JP6237975B1 - Article arrangement position management system and arrangement position management method - Google Patents

Abstract

The arrangement position management system (50) includes a first RFIC element (20a) having a first identification code provided on the article (2a) and a second identification provided on the arrangement position (4a) corresponding to the article (2a). A second RFIC element (20b) having a code, a reader (32), and a computer (33) are provided. The article (2a) has a second antenna element (10b) corresponding to the second RFIC element (20b). The first antenna element (10a) corresponding to the first RFIC element (20a) is provided at the arrangement position (4a), and the article (2a) is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position (4a). The first RFIC element (20a) and the first antenna element (10a) are connected, the second RFIC element (20b) and the second antenna element (10b) are connected, and the reader (32) uses the first identification code. When and where can read both of the second identification code, it is determined as being arranged in the arrangement position (4a) corresponding the article (2a).

Description

  The present invention relates to an arrangement position management system and an arrangement position management method for articles using an RFID system.

  A method of managing whether an article such as jewelry is correctly returned to a predetermined place using an RFID system is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a management system is disclosed in which an RFID tag is attached to a jewelry and a reader is provided in a display case. According to this management system, it is possible to manage whether or not jewelry is provided in the display case.

JP 2009-175894 A

  However, in the above method, since the RFID tag is read by the reader wherever the jewelry is placed in the display case, it is not possible to manage which jewelry is placed in which location. In addition, depending on the output and directivity of the reader-side antenna, jewelry outside the display case may be read.

  In particular, depending on the store, a manual or the like may determine which jewelry is placed at which position. However, the management method described in Patent Document 1 cannot manage this. For example, if a reader is provided at each predetermined position, location management in the display case is possible, but there is a problem that the system becomes complicated and expensive.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an article arrangement position management system and an article arrangement position management method capable of managing an article in association with the arrangement position.

An article arrangement position management system according to the present invention is an article arrangement position management system for determining whether or not an article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position using an RFID system,
A first RFIC element having a first identification code provided on the article;
A second RFIC element having a second identification code provided at an arrangement position corresponding to the article;
A reader for receiving RFID communication at the arrangement position;
A computer connected to the reader;
With
The article is provided with a second antenna element corresponding to the second RFIC element,
A first antenna element corresponding to the first RFIC element is provided at the arrangement position,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first RFIC element and the first antenna element are connected, and the second RFIC element and the second antenna element are connected,
When the reader can read both the first identification code and the second identification code, the computer determines that the article is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position.

An article arrangement position management method according to the present invention is an article arrangement position management method for determining whether or not an article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position using an RFID system,
A first RFIC element having a first identification code on the article and a first antenna element corresponding to the first RFIC element at the arrangement position, and a second RFIC element having a second identification code at the arrangement position; A second antenna element corresponding to the second RFIC element is provided on the article,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first RFIC element and the first antenna element are connected, and the second RFIC element and the second antenna element are connected,
A reader connected to a computer receives RFID communication at the arrangement position, and the reader reads both the first identification code of the article and the second identification code of the arrangement position corresponding to the article. If it is possible, the computer determines that the article is placed at the corresponding placement position.

  According to the article arrangement position management system and article arrangement position management method according to the present invention, an article can be managed in association with the arrangement position.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an article arrangement position management system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the AA direction of FIG. It is sectional drawing at the time of arrange | positioning the article | item of FIG. 2A in the corresponding arrangement position. It is a block diagram which shows the physical structure and logical structure of a computer which comprise the arrangement position management system of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the combination of the RFIC element of FIG. 1, and an antenna element. FIG. 5 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the RFIC element of FIG. 4. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between the articles | goods at the time of table preparation in the arrangement | positioning position management method of articles | goods concerning Embodiment 1, and the arrangement position corresponding to articles | goods. 3 is a flowchart of a table creation method in the article arrangement position management method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an article arrangement position management method according to Embodiment 1; 3 is a flowchart of an article arrangement position management method according to the first embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the tag which has an RFIC element and an antenna element, and the pocket which inserts a tag in the arrangement | positioning position management system of the article | item concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the pocket which has an RFIC element and an antenna element for inserting the tag which has a protrusion. It is the schematic which shows the pocket which has an RFIC element and an antenna element for inserting a trapezoid tag. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an article arrangement position management system according to Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the combination of the RFIC element of FIG. 12, and an antenna element. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the internal structure of the coil antenna in the RFIC element of FIG. 13A. FIG. 13B is an equivalent circuit diagram when the RFIC element and the antenna element of FIG. 13A are magnetically coupled. FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram showing a state of magnetic field coupling between the RFIC element and the loop portion of the antenna element in the case of FIG. 14A.

