JP4342279B2 - A fixture provided with a reading device for article information - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixture including a reading device for reading information of an RFID tag in which article information is recorded.

  In recent years, in order to manage the storage state of articles stored in furniture, an RFID tag in which article information is recorded is attached to each article, the RFID tag information is read by a reading device, and each article is based on the read information. Various devices have been developed that manage the storage state of the storage.

  As an example of this, the article information recorded on the RFID tag of the article stored in the fixture can be read by a reading device arranged on the shelf plate of the fixture, and the article can be managed based on the read article information. There is such a fixture (see Patent Document 1).

JP 7-182357 A (paragraphs 0011-0022, FIG. 1-3)

  However, when the article information is read on the fixture side as in the above-mentioned document 1, for example, when a part of the fixture is made of an electromagnetic shielding material (EMS material) such as metal, the vicinity of this electromagnetic shielding material When a reading device is provided, the electromagnetic shielding material generates a magnetic field in a direction opposite to the direction of the magnetic field of the electromagnetic wave generated from the magnetic antenna of the reading device. Is affected by the electromagnetic shielding material, it is difficult for an electromotive force to be generated in the RFID tag, and a problem may occur in reading an electromagnetic wave including article information recorded on the RFID tag.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an electromagnetic wave including article information of an RFID tag attached to an article is received by a reading device without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. The purpose is to provide such fixtures.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a fixture including the article information reading device according to claim 1 of the present invention is capable of storing a plurality of articles to which RFID tags are attached from an opening formed on a front surface. comprising a storage unit, the said plurality of housing portions a furniture provided the read device for reading the information of the RFID tag article information is recorded,
At least the back plate or a side plate and a shelf plate for partitioning the plurality of storage portions in the vertical forming the plurality of accommodating portions is constituted by an electromagnetic shielding material, the upper and lower end faces of the front Symbol shelves, two of the reading device Are arranged in a face-to-face state, and a magnetic body is interposed between the upper and lower end surfaces of the shelf plate and each of the reading devices, and the two reading devices are separated from the back plate or the side plate. It is characterized in that it is arranged in the storage part at a predetermined interval.
According to this feature, since the reading device is separated from the electromagnetic shielding material by a predetermined interval, the electromagnetic wave from the reading device is received by the RFID tag without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material, and the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag is received by the electromagnetic shielding material. Can be received by the reading device without being influenced by the above. Further, the reception of the electromagnetic wave of the RFID tag by the reading device is not affected by the electromagnetic shielding material due to the insertion of the magnetic material, and the predetermined space between the reading device and the electromagnetic shielding material is not provided, so that the storage is possible. In addition to ensuring sufficient storage space, the shelf plate is made of an electromagnetic shielding material, so that electromagnetic waves from adjacent reading devices do not interfere with each other and are stored in separate storage units. Information on goods can be received for each section.

A fixture provided with the article information reading device according to claim 2 of the present invention is a fixture provided with the article information reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the top plate and / or the bottom plate of the storage section are electromagnetic. It is characterized by comprising a shielding material.
According to this feature, for example, even if the entire storage unit is a fixture made of an electromagnetic shielding material such as steel, the reading device is disposed on the shelf plate, so that the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag can be prevented from being electromagnetic shielding material. Can be received by the reading device without being influenced by the above.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a block diagram showing the configuration of an article management system to which the fixture 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention is applied is shown, and a plurality of fixtures 1 in which articles are stored are installed (this embodiment 3 are installed), and these fixtures 1 are connected to the relay device 11 via the communication cable 2, and the relay device 11 is connected to the fixture antenna 10 via the communication cable 2.

  A management computer 3 that manages and operates the article management system and an input terminal 4 that performs data input / output and data display of the management computer 3 are mutually connected via a LAN cable 8 (in this embodiment, via a LAN). In addition to being connected, the communication antenna 2 is connected to the management antenna 9.

  On the other hand, the input terminal 4 is connected via a communication cable 2 to an RFID reader / writer 5 that can receive electromagnetic waves from an RFID tag attached to an article 7 or built in a user authentication card 6. The furniture antenna 10 and the management antenna 9 are connected to each other wirelessly so that various data can be transmitted and received.

