WO2005064527A1

WO2005064527A1 - Wireless tag and wireless tag reader/writer

Info

Publication number: WO2005064527A1
Application number: PCT/JP2004/019030
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomoyasu Fukui; Tsuyoshi Ohashi
Original assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2003-12-25
Filing date: 2004-12-20
Publication date: 2005-07-14
Also published as: JP2005190119A; JP4380323B2

Abstract

A wireless tag and a wireless tag reader/writer wherein information can be written only into a target wireless tag without fail. There are included a first antenna (66) for writing information into a memory circuit (80) in a noncontact manner by use of a first frequency; and a second antenna (68) for reading information from the memory circuit (80) in a noncontact manner by use of a second frequency. The different frequencies are used for writing and reading information to and from a wireless tag circuit (24a), thereby excellently preventing the occurrence of erroneous communication with a tag tape (26) that is accommodated, for example, in a cartridge (28) of a wireless tag reader/writer (12) and that has not been disconnected yet or with the wireless tag circuit (24a) or the like in which the writing has already been completed.

Description

Specification

Wireless tag and wireless tag reader / writer

Technical field

The present invention relates to a wireless tag that can write and read information wirelessly, and a wireless tag reader / writer that reads and writes information from and to the wireless tag.

Background art

[0002] A RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system that reads information from a small wireless tag (transponder) in which predetermined information is stored by a predetermined reader (interrogator) in a non-contact manner is known. This RFID system can read the information stored in the wireless tag by wireless communication with the reader even if the wireless tag is dirty or placed in an invisible position. It is expected to be practical in various fields such as product management and inspection processes.

[0003] In reading and writing information from and to the wireless tag, it is necessary to communicate information with the wireless tag. For example, such information is read and written by communication using a microwave band with a communication frequency of 900 MHz to 2.4 GHz, but when using a high frequency, the communication distance is long. Communication with the wireless tag tape before cutting stored in the cartridge or the already-written wireless tag may be performed. It was difficult. Therefore, a wireless tag having two types of loop antennas having different numbers of turns has been proposed. For example, the wireless tag described in Patent Document 1 is such. According to this radio tag, information can be written only to a specific radio tag by a write loop antenna responding to a relatively strong signal, and a plurality of radio tag powers can be written by a read loop antenna responding to a relatively weak signal. It is said that information can be read.

[0004] Patent Document 1: JP-A-8-226967

[0005] However, in the conventional technique, the frequency used for communication in writing and reading information to and from the wireless tag is common, so that the wireless tag is still housed in a cartridge of a wireless tag reader / writer. Wireless tag tape before disconnection or already written There is a possibility that communication may be performed erroneously with a completed wireless tag or the like. That is, at present, a technology for reliably writing information only to a target wireless tag has not been provided.

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless tag and a wireless tag reader / writer capable of reliably writing information only to a target wireless tag. To provide.

Means for solving the problem

[0007] In order to achieve such an object, the gist of the first invention is a wireless tag provided with an information storage unit capable of storing predetermined information, wherein the wireless tag is contactless by a first frequency. A first antenna for writing information to the information storage unit, and a second antenna for reading information from the information storage unit in a non-contact manner at a second frequency. It is characterized by that.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the gist of the second invention is a wireless tag reader / writer for reading and writing information from and to the wireless tag of the first invention, wherein A wireless tag is provided with a tag tape arranged continuously, and after writing information to each wireless tag, the tag tape is so removed that part or all of the first antenna in the wireless tag is removed. And cutting control means for cutting the cut.

The invention's effect

[0009] Thus, according to the first invention, the first antenna for writing information to the information storage unit in a non-contact manner at the first frequency, and the first antenna for non-contact at the second frequency. Since a second antenna for reading information from the information storage unit is provided, by using different frequencies for writing and reading information to and from the wireless tag, the inside of the cartridge of the wireless tag reader / writer can be improved. Communication between the wireless tag tape before cutting or the wireless tag that has already been written is stored by mistake. Can be suitably prevented. That is, it is possible to provide a wireless tag capable of reliably writing information only to the target wireless tag.

[0010] Here, in the first invention, preferably, the signal of the first frequency is transmitted by magnetic coupling, and the signal of the second frequency is transmitted by microwave. It is. With this configuration, it is possible to write information to the information storage unit at a relatively low first frequency, and it is further preferable that erroneous communication with another nearby wireless tag is performed. In addition to that, information can be read from the information storage unit at a relatively high second frequency, and information can be suitably read from an unrelated tag at a long distance.

[0011] Preferably, a loop antenna is provided as the first antenna, and a dipole antenna is provided as the second antenna. With this configuration, it is possible to write information in the information storage unit by magnetic coupling, and it is possible to more suitably prevent erroneous communication with another nearby wireless tag. The information can be read from the information storage unit using a microwave and a relatively high microwave, and the information can be suitably read from an unrelated tag at a long distance.

[0012] Preferably, a part or all of the first antenna is removed by cutting after information is written in the information storage unit. With this configuration, it is possible to further suitably prevent the writing from being performed by mistakenly performing the communication with the wireless tag or the like for which the writing has been completed.

[0013] Preferably, the apparatus further includes frequency discriminating means for discriminating between the first frequency signal received by the first antenna and the second frequency signal received by the second antenna. This makes it possible to easily switch between writing and reading of information to and from the information storage unit.

[0014] Preferably, when the first frequency signal is received by the first antenna, writing of information to the information storage unit is permitted, and the second frequency signal is received by the second antenna. In the case where the writing is performed, a writing control unit for inhibiting writing of information into the information storage unit is included. This makes it possible to switch between writing and reading of information to and from the information storage unit in a practical manner. [0015] Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tag tape in which a plurality of the wireless tags are consecutively arranged, and after writing information to each of the wireless tags, the wireless tag includes the tag. Since it includes cutting control means for cutting the tag tape so that part or all of the first antenna is removed, the wireless tag tape before cutting stored in the cartridge of the wireless tag reader / writer etc. Erroneously communicating with a wireless tag that has already been written can be suitably prevented. That is, it is possible to provide a wireless tag reader / writer capable of reliably writing information only to the target wireless tag.

