JP4479434B2 - Display system and RFID tag - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display system using an RFID tag, which is a display device using an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag having a display unit as a display device for displaying object data, and an RFID tag.

  As a technique related to a display system using an RFID tag, the one shown in the following patent document has been known. Hereinafter, background art will be described based on patent documents.

  First, in Patent Document 1, information on products arranged two-dimensionally is displayed using a plurality of RFID tags with a display device, and a reader is placed near each of the plurality of RFID tags when the product information is replaced. A technique has been proposed that is realized by holding the writer over and replacing the display information of the RFID tag.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, data is written to a non-volatile screen display element in a period in which power is supplied from the power supply circuit to the IC card as an RFID tag, and the screen display is held even after the supply of power is interrupted. A technique for confirming information stored in an IC card as an RFID tag is proposed.

JP 2002-65418 A (Claims 1-5, paragraph 12) JP 2004-21288 A (pages 9 to 12)

  However, although the technique proposed in Patent Document 1 has an advantage of saving the trouble of rewriting product information, there is no means for differentiating and displaying specially eye-catching products etc. There has been a problem that it is difficult to perform a differentiated display on a desired product using the tag display.

  In the technology proposed in Patent Document 2, since a non-volatile display element is used for an IC card as an RFID tag, the display is maintained even if information on the IC card is separated from the reader / writer. However, in order to select an IC card that satisfies the necessary conditions from a plurality of IC cards, it is basically necessary to refer to the display of all the IC cards, which is inefficient. It was. In other words, the display of the selected IC card is different from the IC card that is not the target of selection, and the displayed data is different, and no special identification means is provided, so work while checking the data one by one. There was also a problem that the sorting efficiency was reduced.

  Further, even if Patent Documents 1 and 2 are combined, it is difficult to give high visibility to a specific RFID tag from a large number of RFID tags.

  Therefore, the present invention facilitates selection of RFID tags satisfying a desired condition from a plurality of RFID tags, enables display even in a state away from the reader / writer, and further enables selection in a state away from the reader / writer. An object of the present invention is to provide a display system using an RFID tag that makes it easy to distinguish between an RFID tag and an unselected RFID tag.

  In order to achieve the above object, a display system using an RFID tag according to the present invention includes an RFID tag having a non-volatile display portion and a serial ID provided in each object, and a non-contact manner with the RFID tag. A reader / writer that communicates using a communication means; a host computer that controls the reader / writer; and an input unit that inputs information to the host computer; and the serial ID associated with the RFID tag or the host computer. A display system in which attributes of the object are stored, wherein the input unit includes a selection condition input unit for inputting a selection condition, and the host computer includes the selection condition input unit and the reader An input interface unit for exchanging information with the writer, an output interface, and the host controller The object attribute associated with the serial ID given from the input interface unit of the computer and the attribute of the object based on the condition given to the input interface unit of the host computer A determination unit configured to determine, wherein the reader / writer transmits a signal transmitted from the output interface unit of the host computer to a format capable of wireless communication, and is transmitted from the RFID tag. A first wireless receiving unit that converts the received wireless signal into a format interpretable by the host computer, and the RFID tag and the wireless communication provided in common to the first wireless transmitting unit and the first wireless receiving unit A first antenna unit configured to transmit the signal transmitted from the reader / writer to the RF tag. A second wireless receiver for converting the D tag into a format interpretable by the CPU of the D tag, a second wireless transmitter for converting a signal transmitted from the CPU of the RFID tag into a format capable of wireless communication, and the RFID tag Receiving the radio wave from the second antenna unit provided in common to the second radio receiving unit and the second radio transmission and the reader / writer, and if the radio wave intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity Continue, if the signal strength is less than a predetermined strength, a radio wave intensity determination unit that outputs a stop signal, and if the output of the radio wave intensity determination unit is continuous and the attribute of the object is non-conforming, a display unit When the attribute of the object is suitable, the display of the signal strength judging unit is stopped when the display of the signal strength is repetitively displayed at least a part of the normal display and the normal display is repeatedly displayed. Yes, or When the attribute of the object is conforming, it has a display instruction section that fixes at least a part of the normal display with a display that is inverted in brightness, and fixes the normal display when the attribute of the object is not conforming. And

