JP3506979B2 - Data carrier system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to data carrier systems.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A data carrier system is a system for contactlessly communicating information between a response device (responder) and an interrogator (interrogator). The applications of this data carrier system are FA (Factory Automation) field, distribution field,
With the arrival of the multimedia era, such as in the security field, the applications are expanding. As the application is expanded, the position of the response device is variously arranged, installed, and attached. When communicating between the answering device and the interrogation device,
Interrogation of the response device Moves to the communication area, or conversely, the response device moves, or both move. Either way, the communication device moves relatively to the communication area to communicate. .

Depending on the application, it is necessary to search for the position of the responding device desired to communicate with. In such a usage pattern, an electromagnetic induction method and a microwave method, which have a relatively wide communication range, are in practical use.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
There are various kinds of information and noise in the application to the A field. Therefore, there is a problem that proper communication cannot be performed. As a condition for communication, it is required to perform appropriate communication without loss or deterioration of information. The size of the antenna and the transmission output are determined from the above requirements. Furthermore, there are restrictions on frequency bands and transmission due to legal regulations.

Further, when communication is required, it is required that the communicative positions exist in a close proximity to each other so that the communication can be performed quickly and in a timely manner. FA field For example, there is application to a line of a beer production factory. That is, the beer barrel with the transponder attached,
There is an application to place and move on a conveyor belt, to exchange the information of this barrel without contact, and to control the quality.

That is, in order to communicate and read / write information between a transponder (data carrier) attached to a cylindrical object such as a via barrel and reading / writing information, the following structure is usually adopted.
That is, since it is not possible to specify where the data carrier is in the object, the interrogator is provided with a large-sized and large-diameter antenna that makes the entire vial barrel a communication area.

Since the communication is with a moving transponder, the communication means selects an electromagnetic induction system or a microwave communication system. When configured in this way and implemented in a production line of a factory, there was a problem that strong noise from the outside was mixed in and the signal-to-noise ratio was poor and it could not be put to practical use.

Further, with respect to the data carrier attached to the upper peripheral portion of the cylindrical object such as the via barrel, information is exchanged at the peripheral portion of the large diameter antenna. However, the energy induced from a large-diameter antenna is the strongest in the center of the antenna, and becomes weaker as the distance increases and the distance goes to the periphery.

Further, if the antenna is large, the sensitivity is high, but on the other hand, external noise is often picked up, and further, an insensitive area is generated in the central portion. As a result, communication may become unstable, or sometimes communication may not be possible.

In order to solve this problem, the inventors of the present invention have made earnest development, and as a result, select the aperture of the antenna to a size that takes into consideration the state of ambient noise. That is, the aperture size is reduced so that an appropriate signal-to-noise ratio can be obtained. When using a small-caliber antenna to communicate with a data carrier attached to a moving beer barrel, the following problems occurred.

That is, a data carrier (responder) that is running
The operation for setting the inside of the communication area of the antenna with a small aperture is complicated, and the setting time becomes long. There is an undesirable problem for communication with a data carrier that is running (moving).

The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
By optically detecting the position of the transponder and outputting this position to the interrogator, the size of the interrogator's antenna can be adjusted to an appropriate size, enabling data carrier communication with a good signal-to-noise ratio. The system is intended to provide.

[0013]

As described in claim 1, the data carrier system of the present invention is provided, for example, at a predetermined position of an object and transmits information about the object via an antenna. a transponder for transmitting, means for comprising the interrogator having an antenna that communicates the information between the transponder and detects the position of the transponder in the object subject to optical, this Detected by means
The responder antenna contact based on the position information of the transponder
And at least one of the interrogator antennas is
And a means for communicating by moving within a predetermined communication area .

As described in claim 2, the data carrier system of the present invention is provided with, for example, a transponder which is provided in the peripheral portion of the object and transmits information on the object through an antenna, and the transponder. comprising a interrogator having an antenna that communicates the information between, and means for detecting a position of the transponder optically, the question based on the position information of the transponder detected by the means And means for moving and communicating the antenna of the vessel along said periphery.