An article arrangement position management system according to a first aspect is an article arrangement position management system that determines whether or not an article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position using an RFID system,
A first RFIC element having a first identification code provided on the article;
A second RFIC element having a second identification code provided at an arrangement position corresponding to the article;
A reader for receiving RFID communication at the arrangement position;
A computer connected to the reader;
With
The article is provided with a second antenna element corresponding to the second RFIC element,
A first antenna element corresponding to the first RFIC element is provided at the arrangement position,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first RFIC element and the first antenna element are connected, and the second RFIC element and the second antenna element are connected,
When the reader can read both the first identification code and the second identification code, the computer determines that the article is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position.

In the arrangement position management system according to the second aspect, in the configuration of the first aspect, the first RFIC element and the second antenna element are arranged on the arrangement surface of the article when the article is arranged at the arrangement position. Provided,
The second RFIC element and the first antenna element may be provided in an arrangement region at the arrangement position corresponding to an arrangement surface of the article when the article is arranged at the arrangement position.

In the arrangement position management system according to the third aspect, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, each of the first RFIC element and the second RFIC element includes a first coil antenna and a second coil antenna.
The first antenna element is a first loop antenna, and the second antenna element is a second loop antenna,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first coil antenna of the first RFIC element and the first loop antenna are magnetically coupled, and the second coil antenna and the second loop antenna of the second RFIC element are May be magnetically coupled.

In the arrangement position management system according to the fourth aspect, in the configuration of any one of the first to third aspects, the first identification code is read by the reader at the arrangement position. If the computer cannot read the article, the computer determines that the article is not arranged at the corresponding arrangement position,
When it is determined that the article is not arranged at the corresponding arrangement position, the corresponding arrangement position of the article may be displayed based on the first identification code of the article.

An article arrangement position management method according to a fifth aspect is an article arrangement position management method for determining whether or not an article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position using an RFID system,
A first RFIC element having a first identification code on the article and a first antenna element corresponding to the first RFIC element at the arrangement position, and a second RFIC element having a second identification code at the arrangement position; A second antenna element corresponding to the second RFIC element is provided on the article,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first RFIC element and the first antenna element are connected, and the second RFIC element and the second antenna element are connected,
A reader connected to a computer receives RFID communication at the arrangement position, and the reader reads both the first identification code of the article and the second identification code of the arrangement position corresponding to the article. If it is possible, the computer determines that the article is placed at the corresponding placement position.

In the arrangement position management method according to the sixth aspect, in the configuration of the fifth aspect, the first identification code is read by the reader at the arrangement position, but the second identification code cannot be read. , Determining that the article is not placed at the corresponding placement position,
When it is determined that the article is not arranged at the corresponding arrangement position, the corresponding arrangement position of the article may be displayed based on the first identification code of the article.

  Hereinafter, an article arrangement position management system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, substantially the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
<Location management system>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an article arrangement position management system 50 according to the first embodiment. 2A is a cross-sectional view as seen from the direction AA in FIG. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view when the article 2a of FIG. 2A is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position 4a. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a physical configuration and a logical configuration of the computer 33 constituting the arrangement position management system 50 of FIG.

  In the arrangement position management system 50 according to the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the article is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position using the RFID system. In this arrangement position management system 50, the first RFIC element 20a having the first identification code provided on the article 2a, the second RFIC element 20b having the second identification code provided on the arrangement position 4a corresponding to the article 2a, A reader 32 that receives RFID communication at the arrangement position 4a and a computer 33 connected to the reader 32 are provided. The article 2a is provided with a second antenna element 10b corresponding to the second RFIC element 20b. Furthermore, a first antenna element 10a corresponding to the first RFIC element 20a is provided at the arrangement position 4a. When the article 2a is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position 4a, the first RFIC element 20a and the first antenna element 10a are connected to form the first RFID tag 30a (FIG. 2B). Further, the second RFIC element 20b and the second antenna element 10b are connected to form the second RFID tag 30b (FIG. 2B). As a result, the first identification code and the second identification code can be read. As a result, when both the first identification code and the second identification code can be read by the reader 32, the computer 33 can determine that the article 2a is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position 4a.

