JP4487576B2 - Article management apparatus, article management system, and article management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article management apparatus, an article management system, and an article management method for managing a plurality of articles by communicating with a wireless tag.

  An article management system for managing a plurality of articles is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This article management system attaches an IC card to each of a plurality of articles handled as a set, and each IC card stores the ID number of each article arranged in order and the ID number of the previous article. The In addition, the ID number of the article and the ID number of the last article are stored in the top article. As a result, when a shortage occurs, it can be detected from the stored information of the previous article or the first article. Therefore, a set of a plurality of articles can be managed.

On the other hand, in recent years, an automatic recognition system that uses a wireless tag called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and transmits and receives information in a non-contact manner has been used. The wireless tag can be formed into a label and attached to an article.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-87541 (page 3 to page 5, FIG. 1)

  According to the above-mentioned conventional article management system, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a missing item, but it is possible to know which item is missing by referring to the instruction manual of the main body describing the database and accessories. Can not. For this reason, there has been a problem that the management of articles becomes complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an article management apparatus, an article management system, and an article management method capable of easily managing articles using a wireless tag.

  In order to achieve the above object, an article management apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an article management apparatus that manages articles by reading information written on wireless tags attached to a plurality of articles handled as a set. , Information on all articles written on the first wireless tag attached to the first article, and attachments written on the second wireless tag attached to an article other than the first article related to the first article A communication unit that reads information on an article to be read and information on the first article, a control unit that checks information read from the first wireless tag and information read from the second wireless tag, and verification of the control unit An informing means for informing the result is provided.

  According to this configuration, for example, information on the main body and information on all accessories are written in the first wireless tag attached to the main body, and information on the main body is attached to the second wireless tag attached to the accessory. Product information is written. Information is read from the first and second wireless tags by the communication unit, and the information stored in the first and second wireless tags is collated. As a result of the collation, for example, when the main body and all the accessories are prepared, this is notified by the notification means, and when there is a missing item, the missing item is notified.

  In the invention according to claim 2, in the article management device having the above-described configuration, information read from the second radio tag with respect to information on all articles read from the first radio tag by the communication unit. In the case where it does not exist, the control unit causes the notification means to notify a shortage of an article other than the first article. According to this configuration, when there is no accessory corresponding to the accessory information written in the first wireless tag by collating the information stored in the first and second wireless tags, the notification means detects the missing accessory. Inform the product.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus configured as described above, the control unit reads from the first wireless tag with respect to information read from the first and second wireless tags by the communication unit. The extracted information is taken out for each article and collated with the information read from the second wireless tag, and the collation result is sequentially notified by the informing means for each article.

  According to this configuration, information is read from the first and second wireless tags and temporarily stored, and the accessory information written in the first wireless tag is taken out for each article and written in the second wireless tag. Matched with accessory information. As a result of the collation, if the article does not exist, the notifying part is notified by the notifying means. Subsequently, the accessory information written in the next first wireless tag is taken out and collated with the accessory information written in the second wireless tag to notify the collation result, and this operation is repeated.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus configured as described above, when the information on the first wireless tag is not read by the communication unit, the control unit reads the information read from the second wireless tag. Based on the above, the informing means informs the shortage of the first article and the information of the first article. According to this configuration, when the information on the first wireless tag is not read, the information on the first article is taken out from the second wireless tag, and the information on the first article is notified that the first article is missing. The

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the article management device configured as described above, when the identification information indicating the first wireless tag is not read by the communication unit, the control unit is read from the second wireless tag. Based on the received information, the notifying means notifies the shortage of the first article and the information of the first article by the notifying means. According to this configuration, identification information representing the first wireless tag is stored in the first wireless tag, and when the identification information is not read, it is determined that the first article is a missing item.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus configured as described above, when there is no wireless tag from which information of three or more articles is read by the communication unit, the control unit reads from the second wireless tag. Based on the obtained information, the notifying means notifies the shortage of the first article and the information of the first article by the notifying means. According to this configuration, information on the main body and information on accessories are stored in the first wireless tag, and a wireless tag storing information on three or more articles is determined as the first wireless tag. When information on two articles is stored in the first wireless tag, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a shortage of the main body by matching the information on the first and second wireless tags.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus having the above configuration, when there is information read from a wireless tag that does not correspond to each piece of information of all articles read from the first wireless tag, It is characterized in that the notification means informs the presence of. According to this configuration, when information on articles other than all articles stored in the first wireless tag is read from the wireless tag, it is notified that there is a mixed product.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus having the above-described configuration, the notification unit includes a display unit that displays a collation result.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus having the above-described configuration, the notification unit includes a display unit that displays a verification result, and the first wireless device includes a shortage as a verification result by the control unit. Information on missing items read from the tag or the second wireless tag is displayed on the display unit. According to this configuration, the name of the missing item is displayed on the display unit.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus configured as described above, the notification unit includes a display unit that displays a collation result, and when there is a mixed product as a collation result by the control unit, the second radio Information on the article read from the tag is displayed on the display unit. According to this configuration, the name of the mixed product is displayed on the display unit.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus having the above-described configuration, compatibility information including article information compatible with each article is written in the first wireless tag, and the first wireless tag is written by the communication unit. There is no information read from the second wireless tag with respect to the information of all articles read from the tag, and the second wireless tag matches the compatibility information of each article read from the first wireless tag. When the read information exists, the control unit determines that a compatible product is present instead of a missing product.

