JPH0585065B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a data exchange system for a semiconductor data carrier system that reads and writes data information to a data carrier using a semiconductor storage medium.

[Prior Art] Recently, data storage means has been developed in which data information is stored in a semiconductor storage medium by a scanner device, the data information stored via the storage medium is retrieved by the scanner device, and the data is processed by a computer. Semiconductor data carrier system equipment is attracting attention.

Such semiconductor data carrier system equipment is used in various industrial fields, such as production management, inventory management, and product sales management.The storage medium is attached to the target parts, products, etc., and can be stored at any time. The information stored in the storage medium is read and written.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in conventional semiconductor data carrier systems, data writing from the scanner device to the storage medium and reading of stored information from the storage medium are performed by completely separate and independent systems. Therefore, a two-line circuit configuration for data writing and reading is required in the storage medium.
The problem was that the storage medium itself could not be made smaller. In order to solve these conventional problems, as an improved conventional device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10087/1987 proposes a device that interferes with the write signal from the scanner device to the storage medium by the storage information from the storage medium side. A device for reading data has been proposed.

However, even though such a device is possible in principle, there is a problem in that it cannot actually perform read/write operations with excellent quality and practicality with a low S/N ratio.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide an improved method that enables readout of stored information with excellent quality and excellent S/N ratio while using a storage medium as a small and lightweight element. The objective is to provide a data exchange method that allows

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve the above object, a semiconductor storage medium capable of reading and writing data information, a scanner device that supplies power to the storage medium at the same time as reading and writing data information, and In a semiconductor data carrier system with
This amplitude-modulated transmission carrier wave is transmitted at high frequency from the scanner device to the storage medium by excitation of the transmission coil, and the storage medium rectifies the mixed signal received by the reception coil and uses it as power, and also transmits the data information signal. The step of reading the information stored in the storage medium by the scanner device is performed by demodulating the information and storing it in the memory.The scanner device transmits a read command signal to the storage medium in the same manner as the writing step, and the storage medium is powered and read out. Upon receiving the command signal, the frequency of the received carrier wave signal is divided by 1/2 to form a subcarrier wave,
amplitude modulating the subcarrier with stored information read from the memory by the read command signal;
It is characterized in that it is carried out by propagating radio waves from the transmission antenna of the storage medium to the scanner device and sending them back.

[Operation] Therefore, according to the present invention, data is written from the scanner device to the storage medium by transmitting amplitude modulated waves using high frequency magnetic coupling.

That is, in the present invention, the storage medium does not have a read/write power source inside it;
Power is transmitted from the scanner device at the same time as the data information signal, and this is rectified and used as power.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the storage medium can be made small and lightweight and can be applied to all logistics systems.

Furthermore, when the information stored in the storage medium according to the present invention is read by the scanner device, the stored information is also amplitude-modulated and sent to the scanner device by radio wave propagation in the same way as when writing, and the carrier wave of the stored information at this time is A subcarrier wave whose frequency is divided by half of the carrier wave used during writing is used.

Therefore, according to the present invention, even when reading the stored information, the scanner device can receive the stored information using a subcarrier wave that is completely synchronized with its own carrier wave, so that the synchronization of the readout signal propagated by radio waves is extremely high. It has the advantage of being easy.

[Embodiment of the Invention] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on one embodiment. 1 and 2 show a semiconductor data carrier system device that employs the data exchange system of the present invention, with FIG. 1 showing its external view and FIG. 2 showing its block diagram.

First, the configuration of the device will be explained. Reference numeral 1 denotes a barcode reader disposed on a part of the outer wall of the housing 10 of the device, which reads barcoded data information. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 2 denotes a scanner device which is disposed on a part of the outer wall of the housing 10 of the device and which sends and receives data to and from the semiconductor storage medium 13. It consists of a data write section 3 for writing and a data read section 4 for reading storage signals.
The data write section 3 is composed of one transmission coil for high frequency magnetic coupling, and the data write section 3 transmits a carrier wave obtained by multiplying the basic block frequency by amplitude modulating the carrier wave to the storage medium 13 at a high frequency. By doing so, it is possible to transmit power, clock, and write data with one transmitting coil.

