KR20070093203A - Management system and method for location information using rfid - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and a method for managing location information with an RFID tag are provided to obtain the precise location information of an article without any expensive equipment such as a GPS(Global Positioning System) by using the RFID tag attached to the article. A reader(110) generates/links article information, the location information, and time information by recognizing the RFID tag(2) attached to the article(1) in a fixed position. An information collector(120) filters/stores the article, location, and time information based on a predetermined rule. Each location information manager(130) stores the filtered/collected article, location, and time information. An integrated manager(140) links/stores the article/time information and unique management ID information of each location information manager. A user terminal(150) checks the latest article location information extracted by using the article, location, and time information stored in the location information managers and the integrated manager, or checks article moving history information integrating the location information stored in the location information managers.

Description

Location Information Management System and Method using Electronic Tag {Management System and Method for Location Information using RFID}

1 is a block diagram of a location information management system using an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention,

2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the location information management unit 130 shown in FIG.

3 is a flowchart of a method for managing location information using an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of searching for current location information of an article according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: Item 2: Electronic Tag

110: leader 120: information collector

130: location information management unit 131: DB

132: storage module 133: information exchange module

134: information search module 135: current location tracking module

136: traceability module 137: information exchange module

140: integrated management unit 150: user terminal

160: network

The present invention relates to a location information management system and method, and more particularly, to a location information management system and method using an electronic tag that can track the location of the article attached to the electronic tag in real time.

Electronic Tag, or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), is a technology that enables the tracking of radio frequency by embedding information of the whole process from production to sale in a microchip (IC chip). "," Or "wireless identification."

This RFID consists of a reader that reads and decrypts and a tag that provides information. The tag attached to the product contains information about the entire process of production, distribution, storage, and consumption. Read this information through the antenna. It is also used in conjunction with information systems in conjunction with satellites and mobile communication networks.

The position information generally indicates the position of an object existing on the earth's surface through a predetermined method. A typical method used in the related art is a satellite positioning system (GPS).

The GPS was a military-purpose system created by the US Department of Defense in the early 1970s to spend $ 6 billion to measure the position of objects on Earth, but today it has been approved by the US Congress and used in the private sector, on the premise of opening some to civilians.

The GPS finds the position of the viewpoint by receiving the radio wave emitted from the satellite which knows the exact position and observing the time required to the viewpoint. In order to measure position, signals must be received from at least four satellites simultaneously. Of course, if we receive signals from more satellites, we can get more accurate position values. The GPS receiver has 4 channels and 8 channels according to the number of satellite signals processed simultaneously.

GPS positioning data has an error range of less than 50m in the case of PPS (Precision Positioning Service) used for military purposes, and the standard positioning service (SPS) provided to civilians is within 200m. The civil service is deliberately reduced in accuracy.

As such, the location information management system using GPS is not only accurate, but also has a limitation that cannot be used for large-scale logistics because the GPS receiver is expensive.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a location information management system and method using an electronic tag that can obtain accurate location information without using expensive equipment such as GPS.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be described below and will be appreciated by the embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by means and combinations indicated in the claims.

The present invention for achieving the above object is provided in a designated position, recognizes the electronic tag attached to the article, the article information and information about the specified position information and the electronic tag information on the specified position Is generated by interlocking the recognized time information, the information collecting unit for collecting and collecting the product information, the location information and the time information generated from the electronic tag by a predetermined criteria, the information collecting unit A plurality of distributed location information management units for storing the collected item information, location information, and time information, and uniquely assigned to each of the item information, time information, and the plurality of location information managers stored from the location information manager. Integrated management unit for receiving and receiving the management recognition information of the plurality of location information management unit and the integrated management unit The movement of the article by combining the current location information, which is the location information of the most recently extracted item using the stored item information, location information, time information, and management recognition information or the location information of the items stored in the plurality of location information management units. It includes a user terminal that can check the trajectory history information.

Here, the location information management unit, the DB for storing the location information, item information and visual information, an information exchange module for exchanging information with the integrated management unit and other location information management unit, the collected by the information collecting unit A storage module for storing location information, article information, and visual information in the DB, an information retrieval module for retrieving location information, article information, and visual information stored in the DB; a current location information search request for a specific article from the user terminal; When receiving the information, and receives the time information corresponding to the specific item and the management recognition information linked to the time information from the integrated management unit, retrieves the last time information that is the most recently generated time information, the last time information is The user terminal receives the location information linked with the last time information from the stored location information management unit, When receiving the current location tracking module and the history information search request for a specific item from the user terminal, and receives the time information corresponding to the specific item and management recognition information linked to the time information from the integrated management unit, And a history tracking module for sequentially arranging the received visual information, receiving the location information on the specific article from the corresponding location information management unit storing the sorted visual information, and delivering the movement trajectory to the user terminal.

