JPH10334198A - Keeping management system for book kind - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To excellently perform communication with an RF-ID element inside a book kind classification label without increasing the output of a reader by making plural antenna unit parts correspond to respective read control parts and successively switching the antenna unit parts to be used at the time of read. SOLUTION: This system is constituted of the classification label with a built-in RF-ID element for managing book kinds stuck to the book kinds, an RF-ID read control part 11 arranged for at least one piece in one bookshelf, the plural antenna unit parts 12 for transmitting and receiving signals required for performing the communication with the RF-ID element and antenna switching parts 13a and 13b for switching the antenna unit parts 12, etc. Then, the RF-ID read control part 11 is operated so as to control the antenna unit switching part 12, successively scan shelf stages and areas and search a target RF-ID element. Thus, the communication with the RF-ID element is made possible without increasing the output of an RF-ID reader.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a collection of documents in a library or a library, or a set of documents stored in a field other than a library or the like for rental or sale purposes. Lending management,
Regarding the storage management system of collections, inventory management, etc., and the storage management system of documents that are useful for labor saving and rationalization of work for searching for those documents, especially as the number of individual documents becomes large, This is a technology that is effective. The term "document" as used in the present invention includes not only conventional books (books) but also various other information recording media (sound, music, voice, moving picture, still picture, character, code, etc.). Disk, tape, and other recording media).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to manage collections and materials in a library or a library, an index collection or a catalog card or a rental ledger for the purpose of researching and searching for documents is used. Was. And attach a label with the management code on the back of each document,
The lending history card for the document is stored in the bag attached to the spread on the back cover of the document, and the name of the user, the date of lending, the expected date of return, etc. are entered at the time of lending and stored in the library, and
The lending process has been performed by preparing a personal card of a user, entering the lending document name, the lending date, and the expected return date on the card and storing the card in the bag of the lending document. Even now, many schools continue to use this traditional loan management method.

[0003] In recent years, for the purpose of rationalization of document management,
Computers have come to manage each document by attaching a management label recording a unique barcode to the document.

[0004] Thus, in the conventional document storage management system using a barcode, the correctness of the layout of the documents, the inspection of unregistered documents, and the presence or absence of documents other than those being rented. To check the storage status, the worker goes to the bookshelf, removes the documents from the bookshelf, reads the barcode attached to the documents with a barcode reader, stores the read document numbers in the mobile terminal, Thereafter, the document number stored in the portable terminal is transferred to the host computer at a time, and the document number is compared with the database.

[0005] Then, based on the collation result, the worker goes to the shelf again, removes the misplaced or unregistered documents from the shelf, corrects the shelving, performs registration, and registers the documents. I was working on searching.

However, in such a system, every time a document is inspected, a worker must go to the bookshelf many times and search for the relevant document, which takes time, and the work efficiency is poor. there were.

Therefore, there has been proposed a technique for efficiently determining the location and presence of a document stored on a bookshelf.

[0008] For example, there is a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-222428. According to this, a host computer provided with a database in which document information such as layout information and reservation information of the documents are stored, and a portable device provided with a reading device for reading the document number assigned to each document. This is a document inspection system consisting of a terminal and a portable terminal that takes the bookcase to be inspected, takes the document out of the bookcase, reads the barcode, and outputs the check result to the host computer on the spot. Since there is no need to go to the host computer to check the result, the document can be inspected efficiently.

[0009] However, in this method, in order to search for a required document, an operator is not released from the work of going out to the bookshelf and collating one book at a time with a barcode. It is enough. In addition, since there is no means for clearly displaying the location where the required documents are stored, it takes a long time to search where the required documents are stored in a large number of bookshelves in the library. There is a disadvantage that the solution has not been reached.

As another example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No. 7 publication. According to this, a plurality of documents are stored in one box, boxes of the same shape are arranged on a shelf, the position of the box storing the documents on the shelf is stored in a database, and a box detection unit and By providing a bookshelf having a first display unit, an operation input unit for inputting search information of a document, and a second display unit for displaying search results near the operation input unit, the barcode of the document can be reduced to one. Eliminate the work of reading each book, output the required bookshelf position on the display unit provided near the operation input unit, and use it in the predetermined box on the shelf of the bookshelf containing the searched documents. By displaying the storage position of the document to be searched, the document search can be easily performed.