According to this configuration, the first wireless tag stores compatibility information that identifies a compatible product that is compatible with the accessory. If the information stored in the first wireless tag and the information stored in the second wireless tag are collated, and the information read from the second wireless tag matches the compatible information when the accessory is missing, the missing item will be missing. Instead, it is determined that there is a compatible product, and it is notified that there is no missing product and that the product is compensated for by the compatible product.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus configured as described above, the notification unit includes a display unit that displays a collation result, and when the compatible product exists as the collation result by the control unit, the second wireless Information on the article corresponding to the compatible article read from the tag is displayed on the display unit. According to this configuration, the name of the compatible product that compensates for the shortage is displayed on the display unit.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the article management apparatus configured as described above, the notification unit includes a display unit that displays a collation result, and the second wireless tag includes information on an article that is compatible with the first article. Is written, and when the first article is missing as a result of verification by the control unit, the display unit displays information on the first article and an article compatible with the first article. Yes. According to this configuration, the information on the first article read from the second wireless tag when the first article is missing and the information on the article compatible with the first article are taken out and displayed on the display unit.

  The article management system according to the fourteenth aspect of the invention is an article for managing an article by writing predetermined information to a wireless tag attached to each of a plurality of articles handled as a set and reading the information written on each wireless tag. In the management system, based on the input information of all the articles, the information of all the articles is written in the first wireless tag for attaching to the first article, and the second wireless for attaching to the articles other than the first article A tag creation apparatus that writes information on an article to be attached and information on a first article to the tag, information on all articles written on the first radio tag attached to the first article, and items other than the first article A communication unit that reads the information of the attached article and the information of the first article written in the second wireless tag attached to the article, and the information read from the first wireless tag and the second wireless tag And a control unit which collates the distribution is characterized in that a product management system and a notification unit for notifying the verification result of the control unit.

  According to this configuration, for example, information on the main body and information on all accessories are written in the first wireless tag attached to the main body by the wireless tag creation device, and information on the main body is stored in the second wireless tag attached to the accessory. And information on the attached accessories are written. The article management device reads information from the first and second wireless tags by the communication unit, and the control unit verifies the information stored in the first and second wireless tags. As a result of the collation, for example, when the main body and all the accessories are prepared, this is notified by the notification means, and when there is a missing item, the missing item is notified.

  In the invention according to claim 15, in the article management system configured as described above, identification information for identifying the first and second wireless tags is written to the first and second wireless tags by the wireless tag creation device, respectively. It is characterized by. According to this configuration, the article management device detects the identification information and determines the presence or absence of the first article.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the article management system configured as described above, information indicating the number of all articles is written to the first radio tag by the radio tag producing apparatus. According to this configuration, the article management device detects the number information and determines whether there is a missing item.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the article management system configured as described above, the wireless tag creation device includes a printing unit that performs printing on a medium in which the wireless tag is integrated. According to this configuration, an article name or the like is printed on a medium formed in a label or the like, and article information is stored in a wireless tag integrated with the medium.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the article management system having the above-described configuration, information read from the second wireless tag with respect to information on all articles read from the first wireless tag by the communication unit. In the case where it does not exist, the control unit causes the notification means to notify a shortage of an article other than the first article.

  The invention according to claim 19 is the article management system configured as described above, wherein when the information on the first wireless tag is not read by the communication unit, the control unit reads the information read from the second wireless tag. Based on the above, the informing means informs the shortage of the first article and the information of the first article.

  The article management method of the invention according to claim 20 is an article for managing an article by writing predetermined information to a radio tag attached to each of a plurality of articles handled as a set, and reading the information written on each radio tag. In the management method, a first article attached with a first wireless tag in which information of all articles is written, and a second wireless tag attached with information on the attached article and information on the first article are attached. For items other than one item, the information written in the first wireless tag and the information written in the second wireless tag are read in a batch and the read information is collated to notify the collation result. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, for example, information on the main body and information on all accessories are written in the first wireless tag attached to the main body, and information on the main body is stored in the second wireless tag attached to the accessory. And the information of the attached accessory are written, and the information read from the first wireless tag and the information read from the second wireless tag are collated to notify the collation result, and thus stored in the second wireless tag. The shortage of the first article can be easily determined from the information, and the shortage such as an accessory other than the first article can be easily determined from the information stored in the first wireless tag to easily manage the article. .

  According to the invention of claim 2, when there is no information read from the second wireless tag with respect to the information of all the articles read from the first wireless tag, the missing item of the article other than the first article Therefore, it is possible to easily determine the shortage of an article other than the first article and easily manage the article.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the information read from the first wireless tag is taken out for each article and collated with the information read from the second wireless tag, and the collation result is sequentially notified for each article. Therefore, it is possible to easily recognize which article is missing.

  According to the invention according to claim 4, when the information of the first wireless tag is not read, the shortage of the first article and the information of the first article are obtained based on the information read from the second wireless tag. Since the notification is made, the shortage of the first article can be easily identified and the article can be managed easily.

  According to the invention of claim 5, since the first article is determined to be missing when the identification information of the first wireless tag is not read out, the missing article of the first article can be quickly determined. it can.

  According to the invention of claim 6, since there is no wireless tag storing information on three or more articles, the first wireless tag is determined to be a missing item. can do.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, when there is information read from the second wireless tag that does not correspond to each information of all articles read from the first wireless tag, the presence of the mixed product is notified. It can be easily detected and recognized.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the notifying means includes the display unit that displays the collation result, so that the user can easily recognize the collation result.