In addition, the storage module, in storing the item information, location information and visual information, characterized in that for generating and storing an index of the three-dimensional structure having each information as an index.

In addition, the present invention, by recognizing the electronic tag attached to a predetermined article through a reader provided at a designated position, the product information and information on the position specified by the reader and the location information and the electronic tag is An article recognition step of generating interworking the recognized time information, an information collection step of filtering and collecting the article information, the location information and the visual information generated in the article recognition step according to a predetermined criterion, and a plurality of distributed location information A distributed storage step of storing the article information, the location information and the time information collected by the information collecting step in the management unit, the article information and time information and the plurality of location information management unit stored in the location information management unit in the distributed storage step Integrated storage step for storing the unique management recognition information assigned to each in conjunction with the integrated management unit and the plurality of The current location information which is the location information of the most recently extracted item using the item information, location information, visual information, and management recognition information stored in the location information management unit and the integrated management unit or the items stored in the plurality of location information management units. And a location information checking step of confirming, through a user terminal, history information of the movement trajectory of the article in which location information is combined.

Here, the step of confirming the location information, when receiving the current location information search request for a specific item from the user terminal, the visual information corresponding to the specific item and management recognition information linked to the time information from the integrated management unit; Receives the last time information, which is the most recently generated time information, and receives the location information linked with the last time information from the location information management unit in which the last time information is stored, and transmits the current location information to the user terminal. When receiving the confirmation information and the request for searching the history information on a specific item from the user terminal, the time information corresponding to the specific information and the management recognition information linked to the time information received from the integrated management unit, the received time information Sequentially arranged, and the corresponding location information store storing the sorted visual information A movement path formed by synthesis by receiving the location information on the specific article from the unit includes a history information confirmation step of delivering to the user terminal.

Further, the distributed storage step, in storing the item information, location information and visual information, characterized in that for generating and storing an index of the three-dimensional structure with each information as an index.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1 is a block diagram of a location information management system 100 using an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the location information management system 100 using the electronic tag according to the present invention includes a reader 110, an information collector 120, a location information manager 130, an integrated manager 140, and a user. It includes a terminal 150.

The reader 110 is provided at a designated location and, as is known, by recognizing the electronic tag 2 attached to the article 1 through mutual induction or electromagnetic wave method, the article information which is information about the article 1. And the location information which is the information about the designated location provided with the reader and the time information recognized by the electronic tag 2 are generated.

Here, the article information may include a manufacturer, a product type, a product serial number, options, and other information, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the reader 110 may be provided at a designated location such as a port, a gateway of a road, a gateway of a road, or an entrance of a distribution warehouse, so that the location information can be more easily understood, but the number of locations and the number of readers 110 provided. Can be changed by the system designer.

The information collecting unit 120 collects the article information, the location information, and the visual information generated by the reader 110 based on a predetermined criterion.

Such a predetermined criterion is that if the same article information is recognized from the reader 110 within a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds), it is regarded as a duplication error and filtered, or information having a data field not used in the present invention is delivered. May be various cases set by the system designer.

The location information management unit 130 is composed of at least one or more, and stores and stores the product information, the location information and the visual information collected by the information collecting unit 120.

Here, it is preferable that the range allocated to be managed by each location information management unit 130 is variably assigned to each location information management unit 130 so that information can be efficiently distributed and stored.

For example, it is preferable that the location information management unit in charge of the area area of the port facility having a large amount of goods moving is set to have a smaller physical area of responsibility than the location information management part in charge of the area range where the goods are moved relatively less such as a residential area. Do.

The integrated management unit 140 receives and stores the item information and visual information stored in the location information management unit 130 from the location information management unit 130 and the unique management recognition information assigned to each of the plurality of location information management units 130, and then interlocks and stores them. do.

The user terminal 150 uses the item information, location information, visual information, and management recognition information stored in the location information management unit 130 and the integrated management unit 140 to present the location information of the item most recently extracted for a specific item. The history information of the movement trajectory of the article obtained by combining the position information or the position information of the specific article is confirmed.

The user terminal 150 is a computer system including a central processing unit, a RAM, a ROM, a terminal interface, a data storage device, and the like, and is a traditional personal computer or workstation having a considerable amount of memory and processing power. In addition, a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a PDA can be used any number of times.

The network 160 is a network in which the location information management unit 130, the integrated management unit 140, and the user terminal 150 are connected in common and exchange data with each other. The network 160 is a public telephone network (PSTN) or a mobile communication network. The concept includes a wireless network.

Hereinafter, a detailed configuration and operation of the location information manager 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. In the description, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 refer to the same members performing the same functions.