Here, in the second invention, preferably, information is written to the information storage unit in the wireless tag at the first frequency by magnetic coupling to a first antenna of the wireless tag. Things. With this configuration, it is possible to write information to the information storage unit of the wireless tag that is closer to the relatively low first frequency, and it is more preferable that erroneous communication with another wireless tag is performed. Can be prevented.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an RFID system to which the present invention is suitably applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless tag reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless tag circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a configuration example including a frequency discriminating circuit as frequency discriminating means.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless tag circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a configuration example including an RSSI detection circuit as frequency discriminating means.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a tag tape for explaining the configuration of the wireless tag circuit of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, in which the wireless tag circuits are continuously arranged at predetermined intervals.

6 is a diagram schematically showing an operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit of FIG. 3 or 4 by the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the sensor of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control circuit in FIG. 2.

9 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal or the general-purpose computer in FIG. 1 when writing information to the wireless tag in FIG. 3 or 4 by the wireless tag reader / writer in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the communication circuit of FIG. 2 in detail. FIG. 11 is a plan view explaining a cutting position of the tag tape of FIG. 5.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a wireless tag created by cutting the tag tape at the cutting position in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a tag tape in which wireless tag circuits different in form from the wireless tag circuit of FIG. 3 or 4 are continuously arranged at predetermined intervals.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a tag tape in which wireless tag circuits different in form from the wireless tag circuit of FIG. 3 or 4 are continuously arranged at predetermined intervals.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a tag tape in which wireless tag circuits different in form from the wireless tag circuit of FIG. 3 or 4 are continuously arranged at predetermined intervals.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an initialization operation of the wireless tag reader / writer in FIG. 2, which is executed prior to writing information to the wireless tag in FIG. 3 by the RFID system in FIG. [17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of initializing machine information of the wireless tag reader / writer in the SPA of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a setting initialization operation of a carrier generation unit provided in a communication circuit of the wireless tag reader / writer in the SPB of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of writing information to the wireless tag of FIG. 3 by the wireless tag reader / writer of FIG.

20 is a flowchart illustrating a preparation operation for writing information to a wireless tag in the SWA in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating generation of modulation information for transmitting information to the wireless tag of FIG. 3 or 4.

FIG. 22 is a table showing types of commands determined by the command determination routine of FIG. 21. [23] FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the command frame structure of FIG. 21 in detail.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a 0 signal and a 1 signal, which are components of the command frame in FIG. 21.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a 0 signal and a 1 signal used for generating a reply signal of the wireless tag power of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4;

FIG. 26 is a diagram exemplifying a signal indicating an ID unique to the wireless tag of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4; FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a memory configuration of the wireless tag of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating “SCROLL ID Reply” returned when a signal including a “SCROLL ID” command is received in the wireless tag of FIG. 3 or FIG.

FIG. 29 is a diagram explaining how information following “LEN”, which is a part of the information stored in the memory circuit of FIG. 3 or 4, is extracted.

FIG. 30 is a diagram for explaining in detail “SCROLL ID Reply” of FIG. 22.

[31] FIG. 31 is a diagram exemplifying a possible reply state from the wireless tag when the wireless tag reader / writer in FIG. 2 performs an operation of identifying a wireless tag within a communication range.

[32] FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of a possible reply state from the wireless tag when the wireless tag reader / writer in FIG. 2 performs an operation of identifying a wireless tag within a communication range.

[33] FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of specifying a wireless tag to which information is to be written in the SWB of FIG.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of writing information to a wireless tag in the SWC in FIG. 19.

FIG. 35 is a flowchart illustrating a printing operation on a tag tape and a sending / cutting operation of the tag tape performed in parallel with an operation of writing information to a wireless tag in the SWC of FIG. 19;

36 is a flowchart showing an operation of a control circuit in the wireless tag circuit shown in FIG. 3. [FIG. 37] A flowchart showing an operation of the control circuit in the wireless tag circuit shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10: RFID system

12: Wireless tag reader / writer

14: Communication line

16: Root Sano

18: Terminal

20: General purpose computer : Information server

, 124, 126, 128: Wireless tag labenore a, 124a, 126a, 128a: Wireless tag circuit, 130, 132, 134: Tag tape: Cartridge

: Motor for cartridge

: Cartridge motor drive circuit: Thermal head

: Print drive circuit

: Sending roller

: Motor for feed roller

: Motor drive circuit for sending roller: Unloading port

: Transport guide

:solenoid

： Ivy

: Sensor

: 3

: Communication circuit

: Signal processing circuit

: Control circuit

: I / O interface

: IC circuit

, 136, 138, 140: 1st antenna: 2nd antenna

: Rectifier circuit

: Demodulation circuit

: Frequency discrimination circuit (frequency discrimination means) 76: Power supply circuit

78: Control circuit

80: Memory circuit (information storage unit)

82: Write control means

84: RSSI detection circuit (frequency discrimination means)

