JP6086288B2 - Article search support system and article management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article management system suitable for sharing by a plurality of people in a general home or office, including an article search support system using a wireless IC tag such as RFID.

  RFID tag (wireless IC tag) attached to an article to be managed as a technology for article management, an identification ID of the article recorded on the tag, an RFID tag ID, and an RFID reader that reads and writes article information / There is an article management system using RFID, which consists of a database that associates writer, ID and article information.

  In recent years, an article management system for preventing personal information leakage, corporate secret leakage prevention, and article loss prevention is being introduced in companies. In addition, the J-SOX Act, which came into effect in April 2008, is fundamental to achieving the objectives of “improving operational effectiveness and efficiency” and “maintenance of assets”, which are the objectives of internal control. The demand for goods management systems that use RFID tags has increased among companies because it has been realized by the "response to IT" shown as an element. In addition, an article management system that is necessary for the management of a public organization is introduced based on the article management law.

  In such a demand, as a function of an article management system using an RFID tag for improving the efficiency of business operations and asset maintenance, the article managed by RFID by the management system and its administrator (management Department), function that can check the management status in a list, not only goods, but also assign identifiers to users of the system, record who used what, what was taken, and when taking goods Have a function to check the take-out authority (Patent Document 1) and confirm the take-out status of the article, and a warning function by setting the return deadline of the taken-out article (Non-Patent Document 1), possibility of forgotten items or loss (Patent Document 2).

  In addition, the RFID tag attached to an article can be used not only for recording the identifier of the article, but also for searching for the article where the article exists, making use of its wireless communication characteristics. . Uses an electromagnetic induction type RFID reader that does not have directivity, is carried by the user, and an article tag is placed within the reading range of the RFID reader to recognize the position of the article and assist in searching for the article. A system (nonpatent literature 2) is illustrated. According to this, the time required for searching for an article can be remarkably shortened as compared with the case of searching for an article without using the system for searching.

JP 2011-060041 JP Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-085186 JP 2007-085826 JP 2011-128956 JP 2010-026668 A

NTT DATA Business Brains, “Goods Management Package“ Simple RFID Lite ””, [online], [Search May 10, 2011], Internet <URL: http://www.nttd-bb.com/solution/simple -rfid.html> Nomura, “Development of Home Goods Management System Using RFID”, 17th National College of Technology Symposium in Kumamoto Lecture Collection, National College of Technology Symposium Council, Kumamoto National College of Technology, January 28, 2012, p.418

  However, at present, these article search support systems and article management systems are rarely installed in ordinary homes or small-scale offices. The reason for this is that, at present, the article management system is a product that is presumed to be used in a large-scale office such as Non-Patent Document 1, and therefore system development and technical development are being carried out. Conceivable. Although there is a need in ordinary homes and small offices, products of RFID item detection systems and article management systems for ordinary homes and small offices are not currently sold. In addition, these article detection systems are used for distribution, commerce, and industrial units such as inventory management in pallets by forklifts in warehouses and location management in containers on shelves, distribution, commerce, It is mentioned that it is designed, developed and provided with priority on convenience in industry, and that the privacy of individuals who use it is not considered in the business management system.

  From the viewpoint of a user in a general home or a small office, these systems are complicated to operate, and the introduction cost and running cost are high.

  As a technique for estimating the position of an article assuming a home or office, there is a technique using a plurality of RFID readers as disclosed in Patent Document 3. In this method, as described in Patent Document 3, the embodiment is based on the premise that an omnidirectional RFID reader is used for the article position estimation method, and the actual frequency band used by the RFID reader is , Electromagnetic coupling method (13.56MHz), radio wave usage method (UHF, 2.45GHz), and any other method can be used as an interrogator because remote ID information can be answered between the interrogators. However, in actuality, the reading length by the electromagnetic coupling method is at most 2 meters, and in order to implement the article position estimation method described in Patent Document 3, the distance from 1 meter to 1.5 meters is used. Since an interrogator will be installed at intervals, the RFID readers that can be used in practice will be in the UHF band.

  However, with this method, it is assumed that a large number of RFID readers are installed indoors to be searched, and the cost of introducing multiple UHF band RFID readers is not acceptable for ordinary households. Absent. In addition, installing a plurality of devices indoors is highly resistant at home, and there are some things that are difficult to accept such as installation cost and wiring. Similarly, the introduction cost and running cost of the robot according to the second embodiment of Patent Document 3 are high.

