JP4794155B2 - Goods management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article management system that manages articles such as books stored in a bookshelf such as a library or a product in a warehouse and an area where the article exists, and in particular, identification information of an article that identifies the article. And an article management system for managing articles based on the identification information of the area where the articles exist.

Conventionally, regarding the management of goods in inventory work, inventory check work, etc., an operator checks the goods and confirms the position of the goods (that is, the storage location) by comparing the goods with the slip. Further, in recent years, by attaching a barcode, a wireless IC tag, etc., on which information relating to an article is attached to the article, a dedicated reading device can perform information relating to the article recorded on the barcode, the wireless IC tag during inventory work. There is also a technique for creating an electronic voucher by reading. Here, an RFID tag (RFID: Radio Frequency Identification) is an example of the wireless IC tag. The RFID tag is not contacted with a reading device as in the above-described barcode to read the recorded information, but is read and written without contact by wireless communication. Therefore, it is characterized by being less susceptible to dirt and dust and being capable of information communication through obstacles.
On the other hand, for example, a technique using a wireless IC tag for the management of articles as described above is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the merchandise management system (an example of the article management system) disclosed in Patent Document 1, an RFID tag is attached to an article, and an RFID reader is installed on each shelf in the management area where the article is managed. Yes. As a result, when an article equipped with an RFID tag enters or exits the management area, that is, when the article is moved or replenished, the worker can know the status of movement or replenishment (the movement of the article) in real time. That's it.
JP 2001-3218 A

However, the merchandise management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a dedicated reading device as described above is installed for each management area for managing articles. For this reason, for example, when the number of management areas for managing the above-mentioned articles, such as inventory management for the presence or absence of articles in a warehouse, is small, there is no problem with the technology of the above-mentioned merchandise management system. When managing the system, a huge number of the above-mentioned reading devices are required, which is uneconomical. In particular, considering that the receiver is much more expensive than the transmitter, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 that requires a large number of readers is extremely uneconomical. In the product management system, each reading device manages the entry and exit of an article in an area where the reading device is installed. Therefore, when a plurality of reading devices are provided in the product management system, there is a problem that a separate system must be constructed in order to centrally manage the entry and exit of articles by connecting these reading devices through a network or the like. . For these reasons, the product management system can be practically introduced when the number of management areas for managing the above-mentioned items such as inventory management for the presence or absence of items in the warehouse is small. In the case where articles are managed by subdividing such a management area, there is a high possibility that introduction will be difficult in practice.
On the other hand, in general inventory work, it is not necessary to manage the entry / exit of goods to / from the management area in real time, and it is usually sufficient that the management can be performed about once a month. Therefore, if the above product management system is used only during inventory work, the use frequency is low despite the large cost of constructing or maintaining the product management system, which may result in uneconomical results. I cannot deny.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article identification information transmission means for identifying an article and an identification information transmission means for an area where the article is present in a warehouse or the like. The receiving information is sent by the portable receiving means that is transported across the area so that the receiving information can be received by one receiving means. The above object is achieved by covering a large number of areas.

In the present invention in order to achieve the above object, the identification information of a plurality of articles a plurality of article identifying information transmission means with previously subjected to an article side each for transmitting by wireless communication, the plurality of article identifying information transmission means rows aligned approximate position for any area identification information transmitting means of but a plurality of area identification information transmission means for transmitting the identification information of the existing area by wireless communication is provided respectively, the plurality of area identification information transmission unit identification information and the article identification information identification information identifying information of the calling has been the article from the transmission means located around the area identification information transmission means of the region originating from the region identification information transmission means by a receiver operating dividing substantially simultaneously received by the receiving means, each time for receiving operation by the identification information receiving means, of the articles to be stored in association with the identification information managing means Based on the identification information of the region in which another information and the article is present, the article identification information transmitting means by determining the location area of the plurality of articles attached is received by the identification information receiving means the The identification information of the article and the identification information of the area can be managed in association with each other. In addition, since the identification information receiving means has portability, one identification information receiving means is provided for receiving the article identification information transmitting means and the area identification information transmitting means while sequentially moving along a large number of areas. Can handle a large number of areas.
Here, it is conceivable that the identification information of the article and / or the identification information of the area is an appropriate symbol (for example, a code or a character is included). That is, for example, the identification information of the article or the identification information of the area may be an encrypted code. In this way, by using the appropriate identification symbols for the article identification information and the area identification information, it is possible to prevent the article identification information and the area identification information from being intercepted.
In the above article management system, and details of the respective articles each corresponding to the identification information of the plurality of articles, the embodiments to keep each store and the detailed information of each area respectively corresponding to the identification information of the area Can be taken. As a result, even if the received identification information of the article or the identification information of the area is encoded as described above, information that is easy for the operator to see (that is, the detailed information of the article or the details of the area). Information).
On the other hand, the identification information of the article and the identification information of the area in the article management system can be stored in, for example, a wireless tag (RFID tag). As the identification information receiving means, for example, a portable wireless tag reader (ie, an RFID tag reader) can be considered. Thus, the article management system can read the identification information of the article and the identification information of the area without contact by wireless communication. Therefore, the identification information of the article and the identification information of the area are not easily affected by dirt, dust, and the like, and can communicate through an obstacle.

