JP5045466B2 - RFID tag, RFID reader / writer, and RFID tag system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an RFID tag, and in particular, an RFID tag capable of receiving and demodulating other RFID information in addition to its own RFID, and transmitting other RFID information together with its own RFID information, and an RFID reader The present invention relates to a writer and an RFID tag system.

  In an RFID system such as a UHF band, the RFID reader / writer can read RFID information even when the distance between the RFID and the RFID reader / writer is several meters away, and can also read information of a plurality of tags individually. It can be done.

  As such an RFID system, for example, there is a technology that receives a response from an article tag ID and a position tag from a reader / writer, which is an interrogator, and estimates the position of the article tag based on position information of the position tag. (For example, see Patent Document 1 below.) In addition, there is a technique in which the reference RFID tag receives identification information when the RFID tag attached to the search object enters the communication area and detects the position by the position detection means (for example, refer to Patent Document 2 below).

JP 2007-85826 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-140637

  However, in the above conventional technique, when a plurality of tags transmit at the same time, the RFID reader / writer cannot acquire information for any of these tags if there is a tag transmitted at the same timing. Occurred. As a result, the time (number of rounds) required to read all of a plurality of tags that can be received increases, and the reading speed cannot be increased.

  In addition, it is impossible to obtain a detailed position for each position of the read RFID tag. Specifically, it can be determined only within a range of several meters such as an antenna unit of the reader / writer, and detailed position information cannot be acquired. As a means for obtaining the tag position information, it is conceivable to install a plurality of highly directional reader / writer antennas, but the cost increases by increasing the reader / writer antenna, and when the tag is in a narrow place, It becomes difficult to separate areas only with the directivity of the reader / writer antenna.

  This RFID tag eliminates the problems caused by the above-described conventional technology, so that it can acquire information on other nearby RFID tags, and can transmit information to the reader / writer together with information on its own RFID tag, enabling efficient transmission timing. The purpose is to provide tags. It is another object of the present invention to provide an RFID reader / writer and an RFID tag system that can easily detect the positions of a plurality of RFID tags using the RFID tag.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the RFID tag transmits information to the RFID reader / writer, and other RFID tags located in the vicinity transmit information to the RFID reader / writer. A receiving unit for receiving, a decoding unit for decoding the information of the other RFID tag received by the receiving unit according to an encoding format of transmission from the other RFID tag to the RFID reader / writer, and the decoding unit A transmission unit that transmits the information of the other RFID tag decoded in step 1 to the RFID reader / writer, and an encoding format of communication with the RFID reader / writer, and encoding of communication between the RFID tags It is a requirement that the format is different .

  According to this RFID tag, it is possible to acquire information on other RFID tags in the vicinity, and to transmit information on other RFID tags to the reader / writer together with information on its own RFID tag. Therefore, even if the transmission timing of a plurality of RFID tags collides with the RFID reader / writer, the information of other RFID tags can be transmitted to the RFID reader / writer after that, so that the influence of the transmission collision can be reduced and transmission can be efficiently performed. Will be able to do it. Further, since the information of other RFID tags within the reception range can be transmitted to the RFID reader / writer, the position of the other RFID tag can be detected.

  According to this RFID tag, information on other RFID tags in the vicinity can be acquired, and information on other RFID tags can be transmitted to the reader / writer together with information on its own RFID tag. The effect can be reduced and transmission can be performed efficiently. In addition, according to the RFID reader / writer, information of a plurality of RFID tags can be received without being affected by the transmission timing. Moreover, according to this RFID tag system, there is an effect that the positions of a plurality of RFID tags can be detected with a simple configuration.

  Exemplary embodiments of the RFID tag, the RFID reader / writer, and the RFID tag system will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an RFID tag and an RFID reader / writer. An RFID reader / writer (RW) 101 reads information from an RFID tag (tag) 102 within a reception range. For example, by reading an ID unique to the RFID tag 102, the management apparatus can detect an article associated with the ID. The RFID reader / writer 101 can also write predetermined information to the RFID tag 102 in the reception range.