As described in claim 3, the data carrier system of the present invention includes, for example, a transponder which is provided at a peripheral portion of the object and transmits information on the object via an antenna, and the transponder. Communicate the above information with
However, a plurality of different communication areas are provided along the peripheral edge.
Comprising a interrogator having antennas, the position of the transponder and means for optically detecting, in the communication area corresponding based on the position information of the transponder detected by the means
The system and means for communicating to select the interrogator antenna provided.

In the data carrier system of the present invention, as described in claim 4, for example, a traveling object and a transponder which is provided on the object and transmits information about the object via an antenna. If, comprising a interrogator having an antenna that communicates the information between the transponder, and means for optically detecting a position of the transponder in the running, the response detected by the means The antenna of the transponder and the antenna of the interrogator based on the position information of the interrogator.
At least one of the
And means for moving and communicating within the area .

As described in claim 5, the data carrier system of the present invention uses, for example, a traveling object and information about the object provided on the object by an electromagnetic induction method via an antenna. A transponder for transmitting and an interrogator having an antenna for communicating the information between the transponder by an electromagnetic induction method, and means for optically detecting the position of the transponder during traveling, and the responder on the basis of the position information of the transponder detected by means
Antenna and at least one of the interrogator antennas
And a means for moving within a predetermined communication area and communicating with each other by an electromagnetic induction method.

As described in claim 6, the data carrier system of the present invention comprises, for example, a transponder which is provided at a predetermined position of the object and transmits information about the object via an antenna. An interrogator having an antenna having a smaller diameter than the object for communicating the information with the transponder, means for optically detecting the position of the transponder, and means for detecting the position of the transponder. the <br/> the responder antenna based on the position information of the transponder and the
At least one of the interrogator antennas is
And a means for moving and communicating within a defined communication area .

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the system of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a system embodiment of the present invention. That is, even if at least one of the interrogator (reader, writer) and the responder is moving or the installation position information is unclear,
It realizes appropriate data carrier system communication.

This means is an embodiment when at least one of the interrogator (reader, writer) and the responder, for example, the responder communicates while moving. The transponder is integrally installed at a predetermined position of the object, that is, the object to be monitored. This subject moves independently of the interrogator. If the object has not undergone the "positioning" procedure.

First, the position information of such a position on the object where the transponder is installed is detected. This position information recognition means optically detects. For example, IT
The CCD camera of the V camera captures an image of the surface on which the target object is installed to obtain image information.

This image information is collated with previously stored standard data such as XY coordinate axes and transponder pattern data. That is, the installation position of the transponder on the object is recognized on the XY coordinate axes. This recognition information is the installation position information of the transponder. This step is performed by the optical detecting means 1. Next, the position information of the transponder detected by this means is output to the interrogator. This is the responder position recognition means 2 of the interrogator.

When the interrogator recognizes the position of the other party's transponder by this means 2, at least one of the interrogator (reader, writer) and the transponder moves within a predetermined communication area in the next step 3. To do. That is, the interrogator antenna and the responder antenna approach a preset distance with a good signal-to-noise ratio.

When the communication means is the electromagnetic induction system, this distance is 100 msec to several hundred KHz and the communication distance is 1 m.
You can: However, in an environment where a large number of other devices are operating, such as in the FA field, the closer the communication is, the better the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N ratio) can be. That is, the sensitivity of the antenna is reduced, but the S / N ratio can be improved.

The closer the signal is, the larger the signal can be received. The magnitude of this received signal is an important item for the S / N ratio. Furthermore, in a line with a large amount of noise, the amount of noise received can be reduced by appropriately selecting the aperture of the antenna as described above.

When the aperture of the antenna is reduced, the transmission output is reduced accordingly. By reducing the distance between the interrogator antenna and the responder antenna, the received signal can be received with high sensitivity. The communication distance is preset by appropriately adjusting such an action. In this way, it is necessary to determine the communication distance in advance according to the environment. After the interrogator antenna and the responder antenna are set to this communication distance, communication is started in the next step 4.