According to this configuration, since the display of the RFID tag that conforms to the setting condition repeats the normal display and the light / dark inverted display within the range where the radio wave of the reader / writer reaches, the selection of the object with the RFID tag that conforms to the setting condition can be performed. It becomes easy. Even if the RFID tag comes out of the area where radio waves from the reader / writer do not reach, at least a part of the display of the RFID tag that matches the setting condition is held in a light-dark state, so it does not meet the setting condition. Easily differentiated from no RFID tags.
The RFID tag of the present invention includes a non-volatile display unit, a serial ID, non-contact communication means with a reader / writer, a host computer that controls the reader / writer, and information input to the host computer. An RFID tag that constitutes a display system comprising: an input unit configured to store an attribute of the object associated with the serial ID in the host computer or the RFID tag; A second wireless reception unit that converts a signal sent from the antenna unit of the reader / writer into a format that can be interpreted by the CPU of the RFID tag, and a signal sent from the CPU of the RFID tag can be communicated wirelessly Common to the second wireless transmission unit for converting to a format, the second wireless reception unit and the second wireless transmission unit of the RFID tag Receives radio waves from the second antenna unit and the reader / writer, and outputs a stop signal when the radio wave intensity is greater than or equal to a predetermined intensity, and outputs a stop signal when the intensity is less than the predetermined intensity. When the output of the radio field strength judging unit and the radio field strength judging unit is continuous and the attribute of the object is non-conforming, the display unit performs normal display, and when the attribute of the object is conforming When at least a part of the normal display is displayed with blinking and normal display repeatedly and blinking display is performed, when the output of the radio wave intensity determination unit is stopped and the attribute of the object is suitable, the normal display At least a part of the object is fixed with a light / dark inverted display, and when the attribute of the object is incompatible, a display instruction unit is provided for fixing with a normal display.

  According to this configuration, the radio wave intensity from the reader / writer is continued if the radio wave intensity is greater than or equal to a predetermined intensity by the radio wave intensity determination unit, and a stop signal is output if the intensity is less than the predetermined value. Is done. Therefore, a blinking display that requires power for display and a stationary display that does not require power can be sorted according to the strength of the radio wave.

  An embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 uses the present invention as a display device that two-dimensionally arranges a plurality of products and prompts the recognition of the products that meet the customer's wishes by blinking the RFID tag attached to the product that suits the customer's wishes. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a host computer and a reader / writer when there is a problem. The host computer 100 includes a CPU 101, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 102, a RAM 103, an input interface unit 105, and an output interface unit 106, which are connected via a bus unit 104. The input interface unit 105 of the host computer 100 is connected to an input unit 107 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a wireless reception unit 110 of a reader / writer 112. The output interface unit 106 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). A display unit 108 including a display screen) and the wireless transmission unit 109 of the reader / writer 112 are connected. In addition, the antenna unit 111 of the reader / writer 112 sharing transmission and reception is connected to the wireless transmission unit 109 and the wireless reception unit 110.

  The CPU 101 calculates input data and the like. The HDD 102 stores information such as an OS required by the CPU 101. The RAM 103 is a memory formed of, for example, a semiconductor element, and temporarily stores a calculation result by the CPU 101 and the like.

  The input interface unit 105 converts a signal input by operating a mouse or a keyboard into a signal format that can be handled by the computer 100, and the output interface unit 106 displays information obtained from the host computer 100 on the display unit 108. Is converted to a format that can be handled by. The display unit 108 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display screen, and presents information in a format that can be easily recognized by the operator.

  The wireless transmission unit 109 converts information into a format that enables wireless communication to transmit information to the RFID tag 200 using wireless communication. The information converted for wireless communication is sent to the antenna unit 211 (see FIG. 2) of the RFID tag 200 (see FIG. 2) via the antenna unit 111 of the reader / writer 112. The wireless transmission unit 109 also supplies power for operating the RFID tag 200 together with the signal, and power for driving the RFID tag 200 to the antenna unit 211 provided in the RFID tag 200 via the antenna unit 111. Is supplied in the form of radio waves.