  The RFID reader / writer 101 receives a transmission / reception data, has a communication command, controls a communication with the RFID tag 102 using a predetermined protocol, and a coding that is a data transmission system for the RFID tag 102 Unit 112, modulation unit 113, transmission amplification unit 114, reception amplification unit 121 that is a data reception system from RFID tag 102, demodulation unit 122, and decoding unit 123.

  The coding unit 112 of the data transmission system performs predetermined encoding on transmission data by, for example, Manchester coding. The modulation unit 113 performs modulation using, for example, amplitude shift keying (ASK). The transmission data amplified by the transmission amplifier 114 is transmitted to the RFID tag 102 via the antenna 131.

  The reception amplification unit 121 of the data reception system amplifies reception data from the RFID tag 102 via the antenna 131. The demodulator 122 demodulates received data demodulated by, for example, amplitude shift keying (ASK). The decoding unit 123 decodes received data encoded in a predetermined format such as FM0. Here, the encoding method (Manchester method) in the coding unit 112 of the data transmission system is different from the demodulation method (FM0) in the data reception system. That is, transmission data and reception data between the RFID reader / writer 101 and the RFID tag 102 have different encoding methods.

  The RFID tag 102 is a passive RFID tag having a power generation unit 152 that generates an operation power source from radio waves received via the antenna 151. Based on the power generated by the power generator 152, power is supplied to each component provided in the RFID tag 102.

  The reception data transmitted via the transmission system of the RFID reader / writer 101 and received via the antenna 151 is input to the data reception system of the RFID tag 102. The demodulator 161 of the data reception system performs demodulation in a format (for example, ASK) corresponding to the modulation system of the transmission system of the RFID reader / writer 101. The decoding unit 162 also performs decoding in a format (for example, Manchester method) corresponding to the encoding method of the transmission system of the RFID reader / writer 101. The decrypted received data is input to the control unit 163.

  The control unit 163 performs control to transmit information stored in the memory 164 to the RFID reader / writer 101 based on the received data. Further, based on a command included in transmission data (reception data) transmitted from the RFID reader / writer 101, control such as storing the reception data in the memory 164 or updating the memory contents is performed.

  The coding unit 171 provided in the transmission system of the RFID tag 102 has a format (for example, FM0 system) corresponding to the decoding format of the decoding unit 123 included in the reception system of the RFID reader / writer 101 for the transmission data output from the control unit 163. Encode. The modulation unit 172 also performs modulation in a format (for example, ASK) corresponding to the demodulation system of the reception system of the RFID reader / writer 101. Transmission data output from the modulation unit 172 is transmitted to the RFID reader / writer 101 via the antenna 151.

  In the present invention, the receiving system of the RFID tag 102 has another decoding unit (other tag decoding unit) 181. The other tag decoding unit 181 has the same configuration as the decoding unit 123 included in the reception system of the RFID reader / writer 101. For this reason, according to the above configuration example, the other tag decoding unit 181 performs demodulation in the FM0 format. Thus, according to the RFID tag 102 of the present invention, the transmission data transmitted to the RFID reader / writer 101 by another nearby RFID tag is received, and the received data is demodulated and stored in the memory 164. Can do. Further, information of another RFID tag can be transmitted from the RFID tag 102 from the memory 164. These functions are executed by the control unit 163 (details will be described later).

  In the above configuration, the encoding method between the coding unit 112 and the decoding unit 162 is the Manchester method, and the encoding method between the coding unit 171 and the decoding unit 123 is the FM0 method. Not limited to this, various encoding methods can be used. However, the tag decoding unit 181 in addition to the RFID tag 102 may be configured to perform decoding of the encoding method included in the decoding unit 123 of the RFID reader / writer 101.

