KR20070010340A - System and method for group location searching and messaging using rfid - Google Patents

Abstract

A group position inquiry and messaging system using an RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) and a method therefor are provided to reduce an installation cost and power expenses by using an RFID tag, and to track down positions of all group members even though the members dispersively move, then to inquire about messages left by the group members through a group inquiry machine. RFID tags are separately possessed by each group member, and used to recognize each group member. The first RFID reader(101) recognizes RFID tags entering within a predetermined distance, and recognizes positions of the group members. An information inquiry/message input unit(105) inquires about messages and group position information of the RFID tags, which are collected through the first RFID reader(101), and enables the group members to leave messages for other members of a group to which the group members belong. A DB(106) receives position information of the recognized group members and information of the RFID tags, and stores the received information.

Description

Group location inquiry and messaging system using radio recognition and method thereof {System and method for group location searching and messaging using RFID}

1 is a block diagram of a group location query and messaging system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed block diagram of the information query / message input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a detailed block diagram of a database in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a group location query and group messaging service method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an embodiment of data stored in a group information DB, a location information DB and a message DB according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to a group location inquiry and messaging system using radio recognition and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a system and method for querying the location and messages of group members distributed using a low frequency RFID tag.

As most people have cell phones, they have become accustomed to using mobile phones to identify each other's locations and delivering messages, rather than gathering in groups at exhibitions and amusement parks. However, in places such as ski resorts and water parks where it is inconvenient to make or receive mobile phones, it is inconvenient to go to find a partner because it is difficult to look up a group member's location or leave a message using a mobile phone.

As a prior art for group location search using radio frequency identification (RFID: Radio Frequency IDentification, hereinafter referred to as RFID), it is necessary to carry RFID for each group to prevent the occurrence of misses and to use a cell antenna that can recognize RFID everywhere. There is a system that monitors whether an individual has left the group by calculating the approximate location of signals sent by the RFID. However, this technique is not aimed at retrieving the location of individual people who are doing individual actions, but targeting groups moving together as a group. If the group members are distributed and moved, only the far members are displayed and the members near the group are regarded as not leaving the group.

In addition, since the position of all group members must be accurately calculated in order to determine group deviation, the installation of RFID cell antennas is densely installed throughout the space, which increases the installation cost unnecessarily. The high consumption of high frequency RIFDs also contributes to increased installation and maintenance costs. In addition, there is no way for individuals in remote places to exchange simple messages with each other.

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, so that users can determine the location of the facility rather than the coordinates that are difficult to see, and the queue or monitor where the monitor is located even if the group member inquiry process is not specifically requested. The object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for easily leaving a message and checking the location of all group members and leaving a message, even if the user wants to leave a message. have.

Group location lookup and messaging system according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object,

An RFID tag that is individually possessed by each group member and can recognize the group member; A first RFID reader installed at a portion of a predetermined space and recognizing the RFID tag entered within a predetermined distance to recognize the position of the group member; An information inquiry / message input unit for querying group location information and a message of the RFID tag collected through the first RFID reader and leaving a message to other members of a group to which the group member belongs, and the first RFID reader and the It is achieved by a group location inquiry and messaging system using a wireless recognition consisting of a database for receiving and storing the information of the RFID tag transmitted from the information inquiry / message input unit and the location information of the recognized group members, and a method thereof.

Here, the information inquiry / message input unit,

A second RFID reader which recognizes only when the RFID tag is close to a predetermined distance and transmits the RFID tag information to the database, the second RFID reader having a different recognition distance from the first RFID reader; And an inquiry monitor capable of displaying location information of the group members recognized by the second RFID reader and a message left by the group members, and a message input unit for inputting a message by the group members.

The database may further include a group information management table that manages the ID of the group and the RFID tag information of the individual belonging to the group, and can query the group member and the group member position; Manages a message left to the group member by a location information management table for querying the holder of the input RFID tag stored in the group information management table and a group member belonging to the group member stored in the group information management table Message information management table.

Group location lookup and messaging method according to another aspect of the invention,

a) registering personal information and group information of a group member carrying an RFID tag at an information input point; b) collecting and storing location information of an RFID tag approaching a first RFID reader among the registered RFID tags; c) identifying the ID of the group to which the RFID tag to which the location information is stored and outputting the message information if there is location information of the group member and message information of the group; and d) wanting to leave a message to the group member. If so, the method may include storing the message and RFID tag information of a group member who leaves the message by using a second RFID reader having a different recognition distance from the first RFID reader.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention. Like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the specification.

As described above, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the following drawings. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention. Like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the specification.