In the article management system, the function executed by the identification information receiving means and the function of managing the received identification information of the article and the identification information of the area in association with each other may be integrated. May be.
Here, when the function implemented by the identification information receiving means and the function of managing the received identification information of the article and the identification information of the area in association with each other are integrated, the above-described problem in Patent Document 1 is described. That is, the problem that an enormous number of reading devices are required when subdividing the management area and managing articles is solved.
On the other hand, in the case of a separate body, the identification information receiving means receives the identification information of the article and the identification information of the area, and associates the identification information of the article and the identification information of the area by, for example, an external device. Managed configuration. As a result, in the product management system disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to connect a plurality of reading devices to each other via a network or the like in order to perform centralized management of goods in and out. In the management system, since the identification information receiving means has portability, it can receive all the identification information of the target article and the identification information of the area. For this reason, since it is only necessary to connect the identification information receiving means and the external device through a network, an effect of reducing the cost required for network construction can be obtained. Furthermore, for example, when the identification information receiving means and the external device are wirelessly performed, the portability of the identification information receiving means is increased, so that the burden on the operator during inventorying can be further reduced. .

Here, in the article management system, when the identification information receiving means receives the identification information of the adjacent areas, it is the same as the identification information of the articles received almost simultaneously with the identification information of each of the areas. If the identification information of the article is included, the arrangement position of the article to which the article identification information transmitting means is attached is determined to be a substantially central portion of the place where the identification information of the area is transmitted. As a result, even when the identification information of the article is received in duplicate, the place where the identification information of the article is transmitted, that is, the arrangement area of the article can be predicted. Compared with the product management system shown in (1), it is possible to predict a detailed region where the article exists.
Further, in the article management system, the identification information receiving means transmits the identification information of the area transmitted and the identification information of the article received substantially simultaneously with the identification information of the area at respective positions separated by a predetermined distance. If the identification information of the same area and the identification information of the article are included in the received identification information of the area and the identification information of the article, respectively, the identification information of the same area and the identification information of the article are received. It is determined that each of the transmitted positions exists in a substantially central portion of both identification information receiving means. As a result, even when the identification information of the article is received in duplicate, the place where the identification information of the article is transmitted, that is, the arrangement area of the article can be predicted. Compared with the product management system shown in (1), it is possible to predict a detailed region where the article exists.

  In the article management system, the detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the area that are managed in association with each other are displayed, so that the worker can visually recognize the detailed information of the displayed article and the detailed information of the area. While taking inventory, etc. can be performed. For this reason, it is not necessary to confirm the article and the article storage location while visually checking the article and the slip, thereby reducing the burden on the operator.

  The identification information receiving means is operated by an operator. As a result, the area where the article is present can be managed when the operator desires, so that the possibility of becoming uneconomical as a result is low even when the usage frequency is low.