  The wireless reception unit 110 receives wireless information transmitted from the antenna unit 211 included in the RFID tag 200 by the antenna unit 111 of the reader / writer, and transmits the information to the CPU 101 via the input interface 105 of the host computer 100. Is to do.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RFID tag. The RFID tag 200 includes a CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, EEPROM 204, wireless transmission unit 206, wireless reception unit 207, and output interface 208, which are connected via a bus unit 209. An electrophoretic display element 210 is connected to the output interface unit 208. In addition, an antenna unit 211 that is shared for transmission and reception is connected to the wireless transmission unit 206 and the wireless reception unit 207. The antenna unit 211 is connected to a power generation unit 205 that generates power for driving the RFID tag 200 based on a radio signal.

  The power generation unit 205 generates power from the radio wave received by the antenna unit 211 and supplies power necessary for the operation of the RFID tag 200. The power generation unit 205 rectifies the radio wave and generates driving power for the RFID tag 200 by passing through the smoothing circuit. Even if the radio wave is interrupted, the RFID tag 200 is kept for a while by the charge stored in the smoothing circuit. Can work. The CPU 201 processes information and the like from the host computer 100 given from the wireless reception unit 207 via the bus unit 209. A ROM 202 is a read-only memory, and stores information such as a startup program required by the CPU 201. The RAM 203 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory, and temporarily stores the calculation results of the CPU 201 and the like. The EEPROM 204 is a ROM whose storage contents can be electrically changed, and whether or not the serial ID of the RFID tag 200 or the product information corresponding to the serial ID assigned to the RFID tag 200 is included in the set condition range. For example, information that should be retained even after the power supply from the host computer 100 is cut off is stored.

  The output interface unit 208 converts information sent from the CPU 201 into a format that can be handled by the electrophoretic display element 210. In addition, the electrophoretic display element 210 presents information in a format that can be easily recognized by the customer.

  The wireless transmission unit 206 converts information so that information can be transmitted from the RFID tag 200 using wireless communication. The information converted for wireless communication is sent to the antenna unit 111 provided in the reader / writer 112 via the antenna unit 211. The wireless reception unit 110 of the reader / writer 112 receives the wireless information transmitted from the antenna unit 211 driven by the RFID tag 200 by the antenna unit 111 of the RFID tag 112 and uses the input interface 105 of the host computer 100 to perform the CPU 101. Communicates received information in a format that can be recognized by. Further, the radio wave intensity is detected by the radio wave intensity detection unit 212, and when the radio wave intensity falls below a set value, the electrophoretic display element 210 of the RFID tag 200 is displayed so as to be in a predetermined display state. An operation of sending a signal to the bus unit 209 for performing a treatment to stop the operation of the RFID tag 200 is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram when the display format of the RFID tag is controlled in response to a selection condition including information such as price. In the block diagram of FIG. 3, the selection condition input unit 301 corresponds to the input unit 107 in FIG. In addition, the selection condition storage unit 302, the serial ID request unit 303, and the determination unit 305 are constructed by the CPU 101 executing the program stored in the HDD 102 in FIG. In addition, the serial ID transmission unit 304, the selection result storage unit 306, and the display instruction unit 307 are constructed by the CPU 201 executing the program stored in the ROM 202 in FIG.

  A method for controlling the display format of the RFID tag will be described below with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

  First, a selection condition is input by operating a selection condition input unit 301 including a keyboard and a mouse. After the input of the selection conditions is completed, the selection conditions are transmitted from the selection condition input unit 301 to the selection condition storage unit 302, and the selection conditions are stored.

  Next, the serial ID of the RFID tag 200 is read. The serial ID request unit 303 outputs the serial ID of the RFID tag to the serial ID transmission unit 304 via the wireless transmission unit 109 of the reader / writer 112 and the antenna unit 211 of the RFID tag 200.