  Therefore, in the present invention, as described in Non-Patent Document 2, the RFID interrogator is carried by the user who wants to search for the article, and supports the search for the article by utilizing the characteristics of the reading range by the RFID reader. Focusing on the search for goods by the method, it can be installed indoors without fixing the RFID interrogator, and it can be operated without the need to fix it. An object of the present invention is to provide an article search support system that can reduce the burden and can be easily introduced and changed in the place where the system is used.

  For reference, the usefulness experiment of the detector in Non-Patent Document 2 was conducted indoors with a main shelf consisting of a bookshelf, a storage shelf, a kitchen, and a desk. The representative value of the total area per house is 92.5 square meters (Statistics Bureau 2005, 2006, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), so the RFID interrogator is carried by the user who wants to search for the article and is read by the RFID reader. The method of supporting the search for an article by utilizing the characteristics of the above makes it possible to search for an article in a short time which can be said to be sufficiently quick and simple in an environment assuming a general household.

  However, in the article search support system described in Non-Patent Document 2, even when an article to be searched exists ahead of the user's field of view, the reading distance of the electromagnetic induction type RFID reader is short. Because of the disadvantages, there is a problem that the tag is missed without being read. Also, when the tag of the article is read by the detector, the electromagnetic induction RFID reader does not have directivity, so the direction of the position where the tag is read cannot be specified, and the area around the place where the tag is read It is necessary to search the entire area.

  In addition, when a UHF band non-directional reader is used for this type of article search support system, there is a problem that the range that can be narrowed down as a search target is too wide from the response of the RFID tag. The RFID reader cannot read the distance by itself, and requires another communication mechanism for estimating the distance.

  When a reader with directivity in the UHF band is used, the range angle is set even though the user searching for the article has passed near the target article due to the directivity. Because of this narrowness, the RFID reader does not read the tag and does not notice its presence.

  Therefore, in the present invention, like this. Searching for goods by combining the characteristics of conventional electromagnetic wave-type RFID readers, such as “short reading distance” and “no directivity”, with the characteristics of radio wave readers taken into account. An object of the present invention is to provide an article search support device that can efficiently search for an article by utilizing it as a merit characteristic in support.

  Generally, RFID readers have high and low frequencies, ones with directivity and ones with no directivity, ones with long and short RFID tag readable distances, and ones with multiple simultaneous readings (anti It is possible to classify whether collision is possible or impossible. In the present invention, generally used UHF band (950 MHz) RFID readers have directional characteristics and many RFID tags have a long readable distance, and are anti-collision, HF band (13.56 MHz). ) RFID readers do not have directivity due to their fundamental characteristics, and there are many RFID tag reading distances that are short, and by using RFID readers of different frequency bands, Focusing on the characteristics that radio waves do not interfere with each other even if they are used, the above problems can be solved by providing an article search support device that utilizes these characteristics.

  Further, in the present invention, by using at least two RFID reader / writers using different frequency bands, the mutual interference of the interrogation waves that has occurred in the article position estimation by the plurality of RFID interrogators in the same frequency band is solved. When only one article search support system according to the present invention is used, the transmission output of the interrogation wave of the RFID interrogator or the transmission timing by the time division and the Listen Before Talk are unnecessary.

  A device that reads identifier tags in multiple frequency bands with a single interrogator, and an identifier tag that has multiple frequency band antennas with a single identifier tag and that can be read by interrogators in different frequency bands have been developed. (Patent Documents 4 and 5). However, these have been developed and used as technologies for seamless transition from the HF band to the UHF band, and the characteristics of each frequency band and response method have not been utilized. A feature of the present invention is that it is possible to utilize the characteristics of each of the plurality of frequency bands by using both the interrogator corresponding to the plurality of frequency bands and the identifier tag corresponding to the plurality of frequency bands. It is.