Next, an embodiment applied to the FA field will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment applied to a beer production line. That is,
A beer barrel is provided on the conveyor belt 21 that travels at a predetermined speed, and, for example, the beer barrels 22 and 23 travel between the processes of beer. FIG. 2 shows this state.
In this embodiment, a data carrier system is used to manage, for example, quality control of the via barrels 22 and 23. The transponder 24 of this data carrier system,
Reference numeral 25 indicates, for example, the upper surface 2 of the via barrels 22 and 23 that are the objects.
It is attached to 6, 27. Specifically, this upper surface 2
A ring-shaped handling mechanism 28, 29 made of a material such as epoxy resin is fixedly provided on the peripheral portions of 6, 27. Transponders 24 and 25 are attached to, for example, embedded in the handling mechanisms 28 and 29, respectively. The via barrels 22 and 23 have a diameter of about 25 cm.

On the other hand, the interrogator 3 of the data carrier system
0 is installed above the running path of the via barrels 22 and 23. In this embodiment, the following means are provided in order to realize communication with a good S / N ratio. Beer barrels 22, 23
Optical position detecting means is provided to detect the positions of the transponders 24 and 25 buried in the. This optical position detecting means is, for example, a position recognizing device 31 using a CCD ITV camera. A data carrier system 32 is composed of the responders 24 and 25, the interrogator 30, and the position recognizer 31. The position recognizer 31 is for optically detecting the positions of the responders 24 and 25.

First, the structure of the position recognizing device 31 using the CCD ITV camera will be described. Beer barrels 22, 23
A CCD ITV camera 33 is installed above the traveling line of, for example, being fixed to a housing. This camera 33
For example, a circle line 34 is provided as an illuminating means necessary for the imaging by.

The camera 3 is attached to the circle 34.
An annular reflector 35 is provided so that the light does not directly enter the optical system of No. 3. The distance between the transponder 24 and the ITV camera 33 is, for example, 60 cm. This annular light source is used because the objects provided with the responders 24 and 25 are annular handling mechanisms 28 and 29.
In other words, the whole annular handling mechanism 28, 29
This is for uniformly illuminating and not overlooking the transponders 24 and 25.

Further, the position of the annular light source of the circle line 34 is located outside the visual field S of the ITV camera 33.

The electric signal output by the camera 33, that is, the image signal, is connected to the TV monitor 36 and the responder (tag) position detecting device 37. The antenna position control device 40 of the interrogator 30 is connected to the output circuit of the transponder (tag) position detection device 37. That is, the responder (tag) position signal from the position detection device 37 is supplied to the antenna position control device 40.

Next, the structure of the interrogator 30 will be described. The antenna position control device 40 is configured to control the position of the antenna 41 of the interrogator 30. That is, the antenna 41 works to move it into the communication area with the transponders 24 and 25. The antenna 41 is connected to the reader / writer 42 of the interrogator 30 and the personal computer 43.

In this way, the quality control system by the data carrier system of the via barrels 22 and 23 is constructed. Next, the operation will be described.

The beer barrels 22 and 23 are conveyed by the conveyor belt 21 between the production processes of the beer factory. These barrels are randomly placed and transported without gaps. Although the transponders may be embedded in all of these barrels, they may be provided by sampling.

When the via barrel 22 is conveyed to the field of view of the position detecting ITV camera 33 of the transponders 22 and 23, the barrel 2
The camera 33 takes an image of the upper surface 26 of 2. At this time, the circling line 34 for illumination is lighting. The image signal obtained by this imaging is supplied to the tag position detecting device 37.

The tag position detecting device 37 compares the standard data (image pattern of the handling mechanism provided with the responder) stored in advance with the image signal of the upper surface of the via barrel 22. That is, the XY coordinate axes 5 stored in advance
The image signal 53 of the transponder on the barrel upper surface of Nos. 1 and 52 is compared with the image signal of the upper surface of the target via barrel 22. This state is shown in Figure 3.
Shown in. In FIG. 3, the image of the transponder 24 is 55.
It shows with. The amount of deviation between the image 55 of the transponder 24 and the standard prestored image 54 of the transponder is detected. This amount of deviation is shown by the rotation angle θ.

These states are constantly displayed on the TV monitor 36. The rotation angle θ is supplied to the antenna position control device 40 of the interrogator 30 as a position signal of the transponder 24 provided in the via barrel 22. The device 40 outputs an antenna 41 movement control signal of the interrogator 30. That is,
The antenna 41 rotationally moves to the position facing the transponder 24 of the via barrel 22 by the rotation angle θ degrees. In addition, antenna 4
1 is moved (approached) downward. This state is shown in FIG.

