes into contact with the antenna 500, the tag information can be appropriately acquired from the wireless tag 70. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the size of the antenna 500 can be easily adjusted, tag information can be acquired from a large number of wireless tags 70.

Further, in the present embodiment, the notch 102A is provided near the input hole 111A, the inclined portion 102B is provided near the discharge hole 112A, and the space width which is the width of the space through which the mount 63 passes is adjusted. Therefore, a width adjusting member 133 and a width adjusting member 134 are provided. Further, in the present embodiment, the conductor surrounding area 560 is a substantially quadrangle, and the antenna 500 is arranged so that two opposing sides of the four sides constituting the conductor surrounding area 560 extend in the vertical direction. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, good reading of tag information can be expected.

Further, in the present embodiment, the orientation of the wireless tag 70 is specified on the mount 63 so that the adhesive portion 70K passes through the insertion hole 111A before the adhesive portion 70L. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the wireless tag 70 is unlikely to be peeled off from the mount 63 when the mount 63 is inserted.

(Embodiment 4)
In the third embodiment, an example in which the antenna 500 including the linear conductor 510 having a meander shape is adopted as the second plane antenna has been described. The shape of the linear conductor is not limited to the meander shape. In the present embodiment, an example in which the shape of the linear conductor is a spiral shape will be described. Descriptions of the same configurations and functions as those of the first to third embodiments will be omitted or simplified.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the antenna 501 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. Antenna 501 is an example of an antenna and a second antenna. FIG. 18 is an external view of the antenna 501. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the antenna 501 includes a linear conductor 511, a flat conductor 520, a dielectric plate 530, a feeding portion 540, and a terminating resistor portion 550.

The linear conductor 511 is a conductor that is electrically coupled or magnetically coupled in close proximity to the dipole antenna 73. The linear conductor 511 is a plate or film of a conductor having a predetermined width and thickness and extending linearly on one plane. The linear conductor 511 is provided on one surface of the dielectric plate 530. The shape of the linear conductor 511 when viewed in a plan view is a spiral shape in which a spiral is swirled from the outside to the inside, and the locus for one round is a substantially quadrangular spiral shape. The linear conductor 511 is provided in a spiral shape, more specifically in a square spiral shape, in the conductor surrounding area 560. The linear conductor 511 is an example of a linear conductor.

The flat conductor 520 is a flat conductor arranged so as to face the linear conductor 511. The flat conductor 520 is provided on the other surface of the dielectric plate 530. The dielectric plate 530 is a plate-shaped dielectric sandwiched between the linear conductor 511 and the flat conductor 520. The linear conductor 511, the flat conductor 520, and the dielectric plate 530 form a microstrip line.

The power feeding unit 540 supplies the high frequency signal supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the antenna 501, and supplies the high frequency signal flowing through the antenna 501 to the reader / writer 20. The power feeding unit 540 includes a signal terminal 541 connected to one end of the linear conductor 511 and a ground terminal 542 connected to the flat conductor 520. The terminating resistor portion 550 is a terminating resistor that connects the other end of the linear conductor 511 and the flat conductor 520. The terminating resistor portion 550 adjusts the impedance between one end of the linear conductor 511 and the flat conductor 520.

Zi, which is the impedance between the signal terminal 541 and the ground terminal 542, Zo, which is the characteristic impedance of the linear conductor 511, Zr, which is the impedance of the terminating resistance portion 550, and the linear conductor from one end of the linear conductor 511. The relationship between L, which is the path length to the other end of 510, and λ, which is the wavelength of the radio wave used by the reader / writer 20, is any of the equations (3) and (4), as in the third embodiment. Is a relationship that holds.

When a high-frequency signal is supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the antenna 501, a current flows through the linear conductor 511 constituting the microstrip line. When an electric current flows through the linear conductor 511, an electromagnetic field is generated in the very vicinity of the linear conductor 511. By this electromagnetic field, the linear conductor 511 and the dipole antenna 73 passing in the very vicinity of the linear conductor 511 are coupled, and power is supplied from the reader / writer 20 to the wireless tag 70. Further, when the wireless tag 70 radiates a radio wave containing tag information, a current flows through the dipole antenna 73, and an electromagnetic field is generated in the immediate vicinity of the dipole antenna 73. By this electromagnetic field, the linear conductor 511 and the dipole antenna 73 are coupled, and the tag information is transmitted from the wireless tag 70 to the reader / writer 20.

The antenna 501 according to the present embodiment sends a high-frequency signal supplied from the reader / writer 20 as an electric current through the linear conductor 510. Since the antenna 501 is less likely to dissipate energy than the antenna 30, good reading of tag information can be expected in the very vicinity of the antenna 501.