104 transmitter

106:: Receiver

108:: Carrier generator

110:: Carrier modulation unit

112:: Modulated wave amplifier

114:: Coupling circuit

116 :: LNA

118:: Bandpass filter

120:: Tag tape sending control means

122:: Tag tape cutting control means

142: ： Floodlight

144:: Receiver

146:: CPU

148 :: ROM

150 :: RAM

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Example 1

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an RFID system 10 to which the present invention is suitably applied. In the RF ID system 10, a plurality of wireless tag readers / writers 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention include a route server 16, a terminal 18, a general-purpose computer 20, and a plurality of information via a wired or wireless communication line 14. Connected to server 22.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the wireless tag reader / writer 12. This wireless tagley The Dalita 12 is used to create the RFID label 24 shown in FIG. 12 and the like, and as described later, writes a desired write ID and article information into the IC circuit section 64, etc. The RFID tag 24 can be created immediately, and the antenna part of the RFID label 24 and the RFID circuit 24a, which also has the IC chip strength, accommodate the strip-shaped tag tape 26 that is continuously arranged at predetermined intervals. A removable cartridge 28, a cartridge motor drive circuit 32 for driving the cartridge motor 30 to control the sending of the tag tape 26 from the cartridge 28, and a thermal head for printing on the tag tape 26. A print drive circuit 36 for controlling the drive of the feed roller 34; a feed roller 38 for feeding the tag tape 26 in the direction indicated by the arrow; and a feed roller motor A delivery roller drive circuit 42 for controlling the drive of the delivery roller 38 via 40, a transport guide 46 for guiding the tag tape 26 from the cartridge 28 to the carry-out port 44, and a solenoid 48 A cutter 50 which is a cutting device for cutting the tag tape 26 into predetermined lengths by cutting the tag tape 26 into individual wireless tag labels 24; a sensor 52 for detecting the presence or absence of the tag tape 26 at the carry-out port 44; A C-shaped coil 54 for communicating with the tag circuit 24a, a communication circuit 56 for writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a via the coil 54, and the wireless tag circuit 24a. A signal processing circuit 58 for processing the read signal to read information, a motor drive circuit 32 for the cartridge, a print drive circuit 36, a feed roller drive circuit 42, a solenoid 48, a communication circuit 56, and a signal processing And a control circuit 60 for controlling the driving of the RFID reader-writer 12 through the road 58 or the like, and is Bei Ete configuration. The control circuit 60 is connected to the communication line 14 by an input / output interface 62. Although detailed description is omitted in the present embodiment, the tag tape 26 includes, for example, a band-shaped first base material having a printable surface and the wireless tag circuit 24a continuously arranged at a predetermined interval. The first base material and the second base material are housed in the cartridge 28 in a wound state, respectively.

FIG. 3 shows the wireless tag circuit 24a, which is an example of a configuration including a frequency discriminating circuit 72 as frequency discriminating means. FIG. 4 shows the wireless tag circuit 24a, which is provided with an R SSI detecting circuit 84 as frequency discriminating means. Each configuration example is shown. As shown in Fig. 3, The wireless tag circuit 24a can contact the IC circuit unit 64 capable of storing predetermined information and communicate with the wireless tag reader / writer 12 or the like at the first frequency by resonating at the first frequency and contactlessly. The first antenna 66 for writing information to the IC circuit section 64 resonates at a second frequency sufficiently higher than the first frequency and communicates with a predetermined interrogator or the like at the second frequency. And a second antenna 68 for reading information from the IC circuit section 64 in a non-contact manner. The received wave received by the first antenna 66 or the second antenna 68 is supplied to a rectifying circuit 70, a demodulating circuit 72, and a frequency discriminating circuit 74. The received wave supplied to the rectifier circuit 70 is rectified by the rectifier circuit 70, supplied to the power supply circuit 76, and stored as energy for operating the wireless tag circuit 24a. The frequency discrimination circuit 74 functions as a frequency discrimination means. The frequency discrimination circuit 74 detects the frequency of the received wave and notifies the control circuit 78 of the frequency. The control circuit 78 controls reading and writing of information from and to the memory circuit 80 functioning as an information storage unit capable of storing a predetermined information signal, and extracts commands from a received wave to execute corresponding processing. In addition to the basic control, it executes the information writing control described later. The received wave supplied to the modulation / demodulation circuit 72 is demodulated by the modulation / demodulation circuit 72 and supplied to the control circuit 78. The control circuit 78 extracts a command, and stores predetermined information in accordance with the content thereof into the memory circuit. The information is stored in the memory circuit 80 or predetermined information is read from the memory circuit 80. When a read command is received, the contents of the memory circuit 80 are read by the control circuit 78 and demodulated by the modulation / demodulation circuit 72. Then, the first antenna 66 or した receiving the received wave is transmitted from the second antenna 68 as a reflected wave.

A frequency discriminating circuit 74 connected to the control circuit 78 discriminates a first frequency signal received by the first antenna 66 from a second frequency signal received by the second antenna 68. Specifically, the received wave is received by either the first antenna 66 or the second antenna 68 based on the frequency of the received wave supplied from the first antenna 66 or the second antenna 68. That is, it is determined whether the signal is the first frequency signal or the second frequency signal.

The control circuit 78 includes a write control means 82 as a control function. When the first frequency signal is received by the first antenna 66, the control means 82 permits writing of information to the memory circuit 80, and the second frequency signal is received by the second antenna 68. When is received, control is performed such that only reading of information from the memory circuit 80 is performed. Specifically, when the frequency discrimination circuit 74 determines that the received wave is the first frequency signal received by the first antenna 66, the control circuit 78 is set to the write-enabled state. Thus, when a memory write command is received, information is written to the memory circuit 80. Note that in the operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a, a specific operation of the target wireless tag circuit 24a is performed as necessary, and in the specific operation, predetermined information is read from the memory circuit 80. The communication for reading the information is preferably performed by the first antenna 66 using the first frequency. That is, the control circuit 78 preferably sets the write permission state after predetermined information is read from the memory circuit 80 for identification of the wireless tag circuit 24a.