According to the present invention, the article management system includes the plurality of article identification information transmitting means, the plurality of area identification information transmitting means, the identification information receiving means, and the identification information management means. As a result, a dedicated reading device arranged for each shelf as shown in Patent Document 1 is unnecessary, that is, even when an article is managed by subdividing an area for managing the article. Since the number of reading devices is unnecessary, an article management system can be provided relatively easily and inexpensively.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is an external view of the article management system X1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a main part of a control system of a portable RFID tag information receiving apparatus C constituting the article management system X1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the article identification RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B constituting the article management system X1, and FIG. 4 is a memory provided in the portable RFID tag information receiving apparatus C. 3 is a table image diagram stored in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is implemented by the control unit 1 provided in the portable RFID tag information receiving apparatus C and the IC chip 11 provided in the article identification RFID tag A or the area identification RFID tag B. 6 is a flowchart showing the article management processing, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the first reception duplication processing in the portable RFID tag information receiving apparatus C. Is a flowchart showing the first reception duplication processing performed by the control unit 1 included in the portable RFID tag information receiving apparatus C, and FIG. 8 is a second reception duplication in the portable RFID tag information receiving apparatus C. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an article management system X2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

First, an article management system X1, an article identification RFID tag A, an area identification RFID tag B, and an article identification constituting the article management system X1 according to the embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. An RFID tag information receiving apparatus C that reads identification codes stored in the RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B will be described. Here, for example, the case where the article management system X1 is used in an article management system for managing the position of a book in a library will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a large number of articles are arranged in a plurality of areas. It can be applied to all cases where it is divided into two.
First, as for the article management system X1, as shown in FIG. 1, when roughly classified, it is attached to a book D accommodated in a bookshelf E that accommodates a plurality of books, and is used to identify the book D. , An RFID tag A for identifying an article in which an article identification code is recorded (an example of an article identification information transmitting unit in the present invention) and a book D (that is, an RFID tag A for identifying an article exists) are provided for each region. An RFID tag B for area identification (an example of area identification information transmitting means in the present invention) used for identifying the area and transmitting an area identification code by wireless communication, the RFID tag A for article identification, and the area identification code The article identification code and the area identification code transmitted from the RFID tag B are received substantially simultaneously, and the received article identification code and the area identification code are associated with each other and managed. That constituted from a portable RFID tag information reception apparatus C (an example of the identification information receiving means and the identification information management means in the present invention). In addition, various data such as an area identification code and an article identification code are transmitted and received between the RFID tag A for article identification, the RFID tag B for area identification, and the RFID tag information receiving device C.
Here, the RFID tag A for article identification is affixed to all the books to be managed, and the affixing position is, for example, on the surface of the spine cover of the book D in the case of the book D, as shown in FIG. It is desirable to do. The region identification RFID tag B is attached to each region of the bookshelf E for each region where a book is to be managed.

On the other hand, when an operator manages an article using the portable RFID tag information receiving device C, the article identification code and area identification stored in advance from the article identification RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B are stored. Identification data such as a code is transmitted, and the portable RFID tag information receiving apparatus C receives the transmitted identification data. In this case, the operator brings the RFID tag information receiving device C close to the vicinity of the front surface of the region identification RFID tag B, roughly aligns the RFID tag information receiving device C and the region identification RFID tag B, and performs region identification. For each RFID tag B, an operation for causing the RFID tag information receiving device C to receive the area identification code is performed. This is considered as an example.
In one reception operation, the region identification code of one region identification RFID tag B and each item identification stored in the plurality of item identification RFID tags A located around the region identification RFID tag B The code is received almost simultaneously. In other words, the RFID tag information receiving device C can receive and transmit radio waves from the article identification RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B in the dotted circle R in the drawing at a time.
The RFID tag information receiving device C may be of any form such as a dedicated reader, a personal computer equipped with an antenna, or a PDA as long as it has a CPU and can perform management processing such as storage described later. .