However, according to this method, the storage position of the document itself is not displayed, but the storage box for the document is placed at the correct position on the shelf, and the document is correctly stored in the storage box for the document. Preservation is a prerequisite, and there is a problem that the effect is not obtained with respect to an incorrect arrangement of storage boxes or an act of erroneously putting documents in a box different from the database. In addition, the work of correctly arranging the storage boxes and the work of storing the documents in the corresponding boxes without errors have to rely on humans, and the workers have to work hard. Furthermore, the bookshelf with a box has to be newly laid, which has the disadvantage of high installation costs.

Therefore, in order to solve these problems, recently, a document to which a document classification label having a built-in RF-ID element is attached, a bookcase for storing the document, and an RF-ID diagram A large number of document classification information, such as registration numbers recorded on a semiconductor IC chip incorporated in a document classification label, can be read simultaneously and / or instantaneously in large numbers (for example, code division by time division or spread spectrum). Equipped with an RF-ID reader, a document code database, and a document storage management means including a computer having a built-in search and inspection program for stored documents, and further provided on a bookshelf. A visual display for displaying the position of the target document by the display device provided, and the document searched by the operation of the computer terminal device is provided. Instructs the stacks positions that are placed in the display screen of the computer terminal apparatus, the automatic search of storage view documents so as to light up and the position displaying visual indicator provided on the shelves, inspection means have been devised. Then, in order to use only one RF-ID reader for one bookshelf, as shown in FIG. 7, the RF-ID reader is arranged facing the front of the bookshelf and housed in the bookshelf. A method has been devised in which a signal is emitted toward a document classification label having a built-in RF-ID element attached to the spine of a document.

However, in the above method, this is a considerable distance between the bookshelf and the RF-ID reader, and if reading is to be performed irrespective of the distance between the bookshelf and the RF-ID reader, there is a technical problem. If so, for example, it is considered necessary to increase the output of the RF-ID reader. Therefore, this is inefficient and uneconomical. In this case, interference with other RF-ID readers is likely to occur, and the R of the document classification label is
Communication with the F-ID element may become unstable. Furthermore, it may even interfere with other wireless equipment, which is very undesirable. On the other hand, although the output of the RF-ID reader may be reduced, the directivity of the emitted radio wave may be sharpened, and the RF-ID reader may be mechanically scanned up, down, left, and right. Since the configuration and control become complicated and the device becomes considerably expensive in terms of cost, there is a concern that the cost of the system will increase and the price at the time of sale will increase. Also, if there is an object (for example, a person or the like) between the bookshelf and the RF-ID reader, the electromagnetic wave is easily cut off, and R
F-ID reader and RF-I in document classification label
Communication with the D element may not be possible.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to increase the output of an RF-ID reader without increasing the output. Communication with the RF-ID element in the classification label becomes good, and communication with the RF-ID element in the document classification label becomes unstable due to interference with another RF-ID reader. Can be prevented beforehand, the reliability of the system can be improved, and there is no need to disturb other radio equipment, and mechanically complicated mechanisms can be unnecessary. It is an object of the present invention to provide a document storage management system that can reduce the cost of manufacturing a system and the cost of selling the system.

[0015]

Means provided by the present invention in order to solve the above-mentioned problems are, first, an RF-ID comprising a semiconductor IC chip and an antenna.
An RF-ID drawing classification label with a built-in element attached thereto and registered and processed, a shelf for storing the drawing, installed on or near the shelf and incorporated in the RF-ID drawing classification label RF-ID reader for reading the document classification information recorded on the semiconductor IC chip in a non-contact manner, a document database of stored documents, and either searching or inspection of the stored documents. In a document storage management system including a computer that executes one or both of them, in a document storage management system including both of them, the RF-ID reader is built in the RF-ID document classification label. R
A read control unit for controlling reading of information between an F-ID element and the RF-ID reader, and the RF-ID
An element and an antenna unit for reading information in a non-contact manner are arranged apart from each other, and a plurality of the antenna unit are arranged separately from each other, with respect to one of the read control units. , A plurality of antenna units are associated for non-contact information reading, and the RF-ID in each RF-ID document classification label is sequentially assigned to each document stored on the shelf. I
A document storage management system comprising an antenna switching unit capable of sequentially switching the antenna unit to be used when each information of a D element is read in a non-contact manner. According to this, each RF-ID
Since the RF-ID element in the document classification label and the antenna unit can be arranged close to each other, unstable communication with the RF-ID element due to interference with the RF-ID reader does not occur.

