JP5424255B2 - Conveyance posture determination apparatus and posture determination method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an attitude determination device that identifies the attitude of a carrier to which an RFID tag is attached, and an attitude determination method. The posture of the carrier is identified using an RFID tag and a tag reader.

  This type of posture determination device is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. There, two types of RFID tags with different communication frequencies are attached to the left and right side surfaces of a cube-shaped transport target, and transmission / reception is performed between the two types of reader / writers provided for each tag and each RFID tag. In order to identify whether or not the transport posture of the transport body is appropriate. Specifically, communication between the second tag having a large communication distance and the second reader / writer is established by a radio wave method, and communication between the first tag having a small communication distance and the first reader / writer is established by an electromagnetic induction method. It is determined that the transport posture of the transport body is appropriate only when each communication is established. It can be known from the fact that the communication between the first tag and the first reader / writer cannot be established because the transport posture of the transport body is not appropriate.

  Incidentally, in the case of an electromagnetic induction type RFID tag, since the antenna on the tag side and the antenna on the reader / writer side are directly magnetically coupled to transmit power and data, the communication distance is limited to a short distance. In the case of a radio frequency type RFID tag, electromagnetic waves are transmitted and received between the tag side antenna and the reader / writer side antenna to transmit power and data, so the communication distance is the electromagnetic induction type RFID tag. It is a long distance compared to the tag.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus for specifying the position of a carrier. There, an electromagnetic induction type RFID tag is attached to a carrier that is conveyed in one direction, and a first antenna and a second antenna of a reader / writer are arranged adjacent to each other along a conveyance path. Each antenna is arranged so that a part of each communication area overlaps, and both antennas always transmit electromagnetic waves. An RFID tag that moves in one direction with the carrier, for example, establishes communication with the first antenna, establishes communication with both the first and second antennas at the part where the communication area overlaps, and finally communicates with the second antenna. And go out of the communication area of both antennas. Thereby, the position of the carrier within the communication area of both antennas can be specified. The antenna sizes (antenna specifications) of both antennas are the same, and therefore there is no difference in the communication range of both antennas.

Japanese Patent No. 2008-56473 (paragraph numbers 0045 to 0046, FIG. 4) Japanese Patent No. 2009-33517 (paragraph number 0032, FIG. 1)

  According to the posture determination apparatus of Patent Document 1, it is possible to identify whether or not the conveyance posture of the conveyance body is appropriate. However, in order to identify the transport posture, it is necessary to affix two RFID tags to each transport body, and further, it is necessary to install two reader / writers along the transport path. It takes a lot of work and cost to identify the posture of the person.

  Moreover, according to the apparatus which specifies the position of patent document 2, the position of the conveyance body conveyed in one direction can be specified. However, since there is no difference in the communication distance between the first antenna and the second antenna, communication between the RFID tag and both antennas is merely established with a slight time difference, as in the posture determination device of Patent Document 1. The posture of the carrier cannot be specified. For example, it cannot be specified whether the transport body is face-up, face-down, or whether the front-back direction is correct.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a posture determination apparatus and a posture determination method for a conveyance body that can identify the posture of the conveyance body with a simpler structure.

  In the carrier posture determination apparatus of the present invention, an electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 is attached to a carrier 1 that is conveyed in one direction. A tag reader 4 that communicates with the RFID tag 3 and a timing sensor 5 that detects that the carrier 1 has approached the communication area of the tag reader 4 are arranged facing the conveyance path of the conveyance body 1. The tag reader 4 is provided with a plurality of antennas 13 and 14 that transmit and receive communication waves of the same frequency, and an antenna control unit that controls the operating state of each antenna 13 and 14. The antennas 13 and 14 have different antenna specifications so that they can communicate with the RFID tag 3 at different communication distances. The antenna control unit includes an antenna switching unit 18 that selectively activates the antennas 13 and 14, a signal determination unit 19 that determines the signal strength of the reflected wave of the RFID tag 3 received by the antennas 13 and 14, A control unit 20 is included. Based on the detection signal when the timing sensor 5 detects the carrier 1, the antennas 13 and 14 are operated in order from the antenna having the largest communication distance, and the signal intensity of the reflected wave of the RFID tag 3 at each antenna 13 and 14 is signaled. The determination is made by the determination unit 19, and the combination of the determination results of the signal determination unit 19 is determined by the main control unit 20 to identify the conveyance posture of the conveyance body 1. The tag reader 4 in the present invention is a concept including a reader that simply reads information stored in the RFID tag 3 and a reader / writer that reads / writes information from / to the RFID tag 3.

  The tag reader 4 is provided with a first antenna 13 having a large communication distance and a second antenna 14 having a small communication distance. Based on the detection signal when the timing sensor 5 detects the transport body 1, the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 are operated in the order of description so that it can be determined whether or not the transport posture of the transport body 1 is normal. To.

  The tag reader 4 is provided with a first antenna 13 having a large communication distance and a second antenna 14 having a small communication distance. Based on the detection signal when the timing sensor 5 detects the carrier 1, the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 are operated in the order of description, and the mounting position of the IC tag 3 of the carrier 1 that has been conveyed is specified. The transport posture of the transport body 1 can be identified in the state.

  At least one of the inductances of the antennas 13 and 14 and the capacitance of the capacitors connected to the antennas 13 and 14 are made different so that the communication distances of the antennas 13 and 14 are made different. The antennas 13 and 14 are arranged concentrically so that the virtual center positions of the antennas 13 and 14 coincide with each other.

