KR20070019123A - Item Searching Device Using Wireless Network - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a memory, microcontroller, RF transceiver, antenna, buzzer, lamp, search termination switch and the like by mounting the battery on a single PCB with its own power supply or mold the memory, microcontroller, RF transceiver into a single chip and put it on a thin film Place a battery with its own power source such as antenna, buzzer, lamp, search end switch, etc. around it, and attach the digital tag made in one package to small items such as TV remote control, cordless phone, mobile phone, watch, bankbook, etc. Connect wirelessly to RF network of PAN coordinator or Residental Gateway or separately designed explorer by using RF, and select digital tag attached to the object you want to find PAN coordinator Or the digital gateway of your choice Call the tags and digital tags call is directed to an article navigation device using a wireless network, indicating their location with the way the lamp unit to the user.

Digital Network, Mobile Phone, Item Search, Wireless Network

Description

Item Searching Device Using Wireless Network

1 is a schematic diagram of four configuration forms of the present invention.

1A: Schematic diagram of a form consisting of several digital tags and a dedicated searcher in the present invention

1B: Multiple Digital Tags and Mobile Phones or Portable Personal Information Terminals in the Present Invention

       Schematic diagram consisting of a connected explorer used to connect to a PDA

1C: Multiple Digital Tag and Personal Area Communication Controller (PAN coordinator) in the present invention

      Or schematic diagram consisting of a residential gateway and a dedicated terminal

1B: Multiple Digital Tag and Personal Area Communication Controller (PAN coordinator) in the present invention

      Or Residental Gateway and cell phone or portable personal digital assistant

      Schematic diagram consisting of a connected terminal used to connect to the PDA (PDA)

100: digital tag

101: dedicated explorer

102: Connected Explorer

103: PAN coordinator or residential gateway

104: dedicated terminal

105: connected terminal

106: mobile phone or portable personal digital assistant (106)

2 is a digital tag configuration diagram

201: memory

202: microcontroller

203: RF Transceiver

204: antenna

205: Battery

206: buzzer

207: lamp

206: search end switch

3 is a dedicated explorer configuration diagram

301: Keypad

302: Microcontroller

303: display window

304: memory

305: RF Transceiver

306: Antenna

4 is a connected explorer configuration diagram

401: connection plug

402: microcontroller

403 memory

404: RF Transceiver

405: antenna

5 is a dedicated terminal configuration

501: keypad

502: microcontroller

503 display window

504: RF Transceiver

505: antenna

6 is a block diagram of a connection type terminal

601 connection plug

602: Microcontroller

603: RF Transceiver

604: antenna

7 is an overall operation flowchart

8 is a flow chart of digital tag operation

9 is a flowchart of operation of a navigation device (a dedicated searcher, a connected searcher, a personal area communication controller, or an indoor gateway).

Everybody will have a lot of experience in searching for small items such as TV remotes, cordless phones, mobile phones, watches and bank accounts. Something less important, like a TV remote control, will take a bit of inconvenience, but if you have important documents or valuables, you will have to find them. Wouldn't you have thought about having a machine to find things? You can think of RFID as a solution. RFID has the disadvantage of not being able to read the data unless the transponder is very close to the reader. The present invention intends to realize this by applying a wireless network technology so that the search can be performed in a space such as indoors.

The present invention has a battery, a memory, a microcontroller, an RF transceiver, an antenna, a buzzer, a lamp, a search termination switch, etc., all in one package with its own power supply, and a plurality of digital tags having unique addresses are attached to various articles. When a caller wants to find an item, the device detects the caller's signal from the digital tag and sounds a buzzer or flashes a lamp to indicate its location.

1 is a view showing the overall configuration of the present invention. The present invention is composed of a plurality of digital tags 100 and a dedicated searcher 101 as shown in FIG. 1A or connected to a plurality of digital tags 100 and a mobile phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 as shown in FIG. 1B. 1C is composed of multiple digital tags 100, a PAN coordinator or residential gateway 103, and a dedicated terminal 104, or FIG. 1D. Connected terminal 105 used by connecting to a digital tag 100 and a personal area communication controller (PAN coordinator) or a residential gateway (103) and a mobile phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106, such as It can have four forms consisting of).