  An example of the modulation scheme and the coding scheme with the above configuration will be described. For example, as a modulation method in wireless communication between the RFID reader / writer 101 and the RFID tag 102, the ASK method is used for both transmission and reception. The encoding transmitted from the RFID tag 102 to the RFID reader / writer 101 is the FM0 system, while the encoding transmitted from the RFID reader / writer 101 to the RFID tag 102 is the Manchester system. Thus, the RFID reader / writer 101 and the RFID tag 102 have different encoding methods depending on the data transmission / reception direction.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the RFID reader / writer 101 is not different from the existing configuration. For the RFID tag 102, only the other tag decoding unit 181 is provided in addition to the existing RFID tag. Therefore, as will be described later, the RFID tag 102 shown in FIG. 1 can be provided in an existing RFID reader / writer 101 and an RFID tag system including RFID tags. That is, in this RFID tag system, the RFID tag 102 shown in FIG. 1 is used as a part of the plurality of RFID tags.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing contents performed by the RFID tag. This process is executed by the control unit 163 of the RFID tag 102. In the following processing, the modulation scheme and the encoding scheme will be described as an example. The control unit 163 waits for the reception system to receive a command (step S201: No loop). When the command is received (step S201: Yes), the demodulation unit 161 performs ASK demodulation (step S202). The demodulated received data is output to two different decoding units 162 and 181, and each decoding is performed. The decoding unit 162 decodes the reception data from the RFID reader / writer 101, and the other tag decoding unit 181 decodes the reception data from another RFID tag.

  The processing on the other tag decoding unit 181 side performs decoding by the FM0 method (step S203), and determines whether the command of the received data is normal (step S204). If normal (step S204: Yes), the received data is stored in the memory 164 (step S205). Here, if the received data is from another RFID tag, it can be normally decoded because it is encoded by the FM0 method, but if it is from the RFID reader / writer 101, it is encoded by the Manchester method. Since the encoding method is different, the command cannot be normally decoded (step S204: No), the process for the received data is not performed, and the above process ends. Through the above process, the RFID tag 102 can decrypt the received data (other ID data) of the other received RFID tag and store it in the memory 164. Since this decoding is based on FM0 having the same format as the decoding unit 123 of the RFID reader / writer 101, the RFID tag 102 performs the decoding performed by the RFID reader / writer 101 in the vicinity of the other RF tag IDs. Can be decrypted and stored.

  The process on the decoding unit 162 side performs decoding by the Manchester method (step S206), and determines whether the command of the received data is normal (step S207). Here, if the received data is from the RFID reader / writer 101, it can be normally decoded because it is encoded by the Manchester method, but if it is from another RFID tag, it is encoded by the FM0 method. Since the coding method is different, the command cannot be normally decoded (step S207: No), the process for the received data is not performed, and the above process is terminated.

  If the command can be normally decoded in step S207 (step S207: Yes), the received data from the RFID reader / writer 101 is processed, and the following processing is performed. It is determined whether the request ID from the RFID reader / writer 101 is for its own (that is, the RFID tag 102) (step S208). If the request ID is self (step S208: Yes), the self ID data processing is performed (step S209). If the request ID is another ID (step S208: No), the other ID data processing is performed (step S208). S210). In the own ID data process, information of the own RFID tag 102 (own ID data) is read from the memory 164, and in the other ID data process, information of other RFID tags (other ID data) is read from the memory 164.

  Thereafter, the read own ID data or other ID data is coded by the coding unit 171 by the FM0 method (step S211), ASK modulated by the modulation unit 172 (step S212), and the RFID reader / writer from the antenna 151. 101, and the process ends.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the timing of transmission by a plurality of RFID tags. The time passage direction is from the top to the bottom of the figure. The RFID reader / writer (RW) 101 receives transmission data transmitted from the RFID tag 102 at a cycle of four slots (slot 1 to slot 4) per round. In the RFID tag system, the transmission timing from the RFID tag 102 is performed in a time-sharing manner, and the RFID reader / writer 101 transmits the transmission transmitted from one RFID tag 102 among the plurality of RFID tags 102 in the reception range in one slot. Only data can be received. Note that the RFID tag 102 is in a standby state except during communication.