This downward moving distance is a predetermined communication distance between the antenna 41 of the interrogator 30 and the responder 25. This communication distance is a distance having a good S / N ratio as described above. That is, in the beer barrels 22 and 23 which are the objects,
The positions of the transponders 24 and 25 are optically detected. In other words, the communication position on the object is optically detected.

In this embodiment, when the diameter of the antenna 41 is 8 cm to 10 cm, the above communication distance is 30 mm to 50 mm when communication is performed by the electromagnetic induction method at the transmission frequency of 125 KHz. Since this distance is quite close, the via barrel may be stopped during the communication operation. Of course, the barrel 22 may be in a traveling state. In this case, it is even better to flash the lighting.

Communication of the data carrier system is executed in such a state. When the communication with this barrel 22 is completed,
Conduct communication with the next beer barrel. An embodiment of this communication content is quality control information. For example, the shipping date of beer, the return date of the beer barrel, the fatigue status of the beer barrel component handling mechanism, the container, the cap, and the like are stored in the memory each time.
Such information is written and read when the interrogator 30 needs it for communication. Next, the responders 25, 2
A specific embodiment of No. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. The transponders 25 and 26 are cylindrical. The outer shape is cylindrical.
That is, a copper wire coated with a hot-melt resin is densely stacked on a tubular coil bobbin 61, for example, by a coil winding machine.
After that, it is heated and integrally formed to form the coiled antenna 62. This antenna 62 is a coil bobbin 6
Instead of using 1, the coiled antenna 62 may be formed by a mold.

This antenna 62 has transponders 24 and 25.
Modulator, demodulator, signal conversion circuit, which connects the circuit parts of
Integrated circuit 6 in which circuits such as a control circuit and a storage device are integrated
3 For example, a 2 mm square IC is connected. This connecting means is soldering.

Further, in this embodiment, the outer resin film 64, for example, epoxy resin is coated as the package to form the outer cylindrical responders 24 and 25. In this embodiment, for example, the diameter is about 10 mm and the length is about 20 m.
m.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transponders 24 and 25 have holes 71 formed in the handling mechanisms 28 and 29 provided on the upper surfaces 26 and 27 of the via barrels 22 and 23, respectively. The transponders 24 and 25 shown in FIG. 5 are inserted into the hole 71 with the integrated circuit 63 facing downward. In other words, the antenna 62 is located above. This has the effect of reducing the distance between the antenna 41 of the interrogator 30 and the antenna 62 of the responder 24 as much as possible in order to strengthen noise.

As described above, the transponders 24 and 25 are provided in the hole 71.
After inserting, the lid 72 is covered with a thin adhesive on the upper side. The lid 72 may be made of resin or the like instead of an adhesive, and may be detachably configured by screw connection. When the color of the lid 72 is selected in relation to the color of the handling mechanism 29, I
An image pickup signal from the TV camera 33 is obtained as a signal with good contrast.

Next, the structure of the data carrier system will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the overall structure of the data carrier system. The data carrier system 32 includes the transponder 24 called a non-contact data carrier and the interrogator 30 connected to the host computer 81 side as described above. Information (data) is communicated between the interrogator 30 and the responder 24 in a non-contact manner.

This communication means is, for example, an electromagnetic coupling method (magnetism), an electromagnetic induction method (induction electromagnetic field), a microwave (radio wave) method, an optical communication method, or the like. Among these methods,
Interrogator 3 for electromagnetic coupling type and microwave type
The energy of the transmitted signal from 0 can be used as the driving power of the responder 24. Therefore, unlike the case where a battery is used as a drive source, there is an advantage that there is no concern that the response capacity will deteriorate and the usage limit will not be reached due to the approaching of the battery life.

Next, each method will be described.

Electromagnetic coupling method The electromagnetic coupling method is shown in FIG. That is, a core-containing coil (or air-core coil), for example, an E-shaped cross-section core 10
By providing 0 and 101 facing each other, the distance for forming two closed magnetic paths, for example, several millimeters to several tens of millimeters, are arranged to face each other as a communication distance. One core-containing coil is the interrogator 30 side antenna, and the other core-containing coil is the responder 24 side antenna.

