JP2008187653A - Signal reading and relaying apparatus, terminal equipped with signal reading and relaying apparatus, and article management system using signal reading and relaying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new communication apparatus enabling the miniaturization of a reader/writer, a terminal using the communication apparatus, and an article management system using the terminal. <P>SOLUTION: This signal reading and relaying apparatus is configured so that it transmits and receives a signal to/from a reader/writer by a radio wave of a first frequency, and transmits and receives a signal to/from a radio tag by the electromagnetic coupling of electromagnetic waves of frequencies different from a first frequency. The terminal having the signal reading and relaying apparatus is configured in a shape of a ring, a finger sack, or a glove. In addition, an article management system is configured to include the terminal having the signal reading and relaying apparatus, the reader/writer, and the radio tag. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device that reads data from a wireless tag attached to an article and transmits the read data to a reader / writer, a terminal device including the communication device, and an article management system using the terminal device.

  Many handheld reader / writers that communicate with a wireless tag attached to an article, read data from the wireless tag, and write data to the tag have been developed and marketed.

  However, since these handheld reader / writers are operated with one hand held, there is a problem that an operator cannot use one hand for another work.

In this regard, the reader / writer antenna part is placed on a ring or glove, the antenna part is connected to the reader / writer main body by wiring, and the reader / writer main body is wrapped around the arm or lowered from the neck. Has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-74889

  However, depending on the device described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the wiring that connects the antenna portion and the main body portion of the reader / writer interferes with the work of the operator.

  Further, the conventional parts constituting the reader / writer have a problem that the reader / writer is too large to be configured so that the reader / writer can be further miniaturized and attached to the hand.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. A novel communication device capable of downsizing a reader / writer, a terminal using the communication device, and article management using the terminal The purpose is to provide a system.

  In order to achieve this object, the invention described in claim 1 includes: a reader / writer side antenna that transmits and receives signals to and from the reader / writer by radio waves; and transmission and reception of signals to and from the reader / writer and transmission and reception of signals to and from the wireless tag. Provided is a signal readout relay device comprising: an integrated circuit including an intermediary tag control unit that controls and reads data read from a wireless tag to a reader / writer; and a wireless tag side antenna that transmits and receives signals by electromagnetic coupling with the wireless tag To do.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the reader / writer includes a reader / writer, a wireless tag attached to an article, and a terminal including a signal read relay device. The signal read relay device includes the reader / writer and the first frequency. The article management system is characterized in that a signal is transmitted / received by a radio wave and a signal is transmitted / received by electromagnetic coupling of an electromagnetic wave having a frequency different from the first tag.

  According to the present invention, the signal readout relay device is configured to transmit / receive a signal to / from the reader / writer with a radio wave having a first frequency, and to transmit / receive a signal by electromagnetic coupling of an electromagnetic wave having a frequency different from the first tag. did. For this reason, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce the size so that a terminal that transmits and receives signals to and from the wireless tag 110 can be attached to the hand.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a signal readout relay device, a terminal, and an article management system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Outline of Embodiment>
First, an outline of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an article management system using the signal readout relay device of the present embodiment. A wireless tag 14 is attached to the article 13.

  Here, the wireless tag means a storage medium capable of wireless communication, and usually includes an antenna and an IC chip. The wireless tag may further have a calculation function, and is desirably a portable size, but may be a minute one. The wireless tag is sometimes referred to as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).

  The reader / writer includes a reader / writer main body 11 and an antenna 12, and is connected to a higher-level model such as a computer. This reader / writer transmits and receives signals to and from the signal readout relay device 10 by radio waves.

  The signal readout relay device 10 transmits and receives signals to and from the reader / writer by radio waves, and transmits and receives signals to and from the wireless tag 14 by electromagnetic coupling. When the signal readout relay device 10 receives the activation signal from the reader / writer, it activates and reads / writes the wireless tag 14. Here, when the operator brings the signal readout relay device 10 close to the wireless tag 14, the signal readout relay device 10 reads and writes the wireless tag 1, and transmits the read data to the reader / writer.

<Signal readout repeater>
Next, a configuration example of the signal readout relay device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The wireless tag 110 is configured to communicate with the signal readout relay device 140 and the reader / writer 120.