The digital tag 100 of the present invention is attached to the article by the same device in all four types of configuration, so that the dedicated searcher 101 or the connected searcher 102, a personal area communication controller (PAN coordinator), or a residential gateway (Residental Gateway). (103) is connected to a network serving as a server. Each of the digital tags 100 has a unique address, and all of the dedicated searcher 101, the connected searcher 102, the personal area communication controller (PAN coordinator) or the residential gateway (103) -all of these. Is referred to as a search device. Each of the digital tags 100 is identified by these addresses.

The configuration of the digital tag 100 includes a memory 201, a microcontroller 202, an RF transceiver 203, an antenna 204, a buzzer 206, a lamp 207-buzzer 206 and a lamp as shown in FIG. 207 may have both or only one of them, as required, and may be molded by mounting the battery 205 on a single PCB with the search termination switch 208 and its own power supply, or may be equipped with a memory 201, a microcontroller ( 202, the RF transceiver 203 is made into a single chip and placed on a thin film, and the antenna 204, the buzzer 206, the lamp 207, the search end switch 208 and the battery 205 are disposed by their own power supply. And mold to make one package. The function of each part of the digital tag 100 is as follows.

The memory 201 is a unique code assigned to each digital tag in the unique address-production stage of the digital tag 100 itself, and a unique address used for one digital tag cannot be assigned to another digital tag. In other words, the unique address is the same concept as the physical address of the Ethernet card or the IEEE address of the ZigBee-based device. It stores the network address and ID assigned from the discovery device.

The microcontroller 202 manages the connection to the network with the search device as a server, stores and reads data in the memory 201, communicates with the searcher 101 via the RF transceiver 203, the buzzer 206 and the lamp ( 207 control and search end switch 208 are monitored.

The RF transceiver 203 is a device for RF communication with a search device.

The antenna 204 is for the RF transceiver 203 to send an RF signal into the air or to receive an RF signal in the air.

The battery 205 is a self power source for supplying power to the memory 201, the microcontroller 202, and the RF transceiver 203. In order to minimize the size of the digital tag 100 and extend the use time, a battery having a high energy density and low natural discharge, such as an ultra-thin lithium battery, is used. If the environment is bright, alternatively, use solar cells or combine solar cells with secondary cells to power the circuit with solar cells during the day, while charging the secondary cells and using rechargeable secondary batteries at night. This can be

The buzzer 206 and the lamp 207 are devices that allow the user to confirm the position of the digital tag 100 by hearing and time when there is a call from the search apparatus.

The search end switch 208 is a switch for terminating the search when the buzzer 206 and the lamp 207 operate by the call of the search device.

In the configuration as shown in FIG. 1A, the dedicated searcher 101 includes a keypad 301, a microcontroller 302, a display window 303, a memory 304, an RF transceiver 305, and an antenna 306 as shown in FIG. 3. do. The functions of each part are as follows.

The keypad 301 is a combination of switches having nine numeric keys from 0 to 9, a navigation key and a search end key, and other function keys as required. The user can use these keys to select the ID of the digital tag 100 attached to the article to be searched and to perform or terminate the search.

The microcontroller 302 configures and manages a network having the dedicated searcher 101 as a server, and controls each part of the dedicated searcher 101 to perform an article search by manipulating the keypad 301 of the user.

The display window 303 is a device for visually informing the user of the state of the dedicated searcher 101, the state of the network, the search result, and the like.

The memory 304 stores unique addresses, network addresses, and IDs of the digital tags 100 connected to the network.

The RF transceiver 305 is a device for RF communication with the digital tags 100.

The antenna 306 is for the RF transceiver 305 to send the RF signal to the air or to receive the RF signal in the air.

In the configuration as shown in FIG. 1B, the connected searcher 102 includes a connection plug 401, a microcontroller 402, a memory 403, an RF transceiver 404, and an antenna 405 as shown in FIG. 4. 401 connects to a mobile phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 for use. The function of each part of the connected searcher 102 is as follows.