On the other hand, the data read section 4 is comprised of a receiving antenna that reads stored signals by receiving electromagnetic waves propagated from the storage medium 13 using an antenna. Therefore, the scanner device 2 writes the data write section 3 to the storage medium 13.
Just by being close to the transmitting coil, the transmitting coil transmits highly efficient high frequency waves through electromagnetic coupling of a mixed signal of data information and power, and the receiving antenna detects weak electromagnetic waves due to radio wave propagation from the storage medium 13, and this weak radio wave is transmitted by the scanner. Since sufficient amplification is possible within the device 2, the scanner device 2 and the storage medium 13
It is possible to efficiently exchange data between 5 is a keyboard for inputting data information to be written to the storage medium 13; 6 is a display device for displaying data information input from the keyboard 5 or data information read by the data read section 4 and barcode reader 1; 7
8 is a memory for storing data information read by the barcode reader 1 and the scanner device 2, and 8 is a connection terminal for transferring the data information stored in the memory to a host computer (not shown). I/O connector. 9 is a control unit for controlling these devices and the like. 10 is a housing of the device. 11 is a power switch for turning on/off the power of the device. Note that 12 is an article to which a semiconductor storage medium 13 is attached.

Next, the structure of the semiconductor storage medium 13 on which data information is read and written by the device 10 will be explained. FIG. 3 shows an example of a circuit board 20 embedded in the storage medium 13, on which the memo circuit of FIG. 5 is mounted. Reference numeral 21 denotes a receiving coil printed on the substrate 20 for receiving carrier waves transmitted at high frequency from the scanner device 2 of the device. 2
Reference numeral 2 denotes a semiconductor integrated circuit including a signal separation circuit that converts the carrier wave received by the coil 21 into a DC power source and separates data information from the carrier wave, and a memory that stores the data information. 23 is a battery for backing up the memory built into the integrated circuit 22; 24 is a transmitting antenna printed on the substrate 20 for transmitting radio waves of data information stored in the memory to the scanner device 2; 25 is a resin for sealing the integrated circuit 22.

Next, data exchange between the device 10 and the storage medium 13 will be explained. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the scanner device 2, and FIG. 5 is a semiconductor storage medium 13.
The circuit diagram (memo circuit) of the side circuit board 20, FIGS. 6 and 7, show the transmission and reception waveforms of carrier waves during data exchange.

First, writing of data from the scanner device 2 to the storage medium 13 will be explained. Figure 4a
is a data write section of the device 2, and a clock signal (pulse width of one cycle: t _TD ) synchronized with the data information signal 42 of FIG. ) and the data information signal 42 is amplitude-modulated by the amplitude modulation circuit 43 to create a carrier wave with a transmission waveform as shown in FIG.
High frequency transmission is performed to the storage medium 13 via.
In FIG. 6c, the pulse width of one bit of the pulse width of one cycle of the data information signal is equal to the pulse width _tTD of one cycle of the clock signal.As an example of the frequency of this clock signal, assume the case of 150kHz. show. Also, assuming the pulse width of one cycle of the carrier wave as _tTC , as an example of the frequency of this carrier wave, 9.6M
The case of Hz is shown. On the other hand, on the semiconductor storage medium 13 side, after the carrier wave is received by a receiving coil 45 close to the transmitting coil 44 of the scanner device by magnetic coupling,
The rectifier circuit 46 rectifies the power, and the extracted power is sent to the memory circuit via a constant voltage circuit 47 to supply power, and the rectified carrier wave is demodulated into a data information signal via a data discrimination circuit 48. The clock signal is also demodulated via a frequency dividing circuit 49. Therefore, the rectifier circuit 46, constant voltage circuit 47 and data discrimination circuit 48 form the signal separation circuit of the present invention, and the frequency divider circuit 49 provides a clock signal for the semiconductor storage medium 13. As a result of the above, according to the present invention, the power rectified by the rectifier circuit 46 is directly used as a power source for driving the circuit without requiring a power source for driving the circuit on the semiconductor storage medium 13 side. .