  It is assumed that there are four RFID tags 102 (tag1 to tag4) in the reception range of the RFID reader / writer 101 as shown in the figure. Further, only the tag 4 has the configuration of the RFID tag 102 shown in FIG. 1 (a configuration in which another tag decoding unit 181 is added). The other tags 1 to 3 are configured by removing the other tag decoding unit 181 from the RFID tag 102 illustrated in FIG. 1.

  The RFID tag 102 transmits only when the slot value is self-generated. First, tag1 could be transmitted at the timing of slot 1. Thereafter, it is assumed that tag 2 and tag 3 are transmitted simultaneously in slot 2. As described above, when the tags 2 and 3 are simultaneously transmitted, the RFID reader / writer 101 cannot receive any transmission data. However, tag4 (RFID tag 102) in a standby state is in a state where other processing can be performed, and is in a state where transmission data of another RFID tag (tag3 in the illustrated example) can be received. Thereby, the processing of step S203 to step S205 shown in FIG. 2 is executed, and the tag3 information (other ID data) is decoded by the other tag decoding unit 181 and stored in the memory 164.

  At this time, tag4 (RFID tag 102) can efficiently perform reception of other tag3 by using a time during which the power is turned on but nothing is performed in the sequence (during standby).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a memory provided in the RFID tag (tag 4) according to the present embodiment. As illustrated, the memory 164 includes an area 401 for storing its own ID data and a plurality of areas 402a to 402n for storing other ID data of a plurality of other RFID tags. In the above example, the own ID data of tag4 is stored in area 401, and the other ID data of tag3 is stored in area 402a. By the way, even an existing RFID tag has a memory 164 for storing its own ID data. In the configuration of the present invention, the area of the memory 164 is divided to use other areas 402a to 402n. Since ID data is stored, the price cost does not increase.

  Thereafter, when tag 4 transmits in slot 4, tag 4 transmits other ID data stored in area 402a together with its own ID data stored in area 401 of memory 164. Thereby, ID data of a plurality of tags can be transmitted from one RFID tag 102. In this example, the RFID reader / writer 101 can receive (read) two ID data of tag3 and tag4 at the timing of the slot 4.

  According to the first embodiment, even when a plurality of RFID tags are simultaneously transmitted, the ID data of the three RFID tags (tag1, tag3, tag4) is transmitted to the RFID reader / writer 101 at the end of one round. can do. In contrast, with the conventional configuration, only the ID data of two RFID tags (tag1, tag4) can be transmitted to the RFID reader / writer 101. Thus, according to the present embodiment, even if a plurality of RFID tags transmit at the same time, the number of ID data that can be transmitted per round can be increased as compared with the conventional case. Thus, the RFID reader / writer 101 can increase the efficiency and speed of reading of the RFID tag 102.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, on the premise of the configuration of the first embodiment, RFID tags are attached to articles accommodated in a shelf or the like, and the accommodation positions of the plurality of RFID tags are detected. In the following description, the RFID tag 102 that has the other tag decoding unit 181 described in Embodiment 1 and has a function of decoding and storing data of ID data of another tag is referred to as a reference tag. A conventional general-purpose RFID tag that does not include the other tag decoding unit 181 is referred to as an individual tag.

  Therefore, if the operation of the other tag decoding unit 181 is switched on / off with a switch or the like, the other tag decoding unit 181 is turned on to function as the reference tag of the present invention, and the other tag decoding unit 181 is turned on. If it is OFF, it can function as an existing individual tag. Further, not only the operation of the other tag decoding unit 181 is switched, but also whether the receiving unit (demodulating unit 161) and other ID data are stored in the memory 164, and whether or not other ID data is read from the memory 164 are individual tags. It can also be configured to be switched separately. Further, the switching can be controlled by a command from the RFID reader / writer 101.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of tag position detection using the reference tag in the second embodiment. As illustrated, the shelf 500 accommodates articles 501 such as books, documents, videos, and DVDs. Individual tags 502 (502a to 502n) are affixed to these articles 501, respectively. Reference tags 510 (510a to 510n) are attached to the partitions 500s fixed to the shelf 500, respectively.