The coils 102,
103 is wound. Data between the interrogator 30 and the responder 24 is obtained by mutual induction between the coils with cores.
Communicate (information). According to this method, there is an effect that the electric power on the transponder (data carrier) side necessary for information transmission can also be simultaneously transmitted by electromagnetic coupling.

Electromagnetic Induction Method The electromagnetic induction method is shown in FIG. That is, the induction electromagnetic field is communicated as an information transmission medium by the loop coils, the air-core coils, or the combination of the loop-shaped coil and the air-core coil. FIG. 9 shows the latter combination of the loop-shaped coil 105 and the air-core coil 106.

That is, the loop coil 105 is used as the transmitting / receiving antenna 88 of the interrogator 30 shown in FIG. On the other hand, the air-core coil 106 is a configuration example used as the transmitting and receiving antenna 90 of the transponder 24 shown in FIG. That is, the modulator 86 shown in FIG. 7 is connected to the input circuit of the antenna 105. further. The demodulation unit 91 shown in FIG. 7 is connected to the output circuit of the antenna 106.

Several tens of centimeters are placed between the antennas 105 and 106.
The communication distance is about 2 m to about 2 m. Oscillation source 10 connected to the input circuit of the modulator 86
7 outputs a transmission frequency of 100 to several hundred KHz. This method is not affected by rain, ice, dust, iron powder, magnetism, oil, etc. The directivity of the antenna is gentle and the communication range is wide. The size of the antenna can be designed to be any size. It has features such as. Microwave system The microwave system is as shown in FIG. That is, the radiation electromagnetic field (radio waves) generated by the microwave current is used as an information transmission medium for communication. This antenna is
Coil antennas 113 and 114 are formed by the technique of forming a planar coil on the printed circuit boards 111 and 112.

The antenna 113 is the interrogator 30 shown in FIG.
Of the modulator 86. The other antenna 114 is
It is connected to the demodulation unit 91 of the transponders 24 and 25 shown in FIG. The communication distance according to this method is several meters. Transmission / reception of transmission information is performed using microwaves of 2.45 GHz.

Optical Communication System The optical communication system is shown in FIG. 11, and an electric current is applied to, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) 121 as a light source to emit near infrared light. The near-infrared light is used as an information transmission medium, and is energy-modulated by blinking at high speed by the data D of the responders 24 and 25. The modulated signal 123 is supplied to the drive circuit 124. The output of the drive circuit 124 is supplied to the LED 121 to control light emission. This is a communication system for transmitting the output light of the LED 121, that is, the modulated light. The receiving side collects the light on the photodiode 122 with an optical lens and receives the light.

The photodiode 122 converts the received modulated light into an electric signal. This electric signal is amplified to a predetermined value by the amplifier 125 and supplied to the main controller 82 in FIG. 7.
The communication distance of this system is 20 to 30 cm.

Such communication means is appropriately selected according to the usage environment. One or more transponders 24 are installed at various individuals or end portions according to the application. Of the information on the individual and the end portion, the information instructed by the interrogator 30 is appropriately recorded in the memory, updated, and waits. The solid or end portion is selected according to the application, and is, for example, an ID card or a credit card in the field of distribution and cards, and an assembly, a tool, a process in the field of FA.

The interrogator (read / write) 30 remotely controls collection and storage of information (data) from the responder 24. Furthermore, if necessary, the responder 2 can be remotely accessed.
The information (data) stored in the storage device 4 is read and provided to the host computer 81. Host computer 81
Realizes information processing as a data carrier system. For example, the date of shipment of the beer barrel 22, the date of return, the quality status of the container, which is a barrel component, the handling mechanism, the base, etc., as data (information), the responder (data carrier) 2
Accumulate in 4.

The host computer 81 calls the stored data (information) as required. This call is a question from the interrogator 30 and is called from the memory 82 of the responder (data carrier) 24.

The specific structure of the interrogator (reader / writer) 30 is as follows. That is, a main controller (CPU) 82 that controls the entire interrogator 30 is provided. An interface unit 83 is connected between the main control unit 82 and the host computer 81. The interface section 83 controls input / output of data (information) with the host computer 81 under the control of the main control section 82.