1 is a block diagram of a group location inquiry and messaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the group location inquiry and messaging system inquires and messages an RFID tag (not shown) capable of recognizing group members, RFID readers 101 and 102 that recognize an RFID tag, group location information and a message. An information inquiry / message input unit 105 for input and a database 106 for information storage.

The RFID tag embeds information of a tag, information of a group member having a tag, information of a group to which the group member belongs, and the like. Such an RFID tag can be attached to various belongings that are easy to bring, such as necklaces, bracelets and anklets.

The RFID reader recognizes when the RFID tag approaches and transmits the information embedded in the RFID tag to the database 106 and provides the information to the group members. The RFID reader may be classified into the first RFID reader 101 and the second RFID reader 102 according to the distance that the RFID tag can be recognized by approaching the RFID reader. Here, the first RFID reader 101 functions to collect information for tracking the location of the RFID tag holder, and the second RFID reader 102 identifies and provides information when a user wants to use a service such as message input or group inquiry. Function of.

The information inquiry / message input unit 105 includes a message input unit consisting of a second RFID reader 102, an inquiry monitor 103 for inquiring position information and a message of a group member, and a touch screen or keyboard for inputting a message ( 104).

2 is a detailed block diagram of an information query / message input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second RFID reader 102 for collecting information of the RFID tag holder and the RFID tag determine the degree of access to the second RFID reader 102 so as to inquire the information or input a message. Mode selection unit 200 to determine to be able to do so, the message input unit 105 for inputting a message according to the matter determined by the mode selection unit 200, the position inquiry unit 201 that can query the location information of the group members A message retrieval unit 202 capable of retrieving messages from group members, a message retrieval unit 203 informing of new messages, and information to be stored in the database 106 or forwarded for display to the inquiry monitor 103. It consists of a communication I / F 204.

The mode selector 200 inputs a function of information inquiry for inquiring the location information and the message of the group member according to the distance of the RFID tag recognized by the second RFID reader 102 and the message input for leaving the message to the group member. Decide to be able to function. In the case of the information inquiry function, if multiple tags are simultaneously read on the second RFID reader 102, the contents to be displayed may be confusing, so that the information inquiry function can be performed only when the distance is 30 cm to 50 cm away. The message input function is in the standby state while the information inquiry function is performed, and the function can be performed only when the RFID tag is touched within about 5 cm.

3 is a detailed block diagram of a database according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the group input unit 300, the first RFID reader 101, and the second RFID reader 102, which register information on the holder and the group information of the holder having the RFID tag at the information input point, are recognized. Message search for searching for messages of groups belonging to the RFID tag holders recognized by the user identification unit 301 for identifying the RFID tag holder, the position tracking unit 303 for tracking the position of the holder, and the second RFID reader 102 Section 304 and group location information and message receiving I / F 302 which transmits the location and message of group members to the inquiry monitor. In addition, the group information management table 502 for managing group information, which is a component of the database block diagram, the location information management table 500 for managing the location of members, and the message information management table 501 for managing messages left by group members. Will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

When the RFID tag holder information and the subscriber group information are input through the information input point, the RFID tag holder information and the subscriber group information are stored in the group information management table 502 through the group input unit 300. The group information management table 502 recognizes the tag holders recognized by the first RFID reader 101 and the second RFID reader 102 in the user identification unit 301 and displays the position of the recognized tag holders in the position tracking unit ( Data may be exchanged with the location information management table 500 checked and stored in step 303.

Information about the tag holder recognized through the second RFID reader 102 and information regarding the input of a message through the information inquiry / message input unit 105 or the position inquiry or message inquiry of a group member through the user identification unit 301. After being transmitted to the location tracking unit 303, the tag holder related information is stored in the message information management table 501 through the location information management table 500 and the message related information through the message retrieval unit 304.

At this time, when the tag holder recognized by the second RFID reader 102 receives a signal from the message notification unit 203 that there is a new message in the group to which the RFID reader 102 belongs, the location information management table 500 stores the group information management table 502. Message is retrieved by receiving the information of the group to which the tag holder belongs, the location information finally recognized by the group member through the first RFID reader 101, and the message stored in the group in the message information management table 501. It is displayed on the inquiry monitor 103 via the unit 304 and the group position information and the message receiving I / F 302.

The components as described above are combined to form a system capable of providing group location inquiry and group messaging service, and the method of group location inquiry and group messaging service will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, when entering a place where a mobile phone is difficult to carry, such as a ski resort or a water park, at the request of members of a group, information of a holder having an RFID tag not shown in FIG. 1 at an information input point And group the holder's group information and the like into groups (S200).

In this case, the RFID tag has an operating frequency of 300 MHz or less, and it is preferable to use a low-frequency passive tag that supplies power to a radio wave signal of the RFID reader only when the RFID reader is approached in a short distance. In addition, the position information of the RFID tag and the last time the RFID tag is recognized are initialized to the position and time at which the tag is provided, and at the same time, the existing group message table is initialized.