  In the carrier posture determination apparatus according to the present invention, an electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 is attached to a carrier 1 that is conveyed in one direction. A tag reader 4 that communicates with the RFID tag 3 is arranged facing the transport path of the transport body 1. The RFID tag 3 is provided with a plurality of tag antennas 25 and 26 that transmit and receive communication waves of the same frequency, and IC chips 27 and 28 that are individually connected to the tag antennas 25 and 26, respectively. The tag antennas 25 and 26 have different antenna specifications so that they can communicate with the tag reader 4 at different communication distances. In a state where the RFID tag 3 faces the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4, communication is performed between the tag antennas 25 and 26 and the antenna 30 to establish communication with one of the tag antennas 25 and 26. The conveyance posture of the carrier 1 is identified by the tag antenna that has established communication.

  In the carrier posture determination method of the present invention, an electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 is attached to a carrier 1 that is conveyed in one direction. Communication is performed between the RFID reader 3 and the tag reader 4 arranged facing the conveyance path of the conveyance body 1 to identify the posture of the conveyance body 1. The tag reader 4 is provided with a plurality of antennas 13 and 14 that can transmit and receive communication waves of the same frequency and have different communication distances, and an antenna control unit that controls the operating state of each antenna 13 and 14. The timing sensor 5 detects that the carrier 1 has approached the communication area of the tag reader 4, and based on the command signal output from the antenna switching unit 19 of the antenna control unit based on the detection signal of the timing sensor 5, each antenna 13 -Operate 14 in order from the antenna with the largest communication distance. The signal determination unit 19 determines the signal intensity of the reflected wave of the RFID tag 3 at each antenna 13 and 14. A combination of determination results of the signal determination unit 19 is determined by the main control unit 20 of the antenna control unit, and the conveyance posture of the carrier 1 is identified.

  In the present invention, a plurality of antennas 13 and 14 having different communication distances are provided in the tag reader 4, and the antennas 13 and 14 are operated in order from the antenna having the largest communication distance based on the output signal of the timing sensor 5. Thus, communication is performed with the electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 attached to the carrier 1. At this time, for example, when the transport posture of the transport body 1 is normal, communication can be established between the antennas 13 and 14 and the RFID tag 3, but when the transport posture of the transport body 1 is not normal, Communication cannot be established between the antennas 13 and 14 and the RFID tag 3. The reception state of each antenna 13 and 14 is determined by the signal determination unit 19, and the main control unit 20 determines the combination of the determination results of the signal determination unit 19 to know the conveyance posture of the carrier 1. Can do.

  Therefore, according to the posture determination apparatus of the present invention, the carrying posture of the carrier 1 can be identified simply by attaching one electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 to the carrier. Compared to the apparatus, the posture of the carrier 1 can be identified with a simpler structure. In addition, the tag reader 4 is provided with a plurality of antennas 13 and 14 for transmitting and receiving communication waves of the same frequency, and the antennas 13 and 14 are operated in order to identify the transport posture of the transport body 1. It is only necessary to provide the reader 4, and the posture of the carrier 1 can be determined with a simpler structure as compared with the conventional apparatus. Since the electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 is a communication target, even when the outer shape of the carrier 1 is small, the carrier 1 can be surely avoided by avoiding the reaction of the RFID tags 3 provided on a plurality of adjacent carriers 1. There is also an advantage that the transport posture can be identified.

  According to the posture determination device that operates the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 in order to identify whether or not the transport posture of the transport body 1 is normal, the transport body 1 is transported in a normal transport posture. Can be clearly identified. Therefore, the subsequent processing of the transport body 1 such as correcting the transport posture of the transport body 1 or excluding the transport body 1 having an abnormal transport posture from the transport path can be performed accurately according to the identification result.

  According to the posture determination device that operates the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 in order to identify the transport posture of the transport body 1 in the state where the mounting position of the IC tag 3 is specified, the transport posture of the transport body 1 is further increased. Since it can identify correctly, the subsequent process of the conveyance body 1 can be performed more correctly. For example, when aligning the transport posture of the transport body 1 in a specific direction with an automatic device, it is possible to determine how rational it is to move the transport body 1 and change the posture with fewer operations. The In addition, it is not necessary to increase the number of RFID tags 3 and antennas 13 and 14 used, and the carrier posture of the carrier 1 can be more accurately identified simply by changing the operation program of the antenna control unit. The identification function can be expanded while keeping the overall cost down.

  If at least one of the inductances and the capacitances of the antennas 13 and 14 having the same communication frequency is different, and the communication distances of the antennas 13 and 14 are different, the communication distances of the antennas 13 and 14 are strictly set. Can be set. Therefore, communication with the RFID tag 3 is always established at a constant transfer position, and the transfer posture of the transfer body 1 can be always identified stably. Even when the transport speed of the transport body 1 is high, communication can be established without hindrance. If the antennas 13 and 14 having different communication distances are arranged concentrically, the space occupied by the antennas 13 and 14 can be reduced, and the tag reader 4 can be miniaturized.