  When considering use at home, there are items among family members who have privacy with each other and other family members do not want to be owned. In the article management system developed on the premise of business use, a system that considers the privacy of individuals belonging to the organization has not been devised. By providing a privacy protection function to the article management system, multiple people can share this system with peace of mind. In addition, a system is provided that works as a security function so as not to be abused for theft or the like, and cannot search for the user's possessed goods without user authentication. Privacy here refers to the information in the tag, not the protection of the tag's flow path information, but personal information about what item the tag is associated with and who owns the item. , Privacy and confidentiality protection. There is no unprecedented system that takes into account the privacy of goods. There is no unprecedented system that considers the privacy of individuals when managing items in a common system that manages items together. By providing a system having such a function, an object management system is intended to spread to homes.

  From the common point of using RFID as a principle, by configuring the article search support system and the article management system using a common RFID reader, the RFID reader that occupies a large proportion of the price as a product can be used as a common part. Reduce costs.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances and has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. The object of the present invention is to deal with an apparatus that integrates the functions of article detection and article management into a single unit, and is low in cost. It is easy to carry, and by using a plurality of RFID interrogators with different frequency bands, the processing is simplified and the control processing is reduced. The purpose is to provide an article management system that can be shared with peace of mind while considering privacy at a low cost.

(1) An article search support system according to the present invention includes:
An article ID transmitter / receiver having an identifier, which is assigned to an article, and which transmits the identifier of the article in response to interrogation waves of at least two different frequency bands that do not interfere with each other;
From at least the second interrogator having directivity, operating in different frequency bands, capable of transmitting an interrogation wave to the article ID transceiver and receiving (reading) an identifier transmitted by the article ID transceiver At least two interrogators, a first interrogator having a long range reading range and a second interrogator having a short range reading range than at least the first interrogator having no directivity. A compound interrogator,
The transmission of the interrogation wave of the composite interrogator is controlled, and the identifier information of the article ID transmitter / receiver read by the composite interrogator is read by one or both of the first interrogator and the second interrogator. A control device that determines that the information has been read or neither has been read, and records the information in the recording device together with information on the identifier of the article ID transmitter / receiver,
With
When the identifier of the article ID transmitter / receiver is read only by the first interrogator, the control device determines that the article exists at a long distance in front of the composite interrogator and reads only by the second interrogator. If the article is read, it is judged that the article exists around the front of the compound interrogator, and when read by both interrogators, the article is judged to be present at a short distance in front of the compound interrogator. Is not read, it is determined that the article does not exist in the front and surroundings, and that is used as the article position information.
A presentation means for presenting article position information to the user;
The presenting means presents the identifier of the article to the user when the identifier of the article ID transmitter / receiver is read by at least one of the interrogators of the compound interrogator.

  In this way, the article search support system enables searching for the article by using two types of interrogators having different characteristics, and the location of the article is determined within the reading range of the first interrogator, the second Judging from the four categories of reading range of the first interrogator, within the reading range of the first and second interrogators, and out of the reading range of the first and second interrogators. By presenting the article position information consisting of the items to the user, the article search is efficiently supported.

  In this case, since the first interrogator and the second interrogator have different frequency bands of the interrogation waves, mutual interference and interference do not occur even if the interrogation waves are output at the same time. In addition, complicated timing control is not required, and the control of the transmission output by the control device is simplified, which facilitates the implementation and leads to cost reduction.

  Furthermore, this article search support system is a single interrogator having a first interrogator and two interrogators without interrogators being scattered at a plurality of locations, and the control device is mechanically connected to the device. Because it can be built in, there is no need to install a server or PC as an external processing device and perform wiring for it, and it is easy to install.

(2) The storage device of the article search support system may include a database that stores and holds article identifiers, article information, and correlation information thereof.

  In this case, the information presented to the user by the presenting means is not only the article position information and the article identifier, but also the article information (for example, name, administrator, etc.) associated with the article identifier. Thereby, convenience in searching for an article is improved.

(3) The presenting means of the article search support system includes a display device, and displays information on an article associated with the identifier of the article by the database together with the article position information.

(4) The presenting means of the article search support system may include a voicing device, and may notify the information on the article associated with the identifier of the article by the database together with the article position information.

  In this case, the presentation of information by voice does not require a user searching for an article to check the state of the article search support by the article search support system in small increments on the display device. Can be supported.

(5) The presentation means of the article search support system includes a display device and a voicing device, and displays information on the article associated with the identifier of the article by the database together with the article position information, and notifies by voice.

  In this case, since notification by voice is made and information on the article can be browsed, the user can easily confirm the information.