2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the location information management unit 130 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the location information management unit 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a DB 131, a storage module 132, an information exchange module 133, an information search module 134, and a current location. And a tracking module 135 and a history tracking module 136.

The storage module 132 stores the article information, the location information, and the time information collected by the information collecting unit 120 in the DB 131.

In this case, it is preferable to generate and store an index of a three-dimensional structure having each information as an index so that product information, location information, and visual information can be quickly searched.

The information exchange module 133 may exchange information with the integrated management unit 140 or other location information management unit through the network 160.

The information retrieval module 134 retrieves the item information, the location information, and the time information stored in the DB 131 at the request of the current location tracking module 135 or the history tracking module 136. At this time, the search time can be shortened by using the 3D index generated in the DB.

When the current location tracking module 135 is requested to search for the current location information, which is the location information most recently extracted for the specific item, from the user terminal 150, the integrated management unit 140 through the information exchange module 133. Receives time information corresponding to a specific item and management recognition information linked with the time information, retrieves the most recently generated time information (hereinafter referred to as last time information), and the last time information is stored in another location information management unit ( The second location information management unit (hereinafter referred to as a second location information management unit) requests the second location information management unit to the second location information management unit through the information exchange module 133.

Thereafter, when the second location information management unit receives the location information request, the location information management unit requesting the location information by searching the location information linked with the last time information through the information search module in the second location information management unit (hereinafter, 1) the location information retrieved by the location information management unit), and then the first location information management unit transfers the location information received from the second location information management unit to the user terminal 150.

When the last time information is stored in the first location information management unit, the location information linked with the last time information is searched for and transmitted to the user terminal 150 through the information search module in the first location information management unit.

Here, the location information linked with the last time information is the location information of the leader who has recognized a specific article among a number of readers managed by the first location information management unit.

When the history tracking module 136 is requested from the user terminal 150 to search for the trajectory history information including the location information of a specific item, the integrated management unit 140 may perform the same as the current location tracking module 135. Receives visual information corresponding to a specific item and management recognition information linked to the visual information, sequentially arranges the received visual information, and provides location information to each location information management unit having management recognition information linked to the sorted visual information. When the request is received and received, the movement trajectory made by synthesizing the received position information is transmitted to the user terminal 150.

Here, the search request from the user terminal 150 is transmitted in the form of a query, which is the search criteria of the information retrieval module 134. For example, the article for the location information requested by the query If the information is 'an article manufactured after 2005', the information retrieval module 134 collects only the article information whose manufacturing date is after 2005 among the article information stored in the DB 131, and other manufacturing dates of 2004. Product information that does not meet the query, such as product information, is filtered.

On the other hand, the location information management unit 130 preferably includes an authentication module (not shown) so that only the user registered as a member can access for the security of information on a particular article.

Hereinafter, a method of managing location information using an electronic tag according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In the description, the same reference numerals in Fig. 1 or 2 refer to the same members performing the same function.

First, the electronic tag 2 attached to the article 1 is recognized through the reader 110 provided at the designated position, and the article information which is the information about the article 1 and the information on the designated position of the reader 2. When the location information and the electronic tag are generated by interlocking the recognized visual information (S300), the information collecting unit 120 collects the product information, the location information, and the visual information generated from the reader 110 based on a predetermined criterion. (S310).

Thereafter, the article information, the location information, and the visual information collected and filtered in S310 are stored in a plurality of distributed location information management units (S320), and the item information and visual information stored in S320 are stored in the location information management unit which stores the two pieces of information. Interlocked with the unique management recognition information is stored in the integrated management unit (S330).

Here, the item information, location information, time information, and management recognition information stored in the location information management unit 130 and the integrated management unit 140 are the current location information or the plurality of location information management units which are location information of the most recently extracted items. It is used to obtain the movement trajectory history information of the article by combining the stored position information of the article, the user checks the current position information or the history information obtained through the user terminal 150 (S340).

Hereinafter, a method of searching for current location information of an article according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In the description, the same reference numerals in Fig. 1 or 2 refer to the same member performing the same function.

First, when the user terminal 150 requests any one of the plurality of location information management units 130 to search for the current location information of a specific item (S400), the location information management unit (hereinafter, referred to as the first location information management) The current location tracking module 135 of the unit requests the integrated management unit 140 for time information corresponding to the specific item and management recognition information linked to the time information (S404).

Then, when receiving the time information corresponding to the specific item and the management recognition information linked to the time information from the integrated management unit 140 (S406), the current position tracking module 135 is the most recent from the received time information The generated time information (hereinafter, referred to as last time information) is searched (S408), and the position information manager (hereinafter referred to as second position information manager) in which the last time information is stored is requested for position information linked to the last time information. (S410).