  As the wireless tag 110, a conventional technology can be used. For example, the wireless tag 110 includes a wireless tag antenna 116 that transmits and receives signals by electromagnetic coupling, a demodulation unit 114 that demodulates received signals, a modulation unit 113 that modulates signals to be transmitted, a memory 111 that stores data, A wireless tag control unit 112 that controls devices and a tag power source generation unit 115 that supplies power to these devices are provided.

  The wireless tag 110 includes a battery in the tag power generation unit 115 and is configured to receive power from the battery exclusively, or to supplement power generated by radio waves or electromagnetic coupling with power supplied from the battery. There are a tag and a passive tag that does not include a battery in the tag power generation unit 115 and generates electric power exclusively from radio waves or electromagnetic coupling.

  The reader / writer 120 includes, for example, an antenna 121 that transmits and receives a signal by radio waves, a reception amplifier 124 that amplifies the received signal, a reader / writer demodulator 125 that demodulates the amplified signal, and a reader / writer modulation that modulates the signal to be transmitted. Unit 122, a transmission amplifier 123 that amplifies the modulated signal, a reader / writer control unit 126 that controls each device, and an interface (I / F) 130 that connects to a higher-level model. The reader / writer control unit 126 includes a CPU 127, a ROM 128, and a RAM 129.

  The signal readout relay device 140 includes, for example, a wireless tag communication unit 140a that communicates with the wireless tag 110, a reader / writer communication unit 140b that communicates with the reader / writer 120, and a central device 140c. These can be configured in an integrated circuit.

  The wireless tag communication unit 140a modulates a signal transmitted to the wireless tag 110, a wireless tag side antenna 147 that transmits and receives signals to and from the wireless tag 110, a tag side amplifier 147a that amplifies signals transmitted and received with the wireless tag 110, and the wireless tag 110. A tag-side modulation unit 148, and a tag-side demodulation unit 149 that demodulates the reception signal amplified by the tag-side amplifier 147a.

  The reader / writer communication unit 140b modulates a signal to be transmitted to the reader / writer 120, a reader / writer side antenna 146 that transmits / receives a signal to / from the reader / writer 120, a reader / writer side amplifier 146a that amplifies a signal transmitted / received to / from the reader / writer 120, and the like. A reader / writer side modulation unit 143, and a reader / writer side demodulation unit 144 that demodulates the reception signal amplified by the reader / writer side amplifier 146a.

  The central device 140c includes a mediation tag memory 141 that stores data, a mediation tag control unit 142 that controls each device, and a power generation unit 145 that supplies power to these devices.

  Note that the signal readout relay device 140 includes a battery in the power generation unit 145 so that power is supplied exclusively from the battery, or power generated by radio waves received from the reader / writer 120 is supplemented by power supplied from the battery. The active mediating tag configured as described above and the passive mediating tag that does not include a battery in the power generation unit 145 and generates electric power exclusively from the radio wave received from the reader / writer 120.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overview of the signal readout relay device 140. The signal readout relay device 140 includes a wireless tag side antenna 147, a reader / writer side antenna 146, and an integrated circuit 150 disposed on an insulator such as a plastic film, and is coated or coated with an insulating material such as a transparent resin. It is configured by covering. For the wireless tag side antenna 147 and the reader / writer side antenna 146, known materials that have been used in conventional wireless tags can be used.

  The wireless tag antenna 147 is preferably coiled in order to transmit and receive signals to and from the wireless tag 110 by electromagnetic coupling, but is not limited thereto. The shape of the reader / writer side antenna 146 is not particularly limited. For example, a dipole antenna can be used.

<Communication method of signal readout relay device>
The signal readout relay device 140 communicates with the wireless tag 110 by electromagnetic coupling. For example, 13.56 MHz can be used as the communication frequency. In this case, the communicable distance is several centimeters to several tens of centimeters. For this reason, the signal readout relay device 140 is brought close to this distance to the wireless tag 110 attached to the article for communication.

  The signal readout relay device 140 communicates with the reader / writer 120 by radio waves. For example, a communication frequency of 952 MHz to 954 MHz can be used. In this case, the communicable distance is 10 m or less. Therefore, the signal readout relay device 140 is used so that it is within this distance from the reader / writer 120.