  In the carrier posture determination device according to the present invention, a plurality of tag antennas 25 and 26 having different communication distances are provided in the RFID tag 3, and the RFID tag 3 faces the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4. I tried to communicate. Furthermore, by identifying the tag antenna that has established communication, the transport posture of the transport body 1 can be identified. For example, the posture determination device can identify whether the conveyance posture of the carrier 1 is front or back. Therefore, according to the posture determination apparatus of the present invention, it is sufficient that one electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 is attached to the carrier, and only one tag reader 4 is provided. In addition, the posture of the carrier 1 can be determined with a simple structure. Further, in another usage pattern of the carrier posture determination device according to the present invention, the position of the identification target object 33 is recognized by identifying the tag antenna with which communication has been established by the tag reader 4, and further the identification Depending on the position of the object 33, the application to be used can be made different, and the tag reader 4 can perform different read / write processing for each IC chip 27/28.

  In the attitude determination method of the present invention, communication waves having different communication distances are transmitted from the antennas 13 and 14, and the signal determination unit 19 determines the presence or absence of a reflected wave of the RFID tag 3 at each antenna 13 and 14. Furthermore, the combination of the determination results of the signal determination unit 19 is determined by the main control unit 20 of the antenna control unit, and the transport posture of the transport body 1 is identified. As described above, according to the attitude determination method of the present invention, it is only necessary that one electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 is attached to the carrier 1, and one tag reader 4 is prepared. Compared to the conventional posture determination method, the posture of the carrier 1 can be identified with simpler equipment. Since the electromagnetic induction type RFID tag 3 is a communication target, even when the outer shape of the carrier 1 is small, the carrier 1 can be surely avoided by avoiding the reaction of the RFID tags 3 provided on a plurality of adjacent carriers 1. There is also an advantage that the transport posture can be identified.

It is a schematic front view which shows the principle structure of the attitude | position determination apparatus which concerns on this invention, and an attitude | position determination method. It is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning form of the antenna of an IC tag and a tag reader. It is a graph which shows the communication result of the antenna by the difference in the position of an IC tag. It is a flowchart which shows the identification process when identifying a conveyance attitude | position. It is a flowchart which shows the identification process which concerns on another embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the principal part of the identification process in FIG. It is a graph which shows the communication result of the antenna by the difference in the position of an IC tag. It is a schematic front view which shows the principle structure of the attitude | position determination apparatus which concerns on Example 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement form of antennas of an IC tag according to a second embodiment. It is a schematic front view which shows the usage example of the attitude | position determination apparatus which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows another usage example of the attitude | position determination apparatus which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is a top view which shows another Example of the IC tag of the attitude | position determination apparatus which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the usage example of the attitude | position determination apparatus which concerns on FIG.

(Example 1) Example 1 of the posture determination apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. In FIG. 1, the code | symbol 1 is a conveyance body, the code | symbol 2 is a belt conveyor, and the direction in which the conveyance body 1 is conveyed is shown by the arrow. The conveyance body 1 is formed of a flat rectangular parallelepiped block, and an RFID tag (hereinafter simply referred to as an IC tag) 3 is attached to a predetermined position on the front portion (lower side in the conveyance direction) of the upper surface thereof. A tag reader / writer (hereinafter referred to as a tag reader) 4 for communicating with the IC tag 3 and the carrier 1 approach the communication area of the tag reader 4 in the upper space facing the conveyance path of the carrier 1. A timing sensor 5 for detecting this is arranged. The timing sensor 5 may be a non-contact sensor or a contact sensor such as an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a micro switch.

  The IC tag 3 is configured as an electromagnetic induction type tag by mounting an IC chip 9 and a spiral antenna 10 on a sheet-like tag main body 8, and its communication frequency is, for example, 13.56 MHz. The IC chip 9 is provided with a memory area for storing various data. In the actual IC tag 3, since the outer surfaces of the IC chip 9 and the antenna 10 are covered with a protective film, the arrangement pattern of the IC chip 9 and the antenna 10 cannot be seen as shown in FIG.

  The tag reader 4 includes a first antenna (antenna) 13 and a second antenna (antenna) 14 that transmit and receive communication waves of the previous communication frequency, and an antenna control unit that controls the operating states of the antennas 13 and 14. It is provided. The antennas 13 and 14 are arranged in parallel with the upper surface of the carrier 1 and have different antenna specifications so that they can communicate with the IC tag 3 at different communication distances. Specifically, while the communication distance of the first antenna 13 is set to be large, the communication distance of the second antenna 14 is set to be about half of the communication distance of the first antenna 13. Note that the virtual center of the first antenna 13 and the virtual center of the second antenna 14 are positioned on the same vertical line. Thus, by matching the virtual center positions of both antennas 13 and 14, both antennas 13 and 14 can be arranged concentrically (see FIG. 2).

  The difference in communication distance between the antennas 13 and 14 is set to be large or small by making at least one of the inductance of each antenna 13 and 14 and the capacitance of the capacitor connected to the antennas 13 and 14 different. Can do. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the first antenna 13 is formed in a rectangular spiral shape having a large vertical and horizontal dimension, and the area (inductance) is increased to increase the communicable distance. The second antenna 14 is formed in a square spiral shape having a smaller vertical and horizontal dimension than the first antenna 13, and the communicable distance is reduced by reducing the area.