  The fixture 1 has a structure in which a library 100 is placed on the upper side of the lateral 200, and an upper shelf storage unit 101 and a lower shelf storage unit 102 are formed in the library 100, and drawers 201, 202, 203, 204 are formed in the lateral 200. These storage units store file cases for storing documents such as files and medical records, and articles 7 such as books. As will be described in detail later, RFID tags are individually attached to articles such as file cases and books stored in the fixture 1.

  The shelf plate 25 and the shelf plate 26 provided in the storage unit of the library 100 are provided with an RFID antenna as a reading device, which will be described later, and can receive electromagnetic waves including article information from the RFID tag. The RFID antenna is connected to the management computer 3 via the communication cable 2, the relay device 11, the fixture antenna 10, and the management antenna 9, and the product information data of the RFID tag stored in the fixture 1 is stored in the management computer 3. By being transmitted, the management computer 3 can centrally manage the articles stored in the plurality of furniture 1.

  The archive 100, which will be described in detail later, is provided with an unlocking lamp 115, a locking / unlocking device 117, a speaker 116, an upper shelf instruction lamp 111, and a lower shelf instruction lamp 112, and communicates in the same manner as the RFID antenna described above. It is connected to the management computer 3 via the cable 2, the relay device 11, the fixture antenna 10, and the management antenna 9, and the fixture 1 is controlled centrally by the management computer 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the front of the library 100 is constituted by a glass door 13, and the glass door 13 has a sliding door structure that can be opened and closed left and right. The door can be opened by the portion 13b or the right hand portion 13a.

  An unlocking lamp 115, an unlocking device 117, and a speaker 116 are provided on the lower front side from the right side. Although the locking / unlocking device 117 can be manually locked / unlocked, the glass door 13 is normally locked / unlocked based on control data from the management computer 3. When the glass door 13 is unlocked, the unlocking lamp 115 is turned on, and when the unlocking is performed, the unlocking lamp 115 is turned off. The speaker 116 is provided as an alternative means of the unlocking lamp 115 and can be notified by a buzzer or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the storage unit of the library 100 is provided with shelf plates 25 and 26, and is divided into an upper shelf storage unit 101 and a lower shelf storage unit 102 by the shelf plate 25, and the upper shelf storage. The unit 101 stores a file case 14 and the lower shelf storage unit 102 stores a plurality of books 15.

  An upper shelf instruction lamp 111 is provided on the shelf board 25, and a lower shelf instruction lamp 112 is provided on the shelf board 26, so that the lighting of these lamps is controlled based on the control data from the management computer 3. It has become.

  An article lending method, which is an example of a method for using the article management system to which the furniture 1 of the present embodiment is applied, will be described below. The input terminal 4 shown in FIG. A file case 14 in which a desired document is stored is listed and a rental reservation is made.

  Based on the rental reservation from the input terminal 4, the management computer 3 specifies the storage location of the furniture 1 in which the corresponding file case 14 is stored (in this embodiment, the upper shelf storage unit 101 of the library 100).

  Then, the management computer 3 transmits an unlocking signal to the locking / unlocking device 117 of the library 100 that is the specified storage location, and transmits a lighting signal to the unlocking lamp 115 and the upper shelf instruction lamp 111.

  The locking / unlocking device 117 is unlocked based on the unlocking signal from the management computer 3, and the unlocking lamp 115 and the upper shelf instruction lamp 111 are turned on based on the lighting signal, as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, the user moves to the storage location of the file case 14 with the unlocking lamp 115 turned on, and the user opens the glass door 13 that has already been unlocked by the unlocking signal.

  Since the above-described upper shelf instruction lamp 111 is lit in advance based on a lighting signal from the management computer 3, the user is notified that there is a file case 14 reserved for lending in the upper shelf storage unit 101. The

  When the file case 14 reserved for lending by the user is taken out from the upper shelf storage unit 101, the RFID antenna disposed on the shelf board 25 cannot receive the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag attached to the file case 14, so that the management is performed. The computer 3 determines that the file case 14 has been removed from the upper shelf storage unit 101.

  Then, when a user takes out a desired document from the file case 14 and stores the file case 14 in the upper shelf storage unit 101 again, an RFID antenna disposed on the shelf board 25 is attached to the file case 14. By receiving the electromagnetic wave of the tag, the management computer 3 determines that the file case 14 is stored in the upper shelf storage unit 101, and the lending is completed.