<Supplying operating power>
When an active mediating tag is used for the signal readout relay device 140, a passive tag or an active tag is used for the wireless tag 110. The signal readout relay device 140 may be of a size that can be worn on the hand. Therefore, for example, a 3V button battery type lithium battery can be used as the active mediating tag. In this case, sufficient power necessary for communication can be obtained even if the wireless tag 110 is a passive tag. When an active tag is used for the wireless tag 110, more reliable communication is possible.

  When an active mediating tag is used for the signal readout relay device 140, the signal readout relay device 140 can be supplied with sufficient power for communication with the reader / writer 120 from the battery.

  When a passive mediating tag is used for the signal readout relay device 140, an active tag is used for the wireless tag 110. The induced voltage due to electromagnetic induction of electromagnetic coupling is proportional to the number of turns of the coil when the magnetic flux density and frequency are constant. Therefore, when the passive mediating tag is used, the signal readout relay device 140 can obtain power necessary for communication from the active tag by increasing the number of turns of the coil of the RFID tag antenna 147.

  In many cases, the wireless tag 110 is not limited in size. Therefore, for example, a 3V button-type or pin-type lithium battery can be used. For this reason, the passive mediating tag can be supplied with sufficient power for communication with the reader / writer 120 from the active tag.

  A passive mediating tag may be used for the signal readout relay device 140 and a passive tag may be used for the wireless tag 110. In this case, the power required to operate the signal readout relay device 140 and the wireless tag 110 simultaneously is obtained by irradiating a stronger radio wave from the reader / writer 120.

  In this combination, the magnetic flux density generated by the signal readout repeater 140 is limited. However, when data transmission / reception is performed by bringing the signal readout relay device 140 and the wireless tag 110 close to each other, a smaller magnetic flux density is required for data transmission / reception with the wireless tag 110, so this combination can also be used. it can.

<Communication procedure>
The signal readout relay device 140 includes a mediation tag memory 141 that is a memory for storing data read from the wireless tag 110, and the mediation tag control unit 142 stores the data read from the wireless tag 110 in the mediation tag memory 141. After confirming the establishment of communication with the reader / writer 120, the data read from the wireless tag 110 is read from the mediation tag memory 141, and the data read from the mediation tag memory 141 is transmitted to the reader / writer 120.

  The signal readout relay device 140 can use the wireless protocol 110 and the reader / writer 120 and the communication protocol and modulation format in the prior art. For example, it can be configured to perform communication in accordance with a standard such as NFCIP (Near Field Communication Interface Protocol).

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a communication procedure of the signal readout relay device 140. Hereinafter, description will be given according to this flowchart. When the signal readout relay device 140 receives a radio wave from the reader / writer 120, the power generation unit 145 is activated and starts supplying power to the mediation tag control unit 142 and other parts. The mediation tag control unit 142 first performs initialization.

  The intermediary tag memory 141 is provided with a reader / writer reception buffer, in which received data from the reader / writer 120 is stored.

  In step S401, the mediation tag control unit 142 reads the reader / writer reception buffer. In step S402, the mediation tag control unit 142 determines whether there is data received from the reader / writer 120 of the reader / writer reception buffer. If there is no received data, the process returns to step S401, and if there is received data, the process proceeds to S403.

  In step S403, if the received data from the reader / writer 120 is a command for instructing standby in the read start state of the wireless tag 110, the mediation tag control unit 142 causes the wireless tag side antenna 147 to generate a magnetic field and perform wireless communication. Wait in a state where communication with the tag 110 can be started.

  The intermediary tag memory 141 is provided with a wireless tag reception buffer, and stores reception data from the wireless tag 110.

  In step S404, the mediation tag control unit 142 reads the wireless tag reception buffer. In step S405, the mediation tag control unit 142 determines whether there is data received from the wireless tag 110 in the wireless tag reception buffer. If there is no received data, the process returns to step S404, and if there is received data, the process proceeds to step S406.

  In step S406, the mediation tag control unit 142 stores the data received from the wireless tag 110 in a transmission memory provided in the mediation tag memory 141.