The connection plug 401 is a plug for connecting the connected explorer 102 to the mobile phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106. The connected explorer 102 is a mobile phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106. This plug is supplied with the power required for operation and key inputs as required by the user. In addition, the connected explorer 102 transmits the search result, the network state, and the explorer's own state to the mobile phone or the portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 using the connection plug 401, and the devices transmit the received information to the display window. Indicates. For universal use of the device, the mobile phone connection plug 401 is suitably in accordance with a standard such as the TTAS.KO-06.0028 standard of the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association.

The microcontroller 402 configures and manages a network with the connected explorer 102 as a server, and performs a product search at the request of the user through the operation of a mobile phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 keypad. Each part of the connected searcher 102 is controlled.

The memory 403 stores unique addresses, network addresses, and IDs of the digital tags 100 connected to the network.

The RF transceiver 404 is a device for RF communication with the digital tags 100.

The anna 405 is for the RF transceiver 404 to send the RF signal to the air or to receive the RF signal in the air.

The dedicated terminal 104 uses the PAN coordinator or the residential gateway 103 instead of the dedicated searcher 101 or the connected searcher 102 as shown in FIG. A device for wirelessly connects to a PAN coordinator or a Residental Gateway 103. As shown in FIG. 5, the dedicated terminal 104 is composed of a keypad 501, a microcontroller 502, a display window 503, an RF transceiver 504, and an antenna 505. The digital tag 100 of the article is designated and the search result is confirmed by the display window 503. The function of each part of the dedicated terminal 104 is as follows.

The keypad 501 is a combination of switches having nine numeric keys from 0 to 9, a navigation key and a navigation end key, and other function keys as required. The user can use these keys to select the ID of the digital tag 100 attached to the article to be searched and to perform or terminate the search.

The microcontroller 502 configures and manages a network with a PAN coordinator or Residental Gateway 103 as a server, and is dedicated to conducting goods searches by the user's keypad 501 operation. Each part of the terminal 104 is controlled.

The display window 503 is a device for visually notifying the user of the state of the dedicated terminal 104 and the PAN coordinator or the residential gateway 103, the state of the network, the search result, and the like.

The RF transceiver 504 is a device for RF communication with a PAN coordinator or a residential gateway 103.

The antenna 505 is for the RF transceiver 504 to send the RF signal to the air or to receive the RF signal in the air.

The connected terminal 105 is a mobile phone or portable personal information terminal when using a PAN coordinator or a resident gateway 103 instead of the dedicated explorer 101 or the connected explorer 102 as shown in FIG. 1D. (PDA) 106 is used in connection with the connecting plug 601 of FIG. The connected terminal 105 is composed of a connection plug 601, a microcontroller 602, a memory 603, an RF transceiver 603, and an antenna 604 as shown in FIG. 6. The function of each part of the connected terminal 105 is as follows.

The connection plug 601 is a plug for connecting the connected terminal 105 to a cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106. The connected terminal 105 is a cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106. This plug is supplied with the power required for operation and key inputs as required by the user. In addition, the connected terminal 105 transmits a search result, a network state, and a searcher's own state to the mobile phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 using the connection plug 601. These devices transmit the received information to the display window. Indicates. For general purpose of the device, the mobile phone connection plug 601 is suited to a standard such as TTAS.KO-06.0028 of the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association.

The microcontroller 602 configures and manages a network with the connected terminal 105 as a server, and performs a product search at the request of the user through the operation of a cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 keypad. Each part of the connected terminal 105 is controlled.

The memory 603 stores unique addresses, network addresses, and IDs of digital tags 100 connected to a network.

The RF transceiver 603 is a device for RF communication with a PAN coordinator or a residential gateway 103.

The anna 604 is for the RF transceiver 603 to send an RF signal into the air or to receive the RF signal in the air.