(Modification example)
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, various forms can be modified and applied.

Which part of the configuration, function, and operation described in the above embodiment is adopted is arbitrary. Further, in addition to the above-described configurations, functions, and operations, further configurations, functions, and operations may be adopted. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be freely combined as appropriate. In addition, the number of components described in the above-described embodiment can be adjusted as appropriate. Further, it goes without saying that the materials, sizes, electrical characteristics, and the like that can be adopted are not limited to those shown in the above embodiments.

For example, the wireless tag 90 according to the second embodiment may be attached to the mount 60 according to the first embodiment. In such a configuration, there are many wireless tags 70 that can be attached to the mount 60, and it is easy to identify the user. Further, the method of arranging the wireless tag 70 in the first embodiment and the method of arranging the wireless tag 70 in the second embodiment may be combined. In this case, for example, on the mount 60, the radio tag 70 in which the longitudinal direction of the dipole antenna 73 extends in the width direction of the mount 60 and only one end of the dipole antenna 73 overlaps the radiation receiving surface 38, and the longitudinal direction of the dipole antenna 73 is the mount. A radio tag 70 extending in the longitudinal direction of the 60 and having both ends of the dipole antenna 73 overlapping the radiation receiving surface 38 may be attached.

Further, in the first embodiment, an example in which a plurality of wireless tags 70 are attached to one surface of the mount 60 has been described. At least one wireless tag 70 may be attached to one surface of the mount 60, and at least one wireless tag 70 may be attached to the other surface of the mount 60. In this case, the wireless tag 70 attached to one surface of the mount 60 and the wireless tag 70 attached to the other surface of the mount 60 are viewed from each other in a direction orthogonal to the two surfaces of the mount 60. It is preferable that they do not overlap.

In the first embodiment, as a method of securing the electric field strength difference between both ends of the dipole antenna 73, an example in which only one end of the dipole antenna 73 overlaps with the radiation receiving surface 38 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38. Was explained. The method for ensuring the difference in electric field strength between both ends of the dipole antenna 73 is not limited to this example. For example, the thickness (length in the X-axis direction) of the leaching region 37 formed by the antenna 30 is made shorter than the thickness of the charging box 110, and only one end of the dipole antenna 73 passes through the leaching region 37. be able to. In such a configuration, both the dipole antenna 73 overlaps with the radiation receiving surface 38 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface 38, but it is possible to secure an electric field strength difference between both ends of the dipole antenna 73. ..

In the first embodiment, an example of adopting an antenna 30 that radiates a linearly polarized power supply radio wave as a planar antenna has been described. As the planar antenna, an antenna that emits elliptically polarized power supply radio waves including circularly polarized waves may be adopted. Further, the antenna used for reading the tag information does not have to be a planar antenna. Even in this case, it is preferable to adjust the shape and arrangement of each member so that the tag information can be read well.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the mount 60 made of paper is adopted as the sheet-like member has been described. The sheet-like member may be a member made of a material other than paper, for example, plastic.

In the first embodiment, an example of identifying the user who used the article 400 by using the correspondence relationship information and the device identification information will be described, and in the second embodiment, the user read from the wireless tag 90 attached to the mount 62. An example of identifying a user who has used the article 400 by using the identification information has been described. The method of identifying the user who used the article 400 is not limited to these examples.

For example, immediately before the loading of the mount 60, the nurse may perform a user-designated operation for designating the user who used the article 400 on the control device 10. In this case, the control device 10 transmits the user identification information generated based on this user-designated operation to the terminal device 200. In this case, the terminal device 200 can identify the user based on the user identification information received from the terminal device 200. The user-designated operation may be performed on the terminal device 200 instead of the control device 10.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the storage unit 120 is provided in the lower part of the input box 110 has been described. Any configuration may be adopted as long as the mount 60 to which the wireless tag 70 for storing the already transmitted article identification information is attached does not stay inside the loading box 110. For example, a tray for storing the mount 60 may be provided at the bottom of the loading box 110. Further, when the length of the loading box 110 is sufficiently long and the article identification information cannot be read from the wireless tag 70 attached to the mount 60 arranged at the bottom of the loading box 110, the loading box 110 is provided with a discharge hole 112. It is not necessary to provide the storage unit 120.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the wireless tag 70 and the wireless tag 80 are passive tags has been described. The wireless tag 70 and the wireless tag 80 may be active tags. Further, in the first embodiment, an example in which the wireless tag 70 and the wireless tag 80 include a dipole type antenna has been described. The wireless tag 70 and the wireless tag 80 may include a monopole type antenna. The same applies to the wireless tag 90 in the second embodiment, and the active tag may be used instead of the passive tag, or the monopole type antenna may be provided instead of the dipole type antenna.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the outer shape of the input box 110 is a rectangular parallelepiped has been described. The outer shape of the loading box 110 may be any outer shape as long as a configuration capable of reading good tag information when the mount 60 is loaded can be realized. In the first embodiment, an example in which the antenna 30 and the wireless tag 80 are provided inside the loading box 110 has been described. The antenna 30 and the wireless tag 80 may be provided outside the loading box 110.