More preferably, the basic structure of the system according to claim 1 is as described in claim 2. In particular, the antenna unit is provided on a shelf of a bookshelf, and the RF-ID reading control is provided on the bookshelf. Unit and an antenna switching unit are provided, and when the antenna unit is switched, the shelf on which the antenna unit is provided is designated and sequentially switched and stored. It is characterized in that automatic retrieval of documents or automatic inspection thereof is performed. According to this, by providing the antenna unit on the shelf, each RF-I
Since the distance to the RF-ID element in the D-document classification label is further reduced, the output of the RF-ID reader can be used efficiently. Also, one R
An F-ID reader can correspond to one book shelf.

More preferably, the system according to any one of claims 1 and 2 has a basic configuration as described in claim 3, and in particular, a plurality of antenna unit sections are provided on a shelf of a book shelf, and The shelf plate also has an antenna switching unit for sequentially switching the antenna unit unit used when contactlessly reading each information of each RF-ID element of each document on or near the board. It is a feature. According to this, the shelf unit is further provided with an antenna unit switching unit, and is a means for switching a plurality of antenna unit units of the shelf, so that the area is finely divided into the same shelf (for example, a certain shelf (Such as being able to grasp where it is).

More preferably, as a fourth aspect, the system according to any one of the first to third aspects has a basic configuration, and particularly, as a signal transmission means between the RF-ID reader and the RF-ID element. In the case where the inductive magnetic field coupling method is used, the antenna unit of the shelf is formed of either a wound coil or a printed coil formed of a printed circuit board.

Preferably, the system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 has a basic configuration as described in claim 5, and particularly as a signal transmission means between the RF-ID reader and the RF-ID element. When the coupling method using radio waves is used, the antenna unit of the shelf board is composed of a printed circuit board, and the part that transmits radio waves has a transmission line configuration with impedance matching, and radiates or receives radio waves. The antenna portion is characterized by forming a planar antenna by a printed pattern. According to this, since the printed circuit board is used, there is an advantage that the cost can be easily reduced and the manufacturing is convenient.

[0020] Preferably, the system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 has a basic configuration as described in claim 6, and particularly as a signal transmission means between the RF-ID reader and the RF-ID element. When the coupling method using radio waves is used, the antenna unit portion of the shelf board has a transmission line configuration in which the portion for transmitting radio waves is impedance-matched, and the antenna portion for radiating or receiving radio waves is And a slot antenna in which a slot of an elongated groove is provided in the waveguide. According to this, since the waveguide has a slot antenna provided with a slot of an elongated groove, it has a mechanical structure and is convenient for manufacturing. In particular, there is an advantage that is advantageous in mass production.

More preferably, the system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 has a basic configuration as described in claim 7, and in particular, the document is a book. In the case of a book, the thickness, size, and shape are various, but in general, the thickness is bulky, although the degree is different.
The tendency for the thickness and size to tend to be enormous in a highly specialized book is conspicuous. In addition, when the number of collections becomes enormous, as in the case of a library or a library, a large space is required for storage, and it is extremely difficult to search for the book and perform various managements. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to greatly contribute to labor saving and rationalization of such work.

More preferably, the system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 has a basic configuration as described in claim 8, and in particular, the book has information recorded on either an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk. Characterized in that it is an information recording medium. These disc-shaped recording media such as an optical disk (eg / laser disk, music CD, CD-ROM, MD, etc.) and a magneto-optical disk (eg / writable CD, rewritable CD, writable M)
D, rewritable MD, DVD, etc.), the thickness is not as diversified as a book, and the size of the storage space is relatively small (relatively). However, all of them are disc-shaped, so it is difficult to confirm what kind of disc it is until you look at the label thinly.Moreover, as the discs are similar in shape, the number of such discs is enormous. It is hard to do. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to greatly contribute to labor saving and rationalization of such work.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, each bookshelf has a classification label having a built-in RF-ID element for sticking to a document and managing the documents, and at least one RF tag arranged on one bookcase. -A control unit of the ID reading device and the RF-
A plurality of antenna units for transmitting and receiving signals necessary for communicating with the ID element, an antenna switching unit for switching the antenna unit, and a LAN (Local Area Network) terminal connected to the RF-ID reading control unit , And each book shelf is connected to a computer via a LAN control device. The LAN can be a wired system or a wireless system.

The computer includes a document database storing document information such as document names, author names, publisher names, ISBN codes and classification numbers, which are management codes in libraries, and information on bookshelf arrangements and documents. And a document search program for controlling the RF-ID reader and the LAN device to check and search for documents, and further include an operation input unit, a display unit, an auxiliary storage unit, and the like. And an RF-ID read / write device connected to the computer terminal.