  When the article 2a is arranged at the arrangement position 4c that is not the corresponding arrangement position, the first identification code of the first RFIC element 20a attached to the article 2a can be read, but is attached to the arrangement position 4a. Further, the second identification code of the second RFIC element 20b cannot be read. On the other hand, the identification code of the RFIC element 20f arranged at the arrangement position 4c can only be read.

  According to the arrangement position management system for articles according to the present embodiment, a single reader 32 can be used as an arrangement position management system having a plurality of articles 2a to 2f and a plurality of arrangement positions 4a to 4f. Further, it can be used for various purposes such as merchandise management in a store and jig / tool management in a process. For example, the first antenna element 10a and the second RFIC element 20b are arranged above the display position 4a of the display tray, and the first RFIC element 20a and the second antenna element 10b are arranged below the jewelry storage box 2a that is an article. And arrange. When the jewelry storage box 2a which is an article is correctly arranged at the corresponding arrangement position 4a, the reader 32 can read both the identification code of the first RFIC element 20a and the identification code of the second RFIC element 20b. it can. Thereby, the jewelry storage box 2a which is an article can be managed in association with the corresponding arrangement position 4a.

  Below, the structural member which comprises this arrangement position management system is demonstrated. Note that the arrangement position management system in this embodiment uses a UHF band RFID system.

<Article>
The articles 2a to 2f may be anything that can be arranged at the arrangement positions 4a to 4f. Further, the articles 2a to 2f include RFIC elements 20a, 20c, 20e, 20g, 20i, and 20k and antenna elements 10b and 10d on the arrangement surface (lower surface) 3a of the articles 2a to 2f when arranged at the arrangement positions 4a to 4f. 10f, 10h, 10j, and 10l are provided.
The articles 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, and 2f may be jigs, tools, jewelry, and other articles, for example.
As described in detail in Embodiment 2, the RFIC element and the antenna element may be provided on a member associated with the article, such as a tag, instead of providing the RFIC element and the antenna element on the article itself.

<Arrangement position>
The arrangement positions 4a to 4f only have to be able to arrange the articles 2a to 2f. The placement positions 4a to 4f include RFIC elements 20b, 20d, 20f, 20h, 20j on the placement region (upper surface) 4a of the placement positions 4a to 4f corresponding to the placement surface 3a of the articles when the articles 2a to 2f are placed. 20l and antenna elements 10a, 10c, 10e, 10g, 10i, and 10k are provided. Here, the “arrangement position” corresponding to the article and the “arrangement area” corresponding to the arrangement plane of the article are shown separately, but the “arrangement position” and the “arrangement area” are substantially the same. It is.

The placement positions (placement regions) 4a to 4f are, for example, the recesses of the pedestal 6 (FIG. 1), or the pockets 8a and 8b (FIGS. 10, 11A, and 11B) that store tags associated with articles. . The arrangement position is not limited to the above-described one. For example, the arrangement position (arrangement region) may be provided on a flat surface. In this case, an area corresponding to the arrangement surface of the article may be displayed as the arrangement area. This makes it easier to align the article with the placement area.
Moreover, although the arrangement position (arrangement region) is shown as a plane in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, it is not limited to this. The arrangement position (arrangement region) may have an uneven surface, for example. Further, it may be a curved surface. Furthermore, the arrangement position (arrangement region) may be a shape that matches the outer shape of the article. For example, the pocket 8 a according to the second embodiment has a protrusion 9 b corresponding to the protrusion 9 a provided on the bill 7. Therefore, the bill 7 can be stored in the pocket 8a by inserting the bill 7 so that the protrusion 9a is aligned with the protrusion 9b of the pocket 8a. In this case, it becomes easy to align the article or a member associated with the article with the arrangement position (arrangement region).