(6) The article search support system includes an operation device having a function of selecting an article to be searched from articles recorded in the database, and the display device searches the query wave of the interrogator. Only when the identifier of the target article is read, information on the article associated with the identifier of the article by the database may be displayed together with the article position information.

  In this case, if the user determines the article to be searched for in advance, when the other article that is not currently being searched is found by the interrogator, the article specified as the search target is found without notification. It is possible to efficiently search for an article by notifying only when it is made.

(8) An article search support system according to the present invention includes:
A first article ID transceiver for transmitting the first identifier of the article in response to the interrogation wave having an identifier to be given to the article;
In response to an interrogation wave of a different frequency band that does not interfere with an interrogation wave that is given to an article and has a different identifier from that of the first article ID transceiver, A second article ID transceiver to transmit;
At least a second question having directivity and capable of transmitting a question wave to the first item ID transmitter / receiver and receiving (reading) the first identifier transmitted by the first item ID transmitter / receiver. A first interrogator with a reading range longer than the instrument;
Transmitting an interrogation wave to a second article ID transceiver operating in a different frequency band from the first interrogator and receiving (reading) a second identifier transmitted by the second article ID transceiver A second interrogator having a reading range that is shorter than at least the first interrogator that is not directional,
A compound interrogator comprising a first interrogator and a second interrogator;
About the 1st article ID transceiver and the 2nd article ID transceiver which were given to the article read by the first interrogator and the second interrogator while controlling the transmission output of the compound interrogator That either or both of the first identifier transmitted by the first item ID transceiver and the second identifier transmitted by the second item ID transceiver have been read, or neither has been read, A control device for recording in the recording device together with information of the first identifier and the second identifier;
The recording apparatus includes a database that stores and holds the identifier of the first article ID transmitter / receiver, the identifier of the second article ID transmitter / receiver, the information of the article, and correlation information thereof,
The control device recognizes from the database in the recording device that the identifier of the first article ID transceiver and the identifier of the second article ID transceiver are identifiers indicating the same article,
When only the first item ID transmitter / receiver is read from the item ID transmitter / receiver assigned to the item, the control device determines that the item exists at a long distance in front of the composite interrogator, and the second item ID transmitter / receiver If only the first article ID transceiver identifier and the second article ID transceiver identifier are both read, it is determined that the article is present around the front of the interrogator. Judge that it is located near the front of the compound interrogator, and if it is not read by any of the interrogators, judge that the article does not exist in the front and surroundings, and use it as article position information.
A presentation means for presenting article position information to the user;
The presenting means includes an identifier of the article when at least one of the first identifier and the second identifier of the article ID transceiver is read by at least one of the interrogators of the composite interrogator, The information of the article associated with the identifier of the article is presented to the user by the database.

  In this case, if the tag to be given to the article can be read by the first interrogator and the second interrogator, respectively, the combination of the two can be used as a tag to be given to the article. In an environment where one type of RFID system is introduced, if the characteristics of the RFID reader match, another type of RFID system with a different frequency band can be used to implement the present invention. is there.