In the second embodiment, an example in which the length of the input hole 111 is longer than the width of the mount 60 and shorter than the length of the mount 60 has been described. For example, when it is not necessary to limit the orientation of the mount 60, such as when circularly polarized waves are used to read the tag information, the length of the input hole 111 may be longer than the length of the mount 60.

In the first embodiment, an example in which the article 400 used by the user is a medical material used in a medical field has been described. As the article 400 used by the user, for example, various articles used in factories, offices, and the like may be adopted.

In the third embodiment, an example has been described in which the server 210 updates the inventory information stored in the hard disk 22 when the article identification information is received from the control device 10. The timing at which the server 210 updates the inventory information is not limited to this example. For example, the server 210 may update the inventory information according to the contents manually input to the server 210 or the control device 10 and the contents read by the bar code reader connected to the server 210 or the control device 10.

In the third embodiment, an example in which an identifier is provided on the mount 63 by attaching a wireless tag 81 that stores an identifier as tag information to the mount 63 has been described. The method of providing the identifier on the mount 63 is not limited to this example. For example, a barcode representing this identifier may be attached to the mount 63. In this case, the barcode attached to the mount 63 is read by the barcode reader connected to the server 210 or the control device 10. Then, the server 210 associates the identifier obtained by reading the barcode with the article identification information received from the control device 10 and stores it in the hard disk 22. Alternatively, a character string representing the identifier may be attached to the mount 63. In this case, the identifier represented by this character string is acquired by manual input to the server 210 or the control device 10. Then, the server 210 associates the identifier obtained manually with the article identification information received from the control device 10 and stores it in the hard disk 22.

In the third embodiment, an example in which the antenna 500 is arranged so that the linear conductor 510 having a meander shape extends in the horizontal direction has been described. The antenna 500 may be arranged so that the direction in which the linear conductor 510 having a meander shape extends is the vertical direction.

In the third embodiment, an example in which a plurality of wireless tags 70 are arranged in three rows on the mount 63 has been described. The method of arranging the plurality of wireless tags 70 on the mount 63 is not limited to this example. For example, a plurality of wireless tags 70 may be arranged in two or less rows or four or more rows on the mount 63. Further, the plurality of wireless tags 70 may be arranged on the mount 63 without being aligned. In the third embodiment, an example in which a part of one surface of the wireless tag 70 is an adhesive portion 70K has been described. The entire one surface of the wireless tag 70 may be the adhesive portion 70K.

In the fourth embodiment, the signal terminal 541 is connected to the outer end of the spiral at both ends of the linear conductor 511, and the ground terminal 542 is connected to the inner end of the spiral at both ends of the linear conductor 511. An example has been described. The signal terminal 541 may be connected to the inner end of the spiral at both ends of the linear conductor 511, and the ground terminal 542 may be connected to the outer end of the spiral at both ends of the linear conductor 511.

10 Controller, 11,21 Processor, 12 Flash Memory, 13 Touch Screen, 14 1st Communication Interface, 15 2nd Communication Interface, 20 Reader / Writer, 22 Hard Disk, 23 User Interface, 24 Communication Interface, 30,500,501 Antenna , 31, 32, 41, 42 conductor layer, 33, 43 insulator layer, 34, 35 cover layer, 37 leaching area, 38 radiation receiving surface, 40 radio interface, 44, 45 electrodes, 46 connector, 47 radio absorber, 48 radio absorber, 49 conductor plate, 50,55 communication cable, 51 inner conductor, 52 outer conductor, 60, 62, 63 mount, 61, 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 61E, 61F, 61G, 61H, 61I, 61J mark, 65A, 64B center line, 66,67,68 figure, 70,70A, 70B, 70C, 70D, 70F, 70G, 70H, 70I, 70J, 80,81,90 wireless tag, 70K adhesive part, 70L non Adhesive part, 71 base material, 72 feeding point, 73 dipole antenna, 74,75 element, 76 IC chip, 77,77A, 77F, 78,78A, 78F end, 79A, 79F center point, 100,100A reader, 102, 103, 104, 105, 113, 114 Side wall, 102A notch, 102B inclined part, 102C opening part, 110, 110A input box, 111, 111A input hole, 112, 112A discharge hole, 120 storage part, 131 , 132 Limiting member, 133,134 Width adjusting member, 200 Terminal device, 210 server, 300 Communication network, 400 Articles, 410 Storage case, 510, 511 Linear conductor, 520 Flat conductor, 530 Dielectric plate, 540 Feeding unit , 541 signal terminal, 542 ground terminal, 550 termination resistor, 560 conductor surrounding area, 1000 reading system