If the document is an information recording medium of so-called entertainment software for appreciation or games, for example, the title of the software is used as the name of the document, and the title of the information is appropriately subdivided into the author name. Creator name, director name,
The information to be handled for management may be selected and applied to the system in consideration of the actual situation of the document to be handled, such as the writer's name. Further, if the document is some kind of sales product and the present invention is applied to the management thereof, the RF-ID document classification label attached to each sales product is removed when it can be sold, or Whether to sell the product with the affixed may be appropriately selected.

Then, a small R, which is a non-contact transmission mechanism composed of an IC chip and an antenna, is attached to the document classification label.
By using the F-ID element, the search of stored documents and the inspection work are rationalized. The non-contact transmission mechanism uses an antenna connected to a semiconductor IC chip as a transmission element,
-Absorbs electromagnetic energy radiated into the air from the ID reading device and wirelessly receives and transmits power and transmits and receives signals. In this way, not only is there no need for a box for detecting documents, but also in a short time without any influence on the posture of the books on the bookshelf, such as tilting or rolling over the bookshelf. The location of the document can be reliably detected.

This small RF-ID element is sealed in paper or plastic to provide a document classification label. In the table of the document classification label, management codes such as the date of purchase of the document and the classification code are described, and an adhesive is applied to the back of the classification label. Is attached to the back of the document when purchasing it. At this time, no data exists in the memory area built in the RF-ID element for recording the document data, and the document is in a blank state.

To register a new document, start the document registration program from the operation input unit of the computer terminal.
Enter additional information such as the document name, author name, publisher name, ISBN code, barcode, date of issue, registration date, etc. and the classification number, which is the management code of the library, to additionally register in the document database. I do. In addition, the management code is recorded by writing or printing on the surface of the RF-ID document classification label in characters. It is also effective that the recording is made on a colored paper such as a thermosensitive recording paper. Further, in parallel with the description of the surface, R
Classification code unique to documents is stored in the memory of the F-ID element.
-Recorded by ID read / write device.

Although detailed document information such as the document name can be recorded, the recording data of the document is minimized in order to increase the memory capacity of the RF-ID element. At the final stage of the registration process, the collation program is started by operating the terminal, and the classification code recorded on the RF-ID element of the document classification label attached to the document is read out from the reading / writing device, and is already input. The displayed document information is displayed on the monitor screen. The operator compares the displayed contents with the documents and the contents described on the surface of the classification label. At this time, the contents of the document can be read into a computer using an OCR (Optical Caracter Reader).

A part of the classification code of the document (for example, a dictionary or a code corresponding to the contents of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering) is associated with the shelf code, and the registered document is processed by the corresponding document. To be stored on the shelf. The order in which the books are placed on the bookshelf does not need to be specified, and it is sufficient to ensure that they are in the same field. The bookshelf is almost the same as a normal rack structure, except that the bookshelf communicates with the RF-ID element incorporated in the book classification label on the shelf of the bookshelf, particularly preferably inside the shelf. That is, an antenna unit for transmitting and receiving a signal necessary for this is provided.
The bookshelf is provided with an RF-ID reading control unit and an antenna switching unit, which sequentially switches the antenna unit unit (shelf plate) so that the system can automatically search and check the stored documents without trouble. It is.

The direction of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the antenna unit of the shelf (the outer surface of the shelf or the interior of the shelf) may be either upward or downward on the shelf, but within the same shelf. It is preferable that they are unified. A plurality of antenna units are provided inside the shelf of the shelf, and another antenna switching unit is provided inside the shelf to switch the antenna unit inside the shelf, so that the same shelf can be finely divided into areas. It is also possible to perform more detailed management.

[0032] The control unit of the RF-ID reader of each shelf is connected to a visual display provided on the shelf,
The documents retrieved from the computer terminal are the RF-
When it is on the bookshelf where the ID reader is installed,
The position of the document is displayed on a visual display, and information such as a shelf number and an area is displayed.

By the above means, it is not necessary to increase the output of the RF-ID reader,
Communication instability with the RF-ID element in the document classification label due to interference between the F-ID readers does not occur, reliability is improved, and other radio equipment is not interfered with. Since no complicated mechanical mechanism is required, the cost of the system can be reduced.