  In the example of FIG. 5, a plurality of individual tags 502 (502c, 502d, 502e, 502f) are located in the reception range A of the reference tag 510b, and a plurality of individual tags 502 ( 502f, 502g, 502h, 502i) are located.

  Therefore, according to the above configuration, the reference tag 510 can receive and store ID data of a plurality of other individual tags 502 located in the reception range. Then, other ID data of other stored tags can be transmitted to the RFID reader / writer 101 (see FIG. 1) (not shown) together with the own ID data.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the reference tag 510b can receive and store ID data of a plurality of other individual tags 502 (502c, 502d, 502e, 502f) located in the reception range. . Then, the other ID data of other stored individual tags 502 (502c, 502d, 502e, 502f) can be transmitted to the RFID reader / writer 101 (not shown) together with the own ID data of the reference tag 510b.

  Therefore, according to the above configuration, the reference tag 510 can detect other ID data of the other individual tag 502 in the reception range, and transmits the detected other ID data of the individual tag 502 to the RFID reader / writer 101. . As a result, a management device including a PC or the like connected to the RFID reader / writer 101 can detect the article 501 accommodated in the vicinity of the reference tag 510. That is, the management apparatus side manages ID data and information on the article 501 in advance. The position of the reference tag 510 is also known in advance. Therefore, the article 501 accommodated in the vicinity of the reference tag 510 can be detected based on the other ID data transmitted from the reference tag 510.

  And according to the said structure, the accommodation position for every goods 501 can be detected now. In addition, even when the article 501 is accommodated in a position different from the position defined by the article 501, the accommodation position of the article 501 can be detected. More specifically, the management apparatus predefines the accommodation position of the reference tag 510 with reference to the partition 500s, and the position of the reference tag 510 provided in the partition 500s and the individual tag 502 to be accommodated in the vicinity of the partition 500s. Is previously stored in a table or the like. As a result, when the article 501 is accommodated at a position different from the standard, the other reference tag 510 detects the individual tag 502 provided on the article 501, and this information is stored in the RFID reader / writer 101. The management apparatus can identify the article 501 accommodated in a non-regulated accommodation position. Details of this configuration will be described later.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating a communication procedure between a plurality of tags including a reference tag and the RFID reader / writer. The vertical direction in the figure is the direction of time passage. First, the RFID reader / writer 101 transmits a group select signal to the tag side. In this group select signal, the individual tags 502c to 502f shown in FIG. 5 are designated by the ID mask. In the illustrated example, it is assumed that the individual tag 502d and the individual tag 502e are transmitted simultaneously. As a result, the RFID reader / writer 101 cannot receive the ID data of the individual tag 502d and the individual tag 502e, and transmits a failure indicating failure.

  Thereafter, it is assumed that only the individual tag 502d transmits and the RFID reader / writer 101 can receive the ID data of the individual tag 502d. The RFID reader / writer 101 makes a response (SUCCESS) indicating that it has been received. At this time, the ID data transmitted by the individual tag 502d is also received by the reference tag 510b in the reception range A. The reference tag 510 b decodes the other ID data transmitted by the individual tag 502 d by the other tag decoding unit 181 and stores it in the memory 164.

  Next, it is assumed that only the individual tag 502e transmits and the RFID reader / writer 101 can receive the ID data of the individual tag 502e. The RFID reader / writer 101 makes a response (SUCCESS) indicating that it has been received. In this case, the ID data transmitted by the individual tag 502e is also received by the reference tag 510b in the reception range A. The reference tag 510 b decodes the other ID data transmitted by the individual tag 502 e by the other tag decoding unit 181 and stores it in the memory 164.

  Thereafter, the RFID reader / writer 101 transmits a group select signal. In this group select signal, only the reference tag 510b shown in FIG. 5 is designated by the ID mask. As a result, only the reference tag 510b is selected, and other ID data (the own ID data and the individual tags 502d and 502e) stored in the memory 164 of the reference tag 510b are read by the read command, and are read by the RFID reader / writer 101. Can be sent.