A storage unit 84 is connected to the main control unit 82. The storage unit 84 stores, for example, read / write data (information) received from the data carrier 24.
Writable RAM (Ramdam Access)
Memory) and the like.

The main controller 82 converts the transmission information to the data carrier 24 from a parallel signal to a serial signal, and converts the received signal from the data carrier 24 from a serial signal to a parallel signal. The part 85 is connected.

The signal converter 85 sends the transmission signal to the ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) system, the FSK (Fr
A modulation unit 86 that modulates a signal for transmission by the frequency shift keying method or the like is connected. Furthermore, the signal conversion unit 8
A demodulation unit 87 that demodulates the received signal is connected to 5.

To the output of the modulator 86, for example, an electromagnetic induction type transmission antenna 88 is connected for communicating with the responder 24 in a non-contact manner. On the other hand, the output of the receiving antenna 89 is connected to the input section of the demodulation section 87 to form the interrogator 30.

On the other hand, the responder (data carrier) 24 is constructed as follows. That is, the receiving antenna 90 that receives the electromagnetic wave from the transmitting antenna 88 of the interrogator 30 is provided. A demodulation unit 91 that demodulates the reception signal is connected to the output of the reception antenna 90.

At the output of the demodulator 91, the transmission information to the interrogator 30 is converted from a parallel signal to a serial signal,
In addition, a signal conversion unit 92 that converts the received signal from the interrogator 30 from a serial signal to a parallel signal is connected.
A main control unit 93 is connected to the signal conversion unit 92 for performing overall control in the data carrier 24, recording (reproducing) of data (information), and the like.

The main control unit 93 stores, for example, an EEPROM (El) for storing the data (information), tag information and the like.
electrically erasable program
(amable Read Only Memory)
A storage unit 94 that does not require a backup of a power source such as is connected.

The signal converter 92 sends the transmission signal to the AS
A modulator 95 for modulating a signal for transmission by the K system, the FSK system or the like is connected. The modulator 95 includes an interrogator 3
A transmitting antenna 96 for contactlessly communicating with 0 is connected. The above is the configuration of the data carrier system.

Next, a communication procedure by this data carrier system will be described.

The data (information) monitor interrogator 30 by the responder 24 receives an instruction from the host computer 81 by the main controller 82 via the interface 83. The main control unit 82 uses the via barrel 22 of the designated responder 24.
The tag information and the tag information as data (tag information and shipping date, return date of the beer barrel 22, information about the parts container of the barrel 22, handling mechanism, clasp, etc.) are both binarized and stored in the EEPROM.
Store at 94.

The stored data is always erased, written, and operated at appropriate timing according to instructions from the host computer 81 and the interrogator 30.

Collection of data of transponder 24 The main control unit 82 receives an instruction of data collection from the host computer 81 via the interface unit 83.
The main control unit 82 outputs a signal for reading out the data of the designated responder 24 and a transmission request signal (tag information and data inquiry signal) to the signal conversion unit 85.

The signal converter 85 converts the inquiry signal of the tag information and data into a serial signal, and the modulator 86.
Output to. For the transmission, the modulator 86 modulates, for example, the transmission frequency of 125 KHz by the ASK system, amplifies the power, and transmits the amplified power to the responder 24 via the transmission antenna.

The designated transponder 24 in the reception area receives the signal at the reception antenna 90. The demodulation unit 91 uses the received tag information and data interrogation signal
Demodulate by the SK method.

The demodulated tag information and data interrogation signal is converted into a parallel signal by the signal conversion unit 92 and output to the main control unit 93 of the responder. The main control unit 93, based on the inquiry signal of the tag information and the data, stores in the storage unit (EEPRO).
M) Control to read out the data stored in 94 and output it.

The data output from the storage unit 94 is converted into a serial signal by the signal conversion unit 92. The converted data is output to the modulator 95. For the transmission, the modulator 95 modulates the transmission frequency of 125 KHz by the ASK method and amplifies the power. The amplified data is transmitted to the interrogator 24 via the transmission antenna 96.

This transmission signal is received by the reception antenna 89 of the interrogator 30. The received modulated data is demodulated by the demodulation section 87.
Output to. The demodulator 87 demodulates the ASK-modulated data. The demodulated data is output to the signal conversion unit 85.

