KR20090036292A - System and method for managing stock - Google Patents

Abstract

An article management system and a method thereof are provided to trace the location where an article is loaded, accurately by using a portable terminal and register/inquire articles in the spot by reading out RFID tags attached to the articles. At least one or more locators(101-104) periodically transmit a broadcasting message including locator information. At least one or more article tags(200) form an IC chip for RFID and are attached to articles. A terminal(300) includes a location tag, which includes information about the RSSI of the broadcasting message, in the locator information, receives the article tag information from the article tag, and then provides the received article tag information to an article management server(500). The article management server generates the location information of the terminal by using the locator information and RSSI information and manages the article information.

Description

Goods Management System and Method {System and Method for Managing Stock}

The present invention relates to an article management system and method, and more particularly, article information and location information of an article included in a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag can be managed using a portable terminal and provided to a server. It relates to a management system and method.

Recently, technology using radio frequency (RF) has been widely used not only in communication technology but also in all industries including distribution. One such technique is radio frequency identification (RFID).

RFID is a non-contact identification technology that stores information of a specific item in a semiconductor chip and transmits / processes it through a wireless signal. Unlike barcodes, RFID does not require direct contact or scanning. Likewise, it is widely used to track information and location of things.

Conventional article management systems based on such RFID technology include RFID tags, RFID readers, and servers. Each item is managed by attaching an RFID tag and reading it using an RFID reader.

In general, an RFID tag includes an integrated circuit chip (IC chip) and has a thin planar shape. The IC chip includes a memory for storing data, and the memory stores identification information about a tagged article. Here, the identification information corresponds to information unique to a tagged item, and may include, for example, information about an item, a number, a price, a production date, and the like of the item.

The RFID reader fixed at a certain position reads identification information of the RFID tag attached to the article and transmits it to the server. At this time, the server recognizes the goods information and the location information of the goods by using the RFID tag information transmitted through the RFID reader and the location information of the RFID reader.

The article management system according to the related art tracks the position of the article, although the position of the RFID reader is fixed, the position information of the fixed RFID reader, and the information about the RFID tag obtained through the fixed RFID reader must be known. If the position of the RFID reader is changed or the position information of the RFID reader is not properly recognized, it is difficult to accurately identify the location of the article.

In addition, in order to solve this problem, it is possible to use a positioning method such as using a mobile RFID reader, GPS, etc. In this case, the position information of the moving RFID reader is accurately identified and transmitted through the moving RFID reader. Since there is a need for a two-step location information verification process in which the location information of the article must be confirmed based on the information on the RFID tag, it is accompanied by considerable technical difficulties in identifying the exact location of the article.

In addition, when attaching a general RFID tag to a metal article, such as steel products, the recognition rate is significantly reduced due to the effects of radio wave interference, refraction, reflection, etc., so that a general RFID tag is used for the metal article and a mobile RFID reader is used. In this case, the above-mentioned problems become more significant.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to accurately track the loading position of the article using a portable terminal and to read the RFID tag attached to the article, thereby loading the article It is to provide a goods management system and method that can register and query the goods at the site, and can change the information of the goods.

Another object of the present invention, by grouping the portable terminal and the location tag providing the location information of the portable terminal, even if a plurality of portable terminals are provided for faster article management, the article management system that can perform accurate article management and To provide a way.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an article management system and method that can be configured so that the RFID tag is separated from the article, the portable terminal can be easily recognized to increase the recognition distance and recognition rate of the portable terminal.

To this end, the article management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one locator for periodically transmitting a broadcasting message including the locator information, at least one RFID chip for RFID is formed, attached to the article An article tag including a location tag including the received strength information of the broadcasting message in the locator information, and receiving the article tag information from the article tag and providing the article tag information to the article management server, and the locator information and the reception tag. And a goods management server generating location information of the terminal using strength information and managing the goods information.

In addition, the article management system according to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one locator for periodically transmitting a broadcasting message including the locator information, at least one article tag is formed, the IC chip for RFID is formed, attached to the article Receiving the location tag from the article management server by including the received strength information of the broadcasting message in the locator information and the article management server, and receiving the article tag information from the article tag to receive the article management server. And an article management server configured to generate location information of the portable terminal using the locator information and the reception strength information, and to manage the article information.

In addition, the article management method according to another embodiment of the present invention, a) including the received strength information in the locator information received from the locator to transmit to the goods management server, b) the locator information and the reception from the goods management server Receiving location information of a terminal generated using the intensity information, c) receiving article tag information from an article tag attached to the article, reading the article tag information and location information of the article, and d) transmitting the article tag information and the location information of the article to the article management server.