  As described above, by making the communicable distances different depending on the size, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower end position in the vertical direction of the communication area E <b> 1 of the first antenna 13 is lower than the conveyance surface of the belt conveyor 2. Has reached. Further, the lower end position in the vertical direction of the communication area E <b> 2 of the second antenna 14 is located above the transport surface of the belt conveyor 2 and slightly below the top surface of the transport body 1. Note that these communication areas E1 and E2 have a complicated shape because the antennas 13 and 14 have a rectangular spiral shape. However, in order to facilitate understanding in FIG. 1, the communication areas E1 and E2 are simplified. It is shown as a hemispherical space.

  The antenna control unit includes an antenna switching unit 18 that selectively operates the antennas 13 and 14, a signal determination unit 19 that determines the signal strength of the reflected wave of the IC tag 3 received by the antennas 13 and 14, The control unit 20 is configured. The antenna switching unit 18 operates the antennas 13 and 14 in the order of the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 having a long communication distance, and performs communication between the antennas 13 and 14 and the IC tag 3. The signal determination unit 19 determines the signal strength of the reflected wave of the IC tag 3 received by each antenna 13, 14.

  As described above, the carrier 1 has a normal posture in which the IC tag 3 is positioned at the front portion of the upper surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, when the conveyance posture of the carrier 1 is abnormal, the posture in which the IC tag 3 is positioned at the lower front part of the carrier 1 (tag position B) and the IC at the rear upper surface of the carrier 1. A posture in which the tag 3 is positioned (tag position C) and a posture in which the IC tag 3 is positioned on the rear lower surface of the carrier 1 (tag position D) are obtained. In the present invention, communication is performed between the antennas 13 and 14 of the tag reader 4 and the IC tag 3, and the main control unit 20 determines whether or not the transport posture of the transport body 1 is appropriate. The details will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Identification process) When the timing sensor 5 detects that the carrier 1 has approached the communication area of the tag reader 4 (S1) and receives a detection signal from the timing sensor 5, the main control unit 20 The value of M is reset to 0 (S2), the first antenna 13 is activated and a communication wave is transmitted (S3). If communication is not established (NO in S4), the value of the counter N for the first antenna 13 is set to N + 1 (S5), and it is determined whether or not the value of the counter N has reached a predetermined value T1. In addition (NO in S6), the reception state of the first antenna 13 is confirmed again (S4).

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the IC tag 3 enters the communication area E <b> 1 of the first antenna 13, the first antenna 13 receives a reflected wave from the IC tag 3. When the signal determination unit 19 determines that the reflected wave exceeds the threshold value, the signal determination unit 19 outputs a result signal to the main control unit 20 (YES in S4). Thereby, it turns out that the conveyance body 1 has approached to the predetermined distance. The main control unit 20 that has received the result signal stops the operation of the first antenna 13 (S7), and then activates the second antenna 14 to transmit a communication wave (S8). If communication is not established (NO in S9), the value of the counter M is set to M + 1 (S10), and it is determined whether or not the value of the counter M has reached a predetermined value T2 (NO in S11). ) Confirm the reception state of the second antenna 14 again (S9).

  When the IC tag 3 enters the communication area E2 of the second antenna 13, the second antenna 14 receives the reflected wave from the IC tag 3 (YES in S9). When the signal determination unit 19 determines that the reflected wave exceeds the threshold value, the signal determination unit 19 outputs a result signal to the main control unit 20. Thereby, it can be seen that the carrier 1 has moved almost directly below the second antenna 14. The main control unit 20 that has received the result signal determines that the carrier 1 has been sent in a normal posture (S13), outputs the determination result to an external device, and then operates the second antenna 14. Stop and return to standby.

  If the value of the counter N on the first antenna 13 side reaches the predetermined value T1 after the timing sensor 5 outputs the detection signal (YES in S6), the IC tag 3 is in the tag position C or the tag position D. (S14), the determination result is output to the external device, and then the identification process is terminated. Since the transport body 1 is transported at a constant speed, the time from when the timing sensor 5 outputs the detection signal until the IC tag 3 completely enters the communication area E1 of the first antenna 13 is predetermined. I can decide. By setting the predetermined value T1 in accordance with this time, the main control unit 20 determines that the carrier 1 has been sent in an abnormal posture when the value of the counter N reaches the predetermined value T1. it can. Similarly, when the value of the counter M on the second antenna 14 side reaches the predetermined value T2 after the timing sensor 5 outputs the detection signal (YES in S11), the IC tag 3 is at the tag position B. As a result (S12), the result signal is output to an external device, and then the identification process is terminated.

  The reception states of both antennas in each of the above states are collectively shown in the chart of FIG. When the IC tag 3 is at the tag position A (normal position), both the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 can establish communication. When the IC tag 3 is at the tag position B (abnormal position), the first antenna 13 can establish communication with the IC tag 3, but the second antenna 14 cannot establish communication. When the IC tag 3 is at the tag position C (abnormal position) or the tag position D (abnormal position), the first antenna 13 side before the IC tag 3 enters the communication area of the first antenna 13. Since the value of the counter N becomes the predetermined value T1, neither the first antenna 13 nor the second antenna 14 can establish communication. From the above communication results, it can be clearly identified whether the transport body 1 is transported in a normal posture or an abnormal posture.