The signal converter 85 converts data into a serialized signal. The serialized data is stored in a predetermined position of the RAM of the storage unit 84 under the control of the main control unit 82. Further, the interface unit 83
To the host computer 81 and stored.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the transmitting antenna 88 and the receiving antenna 89 of the interrogator 30 are provided exclusively has been described, but the transmitting and receiving antennas may be shared and configured with one antenna. . Similarly, although the example in which the transmitting antenna 96 and the receiving antenna 90 of the transponder 24 (25) are provided exclusively for each of them has been described, the transmitting and receiving antennas may be shared and configured with one antenna.

It is desirable for such a data carrier system to have a structure in which its internal parts are surrounded (sealed) by an exterior resin in terms of environmental resistance and mechanical strength. As a preferable resin for the exterior, a polyimide resin,
Phenol resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, silicone resin, etc. can be mentioned, but if other conditions such as environment resistance and mechanical strength are satisfied, other examples include polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene resin. Resins such as styrene copolymer resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, nylon 6, nylon 66, modified polyphenylene ether resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, liquid crystal polymer, phenol resin and unsaturated polyester resin can be used. If necessary, a filler such as glass fiber, aluminum hydroxide, talc, silica, mica may be added to the above resin.

After the internal parts of the non-contact data carrier are put in such a case, the resin for sealing is injected into the case by various methods such as potting, transfer molding, etc. Data carrier 24 (25) is obtained. In addition, in FIG.
A sensor unit 95 is provided on the data carrier 24, and when this pressure sensor is used, the upper and peripheral portions of the pressure sensor are sealed with a flexible resin. Thereby, the pressure by the pressure sensor of the external environment can be detected. Figure 2
In the embodiment described above, an embodiment in which one antenna 41 of the interrogator 30 is provided as shown in FIG. 4 has been described, but a plurality of antennas 131 may be arranged as shown in FIG. That is, in the embodiment of FIG.
After recognizing the position of No. 4, the antenna 41 of the interrogator 30 was rotated by the rotation angle θ and aligned. In the embodiment of FIG. 12, by arranging a large number of antennas 131 along the upper surface circumferential portion of the via barrel 22, the rotation operation and rotation moving mechanism of the rotation angle θ becomes unnecessary. That is, processing can be performed by communicating with the corresponding antenna 131.
In FIG. 12, the communication area by each antenna 131 is illustrated in a circle.

In the above embodiment, the cylindrical transponder 24 (25) is described as shown in FIG. The shape of the transponder may be a label, a card, a button, a box, or the like as shown in FIG. 13, depending on the application.

In the transponder shown in FIG. 13, a transponder component 135 is formed by disposing an IC chip 134, which is an integrated circuit of the circuit portion of the transponder, on the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped coil antenna 133. This transponder part 135 is interposed between sheets 136 coated with an adhesive to integrally form the transponder 13
7 may be configured. Such an embodiment of the transponder 137 can be attached to any part of the via barrel 22. FIG. 14 shows an embodiment in which the side wall surface 140 of the via barrel 22 is attached. Which part of the via barrel 22, which is the target object, is provided with the transponder 137 may be set at any position as long as it is set in advance. In the above embodiment, an example of the cylindrical via barrels 22 and 23 has been described, but the position can be optically detected in the same manner even when the responders 24 and 25 are provided in the rectangular tubular container. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which it is applied to an automated production line for beer barrels has been described, but the same effect can be obtained when applied to a production line for other products. For example, it is effectively applied to quality control when applied to production lines of consumable parts of each product, such as automobile tires, wiper rubber parts, cooler compressors, personal computer disk memories, and the like.

[0085]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the presence position of the transponder is optically detected, the antenna has a size suitable for information communication and enables information communication with a good signal-to-noise ratio.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the procedure of the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram for explaining one embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a shift amount for optically recognizing the position of the transponder of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the antenna 4 at the position of the transponder 24 of FIG.
It is a figure for explaining the state where 1 was moved.

5 is a partially cutaway perspective view for explaining an embodiment of the transponder of FIG. 2. FIG.

6 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the transponder of FIG. 5 is mounted on the handling mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of the interrogator and the responder of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of the communication means of FIG. 7.