Accordingly, the article management system and method according to the present invention can accurately track the location of the article while the portable terminal transmits the exact location information of the article to the server and read the RFID tag attached to the article, while at the same time It has the effect of managing the goods in this loaded site.

In addition, the article management system and method according to the present invention by grouping the location tag providing the location information of the portable terminal, even if a plurality of portable terminals are provided for faster article management has the effect of performing accurate article management .

Further, according to the present invention, the RFID tag is spaced apart from the article, and the portable terminal can be easily recognized, thereby increasing the recognition distance and the recognition rate of the portable terminal.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. For reference, in the following description, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention are omitted.

1 is a view showing a goods management system according to the present invention. Referring to the drawings, the article management system according to the present invention includes at least one locator (101 to 104), article tag 200, portable terminal 300, and article management server 500.

At least one locator 101 to 104 is positioned on a specific area in which the article is located or on a moving path through which the article moves to identify the location of the portable terminal 300 and the article tag 200, and each locator is unique. Has an ID (hereinafter referred to as a locator ID). Locators 101 to 104 periodically transmit a broadcasting message including the locator ID and the output level.

The locators 101 to 104 transmit the data in seconds to avoid collision of the broadcasting message, and are selected in consideration of the load of the system. For example, if the number of locators is small because the area to be managed is small, the load on the system becomes less. Therefore, the broadcast message is transmitted every second to increase the location accuracy. The area to be managed is wide and the number of locators is large. The number of s increases and the system load increases, so the overall system load is adjusted by increasing the transmission period. In addition, regional gateways that connect locators can be added to increase the number of locators and to control system load.

The article tag 200 includes unique identification information (hereinafter referred to as article tag ID) of the article and is attached to the corresponding article. In general, the article tag 200 is planarly attached to the surface of the product. Then, in order to recognize the identification information of the article stored in the article tag 200 is attached so that the portable terminal in the vertical direction with the article tag.

However, when the tag is attached to an item of a large size and a cylindrical shape, such as a steel product, in some cases, a problem arises in that it needs to climb to the top of the item or enter the inside of the cylinder to recognize the tag. As described above, in an environment in which it is difficult to move the portable terminal or when the movement of the portable terminal is restricted, the recognition rate is significantly lowered when using a general tag. In addition, a metal product such as steel causes radio interference, refraction, reflection, etc. to distort the radio wave, thereby significantly lowering the recognition rate of the portable terminal. Therefore, in the present invention, the article tag may be configured as shown in FIG. 2 to be spaced apart from the article.

2A and 2B illustrate an embodiment of an article tag according to the present invention, in which the article tag 200a includes a first connector 210a, an IC chip 222a, and an antenna 224a connected to the IC chip. The position portion 220a, the support portion 230a, and the second connection portion 240a are included.

The article tag 200a is folded along the lines between the respective components, and is attached to the article 250 in a triangular form by connecting the first and second connecting portions 210a and 240a. Accordingly, the tag location portion 220a is spaced apart from the article, is substantially perpendicular to the article, and is horizontal with the portable terminal.

3A and 3B illustrate another embodiment of an article tag according to the present invention, in which the article tag 200b includes a first connector 210b and an IC chip 222b and an antenna 224b connected to the IC chip. It includes a first portion consisting of the position portion 220b, and a second portion composed of the support portion 230b and the second connection portion 240b.

The article tag 200b is folded between the first connecting portion 210b and the tag positioning portion 220b, folded between the supporting portion 230b and the second connecting portion 240b, and then the tag positioning portion 220b and The support 230b is adhered to the article 250 in a protruding form. As a result, the article is spaced apart from the article, and is substantially perpendicular to the article, and is horizontal with the portable terminal.

The portable terminal 300 includes an RFID reader and a location tag, and checks the article tag information stored in the article tag 200 by using the RFID reader, reads the article tag position information, and transmits it to the article management server 500. do. In addition, the location tag receives a broadcasting message transmitted from the locators 101 to 104 and transmits the received message to the goods management server 500 including received signal strength indication (RSSI) information of the broadcasting message. .

4 shows a detailed configuration of the portable terminal 300 according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the portable terminal 300 according to the present invention includes an RFID reader 310, a location tag 320, a controller 330, and a communication unit 340.

The RFID reader 310 collects the information of the article tag 200 and allows the collected information to be updated / stored. In addition, the RFID reader 310 allows the information and location information of the article tag collected through the communication unit to be transmitted to the article management server.

The location tag 320 receives the broadcasting message from the locator, and further includes the reception strength information in the locator ID and the output level included in the broadcasting, and transmits it to the article management server 500.

The location tag 320 may be embedded in the portable terminal 300 and may be configured externally. When the location tag is configured externally, the portable terminal and the location tag are grouped to match each other.