Claims (29)

A loading box provided with a loading hole for loading a sheet-shaped member to which a tag for identifying an article, which stores article identification information for identifying an article used by a user, is attached.
An antenna that receives radio waves radiated from the article identification tag when the sheet-shaped member is thrown into the loading box, and
A reading means for reading the article identification information from the article identification tag via the antenna, and
A transmission means for transmitting the article identification information read by the reading means to a receiving device.
Reading system. An operation confirmation tag attached to the loading box and storing operation confirmation information read for confirmation of the reading operation by the reading means is further provided.
The antenna further receives the radio wave radiated from the operation confirmation tag, and receives the radio wave.
The reading means further reads the operation confirmation information from the operation confirmation tag via the antenna, and further reads the operation confirmation information.
When the reading means does not read the operation confirmation information, the transmitting means transmits the abnormality notification information notifying that the reading operation by the reading means is abnormal to the receiving device.
The reading system according to claim 1. When the number of the sheet-shaped members put into the loading box reaches a predetermined number, the transmitting means transmits the collection instruction information instructing the collection of the sheet-shaped members to the receiving device.
The reading system according to claim 1 or 2. When the strength of the radio wave received by the antenna from the article identification tag is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity, the transmitting means transmits the article identification information to the receiving device.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the reading means reads the same article identification information a plurality of times within a predetermined time, the transmitting means transmits the same article identification information to the receiving device.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The transmitting means does not transmit the transmitted article identification information to the receiving device until a predetermined time elapses after the transmitting means transmits the article identification information to the receiving device.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. In addition to the article identification information read by the reading means, the transmitting means further transmits device identification information for identifying the reading means to the receiving device.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. In addition to the article identification information read by the reading means, the transmitting means further transmits time identification information for identifying the time when the reading means reads the article identification information to the receiving device.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The input hole has an elongated shape and is provided on the ceiling portion of the input box.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Inside the loading box, a limiting member that limits the movement of the sheet-shaped member when the sheet-shaped member passes through the loading hole is further provided.
The reading system according to claim 9. The limiting member is the first limiting member provided on the inner surface of the first side wall, which is a side wall extending in the longitudinal direction of the loading hole among the four side walls included in the loading box, and the four side walls. A second limiting member provided on the inner surface of the second side wall, which is a side wall facing the first side wall, is provided.
The height of the lower end of the first limiting member is higher than the height of the upper end of the second limiting member.
The reading system according to claim 10. The input hole is formed so as to be surrounded by the upper ends of the four side walls included in the input box.
A notch is provided at the upper end of one of the four side walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the input hole.
The reading system according to any one of claims 9 to 11. The loading box is provided with a discharge hole formed by being surrounded by the lower ends of the four side walls included in the loading box.
An inclined portion inclined inward is provided at the lower end portion of one of the four side walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the input hole.
The reading system according to any one of claims 9 to 12. The article identification tag is attached to a predetermined position on the sheet-shaped member in a predetermined direction.
The length of the input hole is shorter than the length of the sheet-shaped member and longer than the width of the sheet-shaped member.
The reading system according to any one of claims 9 to 13. The article identification tag includes an adhesive portion that has been adhesively processed and a non-adhesive portion that has not been adhesively processed.
The sheet-shaped member is designated with the attachment position of the article identification tag and the attachment direction of the article identification tag.
The sticking direction of the article identification tag is specified so that when the article identification tag passes through the input hole, the adhesive portion passes through the input hole before the non-adhesive portion.
The reading system according to claim 14. The antenna is a flat antenna having a radiation receiving surface that emits a power supply radio wave that is a radio wave for supplying power and receives a tag information-containing radio wave that is a radio wave radiated from the article identification tag. A first conductor layer having an open portion, a second conductor layer, and an insulator layer provided between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer are provided, and the radio wave for power supply is provided. It is a first plane antenna that forms an leaching region on the surface of the first conductor layer by leaching from the opening.
The article identification tag includes a dipole antenna having two elements extending in opposite directions with respect to a feeding point, and a radio wave containing the tag information in response to the dipole antenna receiving the power supply radio wave. It is a passive tag provided with a control circuit for radiating to the dipole antenna.