Next, the basic configuration of the article identification RFID tag A, the area identification RFID tag B, and the RFID tag information receiving device C will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A is an enlarged detailed view of the RFID tag A for identifying an article or the RFID tag B for identifying an area, and FIG. 3B is a built-in RFID tag A for identifying an article or the RFID tag B for identifying an area. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an IC chip 11. FIG. The configuration of the article identification RFID tag A or the area identification RFID tag B is the same, so the case of the article identification RFID tag A will be described here.
First, the RFID tag information receiving device C receives the article identification code and the area identification code transmitted from the article identification RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B as described above, and receives the received article identification code and area. It is a device that manages identification codes in association with each other. As shown in FIG. 2, the RFID tag information receiving device C includes a control unit 1 that controls the RFID tag information receiving device C, and an appropriate signal or data for the article identification RFID tag A and the region identification RFID tag B. A radio wave propagating through the antenna, and a radio wave from the RFID tag A for identifying the item and the RFID tag B for identifying the region. The display section 5 (an example of the detailed information display means in the present invention) that displays detailed information described later based on the above is mainly configured. The control unit 1 includes a CPU 2 (central processing unit), a memory 3 (an example of article detailed information storage means and area detailed information storage means in the present invention) for storing predetermined programs, various data to be described later, and the like. Yes.
Further, in the memory 3, as shown in FIG. 4, the book name (see FIG. 4B) as detailed information of the article (ie, book) corresponding to the article identification code, and the area corresponding to the area identification code The book shelf name as the detailed information, the number of stages in the book shelf where the books exist, and the position in the stage (see FIG. 4A) are stored in advance. Therefore, in the article management system X1, based on the article identification code and the area identification code received by the RFID tag information receiving device C (see FIG. 4C), the corresponding detailed information of the article and the detailed area information respectively. And the extracted detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the region (see FIG. 4D) can be displayed on the display unit 5. In the example of FIG. 4D, the book titles A to C exist at the first position from the left of the second stage of the bookshelf E.
The article identification code and the area identification code according to the present embodiment are composed of appropriate symbols (for example, codes, alphanumeric characters, characters, etc.) as shown in FIG. 4, but are not limited thereto. The communication method between the RFID tag information receiving device C and the article identification RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B includes, for example, a multi-access method. Since it is well known, the description is omitted here.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the article identification RFID tag A is a card-type wireless IC memory card, and performs wireless communication with the RFID tag information receiving device C, so that the article identification RFID tag A The article identification code is transmitted to the RFID tag information receiving device C. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the RFID tag A for identifying an article includes an identification code storage circuit 11-1 that stores an article identification code, and a data transmission circuit 11-2 that transmits an article identification code. , And an IC chip (integrated circuit) 11 composed of a rectifier circuit 11-3 and the like, and an article received in the identification code storage circuit 11-1 while receiving the wireless radio wave transmitted from the RFID tag information receiving device C It is mainly composed of a coil antenna 10 or the like that transmits a radio wave propagating the identification code to the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C. In the identification code storage circuit 11-1, the unique article identification code (FIG. 4B) for identifying the book D is stored in advance. The RFID tag A for identifying an article does not have a battery, and uses an electromotive force such as electromagnetic induction generated by receiving the radio wave transmitted from the RFID tag information receiving device C as a power source. is there. Therefore, when a radio wave is received by the coil antenna 10, an electromotive force is induced in the coil antenna 10, and power is supplied to the IC chip 11 and the like.

Next, using the flowchart of FIG. 5, the article management process performed by the control unit 1 provided in the RFID tag information receiving device C and the IC chip 11 provided in the article identification RFID tag A or the area identification RFID tag B. Will be described.
In this process, the RFID tag information receiving device C receives the article identification code and the area identification code transmitted from the article identification RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B, respectively, and the received article identification code and area identification code are received. The detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the area stored in advance in the memory 3 are extracted based on the above, and the extracted detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the area are displayed on the display unit 5. Is.
Here, as a premise of this processing, the identification code storage circuit 11-1 of the identification tag A for article identification and the identification tag B for area identification stores an article identification code and an area identification code in advance, and RFID tag information In the memory 3 of the receiving device C, it is assumed that each identification code described above, detailed information on the article corresponding to the identification code, and detailed information on the area are stored.
This process is started, for example, when an operator presses a code reading button (not shown) provided in the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C.
S1, S2,... Described in the following description represent processing procedure (step) numbers.

When the operator presses the code reading button, the control unit 1 transmits a radio wave including a predetermined request signal for receiving the article identification code or the area identification code via the gate antenna 4 to identify the article. After the transmission to the RFID tag A for area identification or the RFID tag B for area identification (S1), the reception of the article identification code or the area identification code transmitted from the RFID tag A for article identification or the RFID tag B for area identification is monitored (S2). N side).
On the other hand, the radio wave transmitted in the process of step S1 is received by the coil antenna 10 provided in each of the article identification RFID tag A and the area identification RFID tag B (Y side of S10). In the IC chip 11 activated by receiving the electromotive force generated by receiving the wireless radio wave with the coil antenna 10, based on the predetermined request signal included in the wireless radio wave, the article identification is performed from the identification code storage circuit 11-1. The code or area identification code is read out, and the read article identification code or area identification code is transmitted from the data transmission circuit 11-2 to the RFID tag information receiving device C via the coil antenna 10 (S11). ).
Subsequently, when the control unit 1 included in the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C detects the reception of the article identification code or the area identification code transmitted in step S11 (Y side of S2), the received article identification code or area Based on the identification code, detailed information of the article or detailed information of the region corresponding to each identification code is extracted from the memory 3 (S3). As shown in FIG. 4D, the extracted detailed information of the article or the detailed information of the area is associated with the detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the area where each article exists, respectively. The displayed state is displayed on the display unit 5 (S4).
In this process, the detailed information of the article or the detailed information of the area is displayed in a state where the detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the area where each article exists are associated with each other each time it is extracted. Part 5 is displayed. However, by providing an article management database or the like in an appropriate area of the memory 3, the extracted detailed information of the article or the detailed information of the area is accumulated and stored in the database, and all of the target After the detailed information of the article or the detailed information of the area is extracted, the information may be displayed on the display unit 5 at once. In this case, it is desirable to provide a button for batch display on the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C.