<RFIC element>
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a combination of the RFIC element 20 of FIG. 1 and the first and second radiating elements 11 and 12. FIG. 5 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the RFIC element 20 of FIG.
The RFIC element 20 includes an RFIC chip 21 and a multilayer substrate 25 connected to the RFIC chip 21 via a conductive bonding material 22 and a terminal electrode 23. The RFIC chip 21 is sealed with a sealing resin 24. Further, the multilayer substrate 25 incorporates a power feeding circuit composed of an inductor pattern such as L1 and L2 and a capacitor pattern such as C1 and C2. C _IC is a stray capacitance of the RFIC chip 21. A resonance circuit is formed by the power feeding circuit, and the resonance frequency corresponds to the carrier frequency. By providing the feeding circuit in this way, the center frequency of the carrier frequency can be prevented from changing greatly even if the electrical length of the first and second radiating elements changes.
That is, if the electrical lengths of the first and second radiating elements 11 and 12 in the initial state are matched with the maximum gain state (2 / λ), the electrical lengths of the first and second radiating elements 11 and 12 slightly change. Even if the communicable distance is reduced, reading is possible at the same carrier frequency.

For example, in FIG. 4, the RFIC element 20 and the first and second radiating elements 11 and 12 are connected to the first radiating element 11 by the terminal electrode 26a of the RFIC element 20 and are connected to the second radiating element by the terminal electrode 26b. Although connected by direct connection, it is not limited to this. The RFIC element 20 and the first and second radiating elements 11 and 12 may be coupled not only directly by the terminal electrodes 26a and 26b but also by any coupling such as capacitive coupling and magnetic field coupling.
In FIG. 4, the RFIC element 20 is provided with the multilayer substrate 25 including the power feeding circuit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the power feeding circuit may not be provided.

  The RFIC element 20a of the article 2a has a unique ID (Article 1-1) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20c of the article 2b has a unique ID (Article 1-2) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20e of the article 2c has a unique ID (Article1-3) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20g of the article 2d has a unique ID (Article 2-1) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20i of the article 2e has a unique ID (Article 2-2) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20l of the article 2f has a unique ID (Article 2-3) that is an identification code.

  Similarly, the RFIC element 20b at the arrangement position 4a has a unique ID (Location 1-1) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20d at the arrangement position 4b has a unique ID (Location 1-2) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20f at the arrangement position 4c has a unique ID (Location1-3) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20h at the arrangement position 4d has a unique ID (Location 2-1) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 20j at the arrangement position 4e has a unique ID (Location 2-2) that is an identification code. The RFIC element 201 at the arrangement position 4f has a unique ID (Location 2-3) that is an identification code.

<Antenna element>
The antenna element 10 constitutes an antenna element for a UHF band RFID tag, and is an electric field antenna composed of a first radiating element 11 and a second radiating element 12. The first radiating element 11 and the second radiating element 12 constitute a dipole antenna and have a pair of elongated rectangular or bar-shaped (bar-shaped) dipole elements. The first radiating element 11 and the second radiating element 12 extend in different directions. Specifically, the first radiating element 11 and the second radiating element 12 extend from the RFIC element 20 in opposite directions.
The first radiating element 11 and the second radiating element 12 may be made of a material such as a copper foil, a copper plate, a copper plating film, a gold foil, a gold plate, or a gold plating film that is used for a normal antenna element. The material is not limited to the above example, and any material that is normally used can be used.

<Reader>
The reader 32 shown in FIG. 1 may be, for example, a smartphone having a UHF band RFID reader function or a dedicated reader. Note that a receiving antenna element 31 is connected to the reader 32. In the case of a UHF band RFID system, the antenna element 31 may be an electric field antenna such as a monopole antenna, a dipole antenna, or a patch antenna.

<Computer>
As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the computer 33 includes a CPU 34, a memory 35, a storage unit 36, a display unit (display) 38, and the like as physical configurations. The storage unit 36 stores a table 37 shown in Table 1 below associating one identification code of the articles 2a to 2f and one identification code of the arrangement positions 4a to 4f as a pair.

  The computer 33 further includes an identification code reading unit 42, a table creation unit 44, and an arrangement position determination unit 46 as the functional configuration unit 40. Two RFID tags 30a and 30b are configured between the article 2a and the corresponding arrangement position 4a in a state where the article 2a is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position 4a. The first RFID tag 30a includes a first RFIC element 20a attached to the article 2a and a first antenna element 10a attached to the arrangement position 4a. The second RFID tag 30b includes a second RFIC element 20b attached to the arrangement position 4a and a second antenna element 10b attached to the article 2a. The identification code reading unit 42 reads the identification code of the article 2a from the first RFIC element 20a by communication with the first RFID tag 30a. Further, the identification code of the arrangement position 4a is read from the second RFIC element 20b by communication with the second RFID tag 30b.