The controller 330 includes a location register 332, a location searcher 334, a product searcher 336, and an environment setting unit 338, and the location registerer 332 receives article tag information received from an article tag. Read the position information of the article by using, and register the locator information received from the locator and the position information of the portable terminal provided from the article management server. In addition, the location retrieval unit 334 automatically requests the location retrieval information of the portable terminal 300 to the item retrieval server 500 and retrieves the location information registered in the location registration unit 332 at the time of retrieval of the product information. 336 manages and retrieves the article information collected from the article tag 200 and the article information provided from the article management server 500. The environment setting unit 338 sets an environment such as a location registration, a location search, a parameter required for a product search, a search condition, a display, and the like.

The communication unit 340 transmits and receives a signal between the article management server 500 and the RFID reader / location tag using a Zigbee network or a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) network.

The goods management server 500 checks the location information of the locator using the locator ID transmitted from the location tag 320, and uses the portable terminal by using the location information of the locator, the output level information transmitted from the location tag, and the reception strength information. Check the position of. In addition, by using the article tag information and the location information of the article tag transmitted from the RFID reader of the portable terminal to manage the information about the goods, such as the entry and exit details, inventory details.

5 shows a detailed configuration diagram of the article management server 500 according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, an article management server 500 according to the present invention includes a location manager 510, an article manager 520, a tag communicator 530, a terminal communicator 540, and a wireless LAN communicator 550. do.

The location manager 510 checks the location of the portable terminal 300 using the information transmitted through the tag communication unit 530, and provides the terminal communication unit 540 with the location of the portable terminal upon request of the portable terminal 300. It is responsible for transmitting through. To this end, the location manager 510 includes a location tracker 512, a signal strength corrector 514, an area discriminator 516, and a location information table 518.

The location tracking unit 512 tracks the location of the location tag, that is, the portable terminal 300 using the locator ID, the output level, and the reception strength information transmitted from the location tag 320. Specifically, the location tracking unit 512 checks the location coordinate value of the locator using the locator ID and calculates the distance between the locator and the location tag using the received intensity information. Then, the location tracking algorithm is finally applied to confirm the location of the portable terminal. The confirmed location information is stored and managed in the location information table 518.

The location tracking algorithm uses a region-based location tracking algorithm and a triangulation location tracking algorithm. The area-based location tracking algorithm is an algorithm that tracks in which area the current location tag is located based on the position value of the locator when the location tag is located in an area that can be transmitted and received, and is used in a relatively insignificant section. The triangulation position tracking algorithm is an algorithm that tracks the current position of a location tag in consideration of the difference in reception strength of each locator, and the number of locators to be installed in a unit section compared to the case of applying the region-based location tracking algorithm. As it increases, it is used in relatively important intervals and simultaneously with the region-based location tracking algorithm.

The signal strength corrector 514 corrects the reception strength of the locator that does not respond, and the area discriminator 516 distinguishes the corresponding area of the locator when the location tracking algorithm is applied.

When the location tag 310 is configured externally to the portable terminal 300, the location tag has a unique location tag ID, and the portable terminal and the location tag are grouped to match each other. Since the location tracking in the location tracking unit 512 actually tracks the location information of the location tag, the location tracking error is likely to occur if the location tag is not matched with the portable terminal.

6 illustrates an embodiment of grouping a portable terminal and a location tag. Referring to FIG. 6, the first location tag 321 is preset to match the first portable terminal 301, and the second location tag 322 is preset to match the second portable terminal 302. The three location tags 323 may be grouped to match the third portable terminal 303. In addition, the mobile terminal and the location tag may be a unique identification code that can be easily identified. In this case, the location information of the first location tag can be confirmed as the location information of the first portable terminal.

The article manager 520 manages the article using the article information transmitted through the terminal communication unit 540. To this end, the goods management unit 520 is an inventory management unit 522 for managing the inventory of the goods, a location management unit 524 for managing the location of the goods using the location information of the goods tag, the access management unit for managing the goods issue and goods receipt 526, and an item information table 528 in which the item information is stored.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an article management system according to the present invention. Looking at the operation of the goods management system according to the present invention in detail with reference to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, the locators 101 to 104 periodically transmit a broadcasting message including their locator ID, output level, and battery remaining information to a transmittable area (S702). The locators 101 to 104 can broadcast in seconds, and the transmission period is adjusted in consideration of the system load.

When the portable terminal 300 including the location tag 310 enters a receivable area, the location tag 310 receives the broadcasting message and transmits the information to the information included in the broadcasting message, that is, the locator ID and the output level. The reception strength information and the location tag ID are added and transmitted to the article management server 500 (S704).