Furthermore, since the carrier wave forms a clock signal, scanner device 2 and semiconductor storage medium 13
It is possible to obtain a common synchronized clock signal for both from a mixed signal of data information and power. In the present invention, the frequency dividing circuit 49 constitutes a clock signal demodulating means for controlling the synchronization between the scanner device 2 and the semiconductor storage medium 13. The demodulated data information signal is controlled by the system control unit 51 to
It is written to the memory 52. Note that the memory section 52 retains stored data by a backup battery 53. Furthermore, the data information shown in FIG. 7a, a clock signal synchronized with the data signal FIG. 7b, and a clock signal synchronized with the data signal FIG. 7b.
The AND result is amplitude-modulated to create a storage information carrier signal as shown in FIG. In the data read section 4 of the scanner device 2, the carrier wave is received by a receiving antenna 56, and a tuning circuit 57, a high frequency amplification circuit 58, and a waveform conversion circuit 5
9, the data information storage signal 60 is demodulated.

The data transfer method will be described in further detail. First, writing of data information from the scanner device to the storage medium will be explained using the write flow chart shown in FIG. The transmission coil 44 of the scanner device 2 of the device performs magnetically coupled high frequency transmission using a carrier wave to the storage medium 13, and data information stored in the memory 52 is read according to the read flowchart. . The read action that precedes this write operation is
This is extremely effective for recovery from write errors. When reading of the data information is completed, the scanner device 2 sends data to the storage medium 13 with a write start code as shown in FIG. It is written to 52. The stored data information is read according to the read flowchart and verified with the write data, and if they do not match, the data information is written again.

Next, reading of data information using the read flowchart shown in FIG. 9 will be explained. When the transmitting coil 44 of the scanner device 2 of the device performs high-frequency transmission by magnetic coupling using a carrier wave, and the power in the memo circuit of the circuit board 20 embedded in the semiconductor storage medium 13 is turned on, the self-code generating section 50 generates a high-frequency signal. A code is generated and transferred to the scanner device 2. This self-code is stored in the self-code generating section 50 as arbitrary predetermined information, and is preferably an EE signal of hexadecimal data, for example, and its signal waveform becomes a carrier signal as shown in FIG. 7c, for example. Things will be explained. With this self-code, it is possible to reliably confirm that power has been sent from the scanner device 2 to the semiconductor storage medium 13 side. In the present invention, the transmission of the mixed signal from the scanner device 2 to the storage medium 13 is performed by high frequency transmission using magnetic coupling, and the transmission coil 44 and the reception coil 45 are placed close to each other to ensure reliable and reliable transmission due to the magnetic coupling between the two coils. The mixed signal is efficiently transmitted, and it becomes possible to transmit sufficient power to drive the circuits in the semiconductor storage medium 13. When the scanner device 2 confirms the self-code, it sends a read command signal, ie, a read start code, as shown in FIG. The data information stored in 52 is read and transmitted to the scanner device. The scanner device receives the data information, and after completion of reception, performs a CRC check on the data information, and if OK, stores the data information in the memory 7 and displays it on the display device 6.

In the present invention, the transmission of the storage signal from the storage medium 13 to the scanner device 2 is performed using the storage medium 13.
This is carried out by radio wave propagation between the transmitting antenna 55 provided within the scanner device 2 and the receiving antenna 56 of the scanner device 2. Although the signal transmitted by the radio waves at this time is a weak signal, As mentioned above, the tuning circuit 57 and the high frequency amplification circuit 58
is provided, and even such weak signals propagated by radio waves can be sufficiently captured. Therefore, according to the present invention, signals from the scanner device 2 to the storage medium 13 are transmitted by efficient high-frequency magnetic coupling, while signals from the storage medium 13 to the scanner device 2 in the opposite direction are transmitted by radio wave propagation. Therefore, the most effective data exchange can be achieved.