  Upon receiving the serial ID transmission request, the serial ID transmission unit 304 converts the serial ID of the RFID tag 200 to the serial ID via the antenna unit 211 of the RFID tag 200, the antenna unit 111 of the reader / writer 112, and the wireless reception unit 110. Store in the request unit 303.

  Then, the selection condition stored in the selection condition storage unit 302 is compared with the product information associated with each serial ID, and the determination unit 305 determines whether the selection condition is met or not.

  Next, the selection result storage unit 306 receives the compliance / nonconformity information associated with the serial ID by the determination unit 305 via the wireless transmission unit 109 of the reader / writer 112, the antenna unit 111, and the antenna unit 211 of the RFID tag 200. To send to memorize.

  The display instruction unit 307 instructs the electrophoretic display element 210 on the display format based on the selection result stored in the selection result storage unit 306 and the radio wave intensity information from the radio wave intensity extraction unit 212.

  1. When the radio wave intensity is strong and the selection result is appropriate, the electrophoretic display element 210 is controlled so that the normal display and the bright / dark inverted display of the normal display are repeated on the electrophoretic element 210 at a cycle of, for example, about 1 second.

  2. When the radio wave intensity is strong and the sorting result is not compatible, the electrophoretic display element 210 is controlled so that normal display is continuously performed on the electrophoretic element 210.

  3. When the radio wave intensity is weak and the selection result is appropriate, the electrophoretic display element 210 is controlled so as to continue bright-dark reversal display using the memory property of the electrophoretic element 210.

  4). When the radio wave intensity is weak and the sorting result is incompatible, the electrophoretic display element 210 is controlled to continue the normal display using the memory property of the electrophoretic element 210.

  When this method is used, the RFID tag 200 that conforms to the selection condition performs blinking display that repeatedly performs normal display and bright / dark reversal display when the radio wave intensity is sufficient. Can be easily found. In addition, since the customer sees the product with the RFID tag 200 conforming to the selection condition close by, when the customer picks up the product, the customer falls out of the transmission range of the reader / writer and the radio wave intensity is below the set value. In that case, by fixing the display of the RFID tag with a display that is light and dark reversed with respect to the normal display, the product that the customer has is surely satisfying the selection condition indicated by the customer It can be confirmed that it is a product. In addition, since the display is performed in a state where the light and dark are reversed when the product is carried and cleared, it is possible to avoid a situation where the user feels uneasy such as having picked up another product by mistake.

  Next, a process of displaying with a display system using an RFID tag will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of processing in the host computer for displaying on the display system using the RFID tag. Each processing step is stored in the HDD 102 of the host computer 100.
In step S1, a selection condition including information such as a price range is input to a selection condition input unit 301 including a mouse and a keyboard. The sorting conditions are transmitted to the CPU 101 when the input to the sorting condition input unit 301 is completed, for example, by operating the return key. The selection conditions are once stored in the HDD 102.

  In step S <b> 2, after the selection condition is transmitted to the selection condition input unit 301, the CPU 101 of the host computer 100 transmits to the CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 so as to request transmission of the serial ID given to the RFID tag 200.

  In step S3, the CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 receives the serial ID transmission request signal, and outputs the serial ID to the CPU 101 of the host computer 100 in accordance with the serial ID transmission request signal. The CPU 101 of the host computer 100 that has received the serial ID temporarily stores the serial ID in the HDD 102.

  In step S4, the CPU 101 of the host computer 100 compares and determines the set selection conditions based on the product information previously stored in the HDD 102 and associated with the serial ID, and the determination result is stored in the HDD 102. .

  In step S5, the product information and information for controlling the display state according to the “conforming / non-conforming” selection condition are transmitted from the CPU 101 of the host computer 100 to the CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 in association with the serial ID.

  With the above process, the processing of the host computer 100 ends.

Next, referring to FIG. 5, a processing process in the RFID tag 200 will be described.
It is a flowchart which shows the process of the RFID tag for performing display with the display system using the RFID tag. Note that each processing step is stored in the ROM 202 of the RFID tag 200.

