JPH10135884A - Contactless medium processor and incoming and outgoing chamber management device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase or reduce a communication area in accordance with the frequency or dullness of users' communication use and to control power consumption of contactless communication by providing a switching means which switches communication distance that forms a communication area of a contactless medium. SOLUTION: A card reader 11 has a communication area switching function which switches the maximum communication areas 13a, 13b,... that take long communication distance 12 and output in fixed cycles T1 from/to the minimum communication areas 15a, 15b,... that take short distance 14 and output in a short cycles T2. The communication area switching function outputs in the maximum communication areas 13a,... and expedites communication correspondence when communication use is in a frequent time zone, and outputs in the minimum communication areas 15a,... and performs communication processing in low output because contactless communication counts are not so many in the case of a dull time zone. Thus, it selects a communication area in accordance with the frequency of communication use, reduces power consumption when an communication area is reduced and makes costs low.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-contact medium processing device for use in, for example, management of room entry / exit, and more particularly to a non-contact medium such as a card key for allowing a communication distance to be reduced. The present invention relates to a non-contact medium processing device and an entry / exit management device which reduce power consumption at the time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a non-contact medium processing device of this kind outputs a communication area for non-contact communication, and when a non-contact medium corresponds to this communication area, information on the medium is read in a non-contact manner. Data is exchanged.

When such a non-contact medium processing device is installed outdoors or at a frequently used entrance / exit, the communication area is set long by setting a long communication distance so that the data communication can be reliably performed. Need to be bigger.

However, it is known that when the communication distance is lengthened, the power consumption increases in proportion to the square of the communication distance. In this case, the average power consumption must be increased and the cost increases. I was In particular, if the usage position is a time zone where frequent use of non-contact media and frequent use of non-contact media are mixed, a large communication area can be configured by increasing the communication distance in accordance with the frequent use time of communication. As a result, the use of communication was wasteful and was not used during quiet hours, which was uneconomical.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when processing a non-contact card 71, for example, any of the communication areas 74a, 74b, 74c,... The non-contact card 71 communicates in response to the communication, but if it does not match the first communication area 74a at this time, the next communication area 74
b. In this case, the response time is delayed, and there is a problem that the user feels the non-contact communication processing to be slow.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention sets a large communication area when communication is frequently used by a user when using non-contact media, and sets a communication area when communication is not used by a user. It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-contact medium processing device and an entry / exit management device capable of performing power-saving control of non-contact communication by reducing an area.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A non-contact medium processing device that communicates with a non-contact medium in a non-contact manner, characterized by comprising a switching means for switching a communication distance forming a communication area of the non-contact medium.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a switching means for switching a minimum communication distance and a maximum communication distance at regular intervals.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a switching means for switching to a maximum communication distance at the end of the communication processing of the non-contact medium.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when communication is performed at a maximum communication distance, a switching means for switching to a minimum communication distance unless a non-contact medium is processed for a predetermined time is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an entry / exit management device configured to manage entry / exit of a room using a non-contact medium processing device.

[0012]

According to the present invention, when data is transmitted / received to / from a non-contact medium for data processing, the switching means switches the communication distance forming the communication area of the non-contact medium in accordance with the degree of non-contact use.

Further, when the switching means switches the size of the communication area, the switching means switches the minimum communication distance and the maximum communication distance at regular intervals.

Further, when the switching means switches the size of the communication area, it switches to the maximum communication distance at the end of the communication processing of the non-contact medium.

Similarly, when the switching means switches the size of the communication area, when the communication is performed at the maximum communication distance, the non-contact medium is switched to the minimum communication distance unless the non-contact medium is processed for a predetermined time.

[0016] The entry and exit of the room is managed using the non-contact medium processing device.

[0017]

As a result, the size of the communication area capable of communicating with the non-contact medium can be switched so as to be scalable, so that the communication area is set to a communication area having a size suitable for the degree of use of the non-contact medium. it can. For example, in a time zone where communication of a non-contact medium is frequently used, a large communication area can be set to promote communication, and in a quiet time zone, a small communication area can be set to reduce power consumption. Can be reduced.

Further, when switching the size of the communication area,
If the setting is made such that the communication distance is switched to the maximum at the end of the communication, the communication area is expanded at the time of handling the next non-contact medium, so that the next response speed can be increased. Similarly,
When switching the size of the communication area, if communication is not performed at the maximum communication distance for a certain period of time, if it is set to switch to the minimum communication distance, it is determined that communication use is quiet and the communication area is automatically reduced and Power consumption can be reduced.