[0025] The wireless tag circuit 24a may have a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, an RSSI detection circuit 84 may be provided as a frequency discrimination means instead of the frequency discrimination circuit 74. The RSSI detection circuit 84 detects the strengths of the received signals "RSSI-1" and "RSSI-2" supplied from the first antenna 66 or the second antenna 68, respectively. By detecting the received signal strength in this manner, the first frequency signal received by the first antenna 66 and the second frequency signal received by the second antenna 68 can be discriminated.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the tag tape 26 for explaining the configuration of the wireless tag circuit 24a. As shown in FIG. 5, the first antenna 66 is preferably a loop antenna (coiled antenna) whose resonance frequency (first resonance frequency) is in the range of 100 kHz to 14 MHz, for example, about 13.5 MHz. Preferably, the second antenna 68 is a dipole antenna whose resonance frequency (second resonance frequency) is at least 20 times the first frequency, for example, about 915 MHz. Further, the first antenna 66 is formed such that at least one length dimension in the longitudinal direction of the tag tape 26 with respect to the IC circuit portion 64 is longer than the second antenna 68, and the tag tape 26 Perpendicular to its longitudinal direction In this case, only the first antenna 66 can be disconnected without disconnecting the second antenna 68.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a by the wireless tag reader / writer 12. As shown in FIG. 6, the coil 54 provided in the wireless tag reader / writer 12 communicates with the first antenna 66, which is a loop antenna, at the first frequency by magnetic coupling to the IC circuit. Writes information to module 64. As described above, in a mode in which communication is performed by electromagnetic induction using the relatively low first frequency, the communicable distance is short, and therefore, for example, the wireless tag circuit 24a is disposed adjacent to the target wireless tag circuit 24a. It is possible to preferably prevent erroneous communication with the wireless tag circuit 24a or the like that is not the communication target. When reading information from the IC circuit unit 64 of the RFID label 24 after creation (cutting) as shown in FIG. 12, the relatively high second frequency is used to read the RFID tag circuit 24a at a long distance. It can also communicate with.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the sensor 52. As shown in FIG. 7, the sensor 52 is, for example, a transmission type photoelectric sensor including a light emitter 142 and a light receiver 144, and the tag tape 26 or the wireless tagler is provided between the light emitter 142 and the light receiver 144. If there is no bell 24, the light output from the light emitter 142 is input to the light receiver 144.If there is the tag tape 26 or the wireless tag label 24 between the light emitter 142 and the light receiver 144, The light output from the light emitter 142 is shielded, and the control output from the light receiver 144 is inverted. This control output is supplied to the control circuit 60 as a signal indicating the presence or absence of the tag tape 26 or the RFID label 24.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the control circuit 60. As shown in FIG. 8, the control circuit 60 includes a CPU 146 as a central processing unit, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 148, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 150, and a temporary storage function of the RAM 150. This is a so-called microcomputer system that performs signal processing in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 148 in advance while utilizing the program. The control circuit 60 is connected to the communication line 14 via the input / output interface 62, and communicates with the route server 16, the terminal 18, the general-purpose computer 20, the information server 22, and the like. That information can be exchanged Has been. FIG. 9 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 18 or the general-purpose computer 20 when the wireless tag reader / writer 12 writes information to the wireless tag circuit 24a. As shown in FIG. 9, a print character to be printed on the RFID label 24, a write ID which is an ID unique to the RFID circuit 24a, an address of the article information stored in the information server 22, and the route server The storage destination address and the like of the corresponding information in 16 can be displayed on the terminal 18 or the general-purpose computer 20, and the operation of the terminal 18 or the general-purpose computer 20 causes the wireless tag reader / writer 12 to operate, thereby Predetermined print characters are printed on the tag tape 26 and the like, and information such as the write ID and article information is written on the IC circuit section 64. Further, the correspondence between the ID of the wireless tag circuit 24a and the information written in the wireless tag circuit 24a is stored in the route server 16, and can be referred to as needed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the communication circuit 56 in detail. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication circuit 56 includes a transmitting unit 104 for transmitting a predetermined signal to the wireless tag circuit 24a, and a receiving unit 106 for receiving a reflected wave from the wireless tag circuit 24a. The transmission unit 104 includes a carrier generation unit 108 that generates a carrier that is a first resonance frequency for writing information in the wireless tag circuit 24a, and an information signal supplied from the signal processing circuit 58. A carrier modulating section 110 that modulates the carrier generated by the carrier generating section 108 (for example, amplitude modulation based on a TX-ASK signal), and a modulated wave amplifying section that amplifies the modulated wave modulated by the carrier modulating section 110 A part 112 is provided. The output of the modulated wave amplifier 112 is transmitted to the coil 54 via a coupling circuit 114 and supplied to the IC circuit 64 via the first antenna 66 by magnetic coupling.

The reflected wave from the wireless tag circuit 24 a received by the coil 54 is input to the receiving unit 106 via the coupling circuit 114. The receiving section 106 includes an LNA (Low Noise Amp) 116 for amplifying the received signal of the coil 54 and a band-pass filter 118 for passing only a signal of a predetermined frequency band in the received signal amplified by the LNA 116. And is provided. The output of the band-pass filter 118 is input to the signal processing circuit 58, demodulated by the signal processing circuit 58, and The information on the modulation by the switching circuit 24a, that is, the information stored in the memory circuit 80 is read.

The tag tape sending control means 120 and the tag tape cutting control means 122 shown in FIG. 10 are both control functions of the control circuit 60. The tag tape delivery control means 120 controls the drive of the delivery roller 38 via the delivery roller drive circuit 42 so that the delivery amount of the tag tape 26 is cut so that the tag tape 26 is cut at a predetermined cutting position. Is determined. The tag tape cutting control means 122 controls the operation of the cutter 50 via the solenoid 48 so that part or all of the first antenna 66 in the wireless tag circuit 24a is removed, for example, as shown in FIG. The tag tape 26 is cut at the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. The cutting of the tag tape 26 is performed after predetermined information is written in the IC circuit section 64 of the wireless tag circuit 24a divided by the cutting. As a result of this cutting operation, a part or all of the first antenna 66 in the RFID circuit 24a is removed so that the RFID label 24 as shown in FIG. Does not function as an antenna, and writing of new information is prohibited in the RFID label 24 divided by the disconnection. That is, the read-only type RFID label 24 in which only the information is read out from the IC circuit section 64 by the second antenna 68 is created.

FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 show tag tapes 130, 132, and 134 in which wireless tag circuits 124a, 126a, and 128a different in form from the wireless tag circuit 24a are continuously arranged at predetermined intervals. FIG. The tag tape cutting control means 122 of the control circuit 60 controls a part of the first antennas 136, 138, 140 in the wireless tag circuits 124a, 126a, 128a by controlling the operation of the cutter 50 via the solenoid 48. Or, for example, the tag tapes 130, 132, and 134 are cut at positions indicated by alternate long and short dash lines in FIG. 13, FIG. 14, and FIG. This disconnection operation is performed after predetermined information is written in the IC circuit section 64 of the wireless tags 124, 126, and 128 divided by the disconnection in the same manner as described above. In the wireless tag circuit 126a shown in FIG. 14, the entirety of the first antenna 138 is removed by cutting, whereas in the wireless tag circuit 128a shown in FIG. 15, a part of the first antenna 140 is opened by cutting. In each case, the first antennas 138 and 140 function as antennas. And the writing of new information is prohibited.