  As described in the first embodiment, there is a situation in which the individual tags 502 (502d, 502e) transmit at the same time, and the RFID reader / writer 101 cannot read the ID data of any individual tag 502. Suppose. Even in this case, the reference tag 510b located in the reception range A of the individual tag 502 stores other ID data of these individual tags 502 (502d, 502e). Therefore, thereafter, other ID data of these individual tags 502 (502d, 502e) can be transmitted to the RFID reader / writer 101 together with the transmission of the reference tag 510b at a predetermined timing.

  As another configuration, the communication with the tag may not be separated by the above GroupSelect command, and the reference tag 510 may be collectively read and participate in the anti-collision sequence. In that case, the reference tag 510 may be configured to receive the information of the other individual tag 502 at a time other than the communication between the RFID tag reader / writer 101 and itself during anti-collision.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of control performed between the RFID reader / writer and the host system such as a management apparatus. The RFID reader / writer (RW) 101 and the host system 700 such as a management apparatus perform the following processing in cooperation with each other.

  First, in the host system 700, the position information of the reference tag 510 is input (step S701). The position of each reference tag 510 is set in advance. Next, the host system 700 issues a read command to all the individual tags 502 to the RFID reader / writer 101 (step S702).

  The RFID reader / writer 101 starts reading of the individual tag 502 correspondingly (step S703), completes reading of the individual tag 502 (step S704), and reports completion to the host system 700 (step S705).

  When the host system 700 receives the completion report from the RFID reader / writer 101 (step S706), it issues a read command to the memories 164 of all the reference tags 510 (step S707).

  In response to this read command, the RFID reader / writer 101 starts reading the reference tag 510 (step S708). When the reading of the reference tag 510 is completed (step S709), the information stored in the memory 164 of the reference tag 510 (self ID data and other ID data) are reported to the host system 700 (step S710).

  The host system 700 receives the information in the memory 164 of the reference tag 510 reported from the RFID reader / writer 101 (step S711), the position information of each reference tag 510 in step S701, and the information in the memory 164 of each reference tag 510. Based on the above, the position of each individual tag 502 is determined (step S712). As shown in FIG. 5, the position of each reference tag 510 is provided in the partition 500 s portion fixed to the shelf 500 in advance, so that the position of the reference tag 510 can be determined. In addition, it is determined that the individual tag 502 transmitted from the reference tag 510 is located in the reception range of the reference tag 510 (for example, the individual tags 502c to 502f located in the reception range A in the example of FIG. 5). be able to.

  The reception range that is the reception performance of the reference tag 510 is narrower than the communication range of the RFID reader / writer 101. Therefore, since the reference tag 510 receives information (ID data) of the individual tag 502 located in a small area, it is possible to obtain more detailed position information than the RFID reader / writer 101.

  In addition to the above configuration, when it is desired to always fix the storage position of the article 501 in the shelf 500 in advance at a correct position, the relationship between the reference tag 510 and the individual tag 502 may be set using a table or the like. Thereby, when the information of the different individual tag 502 is received by the reference tag 510, the host system 700 can detect an error in the storage position by referring to the table.

  According to the second embodiment, by using the reference tag having the configuration described in the first embodiment, the position of the individual tag located within the reception range of the reference tag can be determined with reference to the position of the reference tag. Can be detected. Therefore, the reference position of the article can be detected by fixing the reference tag to a shelf partition and attaching the individual tag to the article or the like stored in the shelf. In particular, in the existing RFID system, the position of each RFID tag within the communication range of the RFID reader / writer 101 could not be detected, but according to the above configuration, the position detection accuracy of each individual tag 502 up to the reception range of the reference tag 102 Can be improved. In addition, this position detection can be performed with a simple configuration without any significant system change.

  This reference tag can be configured by adding a decoding unit in comparison with an existing RFID tag (corresponding to the individual tag described above), and is specified as a reference tag on a shelf or the like of an RFID system using the existing RFID tag. The position of each individual tag can be detected by the host system simply by distributing the positions.