  The posture determination apparatus configured as described above can be implemented in the following manner, and details thereof will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6. There, the value of the counter N on the first antenna 13 side is set to a predetermined value T1 in order to clearly identify where the IC tag 3 of the conveyed carrier 1 is located at the tag positions A to D. After that, the process shown in FIG. 6 is performed. That is, the processes in S21 to S33 in FIG. 5 are common to the processes in S1 to S13 in FIG. 4, and when the value of the counter N on the first antenna 13 side reaches the predetermined value T1 (YES in S26 → ( X)), the process of FIG. 6 is performed.

  As described above, when the value of the counter N on the first antenna 13 side is the predetermined value T1, the IC tag 3 is in either the tag position C or the tag position D. In this state, as shown in FIG. 6, the first antenna 13 is operated to transmit a communication wave. If communication has not been established (NO in S41), the value of the counter N in FIG. 6 is set to N + 1 (S42), and it is determined whether the value of the counter N has reached a predetermined value T3 ( (NO in S43), the reception state of the first antenna 13 is confirmed again (S41). Note that the time from when the timing sensor 5 outputs the detection signal to when the IC tag 3 located at the rear of the carrier 1 completely enters the communication area E1 of the first antenna 13 can be determined in advance. . A predetermined value T3 is set in accordance with this time.

  When the IC tag 3 located on the rear upper surface of the carrier 1 enters the communication area E1 of the first antenna 13, the first antenna 13 receives the reflected wave from the IC tag 3. When the signal determination unit 19 determines that the reflected wave has exceeded the threshold value, the signal determination unit 19 outputs a result signal to the main control unit 20 (YES in S41). Thereby, it turns out that the rear part of the conveyance body 1 has approached to the predetermined distance. The main control unit 20 that has received the result signal stops the operation of the first antenna 13 (S44), and then activates the second antenna 14 to transmit a communication wave (S45). If the communication of the second antenna 14 is not established (NO in S46), the value of the counter M is set to M + 1 (S47), and it is determined whether or not the value of the counter M has reached a predetermined value T4. (NO in S48), the reception state of the second antenna 14 is confirmed again (S46).

  When the IC tag 3 enters the communication area E2 of the second antenna 13, the second antenna 14 receives the reflected wave from the IC tag 3. When the signal determination unit 19 determines that the reflected wave has exceeded the threshold value (YES in S46), the signal determination unit 19 outputs a result signal to the main control unit 20. Thereby, it can be seen that the carrier 1 has moved almost directly below the second antenna 14. The main control unit 20 that has received the result signal determines that the IC tag 3 has been sent with the tag position C at the tag position C (S50), outputs the determination result to an external device, and then the second antenna 14. The operation of is stopped and it returns to the standby state.

  If the value of the counter M on the second antenna 14 side reaches the predetermined value T4 after the timing sensor 5 outputs the detection signal (YES in S48), the main control unit 20 indicates that the IC tag 3 is at the tag position. As a result, the identification signal is terminated after the result signal is output to the external device. Further, if the value of the counter N on the first antenna 13 side reaches the predetermined value T3 after the timing sensor 5 outputs the detection signal (YES in S43), communication with the IC tag 3 cannot be established. Therefore, the main control unit 20 determines that the tag position is not any of the tag positions A to D, that is, the IC tag 3 is not attached to the carrier 1 (S51), and outputs the determination result to the external device. After that, the identification process is terminated.

  The reception states of both antennas in each of the above states are collectively shown in the chart of FIG. When the IC tag 3 is at the tag position A and the tag position B, it is the same as the reception state described in FIG. When the IC tag 3 is at the tag position C, communication can be established by both the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 until the value of the counter N reaches T4 (YES in S46, S50: FIG. 6). When the IC tag 3 is at the tag position D, the first antenna 13 can establish communication with the IC tag 3, but the second antenna 14 cannot establish communication. When the IC tag 3 is neither the tag position C nor the tag position D, the value of the counter N on the first antenna 13 side becomes the predetermined value T3. Therefore, whichever of the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 is used. Cannot establish communication (YES in S48, S49: FIG. 6). From the above communication results, it is possible to clearly identify where the IC tag 3 of the transported body 1 that has been transported is located at the tag positions A to D, and the IC tag 3 is not attached to the transport body 1 It is possible to identify the state.

(Example 2) The attitude | position determination apparatus which concerns on Example 2 is shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. There, the first and second sets of tag antennas 25 and 26 and first and second IC chips 27 and 28 individually connected to the tag antennas 25 and 26 are mounted on the tag body 8. The IC tag 3 is configured as an electromagnetic induction tag. Both IC chips 27 and 28 are provided with memory areas for storing various data. As shown in FIG. 8, the tag antennas 25 and 26 have different antenna specifications so that the tag reader 25 can communicate with the IC tag 3 at different communication distances.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the first tag antenna (tag antenna) 25 is formed in a rectangular spiral shape having a large vertical and horizontal dimension a1, and the communication distance D is increased. The second tag antenna 26 is formed in a rectangular spiral shape having a smaller vertical and horizontal dimension a2 than the first tag antenna 25, and the communication distance d is set sufficiently smaller than the communication distance D of the first tag antenna 25. ing. The tag reader 4 is provided with an antenna 30 that communicates with each of the tag antennas 25 and 26 and an antenna control unit. The antenna 30 is formed in a rectangular spiral shape, and its vertical and horizontal dimension a3 is set to an intermediate value between the vertical and horizontal dimension a1 of the first tag antenna 25 and the vertical and horizontal dimension a2 of the second tag antenna 26. The relationship between the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the three antennas 25, 26, and 30 is a1> a3> a2.

