JP6313543B2 - RFID tag and article management system using the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an RFID tag that performs non-contact communication and an article management system using the RFID tag.

  In recent years, with the progress of an information-oriented society, information is recorded on tags attached to products and the like, and products and the like are managed using the tags. In information management using such a tag, an RFID tag capable of writing and reading information by non-contact communication with the tag is rapidly spreading due to its excellent convenience.

  As the RFID tag, an active RFID tag capable of communicating over a long distance of about several tens of meters with a built-in power supply is often used in order to reduce the size and ensure a communicable distance. Such an active RFID tag starts signal transmission / reception triggered by a trigger signal transmitted from a reader (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For this reason, it is necessary to make the trigger signal receivable, and power consumption is increased.

  Therefore, it is conceivable that an event signal is periodically transmitted from the RFID tag side and signal transmission / reception is started by receiving a response signal from a reader that has received the event signal. The transmission of the event signal can be performed with a setting shorter than the time during which the trigger code from the reader can be received, so that power consumption can be reduced.

JP 2011-76477 A

  A product managed using an RFID tag as described above may pass through an area where transmission of radio waves is prohibited, for example, by air. In that case, the event signal cannot be periodically transmitted from the RFID tag as described above, so that the signal can be received and the power consumption is increased. Even in that case, power consumption may be reduced if the time of air transportation by air is short, but in the case where goods etc. are stored for a long time in an area where transmission of radio waves is prohibited. There is a problem that the power consumption becomes enormous.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional technology as described above, and an RFID tag capable of controlling power consumption according to the surrounding environment and an article management system using the RFID tag. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
Occurs in the second antenna due to non-contact communication, an active communication unit that is driven by the power source, transmits and receives signals by non-contact communication via the first antenna, and a power source, first and second antennas A passive communication unit that is driven by the electromotive force and transmits / receives a signal by non-contact communication via the second antenna, and a control unit that performs control according to signal transmission / reception in the active communication unit and the passive communication unit, In an RFID tag comprising
The active communication unit transmits an event signal by the power supply , and receives a command signal by the power supply in a first mode in which information corresponding to the command signal is transmitted when a command signal corresponding to the event signal is received. A second mode in which only the event signal is transmitted, and a third mode in which the event signal is not transmitted and the command signal is not received,
When the active communication unit receives a command signal for switching modes while the active communication unit is in the state of the first or second mode, the control unit transitions the active communication unit to another mode. When the passive communication unit receives a command signal for switching the mode while the active communication unit is in the third mode, the active communication unit is shifted to another mode. .

  In the present invention configured as described above, when non-contact communication is not performed with respect to the RFID tag, the active communication unit is set to the third mode. In the third mode, the active communication unit does not transmit or receive signals, so that almost no power is consumed. When a command signal for switching the mode of the active communication unit is transmitted in order to perform non-contact communication with the RFID tag while the active communication unit is in the third mode, the passive communication unit In order to drive by the electromotive force generated in the second antenna, the command signal is driven by transmission of the command signal, and the command signal is received by the passive communication unit. Then, under the control of the control unit, the active communication unit transitions to either the first mode or the second mode according to the command signal received by the passive communication unit. In addition, when a command signal for switching the mode of the active communication unit is transmitted in a state where the active communication unit is in the first or second mode, the active communication unit performs a command in the state of the first or second mode. Since the signal can be received, the command signal is received by the active communication unit. Then, under the control of the control unit, depending on the command signal received by the active communication unit, when the active communication unit is in the first mode, either the second mode or the third mode, or When the active communication unit is in the second mode, the mode transits to either the first mode or the third mode.