In addition, since the communication cycle is shortened as the communication area is reduced, the response speed is increased, and the user feels the response processing of the non-contact medium faster, and the handling operability of the non-contact medium is improved. .

Further, if the non-contact medium processing device is applied to an entry / exit management device for controlling entry / exit of a room, it is possible to regulate and control entry / exit and to accurately manage the number of persons in the room and the like. Entry and exit management can be performed under high management.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a non-contact card reader 11 used in an entry / exit management device for managing entry / exit of a room. The non-contact card reader 11 takes a long communication distance 12 and outputs a maximum communication area 13a which outputs at a constant period T1. 13b, 13c
, And a communication area switching function for switching to the minimum communication areas 15a, 15b, 15c,... Which output a short communication distance 14 and a short period T2.

This communication area switching function is output in the maximum communication area 13a to facilitate communication when the communication is frequently used, and the number of non-contact communication is small when the communication is frequently used. Therefore, the output is performed in the minimum communication area 15a, and the communication processing is performed with a low output. In this way, by selecting the size of the communication area according to the communication use frequency, the communication area can be used effectively, and if this communication area is reduced, the average power consumption is reduced and the cost is reduced. Can be achieved. Then, the output communication areas 13a,.
A non-contact ID card (hereinafter, referred to as a card) 16 having a communication function at 15a...

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the entry / exit management device. A card 16 stores a personal DC (data carrier) 16a such as a name and a code number for specifying a user. Contactless card reader 11
Is read and checked. This non-contact card reader 11
CPU 21 controls each circuit device according to a program stored in ROM 22 and stores the control data in RAM 23.
Is stored so as to be readable.

The maximum distance transmission circuit 24 is
The electromagnetic wave transmission data of the maximum communication distance is output to the transmission antenna 25 based on the control signal of the above, and the minimum distance transmission circuit 26 similarly outputs the electromagnetic wave transmission data of the minimum communication distance to the transmission antenna 25 based on the control signal of the CPU 21, One of the transmission data is output to the area to be communicated via the transmission antenna 25, and the reception circuit 27 receives the electromagnetic wave reception data from the card 11 located in the communication area by the reception antenna 28.
To enter through.

Further, the CPU 21 switches the supply voltage and the supply current to the transmission coil, thereby controlling the electromagnetic force according to the maximum distance transmission circuit 24 and the minimum distance transmission circuit 26 to switch to a desired communication distance. .

Further, an external device 29 having a display, a buzzer, a switch, a host computer, a timer and the like is connected to the non-contact card reader 11, and the display of the external device 29 reads whether the card is valid or invalid. A judgment result and the contents of the entry / exit operation are displayed on a liquid crystal display, and a confirmation is notified by a buzzer or a switch to notify the entry / exit operation or to output an alarm when an abnormality occurs. Further, data is acquired from the host computer in a time zone in which communication is frequently used or in a quiet time zone, and a communication valid time is measured by a timer, and a communication area switching time is measured.

FIG. 3 shows an output state of a communication area in which one non-contact card reader 11 allows one of two types of communication areas 13 and 15 having different sizes to be output, and these communication areas constitute the same area. Since power consumption increases in proportion to the length of each of the communication distances 12 and 14, the card is selectively used in accordance with the frequency of use of cards that are contactlessly communicated.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the communication cycle of the non-contact card reader, which takes a long communication distance 12 and has a constant cycle T.
When the maximum communication output (maximum power consumption) 41 output at 1 and the minimum communication output (minimum power consumption) 42 output at a short communication distance 14 and with a short period T2 are switched at regular intervals and output alternately. It is. In this case, the maximum communication output 4
One side supports communication over a wide area to enable communication even at a relatively distant position, and the minimum communication output 42 side consumes minimum power, so that the cost can be reduced.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an output setting mode in which the output is controlled in accordance with the time zone. In the time zone where communication is frequently used, the normal operation mode 51 is set.
In this case, the maximum communication output 41 that forms the maximum communication area becomes the maximum communication power consumption, and communicates with the card 16 under wide-range communication conditions with maximum power consumption.

On the other hand, the power saving operation mode 52 is set in a time zone in which the communication use frequency is low, and in the power saving operation mode 52, the minimum communication output 42 for forming the minimum communication area becomes the minimum power consumption. Communicates with the card 16.

In addition to the power saving effect, in the power saving operation mode 52, the minimum communication areas 15a, 15b, 15c,.
2 (see FIG. 1), even if the card 16 does not coincide with the first minimum communication area 15a, the cycle to the next minimum communication area 15b is extremely short so that a response can be immediately made, and therefore the response time is short. This speeds up the operation and makes the user feel faster in the non-contact communication processing, thereby improving the handling operability of the card.

