JP6275513B2 - RFID tag encoding system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an RFID tag encoding system, and more particularly to an RFID tag encoding system that captures communication setting information from an RFID tag.

  There is known an image information apparatus (specifically, a composite digital copying machine) that automatically sets a print mode from RFID tag information attached to a document sheet and a print sheet (see, for example, Patent Document 1). On the other hand, for RFID tags used as a wide variety of product tags attached to various products, technology for writing accurate product information to suppress loss as much as possible and making the writing process even more efficient Is required.

JP 2005-316189 A

  The present invention provides an RFID tag encoding system in which necessary setting values are automatically input or checked for communication setting information of an RFID tag to prevent erroneous operation. In addition, an RFID tag encoding system capable of communicating under optimal communication conditions when communicating with an RFID tag is provided.

(1) A first aspect according to the present invention is an RFID tag encoding system that reads and writes to and from the RFID tag of a paper in which RFID tags are arranged in a plurality of rows or in a single row, a transport unit that transports the paper, A control unit that controls each unit, a reading unit that reads data written in advance in the RFID tag in the conveyance process, and a writing unit that is located downstream of the reading unit and writes data in the RFID tag The unit reads the code related to the first communication setting information used for reading and writing of the RFID written in advance in the RFID tag, and the control unit reads the first communication setting information and the RFID set in the control unit in advance. collating the second communication setting information to be used for reading and writing the tag, the writing unit, if the matching between the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information by the control section matches , To provide an RFID tag encoding system for writing data to the RFID tag based on the matched communication setting information.
(2) In the RFID tag encoding system according to the above (1), the first and second communication setting information includes an output, a frequency, an output interval, an RFID type, and a lateral pitch of the RFID tag. An RFID tag encoding system including at least one is provided.
(3) In the RFID tag encoding system described in the above (1) or (2), when the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information are different, the control unit interrupts the operation and sends it to the operator. May be notified.
(4) In the RFID tag encoding system described in (1) or ( 2 ) above, when the first communication setting information is different from the second communication setting information, the control unit sets the second communication setting information. The operation may be continued by automatically rewriting the first communication setting information.
(5) When the collation between the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information matches, the control unit performs setting for communicating with the RFID tag using the matched communication setting information. The first communication setting information written to the RFID tag is erased or overwritten by writing data to the RFID tag by the writing unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an RFID tag encoding system in which necessary setting values are automatically input or confirmed for the RFID tag communication setting information to prevent erroneous operation. In addition, it is possible to provide an RFID tag encoding system capable of communicating under optimum communication conditions when communicating with an RFID tag.

1 is a front view of an RFID tag encoding system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of an RFID tag encoding system. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a RFID tag encoding system. It is a top view of the conveyance part of a RFID tag encoding system. It is a top view of the antenna assembly of the state fixed to the plate. It is a figure which shows the information of the paper stored in memory. It is a flowchart figure which shows a part of operation | movement of a RFID tag encoding system.

  Hereinafter, an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag encoding system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In FIG. 1, the RFID tag encoding system 1 inspects a supply unit 11 that supplies paper P, a printing unit 12 that prints on the paper P conveyed from the supply unit 11, and the paper P printed by the printing unit 12. And an inspection unit 13. The supply unit 11, the printing unit 12, and the inspection unit 13 are sequentially arranged in the conveyance direction C of the paper P. In the drawing, the conveyance direction C is indicated by a solid line arrow.

  The supply unit 11 supplies paper P, which is a continuous paper, to the printing unit 12. Here, the paper P may be a folded paper, a continuous paper wound in a roll shape, or a single sheet. Further, the RFID tag T may be in a single row (single row).

  The printing unit 12 performs monochrome printing or color printing on the paper P. As the printing method, an inkjet method, a dry electrophotographic method, a thermal transfer method, or the like can be used. The printing unit 12 is provided with a display unit 120 that displays various information.