[0034]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a system for storing and managing documents according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an outline of the entire configuration of the embodiment. still,
In this embodiment, management in a library (or a library), particularly a case where so-called books are stored as books will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the book storage management system includes a book 20, a book classification label 21 with a built-in RF-ID element attached to the book 20, a book name and an author which are search items of the book. Name,
A book database 1 storing book information such as a publisher name, an ISBN code, and a classification number (which is a management code in a library), a book shelf information, book keywords, and the like. An RF-ID reader 10 for reading the RF-ID element of the present invention is provided. The RF-ID reading device communicates with an RF-ID reading control unit 11 for controlling reading of information recorded on a semiconductor IC chip built in the RF-ID book classification label, and an RF-ID element. In this configuration, the antenna unit 12 for transmitting and receiving signals necessary for the above is separated from each other, and one RF-ID reading control unit 11 is provided with antenna switching units 13a and 13b for switching the antenna unit and a plurality of antennas. It consists of a unit section 12.

The LAN controller 6 and a plurality of LANs
A computer having both a built-in book search program (not shown) for controlling and checking a book by controlling a LAN system 8 composed of a terminal 7 and a book check program for checking books based on book codes and check information. 9, operation input unit 2, monitor device 3, auxiliary storage device 4, OCR device 5 mainly for registering and collating books, and RF
An ID read / write device 14; Here, to the RF-ID reading control unit 11 installed on the bookshelf, a visual display 15 for displaying position information such as a shelf number and an area where a required book exists as a result of book search is connected. Yes, the visual indicator is provided for each shelf.
The RF-ID element (not shown) built in the book classification label 21 attached to the book 20 and the RF-I installed on the bookshelf.
The D-reading device 10 is connected to the D-reading device 10 by non-contact information transmission means using either an induction magnetic field coupling method or a coupling method using radio waves such as microwaves.

Although a general keyboard is used for the operation input unit 2, a dedicated keyboard may be used. The monitor device 3 is a general CRT display device, but may be a display device of another type such as a liquid crystal display. Also, LA
The form of the N system 8 can be a wired system or a wireless system.

As shown in FIG. 2, the computer system for storing and managing the documents includes a host computer 30 and a plurality of terminal devices. The terminal device of the book storage management system according to the present invention includes a user terminal 31 that can start a book search program and an administrator terminal 32 that can start a book inspection program that also performs collection management in addition to searching. It is roughly divided. Note that the terminal device is applied to a book purchase system, a book lending / return system, and the like, in addition to the storage management of books. These user terminal 31, administrator terminal 32, shelf 16 and LAN terminal 7 for LAN system, LAN control device 6, and a book search program and a book check program (not shown) constitute an automatic book search and check system. A line is connected between the computer 9 and the RF-ID reader 10 by a wired or wireless communication between a LAN control device 6 connected to the computer 9 and a LAN terminal 7 installed on a bookshelf.

A part of the classification code of the book 20 (for example, a code corresponding to a dictionary, indicating a specific technical field such as mechanical engineering or electrical engineering, etc.) is associated with a shelf code and registered. The processed books 20 are stored in the corresponding bookshelf 16. Book 2 on bookshelf 16
There is no particular need to determine the order in which the 0s are arranged. However, considering that the efficiency of discovering books, even though it is an automatic process, is slightly increased, or considering the convenience of searching for multiple books with related contents and extracting those books, etc., at least the books in the same field on the same shelf It's better to have a promise of just about aligning.

The bookshelf 16 has a normal rack structure.
The difference from the related art is that an antenna unit 12 for transmitting and receiving signals necessary for communicating with an RF-ID element incorporated in a book classification label is provided inside a shelf 17 of a book shelf. The bookshelf 16 is provided with an RF-ID reading control unit 11 and an antenna switching unit 13a, and sequentially switches the antenna unit unit (shelf) to perform automatic search and inspection of stored books. The result of the book search is displayed on the monitor device and also on the visual display 15 connected to the RF-ID reading control unit 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of antenna units 12 are further provided inside the shelf 17 of the book shelf 16, and another antenna switching unit 13b is provided inside the shelf 17 to switch the antenna unit inside the shelf. In order to provide more control, the RF-ID reading control unit 11 controls the antenna switching units 13a and 13b to sequentially switch between each shelf and each area. It is also possible to At this time, the direction of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the antenna unit 12 inside the shelf may be either upward or downward in the shelf, and may be unified in the same shelf.