  In this embodiment, the conveyance body 1 is intermittently conveyed by the belt conveyor 2, and in a stationary state where the conveyance body 1 is located immediately below the tag reader 4, it is determined whether the posture of the conveyance body 1 is front or back. Identify by device. For example, when the IC tag 3 is located on the upper surface (front surface) side of the carrier 1, it is determined that the posture of the carrier is normal, and the IC tag 3 is located on the lower surface (back surface) side of the carrier 1. If it is, the posture of the transport body is determined to be abnormal.

  When the carrier 1 approaches the communication area of the tag reader 4, a timing sensor (not shown) detects this and outputs a detection signal to the drive mechanism of the belt conveyor 2 and the antenna control unit. . The drive mechanism of the belt conveyor 2 receives the detection signal of the timing sensor, stops the belt conveyor 2 after a predetermined time, and positions the IC tag 3 of the carrier 1 directly below the tag reader 4. The antenna control unit activates the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4 to transmit a communication wave simultaneously with the stop of the belt conveyor 2. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the IC tag 3 is on the upper surface side of the carrier 1, the reflected wave from the second tag antenna 26 is received by the antenna 30. Is identified as normal. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4 is located at the center of the first tag antenna 25, and the first tag antenna 25 is out of the communicable area of the antenna 30. Therefore, the first tag antenna 25 does not transmit a reflected wave.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, when the IC tag 3 is on the lower surface side of the carrier 1, the reflected wave from the first tag antenna 25 is received by the antenna 30. It is identified that the transport posture is abnormal. At this time, the communication distance d of the second tag antenna 26 is sufficiently smaller than the communication distance D of the first tag antenna 25. Therefore, the reflected wave from the second tag antenna 26 is not received by the antenna 30. As described above, the posture determination device can identify whether the conveyance posture of the carrier 1 is the front side or the back side. It is also possible to identify whether the IC tag 3 is located on the right side or the left side of the carrier 1.

  The transport body 1 need not be intermittently transported, and the transport posture can be identified during continuous transport. In that case, the antenna 30 may be activated by detecting that the IC tag 3 is located directly below the tag reader 4 with a sensor or the like. Further, by making the IC chips 27 and 28 anti-collision compatible IC chips, communication can be performed individually, and the transport posture of the transport body 1 can be specified based on whether or not each reflected wave exceeds a threshold value.

  The posture determination apparatus configured as described above can be used in the usage pattern shown in FIG. In this case, the conveyor 1 having the IC tag 3 mounted on the upper surface is conveyed by the belt conveyor 2 at a constant speed. A tag reader 4 is arranged facing the conveyance path, and a communication wave is constantly transmitted from the antenna 30. As shown in FIG. 10 (a), when the carrier 1 approaches the tag reader 4, first, the first tag antenna 25 having a large communication distance establishes communication with the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4, and the reflected wave Is returned to the antenna 30. When the carrier 1 further approaches, the first tag antenna 25 is out of the communicable area of the antenna 30, so communication between the two 25 and 30 is temporarily interrupted. As shown in FIG. 10 (b), in a state where the second tag antenna 26 is located near the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4, the second tag antenna 26 establishes communication with the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4, The reflected wave is returned to the antenna 30. The first tag antenna 25 can establish communication with the antenna 30 again while the rear side portion passes directly below the antenna 30.

  From this, the position of the carrier 1 to which the tag reader 4 is attached can be detected. In addition, when data related to the carrier 1 is recorded on either of the IC chips 27 and 28 mounted on the IC tag 3, the tag on the belt conveyor 2 is read by reading this data with the tag reader 4. It is possible to know the detailed contents of the carrier 1 that has reached the position of the leader 4. For example, when the colored state of the surface of the carrier 1 having the same external shape and the internal specifications are different, the difference can be known.

  The posture determination apparatus described in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be used in the embodiment shown in FIG. There, in a slot structure in which an upper first slot 31 and a lower second slot 32 are arranged in two stages, a tag reader 4 is arranged above the first slot 31. Further, the IC tag 3 is attached to the identification object 33. The tag reader 4 identifies on which side of the slots 31 and 32 the identification object 33 is loaded. Further, the application to be used is different between the case where the identification object 33 is loaded in the first slot 31 and the case where the identification object 33 is loaded in the second slot 32. Different read / write processing is performed for each of the IC chips 27 and 28. As described above, the posture determination device described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 can be used as a position identification device for the identification target 33.

  According to this embodiment, for example, when a bank card is loaded in the first slot 31, settlement processing is performed as a bank card for a savings account, and when a bank card is loaded in the second slot 32, savings are performed. It can be used properly such as performing a settlement process as a bank card for a deposit account. In this case, the identification object 33 corresponds to a card body constituting a bank card, and the IC tag 3 is preferably embedded therein. That is, the identification object 33 can be configured in the same manner as a general IC card.

  As indicated by the solid line, when the identification object 33 is loaded in the first slot 31, only the reflected wave from the second tag antenna 26 facing the antenna 30 of the tag reader 4 is received by the antenna 30. . As described above, since the first tag antenna 25 at this time is located outside the communicable area of the antenna 30, the first tag antenna 25 does not transmit a reflected wave. Further, as indicated by an imaginary line, when the identification object 33 is loaded in the second slot 32, only the reflected wave from the first tag antenna 25 is received by the antenna 30. From this, it is possible to identify the slot in which the identification object 33 is loaded. Further, depending on which side of the first and second slots 31 and 32 is loaded with the identification object 33, the application to be used is changed, and the tag reader 4 is used for each IC chip 27 and 28. Perform different read / write processing.