7 shows the overall operation of the present invention. When the user attaches the digital tag 100 to the desired item and applies power, the digital tag 100 first connects the search device with its own address to be connected to the network of the search devices 101, 102, and 103. The request message is transmitted (701, 702). Upon receipt of this message, the search device stores (703) the unique address contained in the received message in memory 304 and uses this unique address as the address used for communication between components within the network. Compared with this, the length is significantly shorter, and the communication time can be shortened by using it, which reduces the communication time. Using a unique or network address when choosing 100 is quite cumbersome. The ID is a number used for this purpose and is uniformly assigned according to the order in which it is connected to the search apparatus.

The search device bundles the unique address, the network address, and the ID into related data and stores them in the memory 304 and 403 in the memory 705 and transmits the connection permission message to the digital tag 100 in the server 706 and 707. This message includes the unique address and the network address to use in subsequent communication so that the digital tag 100 knows that it is a message sent to it. The discovery device that transmits the connection permission message adds the digital tag 100 to the connection list (list of devices connected to the network) (708) and waits (709) until a user input or a request for connection of a new digital tag is received. .

On the other hand, the digital tag 100 receiving the connection permission message stores the network address allocated from the search apparatus in the memory 201 (710), enters the power saving mode, and waits for the call of the search apparatus (711).

When the user selects (712) an ID of the digital tag 100 attached to the item to be found and issues a search command, the search device searches for a network address corresponding to the ID selected by the user in the memory 304 and issues a call command including the same. Transmit (713, 714). At this time, the microcontrollers 302 and 402 of the search device operate the internal timer 715. If there is no response to the call from the digital tag 100 within a predetermined time, the search device displays the display windows 303 and 503. Or display on the display device of the cellular phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 that the search has failed, ending the search 722 and returning to the standby state 709.

The digital tag 100 receiving the call command of the search device compares (717) its network address stored in the memory 201 with the network address called by the search device and transmits a call response message to the search device if it matches (718). And the buzzer 206 and the lamp 207 informs the user of his location (719). At this time, the microcontroller 202 of the digital tag 100 operates 720 an internal timer, and if a timeout occurs after a predetermined time, the buzzer 206 and the lamp 207 are turned off (721) and returned to the power saving mode. Wait for the call. If the user presses the search end switch 208 before the timeout, the microcontroller 202 turns off the buzzer 206 and the lamp 207 and returns to the power saving mode in the same manner as the timeout situation and waits for the next call 711. .

Receiving the call response message of the digital tag, the search device indicates that the search is successful on the display windows 303 and 503 or the display device of the cellular phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 and terminates the search (722). Back to the standby state 709. If there is a user's search termination command before the timeout or before the call response, the search device may indicate that the search has been interrupted by the user on the display windows 303 and 503 or the display device of the cellular phone or PDA. Display and end the search (722) and then return to standby (709).

The operation procedure of the digital tag 100 shown in FIG. 8 is as follows. When power is applied to the digital tag 100, the microcontroller 202 of the digital tag 100 loads 801 the unique address stored in the memory 201. The microcontroller 202 then transmits 802 a connection request message containing the unique address to the discovery device via the RF transceiver 203 and then operates 803 the internal timer and waits for a connection grant message from the discovery device. (804). If a timeout occurs after a predetermined time 805, the microcontroller 202 again makes a connection request 802 to the search apparatus and starts a timer. This operation is repeated until the connection permission message of the search device is received.

When the connection permission message of the discovery device is received through the RF transceiver 203, the microcontroller 202 stores 806 the network address included in the message in the memory 201. This network address is an address allocated from the search apparatus, and in principle, communication with the search apparatus will use it. However, if necessary, communication using unique addresses is also possible.