Next, referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, when the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C receives a plurality of area identification codes continuously, there is an overlap in the article identification code received almost simultaneously with the area identification code. A case process (hereinafter referred to as a first reception duplication process) will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, the operator roughly aligns the RFID tag information receiving device C with the position of the area identification RFID tag B1, and uses the area identification code stored in advance in the area identification RFID tag B1 as the RFID tag. When receiving by the information receiving apparatus C, the receiving range of the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C is R1, and therefore the article identification codes stored in the article identification RFIDs A1, A2, and A3 are also received substantially simultaneously. Similarly, an area in which the operator roughly stores the RFID tag information receiving device C in the area identification RFID tag B2 in accordance with the position of the area identification RFID tag B2 adjacent to the area identification RFID tag B1. When the identification code is received by the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C, the article identification codes stored in the article identification RFIDs A3, A4, and A5 are also received substantially simultaneously.
As described above, when the area identification code stored in the area identification RFID tag B1 and the area identification RFID tag B2 is received, the article identification code stored in the article identification RFID A3 is received in duplicate. Will do. In such a case, in the article management system X1, according to the procedure as shown in FIG. 7, the arrangement position of the article to which the duplicately received article identification RFID A3 is attached is determined as the area identification RFID tag B1 and the area identification. It is determined that it is a substantially central portion with the RFID tag B2.

Subsequently, the procedure of the first reception duplication process performed by the control unit 1 provided in the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In this process, the RFID tag information receiving device C first receives the article identification code and the area identification code transmitted from the article identification RFID tags A1 to A3 and the area identification RFID tag B1, respectively. Based on the code and area identification code, and the detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the area stored in the memory 3 in advance, the presence / absence of overlap of the article identification information and the area determination of the duplicate article are performed. .
Here, as the premise of this processing, the article identification code and the area identification code are stored in advance in the RFID tags A1 to A5 for article identification and the RFID tags B1 and B2 for area identification, respectively. , It is assumed that the detailed information of the article, the detailed information of the region, and the corresponding relationship as shown in FIG. 4 are stored. Further, whether or not the areas are adjacent to each other can be determined by, for example, serializing the area identification code or by storing a list that defines the adjacent relation separately and referring to the list.
Further, this process is started, for example, when an operator presses a code reading button (not shown) provided in the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C.
S20, S21,... Described in the following description represent processing procedure (step) numbers.

First, when the RFID tag information receiving device C is roughly aligned with an arbitrary area identification RFID tag B1, and the operator presses the code reading button, the control unit 1 After transmitting a radio wave including a predetermined request signal for receiving the area identification code to the RFID tags A1 to A3 for article identification or the RFID tag B1 for area identification via the gate antenna 4 (S20), the article identification is performed. The reception of the article identification code or the area identification code transmitted from the RFID tags A1 to A3 for area or the RFID tag B1 for area identification is monitored (N side in S21).
Subsequently, when the control unit 1 included in the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C detects the reception of the article identification code or the area identification code transmitted from the article identification RFID tags A1 to A3 or the area identification RFID tag B1, respectively ( It is determined whether or not one or a plurality of area identification codes are currently stored in a predetermined area of the memory 3. If it is determined that no area identification code is stored in the memory 3 (N side of S22), the article identification code received in the process of step S21 and the area identification code are associated with each other in the predetermined area of the memory 3. (S24). Then, it is displayed on the display unit 5 that the area identification code is new (S26).