When the holder of the RFID tag registered with the group information and the tag information wants to determine the location of other members of the group or to check the message left, the group member is installed using the information inquiry / message input unit 105 installed in the main region. You can check their location information and message information. At this time, the group position information reads an RFID tag approaching the first RFID reader 101 of the information collecting point (S210) and collects position information.

The first RFID reader 101 does not need to be uniformly or densely installed throughout the space, and only a small number of the RFID reader 101 may be installed by concentrating only on the entrance of a building, a queue of a play facility, a resting space, etc., which people must pass through to use the facility. . In addition, since the RFID tag holder recognizes only when the RFID tag holder passes a predetermined position such as a queue or an entrance, and is stored in the database without having to continuously track the location, the first RFID reader 101 can recognize at a distance of about 1 m. Cell antennas are used to emit energy.

The location of the RFID tag recognized through the first RFID reader 101, the personal information and the group information of the corresponding RFID tag holder are stored in the database 106 (S220). A group having an RFID tag in the second RFID reader 102 to inquire the location of other members of the group among the information stored in the database 106 and to perform information inquiry and message input functions for leaving messages to other members. Recognize the RFID tag possessed by the member after approaching.

Obtaining a group ID from the recognized RFID tag (S230), and using the obtained group ID to determine the list of members belonging to the group, location and message information (S240), if there is the corresponding information, there is a new message. Notify (S250), if there is no corresponding information to read the RFID tag to determine the location (S210) to update the data on the location. When outputting information to the inquiry monitor 104 (S260), if one RFID tag is recognized, the position information and the message information of all members of the group to which the corresponding RFID tag belongs may be output without a separate inquiry request.

The information inquiry / message input unit 105 is not installed in a place where many people are busy, such as an entrance to a building, and can be installed and used in a place where there is time space, such as inside a building, a facility use queue, a lift queue, and a rest space. . The information inquiry / message input unit 105 is composed of a second RFID reader 102, an inquiry monitor 103 capable of displaying the position of group members and a message left by the members, and a message input unit 104.

In the case of the information inquiry / message input unit 105, since the contents to be displayed may be confusing when several RFID tags are read at the same time, the RFID tag is positioned at a distance of 30 cm to 50 cm away from the RFID reader. The second RFID reader 102 using a cell antenna of a smaller size than the first RFID reader 101 so that only when the RFID tag is recognized and only when the message is to be input, the RFID tag is contacted within about 5 cm. ).

At this time, in the case of a facility queue where only one person stands at a time, standing in the queue and passing the side of the second RFID reader 102, install a reader that can recognize up to about 50 cm so that the RFID tag can be easily recognized, and a resting space. In a place where many people are freely located in an open space, it is preferable that the member consciously places the RFID tag close to the second RFID reader 102 up to about 20 cm so that it can be recognized. In addition, in order to prevent the displayed information from being quickly changed or confused when the RFID tag holder moves at a high speed, once the tag is recognized, the display content is not changed in the inquiry monitor 103 for about 5 seconds or a predetermined time.

When the RFID tag holder wants to send a message to other members of the group to which the RFID tag holder belongs, the RFID tag holder may leave a message using the information inquiry / message input unit 105. If the RFID tag holder determines whether or not to input the message through the information inquiry / message input unit 105 (S270), the input message and the RFID tag information are sent to the group message management table 201 below. It is transmitted and stored (S280), otherwise it ends. After the information inquiry and the message input mode selection are made in the information inquiry / message input unit 105, when one RFID tag is recognized, the message input mode existing in the recognition standby mode is activated and before or after the message input is completed. If it does not time out, other RFID tags that can be recognized are ignored.

5 is an embodiment of data stored in the group information DB, location information DB and message DB according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the database 106 stores the individual's RFID tag, name, affiliation group, location information and the like, and manages the location information management table 500 of the individual, the ID of the group and the RFID tag of the group member individual belonging to the group And a group information management table 502 in which information is stored and managed, and a message information management table 501 managing messages left by group members belonging to the group.

The location information management table 500 includes information of the RFID tag possessed by an individual, the RFID tag holder name, the belonging group ID to which the holder belongs, the location of the RFID reader where the RFID tag is recognized, and the last time when the RFID tag was recognized. The group information management table 502 stores a group ID, the group name, and a list of RFID tags possessed by members of the group. In addition, the message information management table 501 stores RFID tag information possessed by a person who inputs a message, an ID of a group to which the RFID tag information belongs, a message text, and time information of the message.