After storing the network address, the microcontroller enters the power saving mode (807) to wait for the call of the discovery device to minimize the drain of the battery (205) (808). When a call command is sent from the search device, the RF transceiver 203 receives it from the antenna 204 and forwards it to the microcontroller 202. The microcontroller 202 exits the power saving mode 809, loads the network address stored in the memory 201, compares it with the network address of the received message 810, and if it matches, responds to the discovery device via the RF transceiver 203. Send a signal (811). Upon completion of the transmission of the response signal, the microcontroller 202 uses the buzzer 206 and the lamp 207—either using the buzzer 206, the lamp 207, or both—to position the user on the user. Inform (812). At the same time, if the timer is operated 813 and a timeout occurs after a predetermined time 815, the microcontroller 202 turns off the buzzer 206 and the lamp 207, returns to the power saving mode 807, and waits for the next call. (808). If the user finds the digital tag 100 and presses the end search switch 208 before the timeout (814), the microcontroller 202 immediately turns off the buzzer 206 and the lamp 207 and enters the power saving mode 807. Go back and wait for the next call (808).

Since the power required for this series of operations is all obtained from the battery 205, which is its own power source inside the digital tag 100, the digital tag 100 of the present invention does not require an external power supply.

In the present invention, the navigation device 101, 102, 103 is what it is-whether it is a dedicated searcher 101, a connected searcher 102, a personal area communication controller (PAN coordinator) or a residential gateway (103)- Regardless of the type, the flow of the whole operation-although there may be slight differences in detail-is shown in FIG. 9. When power is applied to the search device, the microcontroller of the search device configures a network serving as a server (901) and checks whether there is a connection request of the digital tag 100 (902) to determine whether there is a user request when there is no connection request. Check 908. The microcontroller inputs the user's request using the keypad 301 of the dedicated searcher 102, the keypad 501 of the dedicated terminal 104, or the keypad of a mobile phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106. If this is the case, this is performed, and if there is no user request, the process returns to the front 902 and checks whether there is a connection request of the digital tag 100.

If there is a connection request from the digital tag 100, the microcontroller stores 903 a unique address of the digital tag 100 included in the connection request message in memory and assigns a network address and ID to the unique address (904). . The microcontroller bundles the unique address, the network address, and the ID into related data and stores them in a memory (905).

When the storage is complete, the microcontroller sends 906 a connection grant message that includes the network address assigned to the digital tag 100 via the RF transceiver. Thereafter, the network address may be used for communication with the digital tag 100, but communication using a unique address may also be performed if necessary.

When the transmission of the connection permission message is finished, the microcontroller adds the digital tag 100 to the connection list (907) and checks (908) whether there is a user request.

If the user selects the ID of the specific digital tag 100, the microcontroller displays (909) the ID of the digital tag 100 selected by the user on the display window or the display device of the cellular phone or the portable personal digital assistant (PDA). Returning to 902, it is checked whether there is a connection request of the new digital tag 100. If the user requests a search then check if there is a selected ID (910) and if not, then go back to 902 to check if there is a connection request from the digital tag 100 and if there is a selected ID, the corresponding network address (or unique) Address) is retrieved from memory and transmitted (911) to the network address via the RF transceiver. After the call command is transmitted, the microcontroller indicates (912) that the user is searching on the display window or the display device of the cellular phone or the portable personal digital assistant (PDA) and operates the timer 913. If a timeout occurs after a certain time (916), the microcontroller notifies the display window or the display device of the cellular phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) that the search has failed and ends the search (917). If the response message to the call from the digital tag 100 called before the timeout is received through the RF transceiver (918), the microcontroller has successfully searched the display window or the display device of the cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA). Is displayed and the search ends (919). If the user has ended the search before the timeout or before the calling digital tag 100 has been answered (914), the microcontroller stops searching by the user on the display or display device of the mobile phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA). And the search ends (915). When the search ends, the microcontroller returns to the front 902 and checks whether there is a connection request of the new digital tag 100.