According to the invention according to claim 9, when there is a shortage as a result of collation, the information on the missing item read from the first wireless tag or the second wireless tag is displayed on the display unit. The person can easily recognize the information of the missing item.

According to the invention of claim 10, when there is a mixed product as a comparison result, the information on the product read from the second wireless tag is displayed on the display unit. It can be easily recognized.

According to the invention of claim 11, there is no information read from the second wireless tag for all items of information read from the first wireless tag, and each item read from the first wireless tag. If there is information read from the second wireless tag that matches the compatible information, it is determined that there is a compatible product, not a missing product. It can be managed easily.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, when there is a compatible product as a comparison result, the information on the product corresponding to the compatible product read from the second wireless tag is displayed on the display unit. Product information can be easily recognized.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, when the first article is missing as a collation result, the display section displays information about the first article and an article compatible with the first article.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the invention, the article management apparatus writes information on all articles on the first radio tag by the radio tag producing apparatus and writes information on the first article and attached articles on the second radio tag. Thus, the information is read from the first and second wireless tags, collated, and the collation result is notified, so it is possible to easily determine which item is missing and easily manage the item.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the identification information for identifying the first and second wireless tags is written to the first and second wireless tags by the wireless tag producing device, respectively. Presence / absence can be quickly determined.

  According to the invention of claim 16, the information indicating the number of all articles is written to the first wireless tag by the wireless tag producing device. Presence / absence can be easily determined.

  According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, since the wireless tag producing apparatus includes a printing unit that performs printing on a medium in which the wireless tag is integrated, a user can easily visually recognize information such as an article name on the medium. Can create a label that can.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, if there is no information read from the second wireless tag with respect to the information of all articles read from the first wireless tag, the lack of articles other than the first article is missing. Since the product is notified, it is possible to easily determine the shortage of the product other than the first product and easily manage the product.

  According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, when the information of the first wireless tag is not read, the shortage of the first article is notified. Therefore, the lack of the first article is easily identified and the article is easily managed. be able to.

  According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, the first article attached with the first wireless tag in which information on all articles is written, the second radio in which information on the attached article and information on the first article are written. For items other than the first item with the tag attached, the information written in the first wireless tag and the information written in the second wireless tag are collectively read, and the read information is verified Since the result is notified, it is possible to easily determine the shortage of the article and easily manage the article.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for creating a wireless tag constituting the article management system of the first embodiment. The article management system includes a wireless tag creation apparatus 1 and an article management apparatus 31 (see FIGS. 13 and 14).

  The wireless tag producing apparatus 1 is loaded with a cartridge 20 containing a tape 22. Then, information is written to the RFID circuit 108 (see FIG. 3) disposed on the tape 22, and after printing on the tape 22, it is cut at a predetermined interval and labeled in the RFID tag 101 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Form.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are a top view and a bottom view showing the wireless tag cut into a label. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. The wireless tag 101 has a five-layer structure including a cover film 102 on which printing is performed and a four-layer structure 103 having a wireless tag circuit 108.

  The cover film 102 has a print 102a (in this example, the letter “measuring instrument A” indicating the type of the wireless tag 101) printed on the back surface. The laminate 103 includes an adhesive layer 104, a base film 105, an adhesive layer 106, and a release paper 107 in this order from the cover film 102 side. A wireless tag circuit 108 including an IC circuit portion 109 and an antenna 110 is provided on the back surface of the base film 105.

  The wireless tag creation device 1 has a control circuit 2 that controls each part. As shown in FIG. 2, the control circuit 2 includes a CPU 81, a ROM 82, a RAM 83, and an I / O 84. The control operation by the control circuit 2 is performed by the CPU 81. The ROM 82 stores a program operated by the CPU 81. The RAM 83 temporarily stores calculation by a program. Various circuits are connected to the I / O 84.

  Connected to the control circuit 2 are a cartridge drive circuit 3, a delivery roller drive circuit 6, a print drive circuit 5, a high frequency circuit 9, a signal processing circuit 11, a solenoid 12, an input unit 16, a sensor 17, and an interface circuit 18. The cartridge driving circuit 3 drives the pulse motor 4 for the cartridge and sends the tape 22 from the cartridge 20. The delivery roller drive circuit 6 drives the pulse motor 7 that rotates the delivery roller 15 to deliver the tape 22 in the direction indicated by the arrow A.

  The print drive circuit 5 prints the tape 22 by driving a thermal head 24 disposed opposite to the tape 22 in the cartridge 20. Accordingly, the print drive circuit 5 and the thermal head 24 constitute a printing unit that performs printing on the tape 22. The high frequency circuit 9 writes information to the wireless tag 101 via the antenna unit 10. The signal processing circuit 11 processes the signal read from the wireless tag 101 and reads information.

  The solenoid 12 drives the cutter 13 to cut the tape 22 by a predetermined length. Therefore, a tape creating means for continuously feeding a tape having a predetermined length by feeding the tape by the cartridge drive circuit 3, the pulse motor 4, the delivery roller drive circuit 6, the delivery roller 15, the solenoid 12, and the cutter 13 is configured. Has been.

  The input unit 16 inputs print information to be printed on the tape 22 and write information to be written to the wireless tag 101. The sensor 17 detects the presence or absence of the tape 22 at the carry-out port 8. The interface circuit 18 can be connected to an external device such as a personal computer, and can input print information to be printed on the tape 22 and write information to be written to the wireless tag 101 from the outside by the external device. A conveyance guide 14 for guiding the tape to the carry-out port 8 is provided between the cutter 13 and the carry-out port 8.

  FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing a general configuration of the RFID tag circuit 108 disposed on the back surface of the base film 105 at a predetermined interval. The wireless tag circuit 108 includes a coil antenna 110 and can communicate with the outside. A 13 MHz band and a 12.5 MHz band are used as frequencies. A decoding circuit 112 and an encoding circuit 113 are connected to the coil antenna 110. The decoding circuit 112 and the encoding circuit 113 decode and encode data transmitted and received under the control of the communication control unit 114.

  The wireless tag 101 has a memory 116 controlled by the communication control unit 114, and stores the decrypted data. The stored data is extracted by the communication control unit 114, can be encoded and transmitted. The memory 116 is composed of a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM, and can hold the contents of data stored in the memory 116.

  The electric power received via the coil antenna 110 is stored in the power supply unit 111 and supplied to the encoding circuit 113, the composite circuit 112, the communication control unit 114, and the memory 116. When the 900 MHz band or the 2.45 GHz band is used as a higher communication frequency, communication is performed via a modulation / demodulation circuit 115 using a dipole antenna 118 and a diode as shown in FIG.

  The operation of the wireless tag producing apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step # 11, print information to be printed on the tape 22 is input by operating a personal computer or the like connected to the interface circuit 18 or the input unit 16. FIG. 7 shows an example of print information. The article name “measuring instrument A” of the main body (first article) 60 and the article names of the accessories 61 to 67 attached to the main body 60 are input. Although the article name is input in this example, any information that identifies each article may be used.

  In step # 12, it is determined whether normal printing for printing only or information writing to the wireless tag 101 disposed on the tape 22 in addition to printing. If it is not normal printing, the process proceeds to step # 13. In step # 13, write information to be written to the wireless tag 101 is created. FIG. 8 shows an example of write information. In the figure, an ID number is added in addition to the same information as the print information of each article (60 to 67). Other information such as date and manager may be created and added.

  In step # 14, the print information is transferred to the wireless tag producing apparatus 1 and stored in the RAM 82 of the control circuit 2. In step # 15, the write information is transferred to the wireless tag creation device 1 and stored in the RAM 82. In step # 16, the first print information is read from the RAM 82 by the control circuit 2 of the wireless tag producing apparatus 1. In step # 17, the control circuit 2 controls the cartridge drive circuit 3 and the print drive circuit 5 to print the print information on the tape 22.

  In step # 18, it is determined whether or not the extracted print information is the print information of the first article. In the case of the first print information, it is determined that a wireless tag attached to the main body (first article) 60 (hereinafter referred to as “main body tag (first wireless tag 101a)”) is generated, and the process proceeds to step # 19. In step # 19, write information of all articles (60 to 67) is read from the RAM 82.

  In step # 20, the write information encoded by controlling the signal processing circuit 11 and the high frequency circuit 9 by the control circuit 2 is transmitted from the antenna unit 10. Thereby, the write information of all articles (60 to 67) is written into the memory 116 of the main body tag 101a (see FIG. 12). In step # 21, the write information of the main body 60 that can identify the main body 60 is read from the RAM 82. In step # 22, the write information of the main body 60 is stored at a predetermined address in the RAM 82. Thereby, the writing information of the main body 60 can be taken out at any time.

  In step # 23, the feeding roller driving circuit 6 is controlled by the control circuit 2, and the tape 22 is fed by the rotation of the feeding roller 15. In step # 24, the solenoid 12 is controlled by the control circuit 2, and the tape is cut at a predetermined position by the cutter 13. Thereby, creation of the body tag 101a is completed. FIG. 9 shows the printing result and writing information of the created main body tag 101a. The main body tag 101a is formed in a label printed with “measuring instrument A” indicating the main body, and the memory 116 stores writing information of all articles (60 to 67).

  In step # 25, it is determined whether or not the print information read into the RAM is the print information of the last article. If it is not the print information of the last article, the process proceeds to the address of the next data in the RAM 82 at step # 26, and the next print information is read out at step # 16. In the same manner as described above, print information is printed on the tape 22 in step # 17. Thereby, the article names of the accessories 61 to 67 are printed. If the print information of the first article is not determined in step # 18, it is determined that a wireless tag attached to the accessories 61 to 67 (hereinafter referred to as “attached tag (second wireless tag)”) is created. 31.

  In step # 31, the writing information of the main body 60 stored in step 22 is read from the RAM 82. In step # 32, the control circuit 2 controls the signal processing circuit 11 and the high-frequency circuit 9 to transmit the writing information of the main body 60 encoded from the antenna unit 10. In step # 33, the accessory that is currently focused on printing the print information (hereinafter referred to as “the current article”), in this case, the write information of the A adapter (61) is read from the RAM 82. In step # 34, the writing information of the current article encoded by controlling the signal processing circuit 11 and the high frequency circuit 9 by the control circuit 2 is transmitted from the antenna unit 10. Thereby, the write information of the main body 60 and the current article (61) is written into the memory 116 of the attached tag 101b (see FIG. 12).

  Next, the process proceeds to step # 23, and steps # 23 to # 26 are performed in the same manner as described above. Steps # 16 to # 18, # 31 to # 34, and # 23 to # 26 are repeatedly performed until the print information comes to the end, and the attached tags 101b to 101h are created by the quantity of the attached items. Then, when the print information comes to the end by the determination in step # 25, the process ends.