  In step S407, the mediation tag control unit 142 confirms establishment of communication with the reader / writer 120. The confirmation procedure can use a conventional protocol.

  In step S408, the mediation tag control unit 142 determines whether communication with the reader / writer 120 has been established. If communication has not been established, the process returns to step S407. If communication is established, the process proceeds to step S409.

  In step S409, the mediation tag control unit 142 transmits the data read from the wireless tag 110 to the reader / writer 120.

  In step S410, the mediation tag control unit 142 reads the reader / writer reception buffer. In step S410, the mediation tag control unit 142 determines whether the data in the reader / writer reception buffer is a reception signal for confirming the reception of the data. If there is no reception signal, the process returns to step S410. If there is a reception signal, the process returns to step S404.

  Note that the signal read relay device 140 may have a function of transmitting write data to be written to the wireless tag 110 to the reader / writer 120. In this case, the procedure for transmitting the write data to the reader / writer 120 performed by the signal read relay device 140 is to store the write data in the above-described transmission memory so that the data read from the above-described wireless tag 110 is transferred to the reader / writer 120. A procedure for sending can be used.

<Terminal>
The signal readout relay device 140 can be miniaturized and can constitute a ring-shaped terminal, a glove-shaped terminal, or a finger-sack-shaped terminal.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a terminal. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a ring-shaped terminal. The ring-shaped terminal 201 is attached to the finger 200 and communicates by bringing the wireless tag 110 attached to the article into contact with each other. The signal readout relay device 140 is disposed on the base portion of the ring. Thus, the wireless tag side antenna 147 is disposed on the contact surface with the wireless tag 110 by coating or covering an insulating material such as a transparent resin. The integrated circuit 150 may be disposed on the side surface of the pedestal portion or may be stored inside the pedestal portion. In the case of an active mediating tag, a battery is stored inside the pedestal.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram of the glove-shaped terminal 301 viewed from the back of the hand. The glove-shaped terminal 301 is a device in which a signal readout relay device 140 is attached to a finger part of a glove such as rubber or cotton. As described above, the reader / writer side antenna 146 and the integrated circuit 150 are disposed on the back of the hand, for example, by coating or covering an insulating material such as a transparent resin. In the case of an active mediating tag, a battery is stored below the reader / writer side antenna 146.

  FIG.5 (c) is the figure which looked at the glove-like terminal 301 from the direction of the palm. Thus, the wireless tag side antenna 147 is coated or covered with an insulating material such as a transparent resin, for example, and arranged on the contact surface with the wireless tag 110 on the palm side.

  The glove portion of the glove-shaped terminal 301 may be a finger sack. In this case, the finger sack can be made of a material such as elastic rubber.

  As described above, the signal readout relay device 140 according to the present embodiment communicates with the reader / writer 120 and the wireless tag 110 using different frequencies and communication methods, and transmits data read from the wireless tag 110 to the reader / writer 120. In addition, the terminal of this embodiment has no wiring for connecting to the reader / writer 120.

  The ring-shaped terminal 201, the finger-sack-shaped terminal 300, and the glove-shaped terminal 301 of the present embodiment are used so as to read the relay device 140 by approaching only the desired ones of the dense wireless tags 110. To do.

<Goods management system>
The article management system according to the present embodiment includes a reader / writer 120, a wireless tag 110 attached to the article, and a terminal including a signal readout relay device 140. In this article management system, the signal read relay device 140 provided in the terminal transmits / receives a signal to / from the reader / writer 120 by radio waves and transmits / receives a signal to / from the wireless tag 110 by electromagnetic coupling. Furthermore, the first frequency used in the communication between the signal readout relay device 140 and the reader / writer 120 and the electromagnetic wave having a frequency different from the first frequency used in the communication between the signal readout relay device 140 and the wireless tag 110 are generated. Use.

  In this article management system, a conventional reader / writer 120 and a conventional wireless tag 110 can be used. In this case, a conventional handheld reader / writer can be used together.

  The antenna 121 of the reader / writer 120 may be arranged on a ceiling, a floor, or a partition plate so as to ensure a large work space for the operator.