  Further, when another file case 14 that is different from the file case 14 that the user has mistakenly reserved for lending is taken out from the upper shelf storage unit 101, or other file case that is different from the file case 14 that has been reserved for lending to the upper shelf storage unit 101. 14 is stored, an error signal is transmitted from the management computer 3 to the upper shelf instruction lamp 111, the speaker 116, and the unlocking lamp 115, and a flashing of the lamp or a notification by a buzzer is performed, thereby providing a An error notification is made to the person.

  Next, the structure of the shelf plate 25 and the shelf plate 26 on which the RFID antenna is disposed and the relationship between the RFID antenna and the RFID tag will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the library 100 includes a top plate 16, a back plate 17, a side plate 19, and a bottom plate 18 that are electromagnetic shielding materials, and a glass door 13 is attached to the front side of the opening. An unlocking lamp 115 is attached below the glass door 13 so as to be exposed to the outside. A shelf plate 25 is provided at an intermediate position between the top plate 16 and the bottom plate 18, and a shelf plate 26 is provided at a position spaced apart from the bottom plate 18 by a predetermined distance. The storage unit of the library 100 is partitioned up and down by a shelf 25, and an upper shelf storage unit 101 and a lower shelf storage unit 102 are formed.

  The structure of the shelf board 25 will be described below. The shelf board 25 includes a shelf body 25a made of a non-electromagnetic shielding material (hard plastic material in this embodiment), a shelf RFID antenna 47 corresponding to a reading device, and a non-electromagnetic shielding material (hard plastic material in this embodiment). The antenna protective film 22 is mainly composed of a material.

  An end of the shelf RFID antenna 47 is disposed on the upper end surface of the shelf main body 25a at a predetermined distance (L1) from the rear plate 17, and the shelf RFID antenna 47 is covered with the antenna protective coating 22. For example, the shelf plate 25 is prevented from being damaged or broken when storing articles such as file cases and books, and the shelf RFID antenna 47 is protected (see FIG. 4). An upper shelf support lamp 111 is provided on the side of the shelf plate 25 on the glass door 13 side.

  The upper shelf support lamp 111, the shelf RFID antenna 47, the unlocking lamp 115, and the speaker are connected to the communication cable 2, and these communication cables 2 are bundled in the back plate 17 and wired outside the fixture 1. As shown in FIG. 1, it is connected to the management computer 3 via the relay device 11, the fixture antenna 10, and the management antenna 9.

  Note that the structure of the shelf plate 26 is the same as that of the shelf plate 25, and thus the description thereof is omitted. However, the end portion of the shelf RFID antenna 48 disposed on the shelf plate 26 is also separated from the back plate 17 by a predetermined distance (L1). The lower end surface thereof is provided on the shelf plate 26 with a predetermined distance (L2) from the upper surface of the bottom plate 18.

  Regarding the interval between the RFID antenna and the electromagnetic shielding material, the RFID tag receives the electromagnetic wave from the RFID antenna without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material, and the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag is not affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. It has been experimentally verified that at least the distance between the RFID antenna and the electromagnetic shielding material is preferably 40 mm or more.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the interval (L1) between the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 applied to the fixture 1 and the back plate 17 is 50 mm, and the shelf RFID antenna 48 and the bottom plate 18 are The distance (L2) between the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 and the glass door 13 (L3) is 50 mm, and the distance (L4) between the shelf RFID antenna 47 and the side plate 19 described later in FIG. Is 50 mm.

  Since the glass door 13 which is a non-electromagnetic shielding material is used in the fixture 1 of the present embodiment, the RFID antenna and the RFID tag can be used without providing a space (L3) between the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 and the glass door 13. There is no particular problem in the transmission / reception of electromagnetic waves, but the electromagnetic wave is preliminarily affected by assuming that the front door of the library 100 is not the glass door 13 and that the front door is constituted by an electromagnetic shielding material such as steel. An interval (L3) is provided so as not to be present.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of file cases 14 are placed on the shelf 25 in the upper shelf storage unit 101 of the library 100, and RFID tags 30 are attached to the lower ends of the file cases 14. ing.