Next, a description will be given of an operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a by the RFID system 10 configured as described above, and a writing preparation operation prior thereto. These operations are performed by the coil 54 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and the first antennas 66, 136, 138, 140, etc. of the wireless tag circuit 24a (hereinafter, referred to as the first antenna 66 unless otherwise specified). Is performed by communication using the first frequency between

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an initialization operation of the wireless tag reader / writer 12, which is executed before the RFID system 10 writes information to the wireless tag circuit 24a. First, in step (hereinafter, step is omitted) SPA, machine information of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 is initialized. Next, in the SPB, after the settings of the carrier generator 108 provided in the communication circuit 56 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 are initialized, this routine is terminated.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of initializing the machine information of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 in the SPA of FIG. First, in SPA1, the presence or absence of the cartridge 28 is determined. Next, in SPA2, the type of the cartridge 28, that is, the width of the tag tapes 26, 130, 132, 134, and the like (hereinafter, referred to as the tag tape 26 unless otherwise distinguished), the presence or absence of RFID, and the like are determined. Next, in SPA3, it is determined whether or not the tag tape 26 of the cartridge 28 has been used up, and the routine is terminated.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the setting initialization operation of the carrier generation unit 108 provided in the communication circuit 56 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 in the SPB of FIG. First, in SPB1, the signal TX-PWR, which is supplied to the modulation wave amplification unit 112 and determines the transmission signal strength, is turned off. Next, in SPB2, a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) provided in the carrier generation unit 108 is set to a carrier frequency by the control circuit 78, and the VCO (PCO) provided in the carrier generation unit 108 is also provided. The oscillation frequency of the Voltage Controlled Oscillator is fixed by the control voltage from the SPLL, and then this routine is terminated. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a by the wireless tag reader / writer 12. First, in the SWA, preparation for writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a is performed. Next, in the SWB, the wireless tag circuit 24a to which information is to be written is specified. Next, in the SWC, after writing information to the radio tag circuit 24a, the present routine is terminated.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a preparation operation for writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a in the SWA of FIG. First, in SWA1, a write ID, article information, and the like, which are information to be written to the wireless tag circuit 24a, are set. The correspondence between these pieces of information is registered in the information server 22 via the communication line 14 before and after the writing of the information to the wireless tag circuit 24a. Next, in SWA2, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) code is calculated from the information set in SWA1. Table In this and the CRC code, the a signal for detecting an error in communication between the wireless tag circuit 24a, for example, the remainder of the transmission information by dividing a polynomial such ^{^{^{x 16 + x 12 + x 5}}} + 1 Is done. A data code reflected and modulated by the wireless tag circuit 24a and received is subjected to calculation of a CRC code by the signal processing circuit 58 and the like, and the value of the similarly received CRC code is compared with the calculation result. By doing so, a communication error is detected. Next, after the data frame portion is created based on the information set in SWA1 by SWA3, the present routine is terminated.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating generation of modulation information for transmitting information to the wireless tag circuit 24a. First, in the SWD1, functions such as specifying the wireless tag circuit 24a to which information is to be written and writing information are set. Next, in SWD2, a command corresponding to the function set in SWD1 is determined. Next, in SWD3, a command frame is created from the command determined in SWD2 and the data frame portion created in SWA3 in FIG. Next, in SWD4, the command frame created in SWD3 is stored in the memory buffer of the control circuit 60. Then, in the SWD 5, the signal processing circuit 58 generates a TX-ASK signal, which is modulation information based on the command frame stored in the memory buffer. FIG. 22 shows the types of commands determined by SWD2 in FIG. In the communication for specifying the wireless tag circuit 24a to which information is to be written, commands such as "PING" and "SCROLL ID" for reading the information stored in the wireless tag circuit 24a are used. Further, in the communication for writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a, "ERASE ID" for initializing information stored in the wireless tag circuit 24a, "PROGRAM ID" for writing information, and "PROGRAM ID" for writing information are written. Commands such as "VERIFY" for confirming the updated information and "LOCK" for inhibiting the writing of new information are used.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating in detail the command frame structure created by SWD3 in FIG. The command frame has T as a time for transmitting one bit of information, 2

0

"GAP" with T transmit power off, "PREAMBL" with 5T transmit power on, 2

0 0

"CLKSYNC" to transmit 0 signals, "COMMAND" which is the content of the command, 8T

It consists of "SET UP", which is a transmission power on of 0, and "SYNC" power to transmit one signal. "COMMAND", which is a part interpreted by the wireless tag circuit 24a, includes "SOF" indicating the start of a command, individual commands "CMD" shown in FIG. 22, and the memory location of the wireless tag circuit 24a to be written. "PTR" which is a pointer for specifying the information, "LEN" which indicates the length of the information, "VAL" which is the content of the information to be transmitted, and "PTR" which is the parity information of the "PTR", "LEN", and "VAL" P "and" EOF "indicating the end of the command.

The command frame is composed of 0 signal, 1 signal shown in FIG. 24, and transmission power on / off continuously for a predetermined time. In a specific operation of the wireless tag circuit 24a to which information is to be written or an information writing operation, a TX-ASK signal, which is modulation information based on the command frame, is supplied to the carrier modulation unit 110 of the communication circuit 56. ASK modulation of the carrier is performed in the carrier modulating section 110 and transmitted by the coil 54 to the wireless tag circuit 24a. When the signal is received by the target wireless tag circuit 24a by the first antenna 66, the control circuit 78 performs an operation of writing information to the memory circuit 80 corresponding to the command and an operation of returning information. Be done.

In the information returning operation of the wireless tag circuit 24a, the reply information described in detail below is configured as a series of FSK-modulated signals including the 0 signal and the 1 signal shown in FIG. , The carrier is reflected and modulated based on the signal, and the Reply to Dalita 12 For example, in the specific operation of the wireless tag circuit 24a to which information is to be written, a reflected wave modulated by a signal indicating an ID unique to the wireless tag circuit 24a as shown in FIG. 26 is returned.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a memory configuration of the wireless tag circuit 24a. As shown in FIG. 27, in the memory circuit 80 of the wireless tag circuit 24a, a calculation result of the above-described CRC code, an ID unique to the wireless tag circuit 24a, and a password used for the “LOCK” command are reserved. Is memorized. The reply information is created based on such information.For example, as shown in FIG. 28, when a signal including a “SCROLL ID” command is received, an 8 bit represented by OxFE is received. A "PREAMBLE" signal, a "CRC" which is a calculation result of the CRC code stored in the memory circuit 80, and a "ID" indicating the ID of the wireless tag circuit 24a are generated.