  The posture determination apparatus described in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be used in the form shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. 9, the IC tag 3 is mounted in the same manner as the IC tag 3 of FIG. 9, and the first and second sets of tag antennas 25 and 26 and the first and second IC chips 27 and 28 are mounted on the tag body 8. And configured as an electromagnetic induction type tag. Both IC chips 27 and 28 are provided with memory areas for storing various data. As shown in FIG. 12, the tag antennas 25 and 26 have different antenna specifications, and the communication distance of the first tag antenna (tag antenna) 25 is sufficiently larger than the communication distance of the second tag antenna (tag antenna) 26. Is set to be large. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 12, the first tag antenna 25 is formed in a rectangular spiral shape having a large vertical and horizontal dimension a1, thereby increasing the communicable distance. Further, the second tag antenna 26 is formed in a rectangular spiral shape having a smaller vertical and horizontal dimension a2 than the first tag antenna 25, thereby reducing the communicable distance.

  The tag reader 4 is provided with a first antenna 41, a second antenna 42, and an antenna control unit that communicate with the tag antennas 25 and 26. The antennas 41 and 42 are formed in a rectangular spiral shape, but the vertical and horizontal dimensions a3 of the first antenna 41 are set larger than the vertical and horizontal dimensions a2 of the second tag antenna 26, and the vertical and horizontal dimensions a4 of the second antenna 42 are set to the first antenna. It is set to be larger than the vertical and horizontal dimension 41 of 41. The relationship between the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the four antennas 25, 26, 41, and 42 is a1> a4> a3> a2. As a result, the communicable distances between the tag antennas 25 and 26 and the antennas 41 and 42 on the tag reader 4 side are f1, f2, F1, and F2, as shown in FIG. Each of the tag antennas 25 and 26 can communicate with each of the tag antennas 25 and 26, and the second antenna 42 can communicate with each of the tag antennas 25 and 26 by any of F1 and F2.

  The slot structure is configured by arranging a first slot 31, a second slot 32, a third slot 34, and a fourth slot 35 in order from the top, and the identification object 33 is provided in each slot 31, 32, 34. The tag reader 4 identifies where 35 is loaded. The IC tag 3 is mounted on the upper surface of the identification object 33, and the tag reader 4 is disposed above the first slot 31.

  The tag reader 4 activates the first antenna 41 to transmit a communication wave, for example, and the identification object 33 is moved to the first slot 31 and the second slot 32 from the reception state of the reflected waves from the tag antennas 25 and 26. Identify which one is loaded. Next, after stopping the first antenna 41, the second antenna 42 is activated to transmit a communication wave, and the identification object 33 is connected to the third slot 34 from the reception state of the reflected wave from each tag antenna 25, 26. The fourth slot 35 is identified.

  When the identification object 33 is loaded in the first slot 31, only the reflected wave from the second tag antenna 26 facing the first antenna 41 of the tag reader 4 is received by the first antenna 41. When the identification object 33 is loaded in the second slot 32, only the reflected wave from the first tag antenna 25 is received by the first antenna 41. When the identification object 33 is loaded in the third slot 34, only the reflected wave from the second tag antenna 25 is received by the second antenna 42. When the identification object 33 is loaded in the fourth slot 35, only the reflected wave from the second tag antenna 25 is received by the second antenna 42.

  From these differences, the slot in which the identification object 33 is loaded can be identified, the position of the slot in which the identification object 33 is not loaded can be known, and it can be used for managing the location of the identification object 33. it can. Further, the tag reader 4 uses each of the application to be used differently depending on whether the identification object 33 is loaded in the first slot 31 or the identification object 33 is loaded in the second slot 32. Different read / write processing can be performed for each of the IC chips 27 and 28. Further, the application to be used is different between the case where the identification object 33 is loaded in the third slot 34 and the case where the identification object 33 is loaded in the fourth slot 35. Different read / write processing can be performed for each of the IC chips 27 and 28.

  In the above-described embodiment, the tag reader 4 is provided with the two antennas 13 and 14, but two or more antennas can be provided. Even in this case, the structure of the tag reader 4 is not complicated because the structure other than the antenna can be used in common only by increasing the number of antennas. As long as the communication frequency of the RFID tag 3 is a communication frequency applied to an electromagnetic induction type RFID tag, a communication frequency to be freely used can be selected, and is not limited to the communication frequency described in the embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 are arranged vertically in parallel, but it is not necessary, and the first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 can be arranged concentrically on the same plane. . The first antenna 13 and the second antenna 14 are not necessarily arranged concentrically. For example, the second antenna 14 can be arranged in a state where the virtual center thereof is eccentric from the virtual center of the first antenna 13 toward the lower side in the transport direction. In this case, it is possible to prolong the time until the second antenna 14 establishes communication with the IC tag 3 after the first antenna 13 establishes communication with the IC tag 3. The 1st antenna 13 and the 2nd antenna 14 can be arrange | positioned facing the conveyance path | route of the conveyance body 1 or the downward direction.