(14) The privacy / security protection article management system according to the present invention is:
A user ID transceiver that each user possesses and has a unique identifier, and that transmits the user's identifier in response to the interrogation wave;
An article ID transmitter / receiver having a unique identifier to be given to the article and transmitting the identifier of the article in response to the query wave;
An interrogator capable of transmitting an interrogation wave to the article ID transceiver and receiving an identifier transmitted by the article ID transceiver;
The interrogator is an interrogator capable of transmitting an interrogation wave to the user ID transceiver and receiving an identifier transmitted by the user ID transceiver,
Controls the transmission output of the interrogator, and the article ID transmission / reception that the information of the identifier of the article ID transceiver tag read by the interrogator has been read by the interrogator or has not been read. A control device for recording in the recording device together with information on the identifier of the device tag;
The recording apparatus includes a user information database storing and holding a user identifier, a user name and correlation information thereof,
The recording apparatus includes an article information database that stores and holds an identifier of an article, information on the article, a user identifier indicating the owner of the article, confidential setting information on whether or not to conceal the presence of the article, and correlation information thereof,
The article information database shares user information with the user information database,
When the control device generates a list of articles recorded in the article information database for the user to select an article that the user wants to refer to or change the article information from among the articles recorded in the article information database. In addition, the user identifier obtained by reading the user identifier of the user ID transmitter / receiver of the user who wants to refer / change the information of the article with the interrogator, and the article of the article recorded in the article information database Articles that allow the user to refer to and change the information of the article for the article that matches the user identifier that indicates the owner of the article and the user identifier matches the user identifier that indicates the owner of the article A list of articles that can be referred to and changed by the user according to the article is generated and recorded only when the system is executed. Recorded in a volatile memory,
A display device that displays a list of articles recorded in the recording apparatus and that allows a user to refer to and change information on the articles;
An operation device is provided that is capable of performing an operation of selecting an article that the user wants to refer to or change article information from a list of articles that is recorded in the recording apparatus and that allows the user to refer to and change article information;
The display device displays information on the article selected by the operation device,
The operation device includes an input function for inputting change information of information on an article selected by the operation device,
The control device records the change information of the article information input by the operation device in the article information database,
When the control device generates a list of articles recorded in the article information database for the user to select an article for which the user wants to refer to the article information from among the articles recorded in the article information database, The confidential setting information for whether or not to conceal the presence of the article is collated, and the concealment setting information for whether or not to conceal the existence of the article is set to not conceal the existence of the article. When it is determined that the article is listed in the list of articles for which information can be referred to, a list of articles for which the user can refer to the information of the article is generated accordingly, and the system is executed Only recorded in volatile memory, which is recorded
A display device for displaying a list of articles recorded in the recording apparatus and allowing a user to refer to information on the articles;
An operation device capable of performing an operation of selecting an article for which the user wants to refer to the article information from a list of articles recorded in the recording apparatus and to which the user can refer to the article information;
The display device displays information on an article selected by the operation device.

  In this way, the privacy / security protected article management system uses the identifier of the user associated with the information of the article and the confidential setting of the article, so that the user wants to hide its presence as privacy or confidential matter. Can be recorded and managed without other users knowing its existence.

(15) Privacy and security article management system
The recording device has at least two storage devices, a first storage device and a second storage device,
The article information database conceals the identifier of the article, the information of the article, the user identifier indicating the owner of the article, and the existence of the article, which are divided and recorded in the first storage device and the second storage device. Whether or not concealment setting information and its correlation information are combined,
The second storage device is an external storage device in which electrical and physical connection with the control device is removable.
The control device performs an operation as an article management method when at least one of the first storage device and the second storage device is connected to the control device,
The control device records, in the article information database, an article identifier, article information, a user identifier indicating the owner of the article, confidential setting information indicating whether or not to conceal the presence of the article, and correlation information thereof. When performing, the confidential setting information indicating whether or not to conceal the presence of the article is recorded in the first storage device, and the existence of the article is recorded with respect to the information on the article that is set so as not to conceal the existence of the article. About the information of the article which is the setting that the confidential setting information as to whether or not to conceal the presence of the article is recorded in the second storage device,
In the control device, when the second storage device is not connected to the control device, the concealment setting information as to whether or not to conceal the existence of the article is a setting for concealing the existence of the article. Is not recorded,
The control device records in the article information database the article identifier, the article information, the user identifier indicating the owner of the article, the confidential setting information indicating whether the existence of the article is concealed, and the correlation information thereof. For information on articles that are set to keep the presence of the article confidential, whether or not to hide the presence of the article,
The second storage device records at least one user identifier associated with the second storage device,
The control device selects an article that the user wants to refer to or change the information of the article from among the articles recorded in the article information database divided and recorded in the first storage device and the second storage device. When the list of articles recorded in the article information database is generated, the user ID of the user ID transmitter / receiver of the user who wants to refer to / change the article information is read by the interrogator. The user identifier recorded in the second storage device and the identifiers of at least one user associated with the second storage device. The article recorded on the device is judged to be an article that is listed in the list of articles that the user can refer to and change the article information, and the user refers to and changes the article information accordingly. It is possible to A list of articles recorded by being divided into a first storage device and a second storage device is generated and recorded in a volatile memory that is recorded only when the system is executed, so that the article management device can be used in a plurality of ways. It is good also as a structure which protects each user's privacy and the confidentiality which should be kept, sharing in a user.

  In this case, the user can record and manage an article whose presence is to be kept confidential as privacy or confidential matter without other users knowing its existence. Since the recording medium is an external storage device, it can be managed separately from the privacy / security article management system.