  The signal readout relay device 140 may be configured to perform ID management, and a plurality of signal readout relay devices 140 may transmit / receive signals to / from one reader / writer 120.

<Effect of this embodiment>
As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.

  The signal readout relay device 140 is configured to transmit / receive a signal to / from the reader / writer 120 by using a first frequency radio wave, and to transmit / receive a signal by electromagnetic coupling of an electromagnetic wave having a frequency different from the first frequency. For this reason, since the communication frequency between the reader / writer 120 and the wireless tag 110 of the signal readout relay device 140 is different, communication between the reader / writer 120 and the wireless tag 110 can be performed separately. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the size so that a terminal that transmits and receives signals to and from the wireless tag 110 can be attached to the hand, and it is not necessary to use a wiring cord. For this reason, by using the signal read relay device 140 of the present embodiment, the operator can use both hands for work, and there is an effect that the wiring cord is not bothered.

  The terminal equipped with the signal readout relay device 140 was configured in a ring shape, a finger suck shape, and a glove shape. For this reason, there is an effect that the operator can read the relay device 140 by approaching only a desired one of the dense wireless tags 110. Also, since each terminal is very light, there is an effect that an operator can concentrate on work without worrying about the presence of the terminal.

  The article management system is configured to include a reader / writer 120, a wireless tag 110, and a terminal equipped with a signal readout relay device 140. For this reason, there is an effect that the worker can manage the articles efficiently. Further, when conventional devices are used for the reader / writer 120 and the wireless tag 110, there is an effect that the work efficiency can be improved while keeping the new capital investment amount low.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

It is the figure which showed the outline | summary of the article | item management system using the signal read relay apparatus of this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the structural example of the signal read relay apparatus of this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the example of the external appearance of a signal read relay apparatus. It is the flowchart which showed the communication procedure of the signal read relay apparatus. It is a figure showing the example of a structure of the terminal.

Explanation of symbols

10, 140: Signal readout relay device,
11: Reader / writer body
12: Antenna
14, 110: wireless tag,
120: Reader / writer,
146: Reader / writer side antenna,
147: RFID tag side antenna,
201: ring-shaped terminal,
301: A glove-shaped terminal.

Claims (11)

A reader / writer for transmitting / receiving radio waves and a reader / writer side antenna for transmitting / receiving signals by radio waves;
An integrated circuit including an intermediary tag control unit that controls transmission / reception of a signal to / from the reader / writer and transmission / reception of a signal to / from a wireless tag and transmits data read from the wireless tag to the reader / writer;
A wireless tag side antenna that transmits and receives signals to and from the wireless tag by electromagnetic coupling;
A signal readout relay device comprising:   2. The signal according to claim 1, wherein a signal is transmitted / received to / from the reader / writer by a radio wave having a first frequency, and a signal is transmitted / received by electromagnetic coupling of an electromagnetic wave having a frequency different from the first tag. Read relay device.   The signal readout relay apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a power generation unit that generates electric power for operating the integrated circuit by radio waves received from the reader / writer. A battery for supplying power to operate the integrated circuit;
The signal readout relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An intermediary tag memory that is a memory for storing data read from the wireless tag;
The mediating tag control unit
Store the data read from the wireless tag in the mediation tag memory,
After confirming the establishment of communication with the reader / writer, read the data read from the wireless tag from the mediation tag memory,
Transmitting data read from the mediation tag memory to the reader / writer;
The signal readout relay device according to claim 1.   A ring-shaped terminal comprising the signal readout relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   A finger-sack-shaped terminal device comprising the signal readout relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   A glove-shaped terminal comprising the signal readout relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A reader / writer that transmits and receives radio waves,
A wireless tag attached to the article;
A terminal comprising the signal readout relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The signal readout relay device transmits / receives a signal to / from the reader / writer by a radio wave of a first frequency, and transmits / receives a signal by electromagnetic coupling of an electromagnetic wave having a frequency different from the radio tag and the first frequency. , Goods management system.   10. The article management system according to claim 9, wherein the terminal according to claim 9 is the terminal according to any one of claims 6 to 8.   The article management system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the wireless tag according to claim 9 is a passive tag or an active tag.

Images