Further, the table creation unit 44 creates a table 37 that associates the identification code of the article 2i (i = 1 to n) with the identification code of the corresponding arrangement position 4i (i = 1 to n) as a pair.
Further, the arrangement position determination unit 46 determines whether the combination of the read identification code of the article 2a and the identification code of the arrangement position 4a is registered in the table 37, and determines whether the article is correctly arranged at the corresponding arrangement position. decide.
The above-described functional configuration unit 40 of the computer 33 may be physically realized, or may be realized by software that can execute an arrangement position management method described later in the computer 33.

<Division of RFIC element and antenna element>
As shown in FIG. 2A, the arrangement position management system 50 does not include the two RFID tags 30a and 30b as they are. That is, the first RFIC element 20a and the first antenna element 10a constituting the first RFID tag 30a are divided and arranged at the article 2a and the arrangement position 4a, respectively. Further, the second RFIC element 20b and the second antenna element 10b constituting the second RFID tag 30b are divided and arranged at the arrangement position 4a and the article 2a, respectively.

  That is, the “first RFIC element 20a” is provided on the arrangement surface of the article 2a when the article 2a and the arrangement position 4a are combined. The “first antenna element 10a” is provided at an arrangement position (arrangement region) 4a corresponding to the arrangement surface 3a of the article 2a when the article 2a and the arrangement position 4a are combined. The “second RFIC element 20b” is provided in an arrangement position (arrangement region) 4a corresponding to the arrangement surface 3a of the article 2a when the article 2a and the arrangement position 4a are combined. The “second antenna element 10b” is provided on the arrangement surface 3a of the article 2a when the article 2a and the arrangement position 4a are combined.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first RFIC element 20a provided in the article 2a and the first antenna element 10a provided in the arrangement position 4a are electrically connected only when the article 2a and the arrangement position 4a are correctly combined. The first RFID tag 30a is configured. As a result, RFID communication becomes possible. Similarly, the second RFIC element 20b provided in the arrangement position 4a and the second antenna element 10b provided in the article 2a can be electrically connected to constitute the second RFID tag 30b. As a result, RFID communication becomes possible.

<About table creation method>
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between an article at the time of creating a table and an arrangement position corresponding to the article in the article arrangement position management method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the table creation method in the article arrangement position management method according to the first embodiment.
(1) Prepare n articles 2a to 2f and corresponding placement positions 4a to 4f (S01). In the case of FIG. 6, six articles 2 a to 2 f and six arrangement positions 4 a to 4 f are prepared on the base 6.
(2) The variable i is set to 1 (i = 1) (S02). The variable i is a variable at the time of table creation, and is initialized by substituting 1 for i.

(3) The i-th article 2i (i = 1 to n) is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position 4i (i = 1 to n), and in this state, it corresponds to the i-th article 2i (i = 1 to n). The two RFID tags 30a, 30b configured between the arrangement positions are read by a reader (S03). Specifically, first, the article 2a is arranged at the arrangement position 4a, and this state is read by the reader 32. Thus, the unique ID (Article 1-1) that is the first identification code of the first RFIC element 20a attached to the article 2a and the unique ID (Location1-) that is the second identification code of the second RFIC element 20b attached to the arrangement position 4a. 1) can be read. The first identification code and the second identification code may be unique IDs, for example.
(4) Create a table that associates the identification code of the i-th article 2i (i = 1 to n) and the corresponding identification code of the arrangement position 4i (i = 1 to n) as a pair (S04). Specifically, a table that associates the unique ID (Article 1-1) that is the first identification code of the article 2a and the unique ID (Location 1-1) that is the second identification code of the corresponding arrangement position 4a is created. To do.

(5) Next, it is determined whether all articles have been placed (S05). When all the articles are arranged at the corresponding arrangement positions, the table creation in which the identification codes (unique IDs) of all the articles and the corresponding arrangement position identification codes (unique IDs) are completed is completed. Because it is, it ends.
(6) On the other hand, if the arrangement has not been completed for all articles, the variable i is advanced by one (i = i + 1). Specifically, the variable i is incremented, and the process returns to step S03 for arranging the next article. For example, next, the article 2a is removed from the arrangement position 4a, the article 2b is arranged at the arrangement position 4b, and this state is read by the reader 32. When registering the next article, the previous article does not have to be removed.
By performing the above steps to arrange the articles 2i (i = 1 to n) at the corresponding arrangement positions 4i (1 to n), the identification code of the article and the arrangement position corresponding to the article A table shown in Table 2 below can be created in which the correct combination relationship (unique ID pair) with the identification code is registered.