9 is a configuration diagram for explaining another communication unit of FIG. 8. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram for explaining another communication means of FIG. 8.

11 is a configuration diagram for explaining another communication unit of FIG. 8. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of FIG. 5.

FIG. 14 is a side view for explaining another mounting state of the transponder shown in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical detection means of transponder, 2 ... Responder position information output means, 3 ... Antenna moving means 4 ... Communication starting means, 21 ... Conveyor belt, 22, 23 ... Beer barrel, 24, 25, 137 ... Responder , 26, 27 ... Top surface, 28, 29 ... Handling mechanism, 30, 42 ... Interrogator, (reader / writer) 31 ... Position recognizer, 33 ... ITV camera 34 ... Circline, 35 ... Reflector, 36 ... TV monitor 37 ... Position detection device, 40 ... Antenna position recognition device, 41, 62, 88, 89, 90, 96, 113, 11
4, 131, 133 ... Antenna, 43 ... Personal computer, 51, 52 ... XY coordinate axes, 53 ... Image signal, 55 ... Image, 61 ... Coiled bobbin, 63 ... Integrated circuit, 64 ... Outer resin film, 71 ... Hole , 72 ... Lid, 81 ... Host computer, 85, 92 ... Signal conversion section, 86, 95 ... Modulation section, 87, 91 ... Demodulation section, 82, 93 ... Main control section, 83 ... Interface section, 94 ... Memory, 95 ... sensor part, 100, 101 ... core, 102, 103, 105, 106 ... coil, 111, 112 ... printed circuit board, 121 ... LED, 122 ... photodiode, 134 ... IC chip, 135 ... responder part, 136 ... sheet, 140 ... Sidewall surface,

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Fujinaga 1-1-1, Midori, Moriya-cho, Kitasoma-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture Asahi Breweries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Takero Koike 1-1-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo Stocks Company within Toshiba (56) Reference JP-A-9-298415 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04B 1/59 G01B 11/00 G06K 17/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transponder that is provided at a predetermined position of an object and transmits information about the object via an antenna, and an antenna that communicates the information with the transponder. comprising a interrogator, said means for detecting a position of the transponder in the object optically, antenna and the interrogator of the responder on the basis of the position information of the transponder detected by the means Of the antenna
At least one is within a predetermined range of communication with each other
And a means for moving and communicating. 2. A transponder, which is provided on a peripheral portion of an object and transmits information on the object via an antenna, and an interrogator having an antenna for communicating the information with the transponder. anda means for detecting a position of the transponder optically, a means for communicating not the interrogator antenna based on the position information of the transponder detected by the means is moved along the periphery A data carrier system comprising: 3. A transponder, which is provided in the peripheral portion of the object and transmits information about the object via an antenna, and the transponder communicates the information , and the responder transmits the information along the peripheral portion.
Has multiple antennas in different communication areas
That includes a interrogator, a means for detecting a position of the transponder optically, the antenna of the interrogator provided in the corresponding communication area based on the position information of the transponder detected by the means A data carrier system comprising means for selecting and communicating. 4. A running object, a transponder provided on the object and transmitting information on the object via an antenna, and an antenna for communicating the information with the transponder. comprising a interrogator and means for optically detecting a position of the transponder during traveling of the responder on the basis of the position information of the transponder detected by the unit antenna and the interrogator Of the antenna
At least one is within a predetermined range of communication with each other
And a means for moving and communicating. 5. A running object, a transponder provided on the object and transmitting information on the object by an electromagnetic induction method through an antenna, and the information between the transponder. comprising a interrogator having an antenna to communicate with an electromagnetic induction method, and means for optically detecting a position of the transponder during travel, the responder on the basis of the position information of the transponder detected by the means Antenna and the interrogator antenna
At least one is within a predetermined range of communication with each other
A data carrier system comprising means for moving and communicating by an electromagnetic induction method. 6. A responder provided at a predetermined position of the subject and transmitting information about the subject via an antenna, and the subject for communicating the information between the responder and the responder. comprising a interrogator having a small diameter of the antenna from the body, and means for detecting a position of the transponder optically, antenna and the said transponder on the basis of the position information of the transponder detected by the means Interrogator antenna
At least one is within a predetermined range of communication with each other
And a means for moving and communicating.