  10 and 11 show examples of the printing results and writing information of the created attached tags 101b and 101e. The attached tags 101b and 101e are formed in a label printed with “A adapter” and “A cable 1” indicating accessories, and the memory 116 stores the writing information of the main body and the writing information of each accessory. The The same applies to other attached tags.

  If it is determined in step # 12 that normal printing is performed without writing information to the wireless tag 101, the process proceeds to step # 41, and the print information is transferred to the wireless tag creating apparatus 1. In step # 42, a printing process is performed. Since the printing process is the same as described above, the details are omitted, but printing information is sequentially read from the head and printed on the tape 22. Then, the process ends when the print information is the last.

  Through the above operation, the main body tag 101a and one or a plurality of attached tags 101b to 101h are created and attached to a plurality of articles handled as a set as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the main body tag 101a is attached to the measuring device A. Attached tags 101b to 101h correspond to the print results, respectively, with an A adapter (61), A card 1 (62), A card 2 (63), A cable 1 (64), A cable 2 (65), A code ( 66) and A instruction manual (67).

  In step # 17 of FIG. 6, when printing is performed on the main body tag 101a, the printing may be performed with emphasis by bold letters or the like. Thereby, it can be easily recognized that the article to which the main body tag 101 a is attached is the main body 60.

  Next, the article management by the main body tag 101a and the attached tags 101b to 101h of the article management apparatus constituting the article management system of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an article management apparatus 31 that manages articles by communicating with the wireless tag 101. The article management device 31 is operated by being held by a user, and an operation unit 32 and a display unit 33 (notification unit) are provided on the upper surface, and an antenna 57 that communicates with the wireless tag 101 is disposed on the front surface.

  The operation unit 32 includes a plurality of operation keys and performs user operations. The display unit 33 is composed of an LCD and displays the operation status and the result of communication with the wireless tag 101. The display unit 33 may be composed of a CRT, an organic EL, or the like. Further, the operation unit 32 may be a touch panel operated on the display unit 33.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the article management apparatus 31. The article management apparatus 31 includes a control unit 40 and a high frequency unit 50 (communication unit). The control unit 40 includes a CPU 43 and controls each unit of the article management device 31. A ROM 41, a RAM 42, an LCD driver 44, an I / O unit 44, and an interface circuit 46 are connected to the CPU 43 via a bus line 45.

  The ROM 41 stores a program that is operated by the CPU 43. The RAM 42 performs primary storage of calculations performed by the CPU 43. The LCD driver 44 is connected to the display unit 33 and drives the display unit 33. The I / O unit 44 is connected to the operation unit 32, receives an operation signal from the operation unit 32, and transmits the operation signal to the CPU 43. The interface circuit 46 is connected to the high frequency unit 50 to exchange signals.

  The high frequency unit 50 is provided with a circulator 56 connected to the antenna 57, and information is transmitted and received by the circulator 57. A power amplifier 55 and a modulator 52 are provided between the circulator 57 and the interface circuit 46, and an oscillator 53 is connected to the modulator 52.

  The modulator 52 modulates information input via the interface circuit 46 based on a high-frequency signal (900 MHz band or 2.45 GHz band) transmitted from the oscillator 53. The power amplifier 55 amplifies the signal modulated by the modulator 52. Thereby, the information extracted from the RAM 42 is modulated by the modulator 52 via the interface circuit 46, amplified by the power amplifier 55, and transmitted by the circulator 56.

  A demodulator 54 and a decoder 51 are provided between the circulator 56 and the interface circuit 46, and an oscillator 53 is connected to the demodulator 54. The demodulator 54 demodulates the signal input via the antenna 57 based on the high frequency signal oscillated by the oscillator 53. The decoder 51 decodes the signal demodulated by the demodulator 54. Accordingly, the signal received from the wireless tag 101 via the antenna 57 is decoded by the demodulator 54 after being demodulated by the decoder 51, and information is manipulated by the control unit 40 via the interface circuit 46.

  In the article management apparatus 31 having the above configuration, when the operation unit 32 is operated, the control unit 40 executes the flowchart of FIG. In step # 51, it is determined whether to perform batch readout for reading out the wireless tags 101 of a plurality of articles at once or to perform individual readout for reading out one by one. In the case of batch reading, the process proceeds to step # 52.

  In step # 52, communication is performed with the wireless tag 101 attached to each article, and the writing information stored in the memory 116 of the wireless tag 101 is read out. Then, the read writing information is stored in the RAM 42 of the article management device 31. In step # 53, it is determined whether or not the writing information of the wireless tags 101 of all articles has been read. If the writing information has not been read from the wireless tags 101 of all articles, the process returns to step # 52, and the writing information stored in the wireless tags 101 is sequentially read and stored in the RAM.

  When the writing information is read from the wireless tags 101 of all articles, the process proceeds to step # 54 to determine whether or not the main body tag 101a is present. The presence or absence of the body tag 101a can be determined by whether or not there are three or more articles in the writing information, as shown in FIG. When the total number of articles read out is two, when the writing information read from both coincides, one can be determined as the writing information of the main body tag 101a.

  If there is no main body tag 101a, the process proceeds to step # 75, and writing information (hereinafter referred to as “main body information”) representing the main body (first article) 60 from the first writing information of any of the attached tags 101b to 101h. get. In step # 76, as shown in FIG. 17, the characters “no body” indicating that there is no main body 60 and the characters “measuring instrument A” which is the printing information of the main body 60 are displayed on the display unit 33. The user is notified. Then, the program ends. Thereby, the user can recognize and deal with the shortage of the main body 60.