  In this table creation method, each identification item is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, and two identification codes obtained by RFID communication with two RFID tags configured by arrangement of the article at the arrangement position are paired. A table is created in association. However, the table creation method is not limited to the above method. For example, the table may be created using data that associates an article identification code and an arrangement position identification code without using RFID communication. Further, the created table may be updated by newly executing the above table creation method.

<Arrangement position management method>
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the article arrangement position management method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the arrangement position management method for articles according to the first embodiment.
(1) For the arrangement position 4i (i = 1 to n), two RFID tags 30a configured between the arranged article 2i (i = 1 to n) and the arrangement position 4i (i = 1 to n) , 30b are read by the reader 32 (S11). For example, in the case of FIG. 8, in the reader 32, the unique ID (Article1-3) that is the identification code of the article 2c, the unique ID (Location1-3) that is the identification code of the arrangement position 4c, and the identification of the article 2f The unique ID (Article 2-3) that is the code and the unique ID (Location 32-3) that is the identification code of the arrangement position 4f have already been read.

  Here, when the article 2a is arranged at the arrangement position 4a, both the unique ID (Article 1-1) that is the identification code of the article 2a and the unique ID (Location 1-1) that is the identification code of the arrangement position 4a are further provided. Becomes readable. In this case, when the article 2a is arranged at the arrangement position 4a, the first RFID tag 30a and the second RFID tag 30b are configured almost simultaneously. Therefore, the identification code of the article 2a and the identification code of the arrangement position 4a are substantially Can be read simultaneously. In actual reading, there may be a slight time lag in reading the two identification codes due to a time lag in hardware and software. Therefore, even when there is a time difference between the readings of the two identification codes, if it is determined that there is a time lag, it can be handled that the readings were made substantially simultaneously.

(2) It is determined whether the combination of the article identification code and the arrangement position identification code is registered in the table (S12). In the case of FIG. 8, the combination of the unique ID that is the identification code of the article 2a that can be newly read by placing the article 2a at the arrangement position 4a and the unique ID that is the identification code of the arrangement position 4a. Determine whether it is registered in the table.
The unique ID (Article1-3) that is the identification code of the article 2c, the unique ID (Location1-3) that is the identification code of the arrangement position 4c, and the unique ID (Article2-3) that is the identification code of the article 2f The unique ID (Location 32-3) that is the identification code of the arrangement position 4f can be read in advance.

(3) When the combination of the identification code of the article and the identification code of the arrangement position is registered in the table (YES in S12), it is determined that the article is arranged in the corresponding correct arrangement position (S13). ). Specifically, a combination of a unique ID (Article 1-1) that is an identification code of the article 2a and a unique ID (Location 1-1) that is an identification code of the arrangement position 4a is registered in the table. Therefore, it can be determined that the article 2a is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position 4a.

(4) On the other hand, when the combination of the identification code of the article and the identification code of the arrangement position is not registered in the table (NO in S12), it is determined that the article is arranged at the wrong arrangement position ( S14). For example, when the article 2a is arranged at the arrangement position 4b, the unique ID (Article 1-1) that is the identification code of the article 2a and the unique ID (Location1-2) that is the identification code of the arrangement position 4b are newly read. This set of unique IDs does not match any of the groups registered in advance in the table. Therefore, it is determined that the article 2a is arranged in the wrong arrangement position 4b, not in the corresponding arrangement position 4a.
(5) In this case, the correct arrangement position of the article is displayed on the display unit (display) 38 (S15). For example, an indication “Please place the article 2a at the corresponding placement position 4a” may be displayed. Note that an alarm may simply be issued instead of the display.
Thereafter, for each arrangement position, the process returns to the step (S11) where the reader 32 reads the two RFID tags configured between the arranged article and the arrangement position. That is, in the case of FIG. 8, reading is always performed. Thereby, the set of unique IDs that can be read can be specified.
With the above-described article arrangement position management method, articles can be managed in association with the arrangement positions.
This arrangement position management method can be realized by software that can be executed on the computer 33 as described above.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an article 2g and an article 2g associated with the article 2g in the article arrangement position management system according to the second embodiment and having an RFIC element 20a and an antenna element 10b, and a pocket 8a into which the article 7 is inserted. FIG. FIG. 11A is a schematic view showing a pocket 8a having an RFIC element 20b and an antenna element 10a for inserting a bill 7 having a protrusion 9a. FIG. 11B is a schematic view showing a pocket 8b having an RFIC element 20b and an antenna element 10a for inserting a trapezoidal tag (not shown).