Next, the shelf of the shelf 16 due to the difference in the non-contact information transmitting means between the RF-ID element built in the book classification label attached to the book 20 and the RF-ID reader installed on the shelf 16 The configuration inside the plate will be described. The non-contact information transmission means includes an induction magnetic field coupling method and a non-contact information transmission method using a radio wave such as a microwave.

First, the RF-ID reader and the RF-I
The configuration inside the shelf of the book shelf 16 when the D element operates in the induction magnetic field coupling method will be described with reference to FIG. A plurality of antenna units 12 for transmitting and receiving signals necessary for communicating with the RF-ID element are provided inside the shelf 17, and the number and arrangement thereof are determined by the area setting within the same shelf. The antenna unit 12 is formed by a winding coil as shown in FIG. Further, in order to reduce the weight and simplify the shelf board, the plurality of antenna unit sections 12 can be formed in a printed coil shape by a printed board 18 as shown in FIG. Now,
Inside the shelf 17, there is an antenna switching unit 13 b for switching an antenna unit to be used. Each antenna unit 12 is connected to the switching unit 13 b, and further via a switching unit 13 a installed on the bookshelf 16. Connected to the RF-ID read control unit 11.
The RF-ID read control unit 11 controls these switching units to sequentially scan the shelf and the area to search for a target RF-ID element.
The antenna unit 12 and the antenna switching unit 13b are housed inside the shelf 17 and the surface of the shelf near the output of the induced magnetic field radiated from the antenna unit is a material that does not affect the passage of the induced magnetic field. , For example, resin.

Next, non-contact information transmission means between the RF-ID element built in the book classification label attached to the book 20 and the RF-ID reader 10 installed on the bookcase 16 is transmitted by radio waves such as microwaves. 1 in the case of the joining method by
The configuration inside 7 will be described with reference to FIG.

When a coupling method using radio waves such as high-frequency electromagnetic waves, for example, microwaves, is used, a portion for transmitting radio waves inside the shelf and an antenna portion for radiating and receiving the radio waves from the printed circuit board 18 with small transmission loss. It can be formed into a planar shape by a printed pattern on one substrate. And RF
-Connection with the ID read control unit 11 is performed by the antenna switching unit 13b. At this time, as a means for switching, there are a high frequency relay which is a mechanical method, and an electric method using a PIN diode / FET. Switching unit 1
3b, the target antenna unit 12 is selected,
The transmission line 19 is connected via a transmission line 19, which is formed by a strip line or the like formed in a pattern on a printed circuit board 18. The strip line is designed so that the impedance is matched to the switching unit 13b and the antenna unit unit 12 so that efficient transmission can be obtained without reflected waves.

The antenna unit 12 is formed by a patch antenna or the like formed in a pattern on the printed circuit board 18 in the same manner as the transmission line 19. In the figure, the patch antenna is shown as a square patch antenna, but may be a circular patch antenna or another shape. The resonance frequency and the polarization plane characteristics of the patch antenna vary depending on the shape and size of the pattern, and are designed to be optimum values for the system. According to such a method, the functions of the switching unit 13b, the transmission line 19, and the antenna unit 12 can be configured in a planar manner on the printed circuit board 18, and the storage in the shelf can be facilitated. The search for the target RF-ID element is performed by the same method as that of the non-contact information transmitting means using the inductive magnetic field coupling method described above. In addition, similar to the non-contact information transmission means using the inductive magnetic field coupling method, the surface of the shelf plate is surrounded by a material that does not affect the passage of radio waves, such as resin, around the output portion of radio waves radiated and received from the antenna unit. It is composed of

Next, a method for configuring the inside of another shelf 17 in the non-contact information transmitting means between the RF-ID reader 10 and the RF-ID element by a coupling method using radio waves such as microwaves will be described with reference to FIG. Will be explained. When a coupling method using radio waves of relatively high frequency such as microwaves is used, as another configuration inside the shelf, a part that transmits radio waves and an antenna part that radiates and receives radio waves have a three-dimensional waveguide. It is a method of forming a shape. In other words, the transmission line for transmitting radio waves is formed inside a metal tubular structure using the thickness of the shelf, and the antenna function part for radiating and receiving radio waves has a slot-shaped hole that is a long and narrow groove in the tube. It is a slot antenna system that radiates and receives from there. Moreover, the shelf plate made of metal divided into upper and lower, allowed to form a transmission line and the slot antenna of waveguide shape to one in which either, or a structure in which the lid on the other hand later.