  In step S1, the CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 waits for a signal requesting transmission of the serial ID given to the RFID tag 200 from the CPU 101 of the host computer 100, and when receiving a signal requesting transmission of the serial ID, The serial ID of the RFID tag 200 is transmitted to the CPU 101 of the host computer.

  In step S <b> 2, the CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 receives the “conformity / nonconformity” selection result associated with the serial ID from the CPU 101 of the host computer 100. The sorting result sent to the CPU 201 is stored in the nonvolatile memory EEPROM 204.

  In step S3, the electrophoretic display element 210 is controlled by the CPU 201 of the RFID tag. When the “conformity / nonconformity” selection condition stored in the EEPROM 204 is “conformity”, the CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 performs electrophoresis so as to execute a blinking display that repeats a normal display and a display obtained by reversing the normal display. The display element 210 is controlled. On the other hand, when the selection condition is “non-conforming”, the CPU 201 of the RFID tag controls the electrophoretic display element 210 so that the electrophoretic display element 210 maintains a normal display state.

  Next, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the radio wave intensity received by the RFID tag 200 is higher than a set value, and the display format is switched according to the determination result. The radio wave intensity detector 212 monitors the intensity of the radio wave received by the antenna unit 211.

  As shown in S5, when the intensity of the radio wave received by the antenna unit 211 is equal to or higher than the set value, the display is continued so as to maintain the state of Step S4.

  Here, when the intensity of the radio wave received by the antenna unit 211 decreases below the set value, the radio field intensity detection unit 212 notifies the CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 that the radio field intensity is less than the set value as shown in S6. Send a signal indicating that The CPU 201 of the RFID tag 200 that has received that the intensity of the radio wave is less than the set value switches the display format of the electrophoretic display unit 210 from blinking display to reversed state when the selection state is “conforming”, and changes the reversed state. Hold. On the other hand, when the sorting state is “non-conforming”, the display of the electrophoretic display unit 210 is held in the normal state.

  By controlling the electrophoretic display unit 210 in this manner, when the RFID terminal 200 is within the communication range of the reader / writer, the display blinks to maintain high visibility, so that the RFID terminal 200 is connected to the reader / writer. Even when the user is away from the communication range, the image is maintained in a state of light and dark inversion, so that the user can easily know that the selection state is “adapted”.

  Hereinafter, effects of the embodiment will be described. Since the RFID tag 200 attached to the product within the set range performs blinking display that repeats normal display and light / dark reverse display, the product within the set range is selected with high visibility. be able to. Further, even when the product is picked up and the power given to the RFID tag 200 attached to the product is not supplied in the form of a radio wave, the display of the RFID tag 200 is maintained in a light / dark inverted display state. Therefore, it can be easily recognized that the product currently in hand is a product in the set range.

  (Modification 1) The product information shown in the present embodiment may be stored on the RFID tag side instead of being stored in the host memory unit. When product information is stored on the RFID tag side, for example, even when the product is replaced, work such as addition / deletion of product data on the host side can be made unnecessary.

  (Modification 2) Instead of performing the blink display or the image display in the reversed state by reversing the brightness of the entire display screen from the normal display shown in the present embodiment, for example, only the portion reflecting the selection condition Alternatively, light / dark reversal may be performed. Alternatively, only the peripheral portion of the screen may be reversed in light and dark so that blinking display or image display in a reversed state may be performed. Further, only the central portion of the screen may be displayed in a blinking manner by reversing the brightness.