  Further, the antennas 13, 14, 30, 41, and 42 of the tag reader 4 do not need to be arranged in parallel with the upper surfaces of the carrier 1 and the IC tag 3, respectively, and are orthogonal to the upper surfaces of the carrier 1 and the IC tag 3 It can be arranged in a posture or a slanting posture. In short, the communication distance between each antenna 13, 14, 30, 41, and 42 and the IC tag 3 only needs to be different.

  Further, the communication distance can be shortened by slightly shifting the resonance frequency of the second antenna 14 for short distance from the communication frequency. If necessary, two or more IC tags 3 are attached to the transport body 1 so that the transport posture of the transport body 1 formed as a tetrahedron, a rectangular parallelepiped, or a polyhedron can be clearly identified. it can. For example, which of the six peripheral surfaces of the transport body 1 made of a cube is facing forward can be known in the transport process.

1 Carrier 3 RFIC tag (IC tag)
4 Tag reader 5 Timing sensor 13 First antenna (antenna)
14 Second antenna (antenna)
18 Antenna switching unit 19 Signal determination unit E1 First antenna communication area E2 Second antenna communication area

Claims (6)

An electromagnetic induction type RFID tag (3) is attached to the carrier (1) conveyed in one direction,
Facing the conveyance path of the carrier (1), the tag reader (4) that communicates with the RFID tag (3), and the timing of detecting that the carrier (1) has approached the communication area of the tag reader (4) Sensor (5) is arranged,
The tag reader (4) is provided with a plurality of antennas (13, 14) that transmit and receive communication waves of the same frequency, and an antenna control unit that controls the operating state of each antenna (13, 14).
Each antenna (13, 14) has different antenna specifications so that it can communicate with the RFID tag (3) at different communication distances.
The antenna control unit determines the signal strength of the reflected wave of the antenna switching unit (18) that selectively operates each antenna (13, 14) and the RFID tag (3) received by each antenna (13, 14). Including a signal determination unit (19) and a main control unit (20),
Based on the detection signal when the timing sensor (5) detects the carrier (1), the antennas (13, 14) are operated in order from the antenna having the largest communication distance, and the RFID tag ( 3) The signal intensity of the reflected wave is determined by the signal determination unit (19), the combination of the determination results of the signal determination unit (19) is determined by the main control unit (20), and the transport posture of the transport body (1) A posture determination apparatus for a transporting body, characterized in that The tag reader (4) is provided with a first antenna (13) having a large communication distance and a second antenna (14) having a small communication distance.
Based on the detection signal when the timing sensor (5) detects the carrier (1), the first antenna (13) and the second antenna (14) are operated in the order of description, so that the carrier posture of the carrier (1) is The conveyance body posture determination device according to claim 1, wherein the posture determination device identifies whether it is normal. The tag reader (4) is provided with a first antenna (13) having a large communication distance and a second antenna (14) having a small communication distance.
Based on the detection signal when the timing sensor (5) detects the carrier (1), the first antenna (13) and the second antenna (14) are actuated in the order of description to convey the carrier (1). The posture determination apparatus for a transport body according to claim 1, wherein the transport posture of the transport body (1) can be identified with the mounting position of the IC tag (3) specified. By varying at least one of the inductance of the antenna (13, 14) and the capacitance of the capacitor connected to the antenna (13, 14), the communication distance of each antenna (13, 14) is varied. Yes,
The attitude determination device for a carrier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the antennas (13, 14) are arranged concentrically so that the virtual center positions of the antennas (13, 14) coincide with each other. An electromagnetic induction type RFID tag (3) is attached to the carrier (1) conveyed in one direction,
A tag reader (4) that communicates with the RFID tag (3) is arranged facing the transport path of the transport body (1),
The RFID tag (3) includes a plurality of tag antennas (25, 26) for transmitting and receiving communication waves of the same frequency, and an IC chip (27, 28) individually connected to each tag antenna (25, 26). Is provided,
Each tag antenna (25, 26) has different antenna specifications so that it can communicate with the tag reader (4) at different communication distances.
In a state where the RFID tag (3) faces the antenna (30) of the tag reader (4), communication is performed between each tag antenna (25, 26) and the antenna (30), and either one of the tag antennas is performed. (25, 26) Establishing communication with the tag (25) and identifying the transport posture of the transport body (1) by the tag antenna that has been able to establish communication. An electromagnetic induction type RFID tag (3) is attached to the carrier (1) conveyed in one direction,
Posture determination of the transport body for identifying the posture of the transport body (1) by communicating between the tag reader (4) arranged facing the transport path of the transport body (1) and the RFID tag (3). A method,
The tag reader (4) has a plurality of antennas (13, 14) that can transmit and receive communication waves of the same frequency and have different communication distances, and an antenna control unit that controls the operating state of each antenna (13, 14). Is provided,
The timing sensor (5) detects that the carrier (1) has approached the communication area of the tag reader (4),
Based on the command signal output from the antenna switching unit (19) of the antenna control unit based on the detection signal of the timing sensor (5), each antenna (13, 14) is operated in order from the antenna having the largest communication distance,
The signal determination unit (19) determines the signal strength of the reflected wave of the RFID tag (3) at each antenna (13, 14),
A carrier attitude determination method, wherein a combination of determination results of a signal determination unit (19) is determined by a main control unit (20) of an antenna control unit to identify a conveyance attitude of the carrier (1).

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