  As a result, even if the information of the article recorded in the privacy / security protected article management system is extracted from the hardware resource by a malicious person, analyzed, and falsified, With regard to information, it is possible to protect the information of articles that are desired to be kept secret by storing them at hand of each user.

(16) In the privacy and confidentiality article management system,
The article information database encrypts and records information on articles whose secret setting information is set not to conceal the presence of the article, using the user identifier as a key,
When generating a list of articles recorded in the article information database for the user to select an article for which the user wants to refer to or change the article information from among the articles recorded in the article information database, It may be configured to have an encryption and concealment function for decrypting with a user identifier obtained by reading the user identifier of the user ID transmitter / receiver of the user whose information is to be referred / changed by the interrogator.

  In this case, it is possible to prevent a user other than a legitimate user having a user ID transmitter / receiver from accessing the information of the article for which the user associated with the ID has been set to be confidential.

(17) In the privacy and security management system,
The operating device can input a secret key,
The article information database encrypts and records the information of the article with the secret setting information set so that the presence of the article is not concealed, using a secret key,
When generating a list of articles recorded in the article information database for the user to select an article for which the user wants to refer to or change the article information from among the articles recorded in the article information database, the user It is good also as a structure which has the encryption secrecy function which inputs and decrypts a secret key with an operating device.

  In this case, it is possible to prevent anyone other than the legitimate user who knows the secret key from accessing the information of the article for which the user associated with the secret key has been set to be secret.

(18) In the privacy / security management system,
The operating device can input a secret key,
The article information database encrypts and records the information of the article whose secret setting information is set not to keep the presence of the article, using the user identifier and the secret key as a key,
When generating a list of articles recorded in the article information database for the user to select an article for which the user wants to refer to or change the article information from among the articles recorded in the article information database, information on the article is generated. The user ID of the user who wants to refer to / change the user ID of the user ID transmitter / receiver is read by the interrogator, and the encryption and concealment function is decrypted by the secret key input by the user using the operating device. It is good also as a structure which has.

  In this case, it is possible to prevent information other than the legitimate user who has the user ID transmitter / receiver of the user and knows the secret key from accessing the information of the article for which the user has set the secret setting.

(19) In the privacy and security management system,
When you start using the privacy and confidentiality management system,
A user identifier obtained by reading the user identifier of the user ID transmitter / receiver of the user who wants to use the privacy / security article management system by the interrogator,
It may be configured to have an authentication function that enables use of the privacy / security-protected article management system by matching with any of the user identifiers recorded in the user information database.

  In this case, a user other than a user who has a user ID transmitter / receiver that is recorded in advance accesses the information on the articles owned by each user using the privacy / security protection article management system. This can be prevented.

(20) In the privacy / security management system,
The operating device can input a secret key,
The storage device records a secret key or secret key hash that is common to users of the system,
When you start using the privacy and confidentiality management system,
When the user who wants to use the privacy / security management system matches the private key or the hash value that is entered by the operating device and matches the private key or the hash value of the private key that is common to the system users It may be configured to have an authentication function that enables the use of the privacy / security article management system.

  In this case, a user other than a user who knows a secret key set in advance among users can access information on the articles owned by each user using the privacy / security article management system. Can be prevented.

(21) In the privacy / security management system,
The operating device can input a secret key,
The storage device records the secret key or the hash of the secret key in association with the user identifier,
When you start using the privacy and confidentiality management system,
The user identifier obtained by reading the user identifier of the user ID transmitter / receiver of the user who wants to use the privacy / security article management system with the interrogator is the user identifier recorded in the user information database. If it matches any of the above, the user checks the private key or its hash value input by the above-mentioned operation device, and if it matches the private key or the hash value of the private key associated with the user identifier, privacy / confidential It may be configured to have an authentication function that enables the use of the protected article management system.

  In this case, a user other than a user who has a user ID transmitter / receiver that is pre-recorded as a user and knows each secret key can use the privacy / security article management system. It is possible to prevent access to information on an article to be performed.

(22) In the privacy and security article management system,
The encryption and concealment function according to any one of (16) to (18) above;
It is good also as a structure which has the authentication function as described in any one of said (19) to (21).

  In this case, strong security can be maintained by the combination of the authentication function and the encryption and concealment function.