Next, when the RFID tag information receiving device C is roughly aligned with an arbitrary region identifying RFID tag B2, and the operator presses the code reading button, the control unit 1 identifies the article. After transmitting a radio wave including a predetermined request signal for receiving a code or a region identification code to the article identification RFID tags A3 to A5 or the region identification RFID tag B2 via the gate antenna 4 (S20), The reception of the article identification code or the area identification code transmitted from the article identification RFID tags A3 to A5 or the area identification RFID tag B2 is monitored (N side of S21).
Subsequently, when the control unit 1 included in the RFID tag information receiving device C detects the reception of the article identification code or the area identification code transmitted from the article identification RFID tags A3 to A5 or the area identification RFID tag B2, respectively ( Whether the area identification code is currently stored in a predetermined area of the memory 3 or not is determined. Here, the article identification code or the area identification code transmitted from the article identification RFID tags A1 to A3 or the area identification RFID tag B1 is already stored in the predetermined area of the memory 3 (Y side in S22). The control unit 1 proceeds to the process of step S23.
In the subsequent step S23, it is determined whether or not the same item identification code as the item identification code received from the item identification RFID tags A3 to A5 in the process of step S21 exists in the predetermined area of the memory 3. If it is determined that it does not exist (N side of S23), the process proceeds to step S24 described above. If it is determined that it exists (Y side of S23), the area identification code stored in association with the duplicate article identification code is the area identification code adjacent to the area identification code received in step S21. It is determined whether it exists. This determination is made with reference to the storage of the serial number or adjacency of the identification code as described above. If it is determined that the area identification code is not adjacent (N side of S27), the process proceeds to step S24a, and the memory 3 is previously stored based on the received article identification code or area identification code. After the detailed information of the corresponding article or the detailed information of the region is extracted (S25), it is displayed on the display unit 5 that the region identification code is new (S26).
Further, when it is determined that the region identification code is adjacent (Y side in S27), the arrangement position of the article to which the article identification RFID tag A3 is attached is an abbreviation of the area identification RFID tags B1 and B2. It is determined that the center portion is present (S28). After that, the control unit 1 stores the article identification code other than the article identification RFID tag A3 received in the process of step S21 and the area identification code in association with each other in a predetermined area of the memory 3, and the article identification RFID tag A3. The article identification code received from the above and the arrangement position of the article determined in the process of step S28 are associated with each other and stored in a predetermined area of the memory (S29). Thereafter, based on the article identification code other than the article identification RFID tag A3 and the area identification code, detailed information on the corresponding article or detailed information on the area is extracted from the memory 3 in advance. Note that since the arrangement position of the item identification RFID tag A3 is determined in the process of step S28, only the detailed information of the item is extracted (S30). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S26.
In this process, the detailed information of the article or the detailed information of the area is displayed in a state where the detailed information of the article and the detailed information of the area where each article exists are associated with each other each time it is extracted. Part 5 is displayed. However, by providing an article management database or the like in an appropriate area of the memory 3, the extracted detailed information of the article or the detailed information of the area is accumulated and stored in the database, and all of the target After the detailed information of the article or the detailed information of the area is extracted, the information may be displayed on the display unit 5 at once. In this case, it is desirable to provide a button for batch display on the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C.