In the present invention, when the PAN coordinator or the residential gateway 103 replaces the dedicated searcher 101 of FIG. 1A or the connected searcher 102 of FIG. 1B, as shown in FIG. 1C or 1D. Since it is not possible to directly control the PAN coordinator or the residential gateway 103, the dedicated terminal 104 or the connected terminal 105, hereinafter referred to as the dedicated terminal 104 or the connected terminal 105 All are referred to as terminals, using-to communicate the user's request to these devices. To this end, the terminal also needs to be connected to the network of the searcher 101 like the digital tag 100. This procedure is the same as the connection procedure of the digital tag 101 described above. If the terminal is connected to the navigator 101, the user can enter the keypad 501 of the dedicated terminal 104 in the case of the dedicated terminal 104 or the mobile phone or the portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 in the case of the connected terminal 105. The keypad transmits its request to the PAN coordinator or the residential gateway 103, and the PAN coordinator or the residential gateway 103 processes the result. Is displayed on the display window 503 of the dedicated terminal 102 or the display window of the mobile telephone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106. The microcontrollers 502, 602 of the terminal communicate the user's request to the personal area communication controller (PAN coordinator) or the residential gateway (103) via the RF transceivers (504, 604), and also the RF transceiver (504, 604 is received from the personal area communication controller (PAN coordinator) or the residential gateway (103) to receive the processing result, the display window 503 of the dedicated terminal 102 or a mobile phone or portable personal information terminal (PDA) ( 106). The display window 503 of the dedicated terminal 102 or the display window of the cellular phone or the portable personal digital assistant (PDA) 106 may indicate information such as the status of the terminal 102 and the searcher 101, the network status, and the like, as necessary. have.

The present invention provides a dedicated searcher 101, a connected searcher 102, or a dedicated terminal for attaching a plurality of digital tags 100 having a unique address to small objects and connecting the digital tags 100 to one wireless network. Call the digital tag attached to the object you want to find using the PAN coordinator or the Residental Gateway 103 through the terminal 104 or the connected terminal 105 indoors. Make it easy to find small items like bankbooks.

Claims (9)

An apparatus for searching for an article using a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: Digital tags with unique addresses, Article search device characterized in that consisting of a dedicated searcher 101 for calling the digital tag. An apparatus for searching for an article using a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: Digital tags with unique addresses, Item search device characterized in that consisting of a connected type of searcher 102 connected to a mobile phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) and calling the digital tag. An apparatus for searching for an article using a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: Digital tags with unique addresses, Personal Area Communication (PAN) Coordinator or Residential Gateway, And a dedicated terminal (104) for communicating with said controller or said gateway. An apparatus for searching for an article using a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: Digital tags with unique addresses, Personal Area Communication (PAN) Coordinator or Residential Gateway, And a connected terminal (105) for connecting to a mobile phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA) and communicating with the controller or the gateway. The method according to claim 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, Has its own power and RF transceiver and unique address, Digital tag, characterized in that it has a means to announce its position, such as buzzer or lamp, upon request The method according to claim 1, A keypad 301 for receiving input from a user, A display window 303 for displaying network status, input information, search results, and the like, A memory 304 for storing information of the digital tags; An RF transceiver 305 for wireless communication with the digital tags, A dedicated controller comprising a microcontroller 302 for connecting the digital tags to a network, processing input of the keypad, and controlling the memory, the RF transceiver, and the display window The method according to claim 2, The user's input is received from a keypad of a cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA), and the mobile phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) is used to display network status, input information, and search results on a display window of the cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA). A connection plug 401 for connecting with a personal digital assistant (PDA), A memory 403 for storing information of the digital tags; An RF transceiver 404 for wireless communication with the digital tags, A connected controller comprising a microcontroller 402 for connecting the digital tags to a network, processing the user's input, and controlling the memory and the RF transceiver. The method according to claim 3, A keypad 501 for receiving input from a user, A display window 503 for displaying network status, input information, search results, and the like, An RF transceiver 504 for wireless communication with the PAN coordinator or a resident gateway; Dedicated terminal comprising a microcontroller 502 for processing the input of the keypad, and controls the memory, the RF transceiver, and the display window The method according to claim 4, The user's input is received from a keypad of a cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA), and the mobile phone or portable personal digital assistant (PDA) is used to display network status, input information, and search results on a display window of the cellular phone or a portable personal digital assistant (PDA). A connection plug 601 for connecting with a portable personal digital assistant (PDA), An RF transceiver 603 for wireless communication with the PAN coordinator or a resident gateway; Connected terminal, characterized in that composed of a microcontroller 602 for processing the user's input, and controls the RF transceiver

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