The “PING” command in FIG. 22 described above corresponds to the position on the memory shown in FIG. 27 corresponding to the information stored in the memory circuit 80 of each wireless tag circuit 24a for the plurality of wireless tag circuits 24a. This is a command for designating a position and responding, and includes information of a start address pointer “PTR”, a data length “LEN”, and a value “VAL” as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 29, when the “LEN” data after the “PTR” of the information stored in the memory circuit 80 is equal to “VAL”, the “PTR + LEN + 1” th and subsequent data are used. The bit data becomes a reply signal. If the “LEN” data after the “PTR” out of the information stored in the memory circuit 80 is equal to “VAL”, the reply is! /, Na! / No signal is generated.

The return timing for the “PING” command of the wireless tag circuit 24a is determined by the upper three bits of the reply signal, and is divided by a BIN pulse transmitted from the wireless tag reader / writer 12 following “PING”. A replay signal is returned in any of binO to bin7. For example, as shown in FIG. 30A, when “PTR = 0”, “LEN = 1”, and “VAL = 0” are sent as “PING” commands, the information stored in the memory circuit 80 is transmitted. In the wireless tag circuit 24a which is “0” corresponding to the first bit power S “VAL”, a signal as shown in FIG. 30 (b) is extracted and incorporated into the reply signal, and the upper three bits of the reply signal are extracted. If the bit is “011”, the section in the reply to the “PING” command shown in FIG. 31 The reply signal is returned to “bin3”.

[0048] The reply to the "PING" command differs as follows depending on the number of communicable wireless tag circuits 24a existing within the communication range of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 as follows. That is, when there is no wireless tag circuit 24a capable of communication within the communication range of the wireless tag reader / writer 12, no reply signal is returned as shown in "CASE1" in FIG. When one wireless tag circuit 24a capable of communication exists within the communication range, as shown in "CASE2" in FIG. 31, for example, a reply signal indicating "ID1" is returned in the section of "bin3". You. When there are two wireless tag circuits 24a that can reply in the communication range, as shown in “CASE3” in FIG. 32, for example, a reply signal indicating “ID1” is returned in the section of “bin0” At the same time, a signal indicating “ID2” is returned in the section “bin2”. When the upper 3 bits of the reply signal are equal, as shown in “CASE4” in FIG. 32, for example, signals indicating “ID1” and “ID2” are overlapped and returned in the section of “bin2”. In some cases. By repeating this “PING” command while changing the values of “PTR”, “LEN”, and “VAL”, the number of replyable wireless tag circuits 24a existing within the communication range of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 and The ID of each wireless tag circuit 24a can be known, and information can be written to the wireless tag circuit 24a to be written using the ID.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating a specific operation of the wireless tag circuit 24a to which information is written in the SWB of FIG. First, “PTR = 0” and “LEN = 1” are set in SWB1, and “VAL = 0” and the head data flag “a = 0” are set in SWB2. Next, in SWB3, the value “d = 1” indicating the number of “PING” commands is set, and in SWB4, the bin number “bn (d) = 0” is set in “d”. Next, in SWB5, a “PING” command frame corresponding to “PTR”, “LEN” and “VAL” set in SWB1 and SWB2 is created and transmitted. Next, in SWB6, it is determined whether there is a reply signal in "bin (bn (d))", that is, "bin0". If the determination of SWB6 is affirmative, it can be estimated that the head force of the memory circuit 80 is also a tag having 4 bits of “0000”, and based on this information, the “SCROLL ID” command is generated in SWB11. When a frame is created and transmitted, the CRC code of the target wireless tag circuit 24a is And a reply signal including the ID and the ID. Next, the SWB12 calculates the CRC code of the ID read by the SWB11 and compares the calculation result with the received CRC code to determine whether the ID is a valid ID. Is determined. If the determination of SWB12 is affirmative, the read ID is determined to be a valid ID, so that the IDB is stored in SWB21, and then the processing of SWB7 and subsequent steps is executed. On the other hand, even when the determination of SWB6 is denied, the processing of SWB7 and below is executed. In this SWB 7, after "1" is added to the bin number "dn (d)", in SWB8, it is determined whether the bin number "bn (d)" is smaller than "8" which is the total number of bin sections. Is determined. If the determination of SWB8 is affirmative, the power at which the processing of SWB6 and below is executed again.If the determination of SWB8 is denied, in SWB9, "d" indicating the number of "PING" commands is changed to " 1 ”is determined. If the judgment of SWB9 is denied, “1” is subtracted from “d” in SWB17, and “1” is added to “bn (d)” in SWB18. When the determination of SWB9 is affirmative, it means that all of the same head data in the memory circuit 80 have been confirmed, so the head data flag “a” is set in SWB10. Is determined whether or not the value of is “0”. On the other hand, if the judgment of SWB12 is denied, it is considered that multiple tags are responding in the section of “bin (bn (d)”, and it is judged by the “PING” command executed up to the previous time. Based on the received data, a “PING” command is created and transmitted again, so that the ID of the wireless tag circuit 24a can be further finely classified, that is, the length of “LEN” is recalculated in the SWB13. After that, the SWB 14 determines whether or not the length of “LEN” is larger than the total number “MEM_MAX” stored in the memory circuit 80. If the determination of the SWB 14 is affirmative, the memory This means that all the data in the circuit 80 has been read and the data has an error, and the data in the memory circuit 80 is considered to be defective and the ID data is not stored. In SWB22, "(1) is subtracted from" (1) and the next If the judgment of SWB14 is negative, the value of "VAL" is changed based on the data determined by the "PING" command executed up to the previous time. In SWB16, after “1” is added to “d”, the processing after SWB4 is executed again.If the determination of SWB10 is affirmative, that is, the start data flag “a” When it is determined that the value is “0”, it is confirmed that the first data of the memory circuit 80 is “0”, “LEN = 1” is set in SWB19, and the data is stored in SWB20. Then, after setting “VAL = 1” and the head data flag “a = l”, the processing after SWB4 is executed again, but if the judgment of SWB10 is denied, that is, the head data flag “a” If it is determined that the value is not “0”, it means that the IDs of all the wireless tag circuits 24a existing within the communication range have been confirmed, and the routine is terminated with that. In the present routine, when a plurality of wireless tag circuits 24a are detected, a response to the wireless tag circuits 24a not to be communicated is prohibited by a “QUIET” command for which detailed description is omitted. Subsequent processing proceeds. The identification of the target RFID circuit 24a is performed, for example, starting from the one with the smallest detected ID number, and if no RFID tag circuit 24a is detected, it is terminated as an error. . FIG. 34 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a in the SWC of FIG. First, in SWC1, after “N = 0” and “M = 0” are set, in SWC2, a signal modulated based on the “ERASE ID” command is transmitted from the coil 54 and becomes a write target. The memory circuit 80 of the wireless tag circuit 24a is initialized. Next, in SWC3, after a signal modulated based on the "VERIFY" command is transmitted from the coil 54, in SWC4, the reply signal strength of the wireless tag circuit 24a is also stored in the memory circuit 80 of the wireless tag circuit 24a. The stored information is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not the memory circuit 80 of the wireless tag circuit 24a is properly initialized. If the determination of SWC4 is affirmative, a signal modulated based on the “rpROGRAM ID” command is transmitted from the coil 54 in SWC5, and information is written to the wireless tag circuit 24a. Next, in SWC6, after the signal modulated based on the "VERIFY" command is transmitted from the coil 54, in SWC7, the reply signal power by the wireless tag circuit 24a is also transmitted to the memory circuit 80 of the wireless tag circuit 24a. The stored information is checked, and it is determined whether or not it matches the information written in SWC5. If the determination of SWC7 is affirmative, in SWC8, a signal modulated according to V based on the "LOCK" command is transmitted from the coil 54, and new information to the wireless tag circuit 24a is transmitted. After the write is prohibited, this routine is terminated. If the determination is negative, SWC9 sets “N ^ N + 1”, and then SWC10 determines whether “N = 5”. When the determination of SWC10 is denied, the power at which the processing of SWC5 and below is executed again.When the determination of SWC10 is affirmative, that is, when the writing processing of SWC5 and below fails five or more times, After confirming that the writing of information to the wireless tag circuit 24a has failed in the SWC 11, this routine is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination of SWC4 is denied, that is, if it is determined that the memory circuit 80 of the wireless tag circuit 24a has not been properly initialized, the SWC12 sets "M ^ M + l". After that, the SWC 13 determines whether or not “M = 5”. If the determination of SWC13 is denied, the processing of SWC2 and below is executed again.However, if the determination of SWC13 is affirmed, that is, if the initialization processing of SWC2 and below has failed five or more times, SWC11 In this case, after it is confirmed that writing of information to the wireless tag circuit 24a has failed, this routine is terminated. According to the above routine, desired information can be written into the wireless tag circuit 24a within the communication range.