The goods management server 500 checks the location coordinate value of the locator using the transmitted locator ID, calculates the distance between the locator and the location tag using the received intensity information, and then applies a location tracking algorithm to determine the location tag. The location information is generated and stored in the location information table (S706). Region-based location tracking algorithms are applied to sections that are relatively insignificant, and region-based location tracking algorithms and triangulation location tracking algorithms are applied simultaneously to critical sections.

Subsequently, when the portable terminal 300 requests its location information from the goods management server (S708), the goods management server 500 extracts the location information of the corresponding portable terminal from the location information table and transmits the location information to the portable terminal ( S710).

The portable terminal 300 having received its own location information requests the ID of the article tag through RF communication (S712), and receives the ID from the article tag 200 attached at right angles to the article (S714). Subsequently, the portable terminal 300 reads the item information and the location information of the item by using the ID and the reception time of the received item tag (S716), and transmits it to the item management server 500 (S718).

Through such a process, the article management method according to the present invention can accurately grasp the article information and the location information of the article by using a mobile portable terminal.

The article management method according to the present invention can be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks such as floppy disks. -Magneto-Optical Media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. The medium may be a transmission medium such as an optical or metal wire, a waveguide, or the like including a carrier wave for transmitting a signal specifying a program command, a data structure, or the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features, The examples are to be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

In addition, the scope of the present invention is specified by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present invention. Should be interpreted as

1 is a view showing a goods management system according to the present invention.

2A and 2B illustrate an embodiment of an article tag in accordance with the present invention.

3A and 3B illustrate another embodiment of an article tag according to the present invention.

4 is a detailed configuration diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

5 is a detailed block diagram of the article management server according to the present invention.

6 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of grouping a portable terminal and a location tag.

7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of managing an article in accordance with the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: Locator 200: Item tag

300: portable terminal 500: goods management server

Claims (14)

An article management system based on radio frequency identification (RFID), At least one locator for periodically transmitting a broadcasting message including locator information; At least one article tag having an IC chip for RFID formed thereon and attached to the article; A terminal including a location tag including the received strength information of the broadcasting message in the locator information, and receiving the article tag information from the article tag and providing the article tag information to the article management server; And And a goods management server generating location information of the terminal by using the locator information and the received strength information and managing the goods information. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal An RFID reader for receiving article tag information from the article tag; A location tag including the received strength information in the locator information and providing the received information to a goods management server; And And a control unit which registers the position information of the terminal received from the article management server and reads the information of the article and the position information of the article. An article management system based on radio frequency identification (RFID), At least one locator for periodically transmitting a broadcasting message including locator information; At least one article tag having an IC chip for RFID formed thereon and attached to the article; A location tag including the received strength information of the broadcasting message in the locator information and providing the received information to the article management server; A terminal for receiving location information from the goods management server and receiving the goods tag information from the goods tag and providing the goods management server; And And a goods management server generating location information of the portable terminal by using the locator information and the received strength information and managing the goods information. The method of claim 3, And the location tag and the terminal are matched and grouped. The method of claim 1 or 3, wherein the locator information is And the ID and output level information of the locator. The article management server according to claim 1 or 3, And a location manager to generate location information of the terminal by using locator information and reception strength information transmitted from the location tag. The article management server according to claim 1 or 3, A location tracking unit for confirming location information of the locator using the locator ID transmitted from the location tag and generating location information of the terminal using the location of the locator and the reception strength transmitted from the terminal; A reception strength correction unit correcting the reception strength; And And an area discriminating unit for distinguishing areas of the locator. The article management server according to claim 1 or 3, And a goods management unit which manages the access information, the inventory information, and the location information of the goods by using the goods tag information and the location information of the goods tag transmitted from the terminal. According to claim 1 or 3, wherein the article tag, An article management system comprising a first connection portion, a tag position portion on which the IC chip is formed, a support portion, and a second connection portion, wherein the first connection portion and the second connection portion are connected to the article in a triangle shape. According to claim 1 or 3, wherein the article tag, A first portion comprising a first connection portion and a tag position portion on which the IC chip is formed, and a second portion composed of a support portion and a second connection portion, wherein the tag position portion and the support portion are adhered to the article in a protruding form. Item management system characterized by. In the article management method based on RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), a) including the received strength information in the locator information received from the locator and transmitting the received intensity information to the goods management server; b) receiving location information of a terminal generated using the locator information and the reception strength information from the article management server; c) receiving article tag information from an article tag attached to the article and reading the article tag information and location information of the article; And d) transmitting the article tag information and the location information of the article to the article management server. The method of claim 11, wherein step a) And the locator periodically transmits a broadcasting message including the locator information, and receives the broadcasting message. The method of claim 11, wherein after the step a), the goods management server checks the location information of the locator using the locator information transmitted, and uses the location of the locator and the reception strength transmitted from the terminal. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating location information. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

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