  Even when the number of individual tags is large and transmissions from the individual tags to the RFID reader / writer 101 are simultaneously transmitted and collided, the information on the individual tags at this time is decoded and stored by the reference tag within the reception range. Therefore, the information of the individual tag can be read later by reading from the reference tag, and an efficient position detection can be performed in a short time.

  In general, the RFID tag is originally required to have an inexpensive design that also considers single use. In this regard, the reference tag (RFID tag) 510 described in each of the above-described embodiments has a configuration in which a logic circuit necessary for the other tag decoding unit 181 is simply added to the existing RFID tag, and the price cost is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  Note that in the method such as communication between the RFID reader / writer and the RFID tag and between the RFID reader / writer and the host system described in this embodiment, a program prepared in advance is executed by a processing unit such as a computer. Can be realized. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The following additional notes are disclosed with respect to the embodiment described above.

(Appendix 1) In an RFID tag that transmits information to an RFID reader / writer,
A receiving unit for receiving information transmitted to the RFID reader / writer by another RFID tag located in the vicinity;
A decoding unit that decodes the information of the other RFID tag received by the receiving unit according to an encoding format of transmission from the other RFID tag to the RFID reader / writer;
A transmission unit that transmits information of the other RFID tag decoded by the decoding unit to the RFID reader / writer;
An RFID tag comprising:

(Supplementary note 2) The RFID tag according to supplementary note 1, further comprising: a memory that stores information of the other RFID tag decoded by the decoding unit in a separate predetermined area.

(Supplementary note 3) The RFID tag according to supplementary note 2, wherein the transmission unit reads information of the other RFID tag from the memory and transmits the information to the RFID reader / writer at a predetermined timing.

(Supplementary note 4) The RFID tag according to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 3, wherein the transmission unit determines a transmission timing of the information based on a command from the RFID reader / writer.

(Supplementary note 5) The RFID tag according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 4, further comprising a switching unit that switches the operation of the decoding unit to ON or OFF.

(Appendix 6) In an RFID reader / writer that transmits / receives information to / from an RFID tag,
Instructing the RFID tag to transmit information and instructing the RFID tag storing the information of another RFID tag to transmit the information of the other RFID tag and reading the information of the received RFID tag An RFID reader / writer comprising a control unit.

(Additional remark 7) The said control part instruct | indicates the presence or absence of operation | movement about each of reception of the information of another RFID tag, a decoding, and the storage of the information to the said other RFID tag to the said memory with respect to the said RFID tag The RFID reader / writer according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein:

(Supplementary Note 8) In an RFID system including an RFID tag that transmits information to an RFID reader / writer and an RFID reader / writer that transmits / receives information to / from the RFID tag,
The RFID tag is
A receiving unit for receiving information transmitted from the other RFID tag to the RFID reader / writer;
A memory for storing the information of the other RFID tag decoded by the decoding unit in an individual predetermined area;
An individual tag comprising a transmitter that transmits information of the other RFID tag stored in the memory to the RFID reader / writer;
In addition to the configuration of the individual tag, the information of the other RFID tag received by the receiving unit is decoded by the encoding format of transmission from the other RFID tag to the RFID reader / writer and stored in the memory. With a reference tag with a decoding part to
The reference tag is
An RFID tag system, wherein information of the other RFID tag stored in the memory is transmitted to the RFID reader / writer at a predetermined timing.

(Appendix 9) The RFID reader / writer is
9. The RFID tag system according to appendix 8, wherein the individual tag and the reference tag are designated among the RFID tags to instruct transmission of information.

(Additional remark 10) Each of the individual tags is attached to the article or the like, and a plurality of the reference tags are provided on a shelf accommodating the article or the like based on a reception range with the individual tag. The RFID tag system according to appendix 8 or 9, wherein