  If it is determined in step # 54 that there is a main body tag 101a, the process proceeds to step # 55. In step # 55, writing information representing the first accessory (hereinafter referred to as “accessory information”) is acquired from the writing information of the main body tag 101a. In step # 56, the acquired accessory information is compared with the writing information taken out from each of the accessories 61 to 67, and it is determined whether or not there is an accessory tag 101b to 101h that matches the accessory information.

  If there is no accessory tag 101b to 101h that matches the accessory information, the process proceeds to step # 58. In step # 58, as shown in FIG. 18, the collated accessory print information and the character “missing item” indicating that there is no accessory are displayed on the display unit 33 to notify the user. Then, the process proceeds to step # 59. If any of the attached tags 101b to 101h matches the accessory information according to the determination in step # 56, the process proceeds to step # 57, and the verified accessory information is deleted from the RAM. Then, the process proceeds to step # 59.

  In step # 59, it is determined whether or not the accessory information acquired from the writing information of the main body tag 101a is the last accessory information. If it is not the last accessory information, the process proceeds to the address of the next data on the RAM 42 at step # 60, and the next accessory information is read out at step # 55. Then, Steps # 55 to # 60 are repeatedly performed, and when collation of the last accessory information is completed, the process proceeds to Step # 61.

  At this time, if there is a missing item, in step # 58, as shown in FIG. 18, the collated accessory printing information and the character “missing item” indicating that there is no accessory are sequentially added to the display unit 33. Is displayed. In addition, when each accessory 61-67 exists, you may display sequentially that on the display part 33, the printing information of the existing accessory, etc.

  In step # 61, it is determined whether or not there is missing part information for displaying the missing part on the display unit 33. If there is missing item information, the process proceeds to step # 63. If there is no missing part information, in step # 62, as shown in FIG. 19, "all accessories" is displayed on the display unit 33 to indicate that all items are available, and the user is notified. In step # 63, it is determined whether or not other read information of the wireless tag remains in the memory.

  If no other read information of the wireless tag remains in the memory 42, the program is terminated. If other read information of the wireless tag remains in the memory 42, the process proceeds to step # 64. In step # 64, as shown in FIG. 20 or FIG. 21, the characters "Non-accessory mixed goods" indicating that mixed goods other than the main body 60 and the accessories 61 to 67 are included, and the wireless tag of the mixed goods The write information 101 is displayed on the display unit 33. Then, the program ends.

  Next, when it is determined in step # 51 that individual reading is performed, the individual reading process shown in FIG. 16 is called. In step # 81 of the individual reading process, the control unit 40 lowers the gain of the power amplifier so that the communication output is lower than in the case of batch reading, and short-distance communication is performed. In step # 82, it is determined whether or not there is an instruction to read out information stored in the wireless tag 101 by operating the operation unit 32.

  If there is no read instruction from the operation unit 32, the process proceeds to step # 84, and if there is an instruction, the process proceeds to step # 83. In step # 83, communication is performed with the wireless tag 101 attached to the article brought close to the article management apparatus 31, and the writing information stored in the memory 116 of the wireless tag 101 is read. Then, the read writing information is stored in the RAM 42 of the article management device 31.

  In step # 84, it is determined whether or not there has been an instruction to complete reading by operating the operation unit 32. If there is no instruction to complete reading, the process returns to step # 82 and steps # 82 and # 83 are repeated. As a result, the write information stored in the wireless tag 101 is read out sequentially and stored in the RAM 42 by the operation of the read instruction of the operation unit 32. If there is an instruction to complete reading by operating the operation unit 32, the process proceeds to step # 54 in the flowchart of FIG.

  Thereby, the writing information is read from the wireless tags 101 of all articles. It is possible to make the verification result displayed on the display unit 33 easier to understand by performing individual reading when there are many mixed items other than articles handled as a set within the communication range of the article management device 31. it can.

  According to the present embodiment, information specifying all articles is written in the main body tag 101a (first wireless tag), and information specifying the main body 60 (first article) is attached to the attached tags 101b to 101h (second wireless tag). Since the information specifying the accessories 61 to 67 to be written is written, it is possible to easily determine which article is missing. Therefore, management of a plurality of articles handled as a set can be simplified.

  Note that the total number of articles may be detected from the writing information of the main body tag 101a and compared with the number of wireless tags 101 that have been read out, and only the presence / absence of a shortage may be notified as in the conventional example.

  Further, since the printing information is printed on the tape 22 provided with the wireless tag 101, the article name and the like can be easily recognized by sticking the tape 22 to each article, and the wireless tag can be easily and continuously. 101 can write information. Although printing is performed on the tape 22 on which the wireless tag 101 is disposed, the wireless tag 101 may be disposed on a medium such as a label-like cut sheet, printed on the medium, and information may be written on the wireless tag 101. Good.

  Next, the article management system of the second embodiment will be described. The wireless tag creation apparatus constituting the article management system of this embodiment is configured in the same manner as the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 described above, and is compatible with the main body and accessories by operating a personal computer or the input unit 16. Information for specifying an article (hereinafter referred to as “compatibility information”), identification information for identifying the main body and accessories, and information on the number of all articles can be input. Other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In step # 11 of the flowchart of FIG. 6 described above, print information and compatibility information to be printed on the tape 22 are input by operating a personal computer or the like connected to the interface circuit 18 or the input unit 16. FIG. 22 shows an example of print information and compatibility information. The article name “measuring instrument A” of the main body 60 (first article) and the article name “measuring instrument D” of a compatible article compatible with the measuring instrument A are shown. Entered. In addition, an article name of an accessory attached to the main body and an article name of an accessory compatible with the accessory are input. In this example, the compatible information is made up of the article name, but it may be information that identifies the compatible product.