  In the article arrangement position management system according to the second embodiment, when compared with the article arrangement position management system according to the first embodiment, not the article 2g itself but a member associated with the article 2g, for example, the RFID 7 The difference is that an element 20a and an antenna element 10b are provided. Accordingly, even when the article 2g is small or the RFIC element and the antenna element cannot be provided because of the shape thereof, the RFIC element and the antenna element can be provided on the member associated with the article 2g. In the article arrangement position management system according to the first embodiment, a plurality of arrangement positions 4a to 4f are provided on the pedestal 6, but in this second embodiment, as shown in FIG. The difference is that a pocket 8a into which the bill 7 is inserted is provided as an arrangement position.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the pocket 8 a has a protrusion 9 b corresponding to the protrusion 9 a provided on the bill 7. Therefore, the bill 7 can be stored in the pocket 8a by inserting the bill 7 so that the protrusion 9a is aligned with the protrusion 9b of the pocket 8a. In this case, it becomes easy to align the article or a member associated with the article with the arrangement position (arrangement region).
Further, the pocket 8b has an inverted trapezoidal shape (a trapezoid whose upper side is longer than the lower side) as shown in FIG. 11B. Therefore, an inverted trapezoidal tag (not shown) can be inserted into the pocket 8b, but other shapes cannot be inserted. That is, the pocket 8b can insert only a bill having a specific shape, and has selectivity for the bill.

  According to the article arrangement position management system according to the second embodiment, the tag 7 as a member associated with the article 2g and the pockets 8a and 8b as arrangement positions for storing the tag 7 correspond to the article 2g. Can be indirectly managed by associating the pockets 8a and 8b.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an article arrangement position management system 50a according to the third embodiment. 13A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a combination of the RFIC element 18 of FIG. 12 and the loop antenna 14 that is an antenna element. FIG. 13B is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the coil antenna 28 in the RFIC element of FIG. 13A.
The article arrangement position management system 50a according to the third embodiment is different from the article arrangement position management system according to the first embodiment in that the RFIC elements 18a to 18l incorporate the coil antenna 28. Further, the difference is that the antenna elements are not the dipole antennas but the loop antennas 14a to 14l. Thus, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by combining the RFIC elements 18a to 18l incorporating the coil antenna 28 and the loop antennas 14a to 14l.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, the RFIC element 18 incorporating the coil antenna 28 includes an RFIC chip 21 and a coil antenna 28 formed by stacking a plurality of sheets 51a to 51e. As shown in FIG. 13B, the coil antenna 28 is formed by stacking coil conductor patterns 63a to 63c formed on dielectric or magnetic sheets 51c to 51e and connecting them with via-hole conductors 64a and winding them in a coil shape. Configured. One end of each coil antenna 28 is electrically connected to the input / output terminal electrode of the RFIC chip 21 via solder bumps 61a and 61b.

FIG. 14A is an equivalent circuit diagram when the RFIC element 18 and the loop antenna 14 are magnetically coupled. 14B is a schematic diagram showing a state of magnetic field coupling between the coil antenna 28 of the RFIC element 18 and the loop portion 16 of the loop antenna 14 in the case of FIG. 14A.
In this embodiment, the RFIC element 18 has the same configuration as the RFIC element 20 in the above embodiment. However, the RFIC element 18 in the present embodiment does not have a configuration corresponding to the multilayer substrate 25. The loop antenna 14 has a configuration in which, for example, a central portion of a wire-like metal wire is formed in a loop shape, and both end sides are open ends extending in opposite directions.
As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the coil antenna 28 and the loop portion 16 of the loop antenna 14 are connected by aligning the axes of the coil antenna 28 of the RFIC element 18 and the loop portion 16 of the loop antenna 14 in parallel or coaxially. The magnetic field lines 17 penetrate and can be magnetically coupled. The capacity of the non-floating capacitance _{C I C} of the RFIC chip 21 to the RFIC element 18 in this case does not include. Further, the radiating portion of the loop antenna 14 extends from the loop portion 16 to both sides in opposite directions.