According to the wireless tag reader / writer 12, since communication is performed only with the target wireless tag circuit 24a via the coil 54 at the first resonance frequency, a plurality of the wireless tag circuits 24a are provided. Since there is no miscommunication with the wireless tag, the wireless tag identification processing in SWB in Fig. 19 uses the "SCROLL ID" command instead of the "PING" command to obtain the correct ID including the CRC. It may be a method. Further, the wireless tag identification processing in the SWB may be omitted. This has the advantage that the wireless tag circuit 24a can be created as quickly as possible and that the implementation of the protocol can be reduced.

FIG. 35 illustrates a printing operation on the tag tape 26 and a sending / cutting operation of the tag tape 26, which are performed in parallel with the operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a in the SWC of FIG. FIG. First, in ST1, print / write information is downloaded or uploaded from the information server 22 via the communication line 14. Next, in ST2, write information such as a write ID and article information written in the IC circuit section 64 of the wireless tag circuit 24a is downloaded or uploaded from the information server 22 via the communication line 14. . Next, in ST3, the cart The printing operation on the tag tape 26 is executed via the ridge motor drive circuit 32, the print drive circuit 36, the sending roller drive circuit 42 and the like. Next, in ST4, the tag roller 26 is sent out by the sending roller 38 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Next, in ST5, it is determined whether or not the wireless tag circuit 24a provided on the tag tape 26 has reached a predetermined writing position based on the detection result of the sensor 52 and the like. While the determination of ST5 is denied, the process is made to wait by repeating the determination, but if the determination of ST5 is affirmed, after the feeding by the sending roller 38 is stopped in ST6, The operation of writing information to the wireless tag circuit 24a in the SWC thus performed is executed. Next, in ST7, a predetermined verify operation, that is, a check operation of printing and information writing is performed. Next, in ST8, the tag tape 26 is sent out by the sending roller 38 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Next, in ST9, it is determined whether or not the tag tape 26 has been sent to a predetermined cutting position based on the detection result of the sensor 52 and the like. While the determination in ST9 is denied, the process is made to wait by repeating the determination. If the determination in ST9 is affirmed, the cutting is performed in ST10 corresponding to the tag tape cutting control means 122. 50 cuts the tag tape 26. By this cutting operation, part or all of the first antenna 66 is removed. Then, in ST11, after the operation of discharging the RFID label 24 divided from the tag tape 26 is performed, this routine is ended. In the above control, ST4 to ST6, ST8, and ST9 correspond to the tag tape sending control means 120. By the above-described routine, the wireless tag label 24 as shown in FIG. 9 in which predetermined printing is performed and predetermined information is written is created.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit 78 in the wireless tag circuit 24a shown in FIG. First, in STM1, it is determined whether or not a signal (command) has been received from the first antenna 66 or the second antenna 68. If the determination of STM1 is denied, the force that is caused to stand by by repeating the determination of STM1 If the determination of STM1 is affirmed, it is received by STM1 at STM2 corresponding to the frequency discrimination means. It is determined whether the command is based on the first frequency. If the judgment of STM2 is rejected, the command received by STM1 is written in STM5 by the write command. If the determination of the command STM2 is affirmative, the STM3 determines whether the command received at the STM1 is a write command. If the determination in STM3 is denied, this routine is terminated after STM6 performs processing other than writing information to the memory circuit 80, such as reading out information from the memory circuit 80. If the determination of the applied force STM3 is affirmative, the routine is terminated after the information is written to the memory circuit 80 in STM4. If the determination of STM5 is denied, this routine is terminated after processing other than the writing of information to the memory circuit 80 is performed in STM6, but the determination of STM5 is affirmed. That is, if the command is a write command using a received wave that is not the first frequency, the information is not written into the memory circuit 80, and the routine is terminated. In the above control, STM3 to STM6 correspond to the write control means 82.