As described above, the active communication unit transitions to the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode according to the command signal, so that the power consumption can be controlled according to the surrounding environment. At that time, even if the active communication unit is in the third mode in which the command signal cannot be received, the command signal is received by the passive communication unit, so in all the first, second, and third modes. Transition to the mode is possible.
An article management system using the RFID tag,
The active communication unit transmits a command signal for changing the active communication unit to the first mode to the RFID tag in the second mode, and receives the command signal to activate the active tag. The communication unit acquires information stored in the RFID from the RFID in the first mode, and then receives a command signal for changing the active communication unit to the third mode for the RFID. A first communication means for transmitting;
Second communication means for acquiring information stored in the RFID from the RFID in which the active communication unit has transitioned from the third mode to the first mode;
It is also conceivable to have management means for managing an article to which the RFID is attached, using information acquired by the first and second communication means.

  According to the present invention, in the configuration in which the active communication unit controls power consumption by transitioning to the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode according to the command signal, the active communication unit Even in the state of the third mode in which no signal can be received, since the command signal is received by the passive communication unit, it is possible to control power consumption according to the surrounding environment.

It is a block diagram which shows embodiment of the RFID tag of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the RFID tag in the mode which the active communication part shown in FIG. 1 has. It is a figure which shows an example of the articles | goods managed using the RFID tag shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the system configuration which manages the cool box shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a change in the state of the RFID tag in the case of managing the cold box shown in FIG. 3 in the system shown in FIG. 4. It is a figure for demonstrating the reception operation | movement of the wakeup command in the silent 1 mode of the active communication part shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the transmission / reception operation | movement of the signal in the normal mode of the active communication part shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the transmission / reception operation | movement of the temperature log data in the normal mode of the active communication part shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an RFID tag according to the present invention.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a battery 1 as a power source, two antennas 2 and 3, an active communication unit 4, a passive communication unit 4, a control microcomputer 6 as a control unit, and an interface unit 7. It is the RFID tag 10 comprised from these.

  As the battery 1, an appropriate battery such as an alkaline battery or a nickel battery can be used, and serves as a power source for the entire RFID tag 10.

  The antenna 2 serves as the first antenna in the present invention. The antenna 2 resonates with the radio wave transmitted from the reader in a wireless RFID such as 2.45 GHz or UHF band (860 to 960 MHz). For transmitting and receiving signals between the two.

  The antenna 3 is the second antenna in the present invention. This antenna 3 has a coil shape and performs non-contact communication using a frequency band of 13.56 MHz. An electric current flows due to electromagnetic induction in the non-contact communication, and an electromotive force is generated. The power is supplied to the passive communication unit 5 and signals are transmitted to and received from the reader.

  The active communication unit 4 is driven by the battery 1, modulates / demodulates the signal, and transmits / receives a signal to / from the reader by non-contact communication via the antenna 2 using a wireless RFID such as 2.45 GHz or UHF band. And has three modes.

  The passive communication unit 5 is driven by a power source supplied from the antenna 3, modulates / demodulates the signal, and transmits / receives a signal to / from the reader through non-contact communication via the antenna 3 in the 13.56 MHz frequency band. That is, the passive communication unit 5 is driven by the electromotive force generated in the antenna 3 by non-contact communication.

  The control microcomputer 6 performs control according to signal transmission / reception in the active communication unit 4 and the passive communication unit 5.

  The interface unit 7 controls an interface with a connected external device.

  The memory 8 stores the tag ID of the RFID tag 10 and information acquired from an external device via the interface unit 7.

  Here, three modes of the active communication unit 4 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the RFID tag 10 in the mode of the active communication unit 4 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the active communication unit 4 shown in FIG. 1 has a normal mode that is the first mode, a silent 1 mode that is the second mode, and a silent 2 mode that is the third mode. Have.

  In the normal mode, the active communication unit 4 periodically transmits an event signal that triggers non-contact communication via the antenna 2. Although the command signal is not intermittently received from the reader, a response signal to the event signal is received via the antenna 2 immediately after the event signal is transmitted. When the response signal is a command signal that requests transmission of information, information corresponding to the received command signal is transmitted.

  In the silent 1 mode, the active communication unit 4 does not transmit an event signal and intermittently receives a wakeup command as a command signal via the antenna 2.

  In the silent 2 mode, the active communication unit 4 does not transmit an event signal or intermittently receive a command signal.