  Note that the RFID tag in the above embodiment is a passive type, but is not limited thereto, and may be an active type having a battery or a power source.

  It should be noted that the present disclosure includes appropriately combining any of the above-described various embodiments and / or examples, and each of the embodiments and / or examples. The effect which an Example has can be show | played.

  The article arrangement position management system according to the present invention is useful as an arrangement position management system having a plurality of articles and a plurality of arrangement positions because the article can be managed in association with the arrangement position.

2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g Article 3a, 3b Arrangement surface 4, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g Arrangement position (location, arrangement area) 6, 6a Pedestal 7 8a, 8b Pockets 9a, 9b Projections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10h, 10i, 10j, 10k, 10l Antenna elements 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, 11g, 11h, 11i, 11j, 11k, 11l First radiating elements 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, 12j, 12k, 12l Second radiating elements 14, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 14f, 14g, 14h, loop antenna 16 loop portion 17 lines of magnetic force 18, 18a, 18c, 18d, 18e, 18f 18g, 18h, 18i, 18j, 18k, 18l RFIC element 20 RFIC elements 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 20g, 20h, 20i, 20j, 20k, 20l RFIC element 21 RFIC chip 22 Conductive bonding material 23 terminal electrode 24 sealing resin 25 multilayer substrate 26a, 26b terminal electrode 28 coil antenna 30 RFID tag 30a first RFID tag 30b second RFID tag 31 antenna element 32 reader 33 computer 34 CPU
35 Memory 36 Storage unit 37 Table 38 Display unit (display)
40 Functional component 42 Identification code reading unit 44 Table creation unit 46 Arrangement position judgment unit 50, 50a Arrangement position management system 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e Sheet 61a, 61b Solder bump 64a Via-hole conductor

Claims (6)

An arrangement position management system for determining whether an article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position using an RFID system,
A first RFIC element having a first identification code provided on the article;
A second RFIC element having a second identification code provided at an arrangement position corresponding to the article;
A reader for receiving RFID communication at the arrangement position;
A computer connected to the reader;
With
The article is provided with a second antenna element corresponding to the second RFIC element,
A first antenna element corresponding to the first RFIC element is provided at the arrangement position,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first RFIC element and the first antenna element are connected, and the second RFIC element and the second antenna element are connected,
When the reader can read both the first identification code and the second identification code, the computer determines that the article is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position.
Placement management system. The first RFIC element and the second antenna element are provided on an arrangement surface of the article when the article is arranged at the arrangement position,
The second RFIC element and the first antenna element are provided in an arrangement region at the arrangement position corresponding to the arrangement surface of the article when the article is arranged at the arrangement position.
The arrangement position management system according to claim 1. The first RFIC element and the second RFIC element each include a first and a second coil antenna,
The first antenna element is a first loop antenna, and the second antenna element is a second loop antenna,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first coil antenna of the first RFIC element and the first loop antenna are magnetically coupled, and the second coil antenna and the second loop antenna of the second RFIC element are The arrangement position management system according to claim 1, wherein the two are magnetically coupled. When the first identification code is read by the reader at the arrangement position, but the second identification code cannot be read, the computer determines that the article is not arranged at the corresponding arrangement position,
4. The corresponding arrangement position of the article is displayed based on the first identification code of the article when it is determined that the article is not arranged at the corresponding arrangement position. 5. The location management system according to one item. An arrangement position management method for determining whether or not an article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position using an RFID system,
A first RFIC element having a first identification code on the article and a first antenna element corresponding to the first RFIC element at the arrangement position, and a second RFIC element having a second identification code at the arrangement position; A second antenna element corresponding to the second RFIC element is provided on the article,
When the article is arranged at a corresponding arrangement position, the first RFIC element and the first antenna element are connected, and the second RFIC element and the second antenna element are connected,
A reader connected to a computer receives RFID communication at the arrangement position, and the reader reads both the first identification code of the article and the second identification code of the arrangement position corresponding to the article. When it is possible, the computer determines that the article is arranged at the corresponding arrangement position.
Placement position management method. When the first identification code is read by the reader at the arrangement position, but the second identification code cannot be read, it is determined that the article is not arranged at the corresponding arrangement position,
The arrangement position according to claim 5, wherein when the article is determined not to be arranged at the corresponding arrangement position, the arrangement position corresponding to the article is displayed based on the first identification code of the article. Management method.

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