In the above-described first reception duplication processing, the RFID tag information receiving device C has always described the case of receiving only the area identification code transmitted from one area identification RFID tag. In the case shown in FIG. A case will be described in which the RFID tag information receiving device C can receive region identification codes transmitted from a plurality of region identification RFID tags substantially simultaneously (hereinafter referred to as second reception overlap processing).
As shown in FIG. 8, in the second reception overlap process, when the operator roughly aligns the RFID tag information receiving device C near the middle of the area identification RFID tags B10 and B11, the area identification RFID tag B10 and Since the area identification code stored in advance in B11 is received and the reception range of the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C is R10, the article identification stored in the RFID tags A10, A11, and A12 for article identification, respectively. The code is also received almost simultaneously. Similarly, when the RFID tag information receiving device C is roughly aligned with the position of the area identification RFID tag B11, the area identification code stored in advance in the area identification RFID tag B11 and the article identification RFID tags A11, A12. , And A13 and the article identification code stored in A13 are received substantially simultaneously. Further, when the RFID tag information receiving device C is roughly aligned near the middle of the area identification RFID tags B11 and B12, the area identification codes stored in advance in the area identification RFID tags B11 and B12 are received substantially simultaneously. Since the reception range of the RFID tag information receiving apparatus C is R12, the article identification codes stored in the article identification RFID tags A12, A13, and A14 are also received substantially simultaneously.
That is, when the respective receiving area identification code stored in the area identification RFID tag B10～B1 2, article identification code stored in the article identification RFID tag A12 has substantially been received commonly simultaneously . Therefore, the position of the article to which the article identification RFID tag A12 is attached can be determined to be in the approximate center of the area identification RFID tags B10 and B12 and in the vicinity of the area identification RFID tag B11. At this time, the region identification RFID tag B11 is naturally determined to be substantially in the center between the region identification RFID tags B10 and B12. Therefore, in the article management system X1, the area identification code transmitted from the area identification RFID tags B10 and B12 separated by a predetermined distance and the article identification code (that is, the reception range) received almost simultaneously with the area identification code. When the article identification codes transmitted from the article identification RFID tags existing in R10 and R12 are received, the same area identification code (that is, the area identification code) as the received area identification code information and article identification code, respectively. When the area identification code stored in the RFID tag B11) and the article identification code (that is, the article identification code stored in the article identification RFID tag A12) are included, the area identification RFID tag B11 and the article identification RFID tag A12 are included. Are determined to be present at substantially the center of the area identification RFID tags B10 and B12. Can.
On the other hand, for the RFID tag A10 for identifying an article, the RFID tag information receiving device C is set to a substantially central portion of the RFID tags B10 and B11 for identifying an area, and the RFID tags B11 and B12 for identifying an area for the RFID tag A14 for identifying an article It is received only when it is aligned with the approximate center. From this, it can be determined that the article identification RFID tag A10 exists in the vicinity of the area identification RFID tag B10. Similarly, it can be determined that the article identification RFID tag A14 exists in the vicinity of the area identification RFID tag B12.
As for the article identification code stored in the article identification RFID tag A11, when the RFID tag information receiving device C is aligned with the area identification RFID tags B10 and B11 and the area identification RFID tag B11. Have been received. Therefore, it can be determined that the article identification RFID tag A11 is present at a position close to the area identification RFID tag B11 at a substantially central portion of the area identification RFID tags B10 and B11. Similarly, it can be determined that the article identification RFID tag A13 is present at a position close to the area identification RFID tag B11 at a substantially central portion between the area identification RFID tags B11 and B12.
Based on the above determination, when the product identification RFID tags A10 to A14 are rearranged in the order of the region identification RFID tags B10 → B12, the product identification RFID tags A10 → A11 → A12 → A13 → A14-A15 are arranged in this order. Become.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment described above, the RFID tag information receiving device C performs processing for receiving the article identification code and the area identification code and managing the received article identification code and the area identification code in association with each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the article management system X2 shown in FIG. 9, the RFID tag information receiving device C (C-1, C-2,...) Receives the article identification code and the area identification code. Only the processing may be performed, and the article identification code and the area identification code may be separately managed by a terminal device Z such as a personal computer wirelessly connected to the RFIF tag reader C. That is, the article identification code and the area identification code received by the RFID tag information receiving device C (C-1, C-2,...) Are transmitted to the terminal device Z using a wireless LAN, Bluetooth, or other specific power saving radio. Just forward. In this case, it is desirable that the terminal device Z is provided with a database for article management, or provided with the same function as the display unit 5 in the first embodiment.
As a result, processing performed by the RFID tag information receiving device C (C-1, C-2,...) Is reduced, so that the RFID tag information receiving device C (C-1, C-2,...) The configuration can be simplified. Further, by using the terminal device Z that can perform more advanced processing than the RFID tag information receiving device C (C-1, C-2,...), It can be applied to an article management system in a library with a large amount of books. it can.