  In addition, when the active communication unit 4 is in any of the above three modes, the passive communication unit 5 is driven by the electromotive force generated in the antenna 3 by non-contact communication, and thus can always be accessed via the antenna 3. The command signal can be received via the antenna 3.

  The article management using the RFID tag 10 described above will be described below.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an article managed using the RFID tag 10 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the RFID tag 10 shown in FIG. 1 is used for management of the cold box 50. In this case, the RFID tag 10 is attached to the outer surface of the cold box 50 with the temperature sensor 20, the open / close sensor 30, and the display device 40 being connected via the interface unit 7, for example.

  The temperature sensor 20 is installed inside the cold box 50 and detects the temperature inside the cold box 50. In addition, when the inside of the cold box 50 is partitioned into a plurality of regions and the plurality of regions are set to different temperatures, the temperature sensor 20 is installed for each of the plurality of regions.

  The open / close sensor 30 includes, for example, an optical sensor, and is installed inside the cold box 50, and detects that the cold box 50 has been unpacked by detecting light.

  The display device 40 is composed of an LCD, electronic paper, or the like, and displays the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 20.

  In addition to the temperature sensor 20, the open / close sensor 30, and the display device 40, the RFID tag 10 can be connected to any device such as an outside air temperature sensor or an impact sensor that detects the outside air temperature. The detected information can be acquired by the RFID tag 10 via the interface unit 7.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration for managing the cold insulation box 50 illustrated in FIG. 3.

  In the following, as shown in FIG. 4, the cold box 50 shown in FIG. 3 is transported from the delivery base 60 to the carry-in base 70, and after the cold storage box 50 is unpacked at the transport base 70, A management method when the cold box 50 is returned will be described.

The delivery base 60 from which the cold box 50 is delivered can be connected to a data center 80 and a reader 61 serving as an activation unit that reads information by transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RFID tag 10 by non-contact communication. A communication device 62 is arranged.

A receiving area 71 and a loading / unpacking area 72 are provided at a loading base 70 where the cold box 50 is loaded and unpacked. The RFID tag 10 is also provided in each of the receiving area 71 and the loading / unpacking area 72. Readers 73 and 74 for reading information by transmitting and receiving signals by non-contact communication with the communication center 75 and communication devices 75 and 76 connectable to the data center 80 are arranged. The reader 73 and the communication device 75 constitute a first communication means, and the reader 74 and the communication device 76 constitute a second communication means.

The data center 80 is a base serving as a management means for managing the conveyance status of the cold box 50, and is provided with a communication device 81 that can be connected to the communication devices 62, 75, and 76, and stores the conveyance status of the cold box 50. The database 82 is stored.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a change in the state of the RFID tag 10 when the cool box 50 shown in FIG. 3 is managed in the system shown in FIG.

  The cold box 50 shown in FIG. 3 is delivered from the delivery base 60. The active communication unit 4 of the RFID tag 10 is in the silent 2 mode as an initial state (step 1). In the silent 2 mode, the active communication unit 4 does not transmit or receive signals, so that almost no power is consumed. Further, the temperature sensor 20 sequentially detects the temperature inside the cold box 50, and this temperature data is transmitted to the RFID tag 10. In the RFID tag 10, the temperature data transmitted from the temperature sensor 20 is received via the interface unit 7 and stored in the memory 8 as temperature log data under the control of the control microcomputer 6. Further, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 20 is displayed on the display device 40.

  When a command signal for changing to the silent 1 mode is transmitted from the reader 61 provided at the delivery base 60 to the RFID tag 10 in which the active communication unit 4 is in the silent 2 mode, the command signal is transmitted to the antenna. 3, electromagnetic induction occurs, current flows through the antenna 3 due to the electromagnetic induction, and electromotive force is generated in the antenna 3. Power from the electromotive force generated in the antenna 3 is supplied to the passive communication unit 5, the passive communication unit 5 is driven, and the command signal transmitted from the reader 61 is received by the passive communication unit 5 (step 2). As described above, in the silent 2 mode, although the active communication unit 4 does not transmit and receive signals, the passive communication unit 5 is generated in the antenna 3 due to electromagnetic induction when the command signal is received by the antenna 3. Since it is driven by electromotive force, the command signal transmitted from the reader 61 can be received.