The block diagram which shows the structure of a host computer and a reader / writer. The block diagram which showed the structure of the RFID tag. The block diagram explaining the control content which receives the selection conditions which consist of information, such as a price, and controls the display format of an RFID tag. The flowchart of the host computer for performing display with the display system using a RFID tag. The flowchart of CPU of the RFID tag for performing display with the display system using the RFID tag.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Host computer, 101 ... CPU, 102 ... HDD, 103 ... RAM, 104 ... Bus part, 105 ... Input interface part, 106 ... Output interface part ..., 107 ... Input part, 108 ... Display part, 109 ... 1st radio | wireless A wireless transmission unit as a transmission unit, 110 ... a wireless reception unit as a first wireless reception unit, 111 ... an antenna unit as a first antenna unit, 112 ... a reader / writer, 200 ... an RFID tag, 201 ... a CPU, 202 ... ROM , 203 ... RAM, 204 ... EEPROM, 205 ... power generation unit, 206 ... radio transmission unit as a second radio transmission unit, 207 ... radio reception unit as a second radio reception unit, 208 ... output interface unit, 209 ... bus Part 210... Electrophoretic display element 211. Antenna part as second antenna part 212. Detector, 301 ... selection condition input unit, 302 ... selection condition storage unit, 303 ... serial ID requesting unit, 304 ... serial ID transmitting section, 305 ... determining unit, 306 ... selection result storage unit.

Claims (2)

An RFID tag having a non-volatile display unit and a serial ID provided for each object, a reader / writer that communicates with the RFID tag using non-contact communication means, and a host that controls the reader / writer A display system comprising a computer and an input unit for inputting information to the host computer, wherein the attributes of the object associated with the serial ID are stored in the RFID tag or the host computer,
The input unit has a selection condition input unit for inputting selection conditions;
The host computer includes an input interface unit for exchanging information with the selection condition input unit and the reader / writer,
An output interface;
Conformity / non-conformity between the attribute of the object associated with the serial ID given from the input interface unit of the host computer and the attribute of the object based on the condition given to the input interface unit of the host computer And a determination unit for determining
The reader / writer converts a signal transmitted from the output interface unit of the host computer into a format capable of wireless communication;
A first wireless receiving unit that converts a wireless signal transmitted from the RFID tag into a format interpretable by the host computer;
A first antenna unit that is provided in common to the first wireless transmission unit and the first wireless reception unit, for wireless communication with the RFID tag;
The RFID tag includes a second wireless reception unit that converts a signal sent from the reader / writer into a format that can be interpreted by a CPU of the RFID tag;
A second wireless transmission unit that converts a signal transmitted from the CPU of the RFID tag into a format capable of wireless communication;
The second antenna unit provided in common to the second radio reception unit and the second radio transmission of the RFID tag and the radio wave from the reader / writer are received, and the radio wave intensity is equal to or higher than a predetermined intensity. If it is less than a predetermined strength, the radio field strength determination unit that outputs a stop signal if less than a predetermined strength,
When the output of the radio field intensity determination unit is continued and the attribute of the object is non-conforming, the display unit performs normal display, and when the attribute of the object is conforming, at least a part of the normal display is bright and dark. When the output of the radio wave intensity determination unit is stopped and the attribute of the object is suitable, the display in which at least a part of the normal display is light and dark reversed is performed. A display system using an RFID tag, comprising: a display instruction unit that is fixed by normal display when the attribute of the object is non-conforming. A non-volatile display,
Serial ID and
Non-contact communication means with a reader / writer;
A host computer for controlling the reader / writer;
An input unit for inputting information to the host computer;
An RFID tag constituting a display system comprising:
An attribute of the object associated with the serial ID is stored in the host computer or the RFID tag;
The RFID tag includes a second wireless receiving unit that converts a signal transmitted from the antenna unit of the reader / writer into a format that can be interpreted by a CPU of the RFID tag;
A second wireless transmission unit that converts a signal transmitted from the CPU of the RFID tag into a format capable of wireless communication;
A second antenna unit provided in common for the second radio reception unit and the second radio transmission unit of the RFID tag;
A radio wave intensity determining unit that receives radio waves from the reader / writer and outputs a signal to stop when the radio wave intensity is greater than or equal to a predetermined intensity, and to stop when the radio wave intensity is less than a predetermined intensity; When the output of the intensity judgment unit is continued and the attribute of the object is non-conforming, the display unit performs normal display, and when the object attribute is conforming, at least a part of the normal display is light-dark inverted. When the output of the radio field intensity determination unit is stopped and the attribute of the object is appropriate, at least a part of the normal display is fixed with a light-dark inverted display. An RFID tag comprising: a display instruction unit that is fixed by normal display when the attribute of the object is incompatible.

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