  In step # 13, writing information including print information and compatibility information for all articles (60 to 67) is created. Note that the compatibility information is input in advance and stored as a database, and when the print information of all articles (60 to 67) is input, the compatibility information is added to the print information of all articles and written. Information may be created.

  FIG. 23 shows an example of the printing result of the main body tag 101a and the writing information written to the main body tag 101a in step # 20. In the figure, compatible information is added in addition to the same information and ID number as the print information of each article. Further, identification information “M” representing the main body tag 101a is added, and “7” which is information indicating the number of accessories 61 to 67 is added.

  24 and 25 show examples of the printing results of the attached tags 101b and 101e and the writing information written to the attached tags 101b and 101e in steps # 32 and # 34. In the figure, in addition to the same information and ID number as the printing information of each article (61, 64), compatibility information is added. Also, identification information “S” representing the attached tag 101b is added. Note that “1” and “4” are serial numbers added in order to the accessories.

  The operation of the article management apparatus 31 that manages articles with the main body tag 101a and the attached tags 101b to 101h in which compatibility information and identification information are written as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that description of the same operation steps as those in the first embodiment is omitted. In step # 54, the presence / absence of the main body tag 101a is determined by "M" (see FIG. 23) as identification information. Thereby, the presence or absence of the main body tag 101a can be quickly determined only by determining whether or not the identification information of the main body tag 101a has been detected.

  In step # 56, the print information of the accessories 61 to 67 stored in the main body tag 101a is collated with the writing information extracted from each of the accessory tags 101b to 101h, and whether there is a matching accessory tag 101b to 101h. Judge whether or not. Further, when there is no matching attached tag 101b to 101h, the compatibility information of the accessory stored in the main body tag 101a and the writing information taken out from each attached tag 101b to 101h are collated to match the compatible information. It is determined whether there are attached tags 101b to 101h. As a result, when a compatible product that compensates for the missing accessory is detected, the process proceeds to step # 57 without displaying the missing item. At this time, the display unit 33 may display the fact that it is compensated by the compatible product.

  If it is determined in step # 54 that the main body tag 101a is not present, neither the main body nor a compatible product of the main body exists. For this reason, if the display which specifies a main body and compatible goods is performed in addition to the display which shows that there is no main body in step # 76, the articles | goods to supplement can be prepared easily.

  According to the present embodiment, the compatibility information of the accessories 61 to 67 is written to the main body tag 101a (first wireless tag), so that it is easy to manage that there is no abnormality when the shortage is replenished by the compatible product. Can do. Moreover, since the compatibility information of the main body 60 is written in the attached tags 101b to 101h (second wireless tags), it is possible to easily prepare an article to be compensated when the main body 60 is missing.

  Note that the total number of articles is detected from the information (“7”: see FIG. 23) indicating the number of writing information of the main body tag 101a, and compared with the number of wireless tags 101 that have been read, as in the conventional example. You may alert | report only the presence or absence of a missing item. Thereby, it is possible to detect the shortage more quickly than in the first embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments, the wireless tags 101a to 101h attached to the main body 60 and the accessories 61 to 67 are described. However, a plurality of articles handled as a set are attached to any one article. Therefore, an attached tag (second wireless tag) may be created in order to create a main body tag (first wireless tag) and attach it to another article. For example, it can be used for a set of articles composed of presentation materials, samples, CD-ROMs, personal computers, etc., or a set of articles composed of a plurality of tools carried for business trip repair. It can also be used in combination with a container to be transported and its contents.

  In the above description, various types of information are written in the memory of the wireless tag. However, in order to reduce the memory capacity, various types of information may be held on the database, and the database information may be written in the memory of the wireless tag.

These are block diagrams which show the structure of the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are block diagrams which show the structure of the control part of the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are a top view and a bottom view showing a wireless tag. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a wireless tag These are block diagrams which show the structure of a wireless tag circuit. These are flowcharts which show operation | movement of the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are the figures which show the input printing information of the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the write information produced based on the input printing information of the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the printing result of a main body tag by the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the writing information written in a main body tag. These are figures which show the printing result of an attached tag by the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the writing information written in an attached tag. These are figures which show the printing result of an attached tag by the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the writing information written in an attached tag. These are figures which show the state which attached the wireless tag produced by the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention to each article | item. These are perspective views which show the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced with the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are block diagrams which show the structure of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced by the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are flowcharts which show operation | movement of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the wireless tag produced by the wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are the flowcharts which show the operation | movement of the separate read-out process of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced by the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the display of the display part of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced by the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the display of the display part of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced by the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the display of the display part of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced by the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the display of the display part of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced by the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the display of the display part of the article | item management apparatus which manages articles | goods with the radio | wireless tag produced by the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. These are the figures which show the input printing information of the radio | wireless tag production apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the printing information of the main body tag by the wireless tag production apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and the writing information written in a main body tag. These are figures which show the printing result of an attached tag, and the writing information written in an attached tag by the wireless tag production apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. These are figures which show the printing result of an attached tag, and the writing information written in an attached tag by the wireless tag production apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wireless tag production apparatus 2 Control circuit 3 Cartridge drive circuit 4, 7 Pulse motor 5 Print drive circuit 6 Sending roller drive circuit 8 Carrying out port 9 High frequency circuit 10 Antenna 11 Signal processing circuit 12 Solenoid 13 Cutter 14 Conveying guide 15 Sending roller 16 Input Unit 18 Interface circuit 20 Cartridge 22 Tape 24 Thermal head 31 Article management device 32 Operation unit 33 Display unit 40 Control unit 50 High frequency unit 60 Main body 61-67 Accessories 101 Wireless tag 101a Main body tag (first wireless tag)
101b to 101h Attached tag (second wireless tag)
108 RFID tag circuit