  Then, under the control of the control microcomputer 6, the active communication unit 4 transitions to the silent 1 mode in accordance with the command signal received by the passive communication unit 5 (step 3).

  Thereafter, when the cold box 50 is discharged from the shipping base 60, code information such as a two-dimensional code displayed on a work slip (not shown) attached to the cold box 50 is read and transmitted from the communication device 62, When this code information is received by the communication device 81 of the data center 80, the cold box 50 identified by the received code information is delivered from the delivery base 60 at the transmission time of the code information in the data center 80. Are registered in the database 82 and managed.

  The cold box 50 delivered from the delivery base 60 is transported to the carry-in base 70 by, for example, air transportation by aircraft. At this time, since the active communication unit 4 is in the silent 1 mode, the command signal is intermittently received, but the event signal is not transmitted. Therefore, no radio waves are transmitted via the antenna 2, and there is no problem even when passing through an area where transmission of radio waves is prohibited as in an aircraft.

  The cold box 50 delivered from the delivery base 60 is first carried into the reception area of the carry-in base 70. In this state, the active communication unit 4 of the RFID tag 10 attached to the cold box 50 is in the silent 1 mode (step 4).

  When the wake-up command is transmitted from the reader 73 provided in the reception area 71 to the RFID tag 10 in which the active communication unit 4 is in the silent 1 mode, the wake-up command is transmitted via the antenna 2 to the active communication. Received by the unit 4 (step 5).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the reception operation of the wakeup command in the silent 1 mode of the active communication unit 4 shown in FIG.

  In the silent 1 mode, as shown in FIG. 6, the active communication unit 4 receives the command signal intermittently, and the wakeup command 101 transmitted from the reader 73 is received in the section in the receiving state. Will be.

  The wake-up command 101 is a command signal for changing the active communication unit 4 to the normal mode. Therefore, when the wake-up command 101 is received by the active communication unit 4, the control microcomputer 6 controls the The active communication unit 4 transitions to the normal mode (step 6).

  When the active communication unit 4 transitions to the normal mode, the tag ID stored in the memory 8 is read by the control microcomputer 6 and transmitted to the reader 73 via the active communication unit 4. The tag ID transmitted to the reader 73 is transmitted to the data center 80 via the communication device 75, and the tag received by the data center 80 is received by the communication device 81 of the data center 80. It is registered and managed in the database 82 that the cold box 50 to which the RFID tag 10 identified by the ID is attached is received at the carry-in base 70 at the transmission time of the tag ID.

  Thereafter, when a command signal for changing to the silent 2 mode is transmitted from the reader 73 to the RFID tag 10 in which the active communication unit 4 is in the normal mode, the command signal is activated via the antenna 2. Received by the communication unit 4 (step 7).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a signal transmission / reception operation in the normal mode of the active communication unit 4 shown in FIG.

  In the normal mode, as shown in FIG. 7, the active communication unit 4 periodically transmits an event signal 102 that triggers non-contact communication via the antenna 2, and intermittently receives command signals from the reader. Is not performed, but is in a reception state in a certain section immediately after transmission of the event signal 102, and in this reception state, a response signal 103 to the event signal 102 is received via the antenna 2. Therefore, a command signal for changing to the silent 2 mode can be received as the response signal 103.

  Then, under the control of the control microcomputer 6, the active communication unit 4 transitions to the silent 2 mode according to the command signal received by the active communication unit 4 (step 8).

  Thereafter, the cold box 50 is carried into the carry-in / unpack area 72 from the reception area 71. In this state, the active communication unit 4 of the RFID tag 10 attached to the cold box 50 is in the silent 2 mode (step 9).