When the RFID tag is loaned to the group member individual in step S200, the system operator inputs the tag information and the group information of the group into the group information management table 502 at the information input point, and inputs the personal information of each tag holder to the location information. Enter in the management table (501). At this time, the personal location information and the recognized time of each tag holder are initialized to the RFID tag rental location and the rented time, and the message information management table 501 to store the group message is also initialized.

Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments as described above, it is not limited to the above-described embodiments and those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Various changes and modifications will be possible.

The group location inquiry and messaging system and the method using the wireless recognition of the present invention can reduce the installation cost and power cost by using a low frequency RFID tag, and can track the location of all group members even if the group members are distributed and moved. It has an effect. In addition, the group query can be used to query messages left by group members, and the message inputter can be used to easily leave messages to other members.

Claims (16)

For group location lookup and messaging systems between distributed group members grouped in groups, An RFID tag that is individually possessed by each group member and can recognize the group member; A first RFID reader installed at a portion of a predetermined space and recognizing the RFID tag entered within a predetermined distance to recognize the position of the group member; An information inquiry / message input unit for inquiring group position information and a message of the RFID tag collected through the first RFID reader and leaving a message to other members of the group to which the group member belongs; And A database for receiving and storing the information of the RFID tag transmitted from the first RFID reader and the information inquiry / message input unit and the location information of the recognized group member. Group location lookup and messaging system using a wireless recognition including a. The method of claim 1, The first RFID reader includes a cell antenna for recognizing the RFID tag and transmitting tag information and location information to the database. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The first RFID reader is a low frequency RFID reader that responds according to the output size of the cell antenna and is recognized only when the RFID tag approaches a predetermined distance. The method of claim 1, The RFID tag is a passive type that receives energy from the first RFID reader and transmits the information of the RFID tag to the first RFID reader, characterized in that the group location inquiry and messaging system using radio recognition. The method of claim 1, The RFID tag is a group location inquiry and messaging system using a wireless recognition, characterized in that the shape, such as necklace, bracelet, nameplates that can be easily carried. The method of claim 1, Group location inquiry and messaging system using a radio recognition further comprises a group registration terminal for registering the RFID tag possessed by the members of the group as a group. The method of claim 1, The information inquiry / message input unit, A second RFID reader which recognizes only when the RFID tag is close to a predetermined distance and transmits the RFID tag information to the database, the second RFID reader having a different recognition distance from the first RFID reader; An inquiry monitor capable of displaying location information of the group members recognized by the second RFID reader and a message left by the group members; And Message inputter where the group member enters a message Group location lookup and messaging system using a wireless recognition including a. The method of claim 7, wherein Group location inquiry and messaging system using radio recognition, characterized in that divided into the case of information inquiry and message input according to the distance the second RFID reader recognizes the RFID tag. The method of claim 7, wherein The group inquiry and messaging system using radio recognition, wherein the information inquiry / message input unit does not change the display contents for a predetermined time. The method of claim 7, wherein The message input device is a group location inquiry and messaging system using a wireless recognition, characterized in that the message input is composed of a touch screen or keyboard. The method of claim 1, The database, A group information management table that manages the ID of the group and the RFID tag information of the individual belonging to the group and can inquire the group member and the group member location; A location information management table for querying the holder of the input RFID tag stored in the group information management table; And A message information management table for managing a message left to the group member by a group member belonging to the group member stored in the group information management table Group location lookup and messaging system using a wireless recognition, including. The method of claim 11, The location information management table stores the information of the RFID tag possessed by individual, the RFID tag holder name, the belonging group ID to which the holder belongs, the location of the RFID reader where the RFID tag is recognized, and the last time when the RFID tag was recognized. Group location lookup and messaging system using a radio recognition, characterized in that. The method of claim 11, The group information management table stores a group ID, the group name, and a list of RFID tags possessed by members of the group. The method of claim 11, The message information management table stores the RFID tag information possessed by the person who inputs the message, the ID of the group to which the RFID tag information belongs, the message text, and the time information of the message leaving time. Inquiry and messaging system. In group location lookup and messaging method, a) registering personal information and group information of a group member carrying an RFID tag at an information input point; b) collecting and storing location information of an RFID tag approaching a first RFID reader among the registered RFID tags; c) identifying the ID of the group to which the RFID tag in which the location information is stored and outputting the message information when there is location information of the group member and message information of the group; And d) storing the message and the RFID tag information of the group member who leaves the message by using a second RFID reader having a different recognition distance from the first RFID reader when the message is to be left to the group member; Group location lookup and messaging using wireless recognition, including. The method of claim 15, Step a) is RFID tag location information and recognized final time are initialized to the location and time the tag was provided, and simultaneously initializing the group message table.

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