Further, this read start is executed after confirming the self-code as described above, and power is continuously supplied from the scanner device 2 even to the storage medium 13 which does not have a power supply for driving the circuit. However, since the read start is performed after confirming this power transmission, data exchange can be performed with extremely high reliability.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the stored information read from the storage medium 13 and sent back to the scanner device 2 by radio wave propagation has subcarriers that are similar to those of the carrier waves transmitted from the scanner device to the storage medium 13 for power supply. It has a frequency of 1/2, and synchronization of the read subcarrier waves can be extremely easily obtained on the scanner device 2 side.

Therefore, the present invention has the advantage that a complicated synchronization circuit within the storage medium 13 is not required.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a carrier wave whose clock frequency is multiplied is amplitude-modulated by a data information signal, and power, a clock, and read/write data are transferred from a scanner device to a semiconductor storage medium in a single piece. Simultaneous transmission is performed by high frequency transmission using magnetic coupling in a transmitting coil, and signals are returned from the semiconductor storage medium to the scanner device by transmitting and receiving signals by radio wave propagation from antennas provided on both sides. Therefore, according to the present invention, a mixed signal of data information and power is sent from the scanner device to the semiconductor storage medium by high-frequency transmission with a high degree of coupling due to the magnetic coupling, and efficient data and power transmission is possible. Therefore, the semiconductor storage medium has the advantage that it does not require any power supply for driving circuits.

The return of the signal from the semiconductor storage medium to the scanner device is performed by transmitting and receiving signals from the antenna using radio wave propagation as described above, and reading information from the storage medium is carried out using a sub-frequency frequency obtained by dividing the carrier wave sent from the scanner device by 1/2. Since it uses , it has the advantage of not requiring a synchronization circuit within the storage medium.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a semiconductor data carrier system device with a barcode reader that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the device, and FIG. 3 is a semiconductor memory device that is an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 shows the external view of the memo circuit board of the medium, and Fig. 4 shows the circuit diagram of the scanner device, where a is the data write section, b is the data read section, Fig. 5 is the circuit diagram of the memo circuit, and Fig. 6 is the circuit diagram of the scanner device. FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram of the carrier wave transferred from the scanner device to the memo circuit. FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram of the carrier wave transferred from the memo circuit to the scanner device. FIG. 8 is a write diagram showing the writing of data information during data transfer. FIG. 9 is a read flow chart showing the reading of data information, and FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the data information. 2... Scanner device, 3... Data write unit, 4... Data read unit, 7, 52... Memory, 13... Semiconductor storage medium, 20... Memo circuit board, 21... Receiving coil, 22... Semiconductor integrated circuit, 24, 55...transmission antenna, 43...amplitude modulation circuit, 44...transmission coil, 45...reception coil, 56...reception antenna, 57...tuning circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A semiconductor data carrier system comprising a semiconductor storage medium capable of reading and writing data information, and a scanner device that supplies power to the storage medium at the same time as reading and writing data information, comprising: In the writing process from the device to the storage medium, a transmission carrier wave is amplitude-modulated with a data information signal, and this amplitude-modulated transmission carrier wave is transmitted at high frequency from the scanner device toward the storage medium by excitation of a transmission coil, and the storage medium is This is done by rectifying the mixed signal received by the receiving coil and using it as electric power, and demodulating the data information signal and storing it in the memory. transmitting a read command signal to the storage medium in the same manner as in the writing step, and the storage medium receives the power and the read command signal, and divides the received carrier wave signal by half to form a subcarrier wave;
amplitude modulating the subcarrier with stored information read from the memory by the read command signal;
A data exchange method in a semiconductor data carrier system, characterized in that data is transmitted and received by propagating radio waves from a transmission antenna of a storage medium to a scanner device and sending the data back.