  When the cold box 50 is unpacked in the carry-in / unpacking area 72, the opening / closing sensor 30 installed inside the cold box 50 detects the unpacking of the cold box 50 (step 10). When the unpacking of the cold box 50 is detected, a signal indicating that the unpacking of the cold box 50 is detected is transmitted from the open / close sensor 30 to the RFID tag 10.

  In the RFID tag 10, when the signal transmitted from the open / close sensor 30 is received via the interface unit 7, the active communication unit 4 transitions to the normal mode under the control of the control microcomputer 6 (step 11).

  A command signal for requesting temperature log data stored in the memory 8 is sent from the reader 74 provided in the carry-in / unpacking area 72 to the RFID tag 10 in which the active communication unit 4 is in the normal mode. The command signal is transmitted and received by the active communication unit 4 via the antenna 2.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a temperature log data transmission / reception operation in the normal mode of the active communication unit 4 shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the normal mode, the active communication unit 4 periodically transmits an event signal and does not receive a command signal intermittently from the reader, but receives it in a certain interval immediately after the event signal is transmitted. It is in a state. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, in this reception state, the sensor log request command 104 for requesting the temperature log data stored in the memory 8 can be received via the antenna 2 with respect to the event signal.

  When the sensor log request command 104 is received by the RFID tag 10, a command response signal 105 is transmitted from the active communication unit 4 to the reader 74, and then transmitted / received by the active communication unit 4 under the control of the control microcomputer 6. The channel to be used is switched to a channel for transmitting temperature log data, and the channel used for signal transmission / reception in the reader 74 is also switched to a channel for receiving temperature log data.

  Then, the control microcomputer 6 reads a log of the temperature data stored in the memory 8 and transmits it to the reader 74 via the active communication unit 4 (step 12).

  As described above, in the silent 2 mode, the active communication unit 4 is neither transmitting an event signal nor receiving a command signal, but uses the detection signal in the open / close sensor 30 to cause the active communication unit 4 to transition to the normal mode. Thereafter, the temperature log data stored in the memory 8 of the RFID tag 10 can be acquired by the reader 74.

  When the transmission of the log of the temperature data stored in the memory 8 is completed, a command response signal 105 is transmitted from the active communication unit 4 to the reader 74 and is used for signal transmission / reception in the active communication unit 4 under the control of the control microcomputer 6. The channel is switched to the channel for transmitting the event signal, and the channel used for signal transmission / reception in the reader 74 is switched to the channel for receiving the event signal.

  In the normal mode, the tag ID stored in the memory 8 is read by the control microcomputer 6 and transmitted to the reader 74 via the active communication unit 4. The tag ID transmitted to the reader 74 is transmitted together with the temperature log data to the data center 80 via the communication device 75, and the tag ID and the temperature log data are received by the communication device 81 of the data center 80. In the data center 80, the cold box 50 to which the RFID tag 10 identified by the received tag ID is attached has been unpacked at the carry-in base 70 at the transmission time of the tag ID, and the inside of the cold box 50 The temperature history is registered in the database 82 and managed.

  Thereafter, when a command signal for changing to the silent 2 mode is transmitted from the reader 74 to the RFID tag 10 in which the active communication unit 4 is in the normal mode, this command signal is activated via the antenna 2. Received by the communication unit 4 (step 13).

  Then, under the control of the control microcomputer 6, the active communication unit 4 transitions to the silent 2 mode according to the command signal received by the active communication unit 4 (step 14).

  The cold box 50 thus unpacked is returned to the delivery base 60 in a state where the active communication unit 4 is in the silent 2 mode. In the process in which the cold box 50 is returned from the carry-in base 70 to the delivery base 60, non-contact communication is not performed with respect to the RFID tag 10, so that the active communication unit 4 can be set to the silent 2 mode. As a result, almost no power is consumed.