The inspection unit 13 reads the data written on the RFID tag T and collates the data, or characters, images, etc. printed on the paper P are shifted from the paper P, or the paper P is wrinkled or twisted. Check if it is. In addition, the number of pages printed by the printing unit can be inspected.
The inspection can be performed by photographing printed characters, images, and the like and performing image processing. The inspection method may be another method. If an abnormality is found in the inspection, the RFID tag encoding system 1 is stopped, and maintenance and inspection work for the supply unit 11 and the printing unit 12 is performed.

  2 and 3, an RFID tag encoding system 1 is an RFID tag encoding system 1 that reads and writes data from and to an RFID tag T of a sheet P in which RFID tags T are arranged in a plurality of rows, and is a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet P. A first transport unit 110, a control unit that controls each unit, a reading unit 20 that reads data previously written in the RFID tag T in the transport process, and a downstream side of the reading unit 20, and the RFID tag T And a writing unit 40 for writing data.

  The supply unit 11 includes a reading unit 20 that reads data from the RFID tag T via a reading antenna, a writing unit 40 that writes data to the RFID tag T via a writing antenna, a mark detection unit 60, and a first detector. A transport unit 110.

  The printing unit 12 includes a control unit that controls each unit of the RFID tag encoding system 1, a display unit 120, a printing unit, an operation unit, a communication driver, and a second transport unit. In the operation unit, the operator activates the RFID tag encoding system 1 or gives a necessary command to the RFID tag encoding system 1. The computer PC is connected to the control unit by the communication driver. Data to be written in the RFID tag T is input from the computer PC. In the second transport unit, the paper P is transported in the printing unit 12. The second transport unit senses the paper P by the sensor and starts to drive.

  The inspection unit 13 includes a verification unit, a cut unit, and a third transport unit. When the RFID tag T is defective, such as when the data of the RFID tag T verified by the verification unit does not match, the cutting unit cuts a part of the RFID tag T itself. In the third transport unit, the paper P is transported in the inspection unit 13. The third transport unit senses the paper P by the sensor and starts to drive.

  Hereinafter, the RFID tag encoding system 1 will be described in detail with a focus on the supply unit 11. 2 to 4, the paper P includes a mount D, an RFID tag T having an RFID including an antenna and an IC chip, and a print medium covering the RFID. For example, ten rows of RFID tags T are temporarily attached to the surface of continuous release paper. The RFID tag T is not limited to 10 rows and may have any number of rows. The paper P may be an RFID tag T in which a print medium is integrally formed on both sides of the RFID.

  3 and 4, the mount D on which the RFID tag T is temporarily attached is conveyed in the conveying direction C by a belt B stretched between a driving roller R1 and a driven roller R2 driven by a motor M. Both ends of the paper P are positioned by guide members G having feed pins arranged on both sides with respect to the conveyance direction C of the entrance where the paper P enters the supply unit 11. The width of the mount D, the number of RFID tags T, the arrangement, and the like differ depending on the use of the RFID tag T.

  The first transport unit 110 includes a suction unit 50 and a mark detection unit 60. The suction means 50 sucks the mount D to bring the belt B and the mount D into close contact with each other. By bringing the belt B and the mount D into close contact with each other, the sheet P can be conveyed without causing slack or the like. The mark detection unit 60 reads a mark provided in advance under the mount D.

  The reading unit 20 is disposed on the conveyance direction C side of the guide member G. Here, the reading unit 20 has a long rectangular shape in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction C in plan view.

  In FIG. 5, the reading unit 20 includes an antenna plate 21 and an antenna assembly 30. The reading unit 20 has ten antenna assemblies 30 so as to have a one-to-one correspondence with the RFID tags T arranged in the ten rows shown in FIG. Here, the antenna assemblies 30 are arranged in a staggered pattern on the antenna plate 21. The antenna assembly 30 writes predetermined write information to the corresponding RFID tag T by non-contact communication.

  In FIG. 5, the antenna assembly 30 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. An antenna for reading and writing is arranged on the antenna assembly 30 and performs non-contact communication with the antenna built in the RFID tag T containing the IC chip. Here, the antenna assembly 30 is arranged with its longitudinal direction aligned with the conveyance direction C. A hole 22 is formed in the antenna plate 21 according to the planar shape of the antenna assembly 30. Part of the antenna assembly 30 is inserted into the hole 22 and is positioned and fixed by screws 40a, 40b, and 40c. The screw 40a and the screw 40b fix one end side of the long side of the antenna assembly 30, and the screw 40c fixes one end of the opposite long side on the diagonal side.