  The shelf RFID antenna 47 disposed on the shelf body 25a is disposed at a predetermined interval (L4) from the left and right side plates 19, and the interval between the shelf RFID antenna 48 of the shelf plate 26 and the side plate 19 is also predetermined. Since it is spaced apart (L4), the description of the shelf RFID antenna 48 side is omitted.

  According to the above description of the first embodiment, in the upper shelf and lower shelf storage units 101 and 102, the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 corresponding to the reading device are the rear plate 17 corresponding to the electromagnetic shielding material, the left and right side plates 19 and the ceiling. The electromagnetic waves between the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 and the RFID tag 30 are separated from the plate 16 and the bottom plate 18 from the electromagnetic shielding material constituting the back plate 17, the left and right side plates 19, the top plate 16 and the bottom plate 18. The article information of the RFID tag 30 can be accurately read without being affected.

  The second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the structure part similar to the said Example 1, detailed description shall be abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol. In addition, since the configuration of a shelf board 26 ′ and a shelf board 25 ′ in Example 2 described later is substantially the same, description of the shelf board 25 ′ is omitted.

  In the shelf plate 26 of the first embodiment, the shelf RFID antenna 48 is separated from the bottom plate 18 by a predetermined distance (L2) (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the shelf plate 26 'is made of an electromagnetic shielding material. The structure of the shelf plate 26 'that does not need to be separated from the bottom plate 18 by a predetermined distance (L2) will be described below.

  First, the shelf plate 26 ′ includes a shelf body 26a ′ made of an electromagnetic shielding material (a metal steel plate in this embodiment), a magnetic body 21, a shelf RFID antenna 48 corresponding to a reading device, The antenna protective coating 22 is mainly composed of an electromagnetic shielding material (hard plastic material in this embodiment). The magnetic body 21 inserted between the shelf board body 26a 'and the shelf RFID antenna 48 has a characteristic that prevents the shelf board body 26a', which is an electromagnetic shielding material, from affecting the electromagnetic waves.

  Therefore, even if the shelf main body 26a ′ is an electromagnetic shielding material, if the magnetic body 21 is interposed between the main body 26a ′ and the shelf RFID antenna 48, the shelf RFID antenna 48 and the RFID tag 30 However, the electromagnetic waves that are transmitted / received to / from each other are not affected by the shelf main body 26 a ′, and there is no problem in reading the article information of the book 15 recorded on the RFID tag 30.

  As described above, in the shelf board 26 ′ of the second embodiment, the magnetic body 21 is interposed between the shelf board body 26a ′ corresponding to the electromagnetic shielding material and the shelf RFID antenna 48 corresponding to the reading device. The electromagnetic wave between the shelf RFID antenna 48 and the RFID tag 30 is not affected by the shelf body 26a ′ or the bottom plate 18, and the article information of the RFID tag 30 can be read accurately.

  In addition, since the interval between the shelf main body 26a ′ and the shelf RFID antenna 48 is narrower than the interval (L2) of the first embodiment, sufficient storage space is secured in the lower shelf storage portion 102. It has become a fixture 1

  Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the structure part similar to the said Examples 1 and 2, detailed description shall be abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

  In the upper and lower shelf storage units 101 and 102 in the first and second embodiments, the file cases 14 and books 15 stored in the upper shelf storage unit 101 and the lower shelf storage unit 102 are attached to the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48, respectively. In this embodiment, the upper shelf storage unit 101 and the lower shelf storage unit 102 are connected to each other by two RFID antennas disposed on the shelf plate 25 ″ provided in the middle. The electromagnetic waves of the file case 14 and the RFID tag 30 of the book 15 can be transmitted and received separately.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the upper shelf storage unit 101 and the lower shelf storage unit 102 that are partitioned vertically by the shelf board 25 ″ store a plurality of file cases 14 and books 15 with RFID tags 30 attached. Yes. Between the antenna protective coating 22 on the upper end of the shelf 25 ″ and the antenna protective coating 22 on the lower end, the shelf RFID antenna 47, the magnetic body 21, and the shelf main body 25a ″ from the antenna protective coating 22 on the upper end. The magnetic body 21 and the shelf RFID antenna 48 are inserted in this order and arranged in a multilayer shape.

  The shelf board body 25a ″ is made of an electromagnetic shielding material made of a metal plate, and generates a magnetic field in the reverse direction from the shelf board body 25a ″ with respect to electromagnetic waves generated from the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48, respectively. By doing so, the electromagnetic waves of the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 are prevented from interfering with each other.