Then, the second location information management unit searches for location information linked with the last time information using the internal information search module (S412), and transmits the location information to the first location information management unit (S414).

Thereafter, the first location information manager transfers the location information received from the second location information manager to the user terminal 150 (S416).

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the limited embodiment and drawing, this invention is not limited by this, The person of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of equivalent claims.

The location information management system and method using the electronic tag of the present invention as described above can accurately obtain location information without using expensive equipment such as GPS, and distributes a large amount of data generated from numerous readers. By decentralized storage in the location information management unit, the limitation of the storage capacity can be overcome, and the processing speed can be increased to provide real-time location information service.

In addition, in storing the information in the location information management unit, by generating and storing the three-dimensional index, there is an advantage that can be searched faster.

Furthermore, not only the location information of the goods but also the movement trajectory of the goods can be easily confirmed, so that the convenience of logistics can be facilitated, such as checking whether the specific goods are distributed through the contaminated area.

Claims (6)

It is provided at a specified position, and recognizes the electronic tag attached to the article to generate the product information linked to the information about the article, the position information and information about the specified position and the time information that the electronic tag is recognized leader; An information collector configured to filter and collect the article information, location information, and visual information generated by the reader from the electronic tag by a predetermined criterion; A plurality of distributed location information management units storing the item information, location information, and visual information collected by the information collecting unit; An integrated management unit for receiving and storing the article information, the visual information, and the unique management recognition information assigned to the plurality of location information management units, respectively, from the location information management unit and interworking with each other; And The current location information which is the location information of the most recently extracted item using the item information, location information, time information, and management recognition information stored in the plurality of location information management units and the integrated management unit; Position information management system using an electronic tag including a user terminal that can confirm the history information of the movement trajectory of the article by combining the position information of the article. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information management unit, A DB for storing the location information, article information, and time information; An information exchange module for exchanging information with the integrated management unit and other location information management units; A storage module for storing the location information, article information, and time information collected by the information collecting unit in the DB; An information retrieval module for retrieving location information, article information, and visual information stored in the DB; When receiving a current location information search request for a specific item from the user terminal, the time information corresponding to the specific item and management recognition information linked to the time information is received from the integrated management unit, the most recently generated time information A current location tracking module for retrieving the last time information, receiving the location information linked with the last time information from the corresponding location information management unit in which the last time information is stored, and delivering the last time information to the user terminal; And When receiving a history information search request for a specific item from the user terminal, receiving the time information corresponding to the specific item and management recognition information linked with the time information from the integrated management unit, the received time information sequentially Alignment, location information management system using an electronic tag comprising a history tracking module for receiving the location information on the specific article from the corresponding location information management unit storing the sorted visual information and transfer the movement trajectory to the user terminal . The method of claim 2, wherein the storage module, In storing the article information, location information and time information, Location information management system using an electronic tag, characterized in that for generating and storing an index of a three-dimensional structure with each information as an index. Recognizing an electronic tag attached to a predetermined article through a reader provided at a designated position, product information which is information on the predetermined article, position information which is information on the designated position of the reader, and a time at which the electronic tag was recognized Article recognition step of generating information in conjunction; An information collection step of filtering and collecting the article information, the location information, and the visual information generated in the article recognition step based on a predetermined criterion; A distributed storage step of storing the article information, the location information, and the visual information collected by the information collecting step by a plurality of distributed location information management units; An integrated storage step of storing the article information, the time information stored in the location information management unit, and the unique management recognition information assigned to the plurality of location information management units in association with the integrated management unit in the distributed storage step; And Current location information which is the location information of the most recently extracted item using the article information, location information, time information and management recognition information stored in the plurality of location information management unit and the integrated management unit or stored in the plurality of location information management unit And a location information checking step of confirming, through a user terminal, the history information of the movement trajectory of the article in which the location information of the article is integrated. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining of location information comprises: When receiving a current location information search request for a specific item from the user terminal, the time information corresponding to the specific item and management recognition information linked to the time information is received from the integrated management unit, the most recently generated time information Searching for the last time information, and receiving the location information linked with the last time information from the corresponding location information management unit in which the last time information is stored, and transmitting the current location information to the user terminal; And When receiving a history information search request for a specific item from the user terminal, receiving the time information corresponding to the specific item and management recognition information linked with the time information from the integrated management unit, the received time information sequentially Position information management using an electronic tag comprising a history information checking step of aligning, and receiving the position information on the specific article from the corresponding position information management unit storing the sorted visual information and transmitting the movement trajectory to the user terminal. Way. The method of claim 5, wherein the distributed storage step, In storing the article information, location information and time information, Location information management method using an electronic tag, characterized in that for generating and storing an index of the three-dimensional structure having each information as an index.

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