When switching the size of the communication area, the CPU 21 sets the maximum communication distance (maximum communication area) 12 at the end of the card communication.
When dealing with the next card, the response is always made to the maximum communication area, so that the response to the next card is improved.

Similarly, when the CPU 21 switches the size of the communication area, the maximum communication distance (maximum communication area) 12
If it is set to switch to the minimum communication distance (minimum communication area) 14 when no communication is performed for a certain period of time, the CPU 21
The communication area can be automatically switched to a smaller area by automatically detecting the decrease in communication use, and power consumption can be automatically reduced.

The communication processing operation of the non-contact card reader applied to the entry / exit management device thus configured will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Now, when the use of the card is in a quiet time zone, the contactless card reader 11 is set in the minimum communication area 15a, 15b, 15c,... To permit communication with the card 16 (steps n1 to n2).

On the other hand, when the card is frequently used for communication, the contactless card reader 11 is set to the maximum communication area 13a, 13b, 13c,... To permit communication with the card 16 (step n3). To n4).

When the communication with the card 16 is performed,
The CPU 21 reads the card data and processes the data (steps n5 to n6).
Regardless of the data processing in 3a or the minimum communication area 15a, when this data processing is completed, the CPU 21 sets the maximum communication area, thereby promoting the correspondence with the next card and improving the responsiveness with the next card. (Step n7
).

By repeating this, data processing of the card is sequentially performed. After that, if there is no communication with the next card for a certain period of time, the CPU 21 determines that the communication use has become idle and switches to the minimum communication area 15a. As a result, the communication area automatically becomes a communication area suitable for desertion, and power consumption can be reduced by this minimum communication area.
The size of the communication area can be automatically switched in accordance with the degree of use of the card from beginning to end (steps n8 to n1).
1).

As described above, since the size of the communication area that can communicate with the card can be switched so that it can be scaled up and down, communication can be performed by setting the communication area to a size suitable for the degree of use of the card. If communication is frequently used, it can be set to a large communication area to promote communication support.If it is a quiet time, it can be set to a small communication area to reduce power consumption. it can.

When switching the size of the communication area,
If it is set to switch to the maximum communication distance at the end of communication, the communication area is expanded when corresponding to the next card, so the next response speed can be increased, and when switching the size of the communication area, When communication is not performed at the maximum communication distance for a certain period of time, if the communication is switched to the minimum communication distance, it is determined that communication use is idle, and the communication area is automatically reduced to reduce power consumption. . In addition, since the communication cycle is shortened as the communication area is reduced, the response speed is increased, and the user feels the response processing of the card faster, and the handling operability of the card is improved.

Further, if this non-contact card reader is applied to an entry / exit management device for controlling entry / exit of a room, it is possible to regulate and control entry / exit and to accurately manage the number of persons in the room, thereby improving reliability. Entry and exit management can be performed under high management.

In the correspondence between the present invention and the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the non-contact medium processing device of the present invention corresponds to the non-contact card reader 11 of the embodiment. The communication area corresponds to the non-contact ID card 16, the communication area corresponds to the maximum communication area 13a, 13b, 13c... And the minimum communication area 15a, 15b, 15c. The configuration is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an output state of each communication area of a contactless card reader of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control circuit block diagram of the entry / exit management device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an output state of two types of communication areas having different sizes according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of two types of communication outputs having different output amounts according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a time chart showing a normal operation mode and a power saving operation mode of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a communication processing operation of a contactless card reader applied to the entry / exit management device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an output state of a communication area of a conventional contactless card reader.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Contactless card reader 12 ... Long communication distance 13a, 13b, 13c ... Maximum communication area 14 ... Short communication distance 15a, 15b, 15c ... Minimum communication area 16 ... Contactless ID card T2 ... Short cycle 21 ... CPU 41 ... Maximum Communication output (maximum power consumption) 42 ... Minimum communication output (minimum power consumption) 52 ... Power saving operation mode

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A non-contact medium processing device for communicating with a non-contact medium in a non-contact manner, comprising a switching means for switching a communication distance forming a communication area of the non-contact medium. 2. The non-contact medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the switching means switches the minimum communication distance and the maximum communication distance at regular intervals. 3. The non-contact medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the switching means switches to a maximum communication distance at the end of the non-contact medium communication processing. 4. The non-contact medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the switching means switches to the minimum communication distance if the non-contact medium is not processed for a predetermined time when communicating at the maximum communication distance. 5. An entry / exit management device configured to manage entry / exit of a room using the non-contact medium processing device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4.