  Of the operations of the RFID tag encoding system 1, the operation mainly performed by the supply unit 11 is shown in FIG. 2, in which the reading unit 20 reads the code related to the first communication setting information written in advance in the RFID tag T. The control unit collates the first communication setting information with the second communication setting information of the RFID tag T set in advance in the control unit. The reading unit 20 may read TID (Tag IDentification) information together with the first communication setting information.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the RFID tag encoding system 1 will be described in more detail. In the RFID tags T arranged in a plurality of rows on the mount D, a code related to the first communication setting information, which is information on the paper P, is written in advance. The code related to the first communication setting information is written in at least the RFID tag T arranged at the top of the top page. In addition, a code related to the first communication setting information may be written in all the RFID tags T. The code may be a simple number or may be set as an electronic product code (EPC (Electronic Product Code)).

  In FIG. 6, the first communication setting information, which is information of the paper P written in advance, includes output, frequency, output interval, type of RFID tag T, and pitch in the horizontal direction of the RFID tag T. At least one can be included.

Since the RFID tags T are arranged in a plurality of rows, there are antennas that perform reading and writing simultaneously or sequentially. In order to avoid radio wave interference between antennas, the output of the radio wave to be irradiated needs to be set to the minimum necessary for reading and writing.
When the RFID tag T is a single row, it is not necessary to provide the term of the pitch in the horizontal direction of the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information.

  The output related to the RFID tag T is an output according to the RFID tag T for reading and writing because the optimum output varies depending on the shape of the antenna of the RFID tag T and the type of IC. The output can be varied from 1 mW to 1 W in increments of 1 mW.

  The frequency is a frequency when the frequency of the radio wave applied to the RFID tag T is shifted in order to avoid radio wave interference between adjacent RFID tags T or to obtain an optimum resonance frequency for each RFID tag T. is there. The frequency can be varied in units of 0.1 MHz.

  Reading from the RFID tag T is performed by passing the antenna while the RFID tag T is moved. For this reason, when the RFID tag T reaches the optimum position for reading the antenna, a trigger signal is issued and the RFID tag T is accessed. The output interval is for setting that the antenna has reached the optimum position for reading.

  The type of the RFID tag T represents that the shape of the antenna and the type of IC are different. The horizontal pitch is a pitch in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction C of the mount D between the RFID tags T. The interval (pitch) between the RFID tags T in the direction orthogonal to the paper P is shown. The larger the numerical value, the smaller the radio wave interference, so that the output (mW) can be increased. Conversely, the smaller the numerical value, the more susceptible to radio wave interference, so the output can be set to be small.

  A part of the operation of the RFID tag encoding system will be described below. In FIG. 7, first, as step 1 (S1), a job ID is input. Thereafter, the paper P is set on the guide member G having the feed pin of the RFID tag encoding system 1. The job ID may be input after the paper P is set.

  In step 1 (S1), when the input of the job ID is confirmed (yes), the first transport unit 110 is initially driven, and the paper P is transported at a low speed. If the job ID is not input (no), the process returns to waiting for the job ID input.

  Next, in step 2 (S2), the paper P is conveyed, and when the mark detection unit 60 detects a mark previously provided on the lower side of the mount D (yes), in step 3 (S3), the RFID tag T Comes to the position of the reading unit 20, the reading unit 20 reads the code related to the first communication setting information previously written in the RFID tag T. In step 2 (S2), when the mark detection unit 60 does not detect the mark (no), the mark is conveyed at a low speed until the mark detection unit 60 detects the mark.

  In step 3 (S3), when the code related to the first communication setting information previously written in the RFID tag T is read (yes), in step 4 (S4), the read first communication setting information is It is displayed on the display unit 120. When the code related to the first communication setting information cannot be read (no), the low-speed conveyance is performed until the code can be read, but the process proceeds to step 4 (S4) by reading at least one RFID tag T. Displayed on the display unit 120 are a job ID, a manufacturer name, a product name, and the like.