(23)
The article search support system according to any one of (1) to (13),
The privacy / security protection article management system according to any one of (14) to (23);
An article search support / article management system comprising:
Common components, such as article ID transmitter / receiver, user ID transmitter / receiver, interrogator, control device, recording device, presentation means, operating device, hardware resources, and recording information are not provided separately and used in common Article search support and article management system.
Thereby, hardware resources can be shared for a plurality of article management functions, the configuration can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, convenience is enhanced by integrating the function of article search support and the function of article management into one device.

  The article search support system that effectively combines at least two RFID readers / writers using different frequency bands according to the present invention is suitable for use in a home or a small-sized office and is easy to introduce and low-cost. A search support system can be provided.

  With the article management system of the present invention, an article management apparatus can be shared by a plurality of people while considering their privacy and confidentiality. This system is useful not only at home, but also in a workplace that handles secrecy, and in manufacturing sites where equipment, chemicals, and articles that can be handled by job titles and qualifications are different.

It is a figure showing the structure of the article search support and article management system 1000 in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the article search operation | movement in the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and its mode. It is a flowchart F100 of the user authentication part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart F110 of the main loop of the interface program in the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart F200 of the article | item registration part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart F210 of the article browsing part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart F400 of the goods list production | generation part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart F220 of the goods deletion part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart F300 of the goods search part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart F310 of the goods designation | designated search part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart F320 of the all the articles | goods search part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention.

[First embodiment]
A first embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an article search support / article management system 1000 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment of the present invention, referring to FIG. 1, a card (an example of a user ID transmitter / receiver) 000 containing RFID tags each possessed by a system user, an article 100 to be managed and searched, and , Two types of tags 200 and 201 attached to the article, a composite RFID reader 310 composed of a first RFID reader 300 and a second RFID reader 301, a first RFID reader 300, and a second RFID reader 301 Are connected to the embedded computer 600, and the portable terminal 800 functions as an interface to the embedded computer 600.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an article search operation and its state in the first embodiment of the present invention.

In UHF band and 2.4 GHz band RFID readers, the reading range extends in the shape of an ellipse with rugby ball-like directivity in front of the reader's antenna. Due to its characteristics, here, the first RFID reader has a URF band RFID reader with a built-in antenna (the first RFID reader having a maximum read distance of 4 meters and a tag readable range 400 by the first RFID reader) An example of an interrogator 300 is used.
In the LF band and HF band RFID readers, the circular reading range extends not only to the front but also to the left and right and the back of the reader's antenna. Due to its characteristics, here, the RFID reader of the LF band with the built-in antenna (the second RFID reader) has a tag readable range 401 by the second RFID reader having a maximum reading distance of 1 meter (second RFID reader). An example of an interrogator 301 is used.
These two RFID readers are combined as a composite interrogator, and further integrated as a shared device 1100 that incorporates an embedded computer and can be carried by a user.

  The product ID transmitter / receiver corresponds to the first RFID reader and can read UHF band RFID tags (an example of the first product ID transmitter / receiver) 200a to 200d at a maximum distance of 4 meters, and the second RFID. A 14-cm square paper box as an article to be searched and managed using LH RFID tags (an example of a second article ID transmitter / receiver) 201a-d that can be read at a maximum distance of 1 meter, corresponding to a reader. Example of article) Using 100a-d, affix each tag to one side of paper boxes 100a-d so that the two tags do not overlap. Here, for simplicity of software control, configuration, and description thereof, it is assumed that the identifier of the UHF band RFID tag and the identifier of the LH band RFID tag are the same.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a user 010 carries a portable terminal 800 and a shared device 1100 and searches for an article.

  Thereafter, the function of the article search support / article management system is determined by the correspondence between the flowchart and the program of the embedded computer 600 and the program of the portable terminal 800 in the configuration of the article search support / article management system 1000 shown in FIG. The behavior for carrying out will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart F700 of the user authentication unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart F710 of the main loop of the interface program in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart F720 of the article registration unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart F721 of the article browsing unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart F780 of the article list generation unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart F722 of the article deletion unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart F300 of the article search unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart F310 of the article designation search unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart F320 of the all-article search unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The article search unit of the interface software in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 starts searching for an article. As shown in FIG. 2, the user 010a carries the portable terminal 800 and the shared device 1100, and Do a search.

[Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention can be implemented in various different embodiments in addition to the above-described embodiments within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is good.

  Although a UHF band RFID reader is used as the first interrogator, any RFID reader using a frequency band or antenna having the same reading range characteristics may be used. For example, the same effect can be expected by using a 2.4 GHz band RFID reader instead of the UHF band RFID reader.

  Although the LF band RFID reader is used as the second interrogator, any RFID reader may be used as long as it has a frequency band or antenna having a similar reading range characteristic. For example, the same effect can be expected by using an HL band RFID reader instead of the LF band RFID reader.

  Here, the portable terminal is used as the display device, the voice generating device, the operation device, and the second recording device. Naturally, the liquid crystal display, the speaker, the audio circuit, and the operation are not used in the device itself without using the portable terminal. It is also possible to provide buttons and install all of the software and use them as display devices and operation devices.

  The article search support system of the present invention can easily support article search from its portability not only in search support for articles in the home or office, but also in places where installation of RFID devices is difficult, such as outdoors.

  With the article management system of the present invention, an article management apparatus can be shared by a plurality of people while considering their privacy and confidentiality. This system is useful not only at home, but also in a workplace that handles secrecy, and in manufacturing sites where equipment and goods that can be handled for each position are replaced.

  Further, the article search support system of the present invention is an apparatus for an interrogator in the same frequency band for identifying articles moving on a flow path such as a belt conveyor in a factory as well as search support for articles in a home or office. It can also be applied to measures against radio wave interference due to the arrangement of each other.

000a, b User ID tag 010a, b User

100a-d article

200a-d first article tag 201a-d second article tag

300 First RFID reader 301 Second RFID reader 310 Compound RFID reader

400 Tag readable range by the first RFID reader 401 Tag readable range by the second RFID reader 410 Common readable range for the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader

600 Embedded computer 610 Memory 611 Control software 620 Non-volatile memory 622 First article DB
623 User DB
630 Communication control device 640 RFID input / output and control device

700 User Authentication Unit 710 Main Loop 720 Item Registration Unit 730 Item Browsing Unit 731 Item Deletion Unit 740 Item Search Unit 741 Article Designated Search Unit 742 All Item Search Unit

780 article list generator

799 OS of embedded computer

800 Mobile terminal 810 Memory 811 Interface software 820 Non-volatile memory 821 Second article DB
830 Communication control device

850 LCD display 860 Speaker

880 keyboard

900 User authentication unit 910 Main loop 920 Item registration unit 930 Item browsing unit 931 Item deletion unit 940 Item search unit 941 Article designation search unit 942 All item search unit

960 Display part 970 Voice part

980 Article list generation unit 999 Mobile terminal OS

1000 Article Search Support / Article Management System 1100 Shared Device

Claims (1)

An article search support system that facilitates searching for articles,
An article ID transmitter / receiver having an identifier, which is assigned to an article, and which transmits the identifier of the article in response to interrogation waves of at least two different frequency bands that do not interfere with each other;
Transmitting interrogation waves to the article ID transceiver and receiving (reading) the identifier transmitted by the article ID transceiver, operating in different frequency bands and having directivity, at least a second question At least two interrogators, a first interrogator having a reading range longer than the instrument and a second interrogator having a reading range shorter than the first interrogator having no directivity A compound interrogator comprising:
The transmission of the interrogation wave of the composite interrogator is controlled, and the identifier information of the article ID transmitter / receiver read by the composite interrogator is read by one or both of the first interrogator and the second interrogator. A control device that determines that the information has been read or neither has been read, and records the information in the recording device together with information on the identifier of the article ID transmitter / receiver,
With
When the identifier of the article ID transmitter / receiver is read only by the first interrogator, the control device determines that the article exists at a long distance in front of the composite interrogator and reads only by the second interrogator. If the article is read, it is judged that the article exists around the front of the compound interrogator, and when read by both interrogators, the article is judged to be present at a short distance in front of the compound interrogator. Is not read, it is determined that the article does not exist in the front and surroundings, and that is used as the article position information.
A presentation means for presenting the article position information to the user;
The presenting means presents the identifier of the article to the user when the identifier of the article ID transmitter / receiver is read by at least one interrogator of the compound interrogator. Search support system.

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