Claims (20)

In an article management apparatus for managing information by reading information written in a wireless tag attached to each of a plurality of articles handled as a set,
Information on all articles written on the first wireless tag attached to the first article, and attachments written on the second wireless tag attached to an article other than the first article related to the first article A communication unit for reading information on the article and information on the first article;
A control unit that collates information read from the first wireless tag with information read from the second wireless tag;
Informing means for informing the verification result of the control unit;
An article management apparatus comprising:   When the information read from the second wireless tag does not exist with respect to the information of all items read from the first wireless tag by the communication unit, the control unit The article management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shortage is notified by the notification unit.   For the information read from the first and second wireless tags by the communication unit, the control unit takes out the information read from the first wireless tag for each article and from the second wireless tag. 3. The article management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is collated with the read information, and the collation result is sequentially notified by the notification means for each article. When the information on the first wireless tag is not read by the communication unit, the control unit determines whether the first item is missing or not based on the information read from the second wireless tag. The article management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein information is notified by the notification unit.   When the identification information representing the first wireless tag is not read by the communication unit, the control unit determines whether the first item is missing or not based on the information read from the second wireless tag. The article management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the article information is notified by the notification unit.   When there is no wireless tag from which information on three or more items is read by the communication unit, the control unit determines whether the first item is missing or not based on the information read from the second wireless tag. 5. The article management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein information on one article is notified by the notification means. When there is information read from a wireless tag that does not correspond to each piece of information of all articles read from the first wireless tag, the control unit causes the notification means to notify that there is a mixed product. The article management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The article management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit includes a display unit that displays a collation result . The informing means includes a display unit for displaying a collation result, and when there is a shortage as a collation result by the control unit, the missing item read from the first radio tag or the second radio tag is displayed. Information is displayed on the said display part , The article | item management apparatus in any one of Claims 2-6 characterized by the above-mentioned . The informing means includes a display unit for displaying a collation result, and when there is a mixed product as a collation result by the control unit, the information on the article read from the second wireless tag is displayed on the display unit. The article management apparatus according to claim 7 . In the first wireless tag, compatibility information composed of information on articles compatible with each article is written, and the second wireless tag is used for information on all articles read from the first wireless tag by the communication unit. When there is no information read from the tag and there is information read from the second wireless tag that matches the compatibility information of each article read from the first wireless tag, the control unit is not a missing item. The article management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and 7 to 10, wherein it is determined that a compatible product exists . The informing means includes a display unit for displaying a collation result, and when there is a compatible product as a collation result by the control unit, information on an article corresponding to the compatible product read from the second wireless tag is displayed. The article management apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the article management apparatus displays the information by a unit. The informing means includes a display unit for displaying a collation result , information on an article compatible with the first article is written in the second wireless tag, and the first article is missing as a collation result by the control unit. The article management apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein when the product is sold, information on the first article and an article having compatibility with the first article is displayed on the display unit. . In an article management system for managing predetermined articles by writing predetermined information on radio tags attached to a plurality of articles handled as a set, and reading information written on each radio tag.
Based on the input information of all articles, the information of all articles is written in the first wireless tag for attaching to the first article, and attached to the second wireless tag for attaching to articles other than the first article. A wireless tag creation device for writing information on an article to be written and information on a first article;
Information on all articles written on the first wireless tag attached to the first article, information on attached articles written on the second wireless tag attached to articles other than the first article, and information on the first article An article management apparatus comprising: a communication unit that reads: a control unit that collates information read from the first radio tag and information read from the second radio tag; and a notification unit that informs the collation result of the control unit; ,
An article management system comprising:   15. The article management system according to claim 14, wherein identification information for identifying the first and second wireless tags is written to the first and second wireless tags by the wireless tag creation device, respectively.   16. The article management system according to claim 14 or 15, wherein information indicating the number of all articles is written to the first radio tag by the radio tag creation device.   The article management system according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the wireless tag creation device includes a printing unit that performs printing on a medium in which the wireless tag is integrated.   When the information read from the second wireless tag does not exist with respect to the information of all items read from the first wireless tag by the communication unit, the control unit The article management system according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein a shortage is notified by the notification means.   When the information on the first wireless tag is not read by the communication unit, the control unit determines whether the first item is missing or not based on the information read from the second wireless tag. The article management system according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein information is notified by the notification means. In an article management method for managing predetermined articles by writing predetermined information to radio tags attached to a plurality of articles handled as a set, and reading the information written in each radio tag,
Other than the first article attached with the first wireless tag to which the first wireless tag to which the information of all articles is written is attached, and the second wireless tag to which the information of the attached article and the information of the first article are written. The information written in the first wireless tag and the information written in the second wireless tag are collectively read for the article, and the read information is collated to notify the collation result. Article management method.

Images