(Additional remark 11) It has the management apparatus which is connected to the said RFID reader / writer, and acquires the information of the said RFID tag from the said RFID reader / writer,
The management device detects a storage position of the other individual tag based on information on a position where the reference tag is arranged and information on another individual tag transmitted via the reference tag. The RFID tag system according to appendix 10.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a configuration in which information of an RFID tag is transmitted to an RFID reader / writer, and is particularly suitable for an RFID system that transmits / receives information of a plurality of RFID tags and detects the position of each RFID tag. Yes.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a RFID tag and a RFID reader / writer. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content which an RFID tag performs. It is a figure for demonstrating the timing which a some RFID tag transmits. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the memory provided in an RFID tag. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of tag position detection using a reference tag according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure between a plurality of tags including a reference tag and an RFID reader / writer. It is a flowchart which shows the control content performed between high-order systems, such as an RFID reader / writer and a management apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

101 RFID reader / writer 102 RFID tag 111, 163 Control unit 112, 171 Coding unit 113, 172 Modulation unit 114 Transmission amplification unit 121 Reception amplification unit 122, 161 Demodulation unit 123, 162 Decoding unit 131, 151 Antenna 152 Power generation unit 164 Memory 181 Other tag decoding unit 500 Shelf 500s Partition 502 (502a to 502n) Individual tag 510 (510a to 510n) Reference tag 700 Host system (management device)

Claims (10)

In an RFID tag that transmits information to an RFID reader / writer,
A receiving unit for receiving information transmitted to the RFID reader / writer by another RFID tag located in the vicinity;
A decoding unit that decodes the information of the other RFID tag received by the receiving unit according to an encoding format of transmission from the other RFID tag to the RFID reader / writer;
A transmission unit that transmits the information of the other RFID tag decoded by the decoding unit to the RFID reader / writer ,
An RFID tag, wherein an encoding format of communication with the RFID reader / writer is different from an encoding format of communication between the RFID tags.   2. The RFID tag according to claim 1, further comprising: a memory that stores information on the other RFID tag decoded by the decoding unit in an individual predetermined area.   The RFID tag according to claim 2, wherein the transmitting unit reads information of the other RFID tag from the memory and transmits the information to the RFID reader / writer at a predetermined timing.   The RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit determines a transmission timing of the information based on a command from the RFID reader / writer. In the RFID reader / writer that transmits / receives information to / from the RFID tag, the encoding format of communication with the RFID reader / writer is different from the encoding format of communication between the RFID tags.
Instructing the RFID tag to transmit information and instructing the RFID tag storing the information of another RFID tag to transmit the information of the other RFID tag and reading the information of the received RFID tag An RFID reader / writer comprising a control unit. The control unit, to the RFID tag, receiving information other RFID tag, decoding, characterized by instructing the presence of operation for each of the storage of information, of the other RFID tags to memory The RFID reader / writer according to claim 5. An RFID tag that transmits information to the RFID reader / writer, and an RFID reader / writer that transmits / receives information to / from the RFID tag, and a communication encoding format between the RFID reader / writer and the RFID tag In RFID systems with different communication encoding formats ,
The RFID tag is
A receiving unit for receiving information transmitted from the other RFID tag to the RFID reader / writer;
A memory for storing each information of the other RFID tags decoded by decoder into separate, predetermined area,
An individual tag comprising a transmitter that transmits information of the other RFID tag stored in the memory to the RFID reader / writer;
In addition to the configuration of the individual tag, the information of the other RFID tag received by the receiving unit is decoded by the encoding format of transmission from the other RFID tag to the RFID reader / writer and stored in the memory. With a reference tag with a decoding part to
The reference tag is
An RFID tag system, wherein information of the other RFID tag stored in the memory is transmitted to the RFID reader / writer at a predetermined timing. The RFID reader / writer is
8. The RFID tag system according to claim 7, wherein information transmission is instructed by designating each of the individual tags and the reference tag among the RFID tags. The individual tags are attached respectively to objects Hinto, said reference tag, and characterized in that the shelves for housing the article or the like, provided with a plurality variance based on the reception range between the individual tag The RFID tag system according to claim 7 or 8. A management device that is connected to the RFID reader / writer and acquires information of the RFID tag from the RFID reader / writer;
The management device detects a storage position of the other individual tag based on information on a position where the reference tag is arranged and information on another individual tag transmitted via the reference tag. The RFID tag system according to claim 9.

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