  As described above, the active communication unit 4 changes to the normal mode, the silent 1 mode, and the silent 2 mode in which the power consumption differs depending on the presence / absence of the signal transmission / reception operation according to the command signal. The power consumption can be controlled accordingly. Even if the active communication unit 4 is in the silent 2 mode in which the command signal cannot be received, the passive communication unit 5 receives the command signal, so all modes of the normal mode, the silent 1 mode, and the silent 2 mode are received. It is possible to make a transition to another mode.

  In this embodiment, when the RFID tag 10 receives the wake-up command in the silent 1 mode, the active communication unit 4 is transitioned to the normal mode. When the command signal is received by the passive communication unit 5, the active communication unit 4 may be changed to the normal mode under the control of the control microcomputer 6. Further, in the silent 1 mode, when the command signal for changing to the silent 2 mode is received by the active communication unit 4, the active communication unit 4 is changed to the silent 2 mode under the control of the control microcomputer 6. Furthermore, when the command signal for changing to the silent 1 mode is received by the active communication unit 4 in the normal mode, the active communication unit 4 is set to the silent 1 mode by the control of the control microcomputer 6. You may make a transition.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery 2, 3 Antenna 4 Active communication part 5 Passive communication part 6 Control microcomputer 7 Interface part 8 Memory 10 RFID tag 20 Temperature sensor 30 Opening / closing sensor 40 Display apparatus 50 Cold box 60 Delivery base 61,73,74 Reader 62,75 , 76, 81 Communication device 70 Loading base 71 Reception area 72 Loading / unpacking area 80 Data sensor 82 Database 101 Wake-up command 102 Event signal 103 Response signal 104 Sensor log request command 105 Command response signal

Claims (4)

Occurs in the second antenna due to non-contact communication, an active communication unit that is driven by the power source, transmits and receives signals by non-contact communication via the first antenna, and a power source, first and second antennas A passive communication unit that is driven by the electromotive force and transmits / receives a signal by non-contact communication via the second antenna, and a control unit that performs control according to signal transmission / reception in the active communication unit and the passive communication unit, In an RFID tag comprising
The active communication unit transmits an event signal by the power supply, and receives a command signal by the power supply in a first mode in which information corresponding to the command signal is transmitted when a command signal corresponding to the event signal is received. A second mode in which only the event signal is transmitted, and a third mode in which the event signal is not transmitted and the command signal is not received,
When the active communication unit receives a command signal for switching modes while the active communication unit is in the state of the first or second mode, the control unit transitions the active communication unit to another mode. When the passive communication unit receives a command signal for switching the mode while the active communication unit is in the third mode, the active communication unit is shifted to another mode. RFID tag.   The RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein
  The control unit causes the active communication unit to transition to the second mode when the passive communication unit receives a command signal for switching modes while the active communication unit is in the third mode. An RFID tag characterized by the above. An article management system using the RFID tag according to claim 1,
The active communication unit transmits a command signal for changing the active communication unit to the first mode to the RFID tag in the second mode, and receives the command signal to activate the active tag. The communication unit acquires information stored in the RFID from the RFID in the first mode, and then receives a command signal for changing the active communication unit to the third mode for the RFID. A first communication means for transmitting;
Second communication means for acquiring information stored in the RFID from the RFID in which the active communication unit has transitioned from the third mode to the first mode;
An article management system comprising management means for managing an article to which the RFID is attached, using information acquired by the first and second communication means.   An article management system using the RFID tag according to claim 2,
  Activating means for transmitting a command signal for changing the active communication unit to the second mode to the RFID tag in which the active communication unit is in the third mode;
  A command signal for changing the active communication unit to the first mode is transmitted to the RFID tag in which the active communication unit is in the second mode by the activation unit, and the command signal is By receiving, the information stored in the RFID is acquired from the RFID in which the active communication unit is in the first mode, and then the active communication unit is changed to the third mode for the RFID. First communication means for transmitting a command signal for
  Second communication means for acquiring information stored in the RFID from the RFID in which the active communication unit has transitioned from the third mode to the first mode;
  An article management system comprising management means for managing an article to which the RFID is attached, using information acquired by the first and second communication means.

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