The connection between the RF-ID read control unit 11 and the antenna switching unit 13b is performed by a coaxial cable.
Switching to the target waveguide 19b (transmission line) and the antenna unit 12 is performed by the antenna switching unit 13b. At this time, the conversion from the coaxial cable form to the waveguide form is performed together with the switching operation. The means for switching includes the mechanical method and the electric method described above.

The target antenna unit section 12 is selected by the switching section 13b and connected via the waveguide 19b.
It is designed to provide efficient transmission. The antenna unit 12 is of a slot antenna type in which a slot-like hole is formed in a waveguide and a radio wave is radiated therefrom. In addition, it is also possible to improve the performance by adding a patch antenna using a printed circuit board to the slot antenna section. In this way,
A structure in which the shelf itself has the functions of the transmission line and the antenna section can be easily obtained, and the advantage in manufacturing is great. The search for the target RF-ID element is performed by the same method as that of the non-contact information transmitting means using the inductive magnetic field coupling method described above.

Next, a description will be given of a classification label of a book having a built-in RF-ID element. As shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, the RF-ID element 41 includes a small semiconductor IC chip 43 having a transmitting / receiving circuit (not shown) for non-contact transmission, an arithmetic circuit, and a storage circuit, and an antenna 44 as a non-contact coupling mechanism made of PET or the like. Formed by plastic sealing. Then, the printing / recording sheet 40, RF-I
The D element 41 and the adhesive sheet 42 were sequentially bonded to form the book classification label 21. Classification label 21 of this book
Is provided with a printing / recording sheet 40 using paper or the like as a base material, and at the time of book registration, a management code such as a book purchase date and a classification code are described. An adhesive sheet 42 coated with an adhesive is attached to the rear surface of the classification label 21. RF-ID book classification label 2 configured in this way
6 is generally attached to the spine of the book 20 when the book is purchased, as shown in FIG.

Further, the printing / recording sheet 40 of the RF-ID book classification label 21 was made of coloring paper such as thermal recording paper. This record can be recorded by writing or printing the management code. Further, in parallel with the description of the front side, when the book is registered by the RF-ID read / write device 14 connected to the administrator terminal 32, the book-specific classification code is recorded in the storage circuit of the semiconductor IC chip 43. Although it is possible to record detailed book information such as a book name, the semiconductor IC chip 43
In this embodiment, the book record data is minimized in order to increase the storage circuit capacity.

[0051]

According to the present invention, by adopting means described in detail above, according to the present invention, the same shelf can be finely divided into areas, and more detailed management can be performed. The output of the RF-ID reader is increased by controlling the switching unit to scan the shelf and the area in order to search for the target RF-ID element. In addition, communication with the RF-ID element in the document classification label becomes possible, and communication instability with the RF-ID element in the document classification label due to interference with other RF-ID readers also occurs. In addition, the reliability is improved, and other wireless equipment is not disturbed. Further, no complicated mechanical mechanism is required, and the cost of the system can be reduced. In addition, an RF-ID reader is arranged facing the front of the bookshelf, facing a document classification label having a built-in RF-ID element attached to the spine of a document stored in the bookshelf. If the shelf and RF-
Communication instability between the RF-ID reader and the RF-ID element in the document classification label due to an electromagnetic wave blocking phenomenon that can occur when a person or other object happens to be present between the ID reader. Can be avoided, and a highly reliable system can be constructed.

Further, when the non-contact information transmitting means between the RF-ID element of the document classification label and the RF-ID reader installed on the bookcase is based on the inductive magnetic field coupling method, the antenna inside the shelf plate is used. Since the unit section can reduce the weight and simplification of the winding coil and the shelf board, an antenna function can be obtained by forming a plurality of antenna unit sections into a printed coil shape using a printed circuit board. In the case of the coupling method using radio waves such as microwaves, the shelf unit or the antenna unit inside the shelf plate is switched on a single printed circuit board with a small transmission loss by a switching unit, a transmission line unit, and the like. Each function of the antenna unit can be formed in a planar shape. As another method, each of the functional units such as the switching unit, the transmission line unit, and the antenna unit can be formed into a three-dimensional structure of a waveguide shape. A structure in which a tube-shaped functional block is formed and the other end is covered later is also possible. By adopting such a means, storage in the shelf can be facilitated, and a shelf form that is easy to manufacture can be obtained.