  Next, in step 5 (S5), when the control unit determines that the job ID and the code of the paper P match (yes), in step 6 (S6), the control unit sets the RFID tag previously set in the control unit. The second communication setting information of T is read from the ROM, and the first communication setting information is compared with the second communication setting information. If they match, CH setting in step 7 (S7), output setting in step 8 (S8), output interval setting in step 9 (S9), type setting of RFID tag T in step 10 (S10), step 11 (S11) Then, the horizontal pitch of the RFID tag T is set. The order of these settings is not particularly limited.

  In step 12 (S12), the code related to the first communication setting information previously written in the RFID tag T is deleted. After completing these settings, a flow of writing to the RFID tag T is started. Here, the code may be erased by overwriting by writing to the RFID tag T.

  In step 5 (S5), if the control unit does not determine that the job ID and the code of the paper P match (no), in step 13 (S13), an error notification is given to the operator on the display unit 120, etc. Prompt for re-input. If the code or the like is re-input in step 14 (S14) (yes), the process returns to the job ID input waiting state. If it is not re-input (no), the process ends.

  In step 6 (S6) of the operation of the RFID tag encoding system described above, when the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information are different, the control unit interrupts the operation and notifies the operator. You may do it.

  On the other hand, if priority is given to the information on the RFID tag T, the communication setting information on the control unit side is automatically rewritten to the information on the RFID tag side without stopping the device in step 6 (S6). You may continue working.

  According to the embodiment, an RFID tag encoding system that prevents an erroneous operation by setting or inputting confirmation values of RFID tag communication setting information by setting RFID tag sheets arranged in a plurality of rows on a mount. Can be provided. In addition, optimal communication can be performed with respect to the RFID tag, and even when the paper conveyance speed is increased, writing and reading can be performed reliably, yield is improved, and productivity is improved.

  In the embodiment, the RFID tag encoding system 1 capable of printing has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to an RFID tag encoding system that does not perform printing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 RFID tag encoding system 11 Supply part 12 Printing part 13 Inspection part 20 Reading part 21 Antenna plate 22 Hole 30 Antenna assembly 40 Writing part 40a, 40b, 40c Screw 50 Suction means 60 Mark detection part 110 1st conveyance part 120 Display part B Belt C Transport direction D Mount G Guide member M Motor P Paper R1 Drive roller R2 Driven roller T RFID tag

Claims (5)

An RFID tag encoding system for reading and writing the RFID tag on a sheet in which RFID tags are arranged in a plurality of rows or in a single row,
A transport unit for transporting the paper;
A control unit for controlling each unit;
A reading unit that reads data written in advance on the RFID tag in a conveyance process; and a writing unit that is located downstream of the reading unit and writes data to the RFID tag.
The reading unit, the were previously written to the RFID tag, it reads the first communication setting information for use in reading and writing and the RFID tag,
The control unit collates the first communication setting information with the second communication setting information used for reading and writing with the RFID tag set in advance in the control unit ,
The writing unit writes data to the RFID tag using the matched communication setting information when the matching between the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information by the control unit matches. RFID tag encoding system characterized by the above. The said 1st and 2nd communication setting information contains at least 1 among the output concerning the said RFID tag, a frequency, an output space | interval, the kind of RFID, and the pitch of the horizontal direction of RFID. The described RFID tag encoding system. When the control unit is different from the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information,
The RFID tag encoding system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation is interrupted to notify the operator. When the first communication setting information is different from the second communication setting information, the control unit automatically rewrites the second communication setting information with the first communication setting information and continues the operation. The RFID tag encoding system according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that: The control unit performs setting for communicating with the RFID tag using the matched communication setting information when the matching between the first communication setting information and the second communication setting information matches, The first communication setting information written in the RFID tag is erased or overwritten by writing data in the RFID tag by the writing unit, and erased. The RFID tag encoding system according to Item.

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