FIG. 37 is a flow chart showing the operation of the control circuit 78 in the wireless tag circuit 24a shown in FIG. 4. The same steps as those in FIG. Omitted. In this control, the STM7 compares “RSSI-1”, which is the received signal strength of the first antenna 66, with “RSSI-2”, which is the received signal strength of the second antenna 68, and obtains a value from “RSSI-2”. Also, it is determined whether or not “RSSI-1” is larger, and if the determination of STM7 is affirmative, the above-described processing of STM3 and below is performed, and if the determination of STM7 is denied, The above-described processes of STM5 and below are respectively executed. According to this aspect, writing of information to the memory circuit 80 is permitted only when a command at the first frequency is received from the first antenna 66.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first antenna 66 for writing information to the memory circuit 80 as the information storage unit in a non-contact manner at the first frequency, and the second frequency And the second antenna 68 for reading information from the memory circuit 80 in a non-contact manner, so that when writing and reading information to and from the wireless tag circuit 24a, writing is performed. Since the first frequency is used for the purpose and the second frequency is used for the readout, the tag tape 26 before cutting stored in the cartridge 28 of the wireless tag reader / writer 12 or the wireless tag for which writing has already been completed is used. Tag circuit 24a etc. It is possible to preferably prevent erroneous communication between the devices. That is, it is possible to reliably write information only to the target wireless tag circuit 24a.

Since the first antenna 66 is provided with a loop antenna and the second antenna 68 is provided with a dipole antenna, information can be written to the memory circuit 80 at a relatively low first frequency. Therefore, in addition to being able to more appropriately prevent erroneous communication with another adjacent wireless tag circuit 24a, information can be read from the memory circuit 80 at a relatively high second frequency. The information can be suitably read from the wireless tag circuit 24a at a long distance.

Further, since part or all of the first antenna 66 has been removed by cutting after the information has been written in the memory circuit 80, the first antenna 66 has the same structure as the already-written wireless tag circuit 24 a or the like. It is possible to more suitably prevent the communication for writing from being carried out by mistake.

[0058] Further, since it includes a frequency discriminating circuit 74 for discriminating between the first frequency signal received by the first antenna 66 and the second frequency signal received by the second antenna 68, information on the memory circuit 80 is stored. It is possible to easily switch between writing and reading.

When the first frequency signal is received by the first antenna 66, writing of information to the memory circuit 80 is permitted, and the second frequency signal is received by the second antenna 68. In this case, the writing control means 82 for inhibiting the writing of information to the memory circuit 80 is included, so that writing and reading of information to and from the memory circuit 80 can be switched in a practical manner.

The wireless tag reader / writer 12 includes a tag tape 26 in which a plurality of the wireless tag circuits 24a are continuously arranged, and writes information to each of the wireless tag circuits 24a, and then writes the information to each of the wireless tag circuits 24a. Since it includes the tag tape cutting control means 120 (ST10) for cutting the tag tape 26 so as to remove a part or all of the first antenna 66 in the wireless tag circuit 24a, the wireless tag reader / writer 12 Communication between the tag tape 26 before cutting stored in the cartridge 28 or the like and the RFID tag circuit 24a for which writing has already been completed is prevented from being mistakenly performed. [0061] Further, since information is written to the memory circuit 80 in the wireless tag circuit 24a at the first frequency by magnetic coupling to the first antenna 66 of the wireless tag circuit 24a, Information can be written into the memory circuit 80 by the low first frequency, and it is possible to more suitably prevent erroneous communication with another adjacent RFID circuit 24a.

As described above, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be embodied in still another mode.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the wireless tag circuit 24a is provided with the first antenna 66 that is a loop antenna and the second antenna 68 that is a dipole antenna. For example, various antennas such as a loop antenna, a dipole antenna, a microstrip antenna, and a Yagi antenna are appropriately selected and provided as the first antenna and the second antenna according to the mode of the wireless tag.

Further, the resonance frequencies of the first antenna 66 and the second antenna 68 exemplified in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and the LF band, It is set appropriately in one of the MF band, HF band and UHF band.

In the above-described embodiment, the coil 54 is provided as an information transmitting / receiving element for performing communication with the wireless tag circuit 24 a in the wireless tag reader / writer 12. For example, an information transmission / reception element such as a loop antenna may be provided! / ヽ.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the RFID tag reader / writer 12 creates one RFID label 24 for each cutting operation by the cutter 50. For example, in the tag tape 132 shown in FIG. 14 described above, after the remaining portion of the first antenna 66 removed in the previously created RFID label 24 is For example, one RFID label 24 may be created for two or several cutting operations, such as performing the creation.

In the above-described embodiment, the RFID tag reader / writer 12 writes information into the RFID tag circuit 24a, and performs printing for identifying the RFID label 24. This printing need not always be performed. Further, only writing of information to the wireless tag circuit 24a may be performed.

Although not specifically exemplified, the present invention is embodied with various changes without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A wireless tag including an information storage unit capable of storing predetermined information,

A first antenna for writing information to the information storage unit in a non-contact manner by the first frequency;

A second antenna for reading out the information of the information storage unit in a non-contact manner at a second frequency;

A wireless tag comprising:

[2] The wireless tag according to claim 1, wherein the signal of the first frequency is transmitted by magnetic coupling, and the signal of the second frequency is transmitted by microwave.

3. The wireless tag according to claim 1, wherein a loop antenna is provided as the first antenna.

4. The wireless tag according to claim 1, further comprising a dipole antenna as the second antenna.

5. The wireless tag according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the first antenna is removed by cutting after information is written in the information storage unit.

6. The wireless tag according to claim 1, further comprising frequency discriminating means for discriminating a first frequency signal received by the first antenna from a second frequency signal received by the second antenna.

[7] When the first frequency signal is received by the first antenna, writing of information to the information storage unit is permitted, and when the second frequency signal is received by the second antenna, The wireless tag according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising write control means for prohibiting writing of information into said information storage unit.

[8] A wireless tag reader / writer for reading and writing information from / to the wireless tag according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

A plurality of the wireless tags are provided with a tag tape arranged continuously, and after writing information to each of the wireless tags, part or all of the first antenna in the wireless tags is removed. A wireless tag reader / writer comprising cutting control means for cutting the tag tape. 9. The radio tag reader / writer according to claim 8, wherein information is written to the information storage unit of the radio tag at the first frequency by magnetic coupling to a first antenna of the radio tag.