In general, according to the present invention, without increasing the output of the RF-ID reader, the communication with the RF-ID element in the document classification label becomes better, and the RF-ID reader can communicate with other RF-ID readers. Can prevent the situation that the communication with the RF-ID element in the document classification label becomes unstable due to the interference during the period, improve the reliability of the system, and improve the reliability of other wireless equipment. It does not cause any obstruction, and can eliminate the need for mechanically complex mechanisms.It can also reduce the cost of manufacturing the system and the cost of selling the system. In particular, it was possible to provide a document storage management system in which the greater the number of individual documents, the greater the effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a document storage management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of an embodiment of a document storage management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration inside a shelf plate in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration inside a shelf board in another embodiment of the document storage management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration inside a shelf board in another embodiment of the document storage management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a document classification label using an RF-ID element and a schematic configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a shelf, an RF-ID reader, and an RF-ID reader in a document storage management system according to the related art.
It is a block diagram which shows the outline state and relationship of an ID classification label.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Document database 2 ... Operation input unit 3 ... Monitor device 4 ... External storage device 5 ... OCR device 6 ... LAN control device 7 ... LAN terminal 8 ... LAN system 9 ... Computer 10 ... RF-ID reader 11 ... RF-ID read controller 12 ... Antenna unit 13a, 13b ... Antenna switching unit 14 ... RF-ID read / write Device 15: Visible display 16: Shelf 17: Shelf 18: Printed circuit board 19: Transmission line 19b: Waveguide 20: Book 21 ... (book) Classification label 30 Host computer 31 User terminal 32 Administrator terminal 40 Printing / recording sheet 41 RF-ID element 42 Adhesive sheet 43 Semiconductor IC chip 44 ・ ・ ・ Antenna

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kazuo Kobayashi Letterpress Printing Co., Ltd., 1-1-1, Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An R comprising a semiconductor IC chip and an antenna.
An RF-ID document classification label with a built-in F-ID element attached and registered, a bookcase for storing the document, a shelf installed on or near the shelf and the RF-ID
RF for non-contact reading of document classification information recorded on the semiconductor IC chip incorporated in the ID document classification label
An ID reader, a document database of stored documents, and a document storage management means having a computer for performing one or both of retrieval and inspection of stored documents; In the document storage management system provided with both, the RF-ID reading device includes an RF-ID element incorporated in the RF-ID document classification label and the RF-ID.
A reading control unit for controlling reading of information with a reading device, and an antenna unit for reading information in a non-contact manner with the RF-ID element; Are arranged separately from each other, and a plurality of antenna unit sections are associated with one of the read control sections for non-contact information reading, and are stored on a bookshelf. Each RF-ID for each document
When reading each information of the RF-ID element in the document classification label in a non-contact manner, an antenna switching unit capable of sequentially switching the antenna unit to be used is provided. system. 2. The book shelf is provided with the antenna unit on a shelf plate, and the book shelf is provided with the RF-ID reading control unit and the antenna switching unit. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic search or the automatic inspection of the stored documents is performed while sequentially switching the designated shelf board on which the antenna unit is provided. Document storage management system. 3. A book shelf provided with a plurality of antenna units on a shelf, and said R of each document on or near said shelf.
2. The shelf plate according to claim 1, further comprising an antenna switching unit for sequentially switching the antenna unit used when reading each information of the F-ID element in a non-contact manner.
Or the storage management system for drawings described in any one of 2. 4. When an inductive magnetic field coupling method is used as signal transmission means between an RF-ID reader and an RF-ID element, the antenna unit of the shelf board is formed by a winding coil or a printed circuit board. 4. The storage management system for documents according to claim 1, wherein the system is formed of any one of a printing coil. 5. When the radio wave coupling system is used as a signal transmission means between the RF-ID reader and the RF-ID element, the antenna unit of the shelf board is made of a printed circuit board and transmits the radio wave. 4. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein the portion has a transmission line configuration in which impedance matching is performed, and the antenna portion that radiates or receives radio waves forms a planar antenna formed by a printed pattern. A storage management system for books described in Crab. 6. When a radio wave coupling system is used as a signal transmission means between the RF-ID reader and the RF-ID element, the antenna unit of the shelf board transmits the radio wave at a portion having an impedance. 4. The antenna according to claim 1, which has a matched transmission line configuration, and wherein the antenna part for radiating or receiving a radio wave forms a slot antenna in which a slot of an elongated groove is provided in a waveguide. 3. A storage management system for a document according to any one of 3. 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said drawings are books. 8. The document storage management according to claim 1, wherein said document is an information recording medium in which information is recorded on one of an optical disk and a magneto-optical disk. system.