1 is an external view of an article management system X1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram of the principal part in the control system of the portable RFID tag information receiver C which comprises the said article | item management system X1. The expanded detail of the RFID tag A for goods identification and the RFID tag B for area | region identification which comprise the said goods management system X1. The table image figure memorize | stored in the memory 3 with which the said portable RFID tag information receiver C is provided. The flowchart which showed the article | item management process implemented by the control part 1 with which the said portable RFID tag information receiver C is equipped, and the IC chip 11 with which the said RFID tag A for goods identification or the RFID tag B for area | region identification is equipped. The figure which showed the 1st reception duplication process in the said portable RFID tag information receiver C. The flowchart which showed the said 1st reception duplication process which the control part 1 with which the said portable RFID tag information receiver C is provided implements. The figure which showed the 2nd reception duplication process in the said portable RFID tag information receiver C. Schematic of the article management system X2 concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Control unit 2 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Memory 4 ... Gate antenna 5 ... Display part 10 ... Coil antenna 11 ... IC chip 11-1 ... Identification code memory circuit 11-2 ... Data transmission circuit 11-3 ... Rectification circuit A (A1-A5, A10-A14) ... RFID tag B for article identification (B1, B2, B10 to B12) ... RFID tag C for area identification ... RFID tag information receiving device D ... Book E ... Bookshelf R (R1, R2, R10 to R12) ... Reception range

Claims (10)

A plurality of article identification information transmitting means attached to each of the plurality of articles and transmitting identification information of each article by wireless communication;
A plurality of area identification information transmitting means that are attached to a plurality of areas and transmit the identification information of the area where the article identification information transmitting means exists by wireless communication,
Identification of the region having portability and transmitted from the region identification information transmitting unit by a receiving operation performed by roughly aligning with any region identification information transmitting unit among the plurality of region identification information transmitting units. Identification information receiving means for receiving the identification information of the article sent from the article identification information sending means located around the information and its area identification information sending means at substantially the same time;
An identification information managing means for storing the identification information of the article received by the identification information receiving means and the identification information of the area where the article is present in association with each other by the reception operation by the identification information receiving means;
Each time the receiving operation by the identification information receiving unit is performed, the plurality of items to which the item identification information transmitting unit is attached based on the identification information of the item and the identification information of the region stored in association with the identification information managing unit. An article management system for determining an area where an article is located,
When the identification information receiving means receives the identification information of the area transmitted from the area identification information transmitting means adjacent to each other, the article identification information transmission received substantially simultaneously with the identification information of each of the areas. When the identification information of the article sent from the means includes identification information of the same article, the arrangement position of the article to which the article identification information sending means is attached is set to the approximate center of the area identification information sending means adjacent to each other. An article management system that is determined to be a department. A plurality of article identification information transmitting means attached to each of the plurality of articles and transmitting identification information of each article by wireless communication;
A plurality of area identification information transmission means for transmitting the identification information of the area where the article identification information transmission means exists, respectively, by wireless communication;
Identification of the area having portability and transmitted from the area identification information transmitting means by a receiving operation performed by roughly aligning with any area identification information transmitting means of the plurality of area identification information transmitting means Identification information receiving means for substantially simultaneously receiving the identification information of the article transmitted from the article identification information transmitting means located around the information and its area identification information transmitting means;
An identification information managing means for storing the identification information of the article received by the identification information receiving means and the identification information of the area where the article is present in association with each other by the reception operation by the identification information receiving means;
Each time the receiving operation by the identification information receiving unit is performed, the plurality of items to which the item identification information transmitting unit is attached based on the identification information of the item and the identification information of the region stored in association with the identification information managing unit. An article management system for determining an area where an article is located, wherein the identification information receiving means is sent from the area identification information sending means at each position separated by a predetermined distance, and the identification information of the area When receiving the identification information of the article transmitted from the article identification information transmitting means that is received substantially simultaneously with the identification information, the identification information of the area and the identification information of the article are received in the same area. When the identification information and the identification information of the article are included, the area identification information transmitting means that transmits the identification information of the same area and the identification information of the article and the article identification An article management system for determining that the information transmitting means is present at substantially the center of both identification information receiving means.   The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information receiving unit and the identification information management unit are integrated.   The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information receiving unit and the identification information management unit are separate. Article detailed information storage means for storing detailed information of each article corresponding to the identification information of the plurality of articles,
The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising area detailed information storage means for storing detailed information of each area respectively corresponding to the identification information of the plurality of areas.   The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the identification information of the article and / or the area identification information is formed from an appropriate symbol.   The article management system according to claim 6, wherein the appropriate symbol includes a code and / or a character.   The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising detailed information display means for displaying the detailed information of the article managed in association with the detailed information of the area.   The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the article identification information sending means and the region identification information sending means are wireless tags.   The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the identification information receiving unit and the identification information management unit are portable wireless tag readers.

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