When the sheet-shaped member is charged, the article identification tag is the difference between the electric field strength of the power supply radio wave at one end of the dipole antenna and the electric field strength of the power supply radio wave at the other end of the dipole antenna. The electric field strength difference passes through a position larger than the strength difference threshold corresponding to the reception sensitivity of the dipole antenna.
The reading system according to claim 14 or 15. The planar antenna is installed in the input box so that the radiation receiving surface is parallel to the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the input hole.
When the sheet-shaped member is inserted, one end of the dipole antenna overlaps the radiation receiving surface of the article identification tag when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the radiation receiving surface, and the other end of the dipole antenna receives the radiation. Pass through a position that does not overlap the surface,
The reading system according to claim 16. The flat antenna is installed in the input box so that the longitudinal direction of the radiation receiving surface is the vertical direction.
A plurality of the article identification tags are arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the sheet-like member, and the dipole antenna included in each of the plurality of article identification tags is in the width direction of the sheet-like member. The plurality of article identification tags are attached so as to extend to
The inner end of the dipole antenna included in the first article identification tag belonging to the first row of the plurality of article identification tags and the first article identification tag belonging to the second row of the plurality of article identification tags. The distance between the tag and the inner end of the dipole antenna included in the adjacent second article identification tag is shorter than the width of the radiation receiving surface, and the outer end of the dipole antenna included in the first article identification tag. The distance between the portion and the outer end portion of the dipole antenna included in the second article identification tag is longer than the width of the radiation receiving surface.
The reading system according to claim 17. The distance between the center of the dipole antenna included in the first article identification tag and the center of the dipole antenna included in the second article identification tag is equal to the width of the radiation receiving surface.
The reading system according to claim 18. The article identification tag includes a dipole antenna having two elements extending in opposite directions with respect to the feeding point.
The antenna is a linear conductor that is field-coupled or magnetically coupled in close proximity to the dipole antenna, a flat-plate conductor that is arranged so as to face the linear conductor, and a signal that is connected to one end of the linear conductor. A second flat antenna including a feeding portion including a terminal and a ground terminal connected to the flat conductor, and a terminal resistance portion connecting the other end of the linear conductor and the flat conductor.
The article identification tag is a region in which at least a part of the dipole antenna surrounds the linear conductor on the second plane antenna when the sheet-shaped member is inserted, when viewed from the thickness direction of the second plane antenna. Passes a position that overlaps the conductor surrounding area, which is
The reading system according to claim 14 or 15. The conductor surrounding area is substantially quadrangular.
The second plane antenna is arranged so that two opposing sides of the four sides constituting the conductor surrounding region extend in the vertical direction.
The reading system according to claim 20. In the sheet-shaped member, a plurality of the article-identifying tags are arranged in a plurality of rows in the longitudinal direction of the sheet-shaped member, and the dipole antenna included in each of the plurality of article-identifying tags has the width of the sheet-shaped member. The plurality of article identification tags are attached so as to extend in the direction.
The horizontal length of the conductor enclosing region is from the center line connecting the centers of the article identification tags belonging to the row of one end of the plurality of article identification tags to the other of the plurality of article identification tags. Longer than the center line connecting the centers of the article identification tags belonging to the end row,
The reading system according to claim 21. The linear conductor is provided in a meander shape within the conductor surrounding area.
The reading system according to claim 21 or 22. The linear conductor is provided in a spiral shape in the conductor surrounding area.
The reading system according to claim 21 or 22. The space width, which is the length of the space through which the sheet-shaped member passes inside the input box in the thickness direction of the second plane antenna, is in the range of 3 mm to 20 mm.
The reading system according to any one of claims 20 to 24. A width adjusting member for adjusting the space width is further provided.
The reading system according to claim 25. The receiving device is a server that manages the article.
Further equipped with the above server
The server includes a receiving means for receiving the article identification information from the transmitting means via a communication network.
The reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 26. The server
Further provided with a storage means for storing inventory information indicating the inventory of the goods,
When the receiving means receives the article identification information from the transmitting means, the server updates the inventory information stored in the storage means.
The reading system according to claim 27. Used for managing goods in hospitals
The sheet-shaped member identifies at least one of patient information indicating a patient who used the article, room information indicating a room in which the input box is installed, and doctor information indicating a doctor in charge of the patient. An identifier is provided,
The server further includes a storage means for storing the article identification information in association with the identifier.
The reading system according to claim 27 or 28.

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