  The two magnetic bodies 21 inserted between the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 and the shelf main body 25a ″ have a magnetic field generated from the shelf board main body 25a ″ as an electromagnetic wave generated from the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48. It has the characteristic to prevent the influence.

  From this, by inserting the magnetic body 21 between the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 on the upper and lower end surfaces of the shelf board body 25a ″, the article information of the file case 14 stored in the upper shelf storage unit 101 is stored in the shelf RFID. Article information of the book 15 stored in the antenna 47 and the lower shelf storage unit 102 can be received separately by the shelf RFID antenna 48.

  In the shelf board 25 ″ of the third embodiment, electromagnetic wave interference preventing members having magnetic bodies 21 on the upper and lower end surfaces of the shelf board body 25a ″ are interposed between the shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 corresponding to the reading device. As a result, the electromagnetic waves of the adjacent shelf RFID antennas 47 and 48 do not interfere with each other, and the information on the articles stored in the upper shelf storage unit 101 and the lower shelf storage unit 102 corresponding to the storage units separately divided are stored. It can be received for each section.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, in the above-described third embodiment, the shelf body 25a ″, which is an electronic shielding material, is used so that electromagnetic wave transmission / reception between the RFID antennas (47, 48) and the RFID tag (30) is not affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. Although the electromagnetic interference prevention member provided with the magnetic body 21 is attached to the upper and lower end surfaces, the present invention is not limited to this electromagnetic interference prevention member, and transmission / reception of electromagnetic waves between the RFID antenna and the RFID tag is influenced by the electromagnetic shielding material. Other configurations having the effect of the electromagnetic wave interference preventing member that is not received from the above may be used.

  In addition, the RFID tag 30 may be attached not only at one place on the bottom of the book or file case but also by attaching a plurality of RFID tags 30 so as to eliminate reading errors.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the article | item management system to which the fixture in Example 1 of this invention was applied. (A) It is a front view which shows the fixture of this invention. (B) It is a front view which shows the state which opened the door of the fixture. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the AA line of the fixture of FIG. It is front sectional drawing of the BB line of the fixture of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the fixture which is Example 2 of this invention. It is front sectional drawing of CC line of the fixture of FIG. It is a plane sectional view of the fixture which is Example 3 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Furniture 2 Communication cable 3 Management computer 4 Input terminal 5 RFID reader / writer 6 User authentication card 7 Goods 8 LAN cable 9 Management antenna 10 Furniture antenna 11 Relay device 13 Glass door 13a Right handle 13b Left handle 14 File case 15 Book 16 Top plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
17 Back plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
18 Bottom plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
21 Magnetic body 22 Antenna protective coating 25, 25 ′, 25 ″ Shelf plate 25a, 25a ′, 25a ″ of the upper shelf storage unit 26, 26 ′, 26 ″ Shelf plate 26a, 26a of the lower shelf storage unit ', 26a''shelf body 30 RFID tag 47 shelf shelf RFID antenna (reading device)
48 Lower shelf shelf RFID antenna (reading device)
100 Library 101 Upper shelf storage unit (storage unit)
102 Lower shelf storage (storage)
111 Upper shelf instruction lamp 112 Lower shelf instruction lamp 115 Unlock lamp 116 Speaker 117 Locking / unlocking device 200 Lateral 201, 202 Drawer 203, 204 Drawer

Claims (2)

The opening formed in the front surface, provided with a plurality of housing portions article to which the RFID tag is attached is enabled accommodated in said plurality of accommodating portions reads out information of the RFID tag article information is recorded read A fixture provided with the device,
At least the back plate or a side plate and a shelf plate for partitioning the plurality of storage portions in the vertical forming the plurality of accommodating portions is constituted by an electromagnetic shielding material, the upper and lower end faces of the front Symbol shelves, two of the reading device Are arranged in a face-to-face state, and a magnetic body is interposed between the upper and lower end surfaces of the shelf plate and each of the reading devices, and the two reading devices are separated from the back plate or the side plate. A fixture provided with an article information reading device, wherein the article information reading device is disposed in the storage portion at a predetermined interval. The furniture provided with the article information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the top plate or the bottom plate of the storage unit or both of them are made of an electromagnetic shielding material.

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