JP2010037075A - Article control system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article control system capable of detecting a chipped part of an article even in a case where only the article is chipped, the article control electronic tag attached to the article is torn off from the article, but communication with an article control electronic tag can be performed. <P>SOLUTION: A communication result with the article control electronic tag in an flaw-free state of the article is acquired in advance under the same radiocommunication condition. In an incomming and outgoing cargo quality inspection and stocktaking, radiocommunication is made again with the article control electronic tag under the same radiocommunication condition, to be compared with the communication result with the electronic tag acquired in advance. When there is a difference in a comparing result, a discrimination is made that there is the possibility of causing abnormality such as chipping of the article. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an article management system and program for inspection and inventory at the time of receipt and shipment in a distribution warehouse, retail store, etc., for example, an article management system and program using an electronic tag.

  In recent years, in order to improve accuracy, shorten time, and reduce work costs in the inspection and inventory at the time of receipt and shipment in distribution warehouses and retail stores, etc., for wireless communication with IC chips capable of storing article serial number data There has been proposed an article management system using an electronic tag composed of a plurality of antennas and a reader / writer that can wirelessly communicate with the electronic tag wirelessly.

  For example, as an article management system using an electronic tag, an electronic tag in which product data in the packaging box is recorded is attached to a packaging box storing the product, and the product in the packaging box is also related to the product. Attach an electronic tag with recorded data, read the data of the electronic tag attached to the packaging box with a reader / writer, and read the data of the electronic tag attached to the product in the packaging box, and the consistency of both data By comparing the two, the products in the packaging box can be inspected without unpacking the packaging box (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Also called a smart shelf, a reader / writer is installed on the product shelf on which products are displayed. On the other hand, an electronic tag on which product data is recorded is attached to each product displayed on the product shelf. The writer can also carry out inventory in real time by communicating with the electronic tag attached to each product as needed. This smart shelf not only inventories in real time, but also checks the number of electronic tags at any time, detects the change in the number of electronic tags when a product is taken out of the product shelf, and issues a warning to prevent shoplifting in advance (For example, refer patent document 2).

JP 2002-37413 A JP 2007-79615 A

  However, in the article management system based on the prior art represented by Patent Documents 1 and 2, the electronic tag attached to the article is wirelessly communicated, and the ID of the electronic tag, or the product information recorded on the electronic tag, The article management system confirms that the reader / writer has received from the electronic tag, and performs inspection and inventory. Therefore, when the electronic tag attached to the article is separated from the article due to theft or the like and only the article is removed, the reader / writer can communicate with the remaining electronic tag, and the ID of the electronic tag or the electronic tag Since the reader / writer can acquire the product information recorded in the tag, there is a problem in that a defect of the article cannot be detected in such a case.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation. In the case where the electronic tag attached to the article is peeled off from the article, only the article is lost, and the electronic tag attached to the article can communicate. The present invention also provides an article management capable of detecting a defect of an article.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an article management system using an electronic tag according to the present invention attaches an electronic tag storing data for specifying an article to a corresponding article, and previously connects the electronic tag and the reader / writer. Keep communicating with. At this time, change the output of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the reader / writer antenna, which is the communication condition between the electronic tag and the reader / writer, and the relative angle and position of the reader / writer antenna and the electronic tag. Communication results including information on the read rate, which is the communication success rate when the reader / writer and the electronic tag are wirelessly communicated multiple times, and the reception strength of the response signal received from the electronic tag received by the reader / writer. And save it as a standard communication result.

  Similarly, when performing wireless communication between a reader / writer and an electronic tag attached to an article for inspection at the time of receipt / shipment inspection or inventory, the same communication conditions as when the communication result of the above-mentioned standard was acquired Then, a communication result including information on the reading rate between the reader / writer and the electronic tag and the reception intensity of the response signal from the electronic tag received by the reader / writer is acquired.

  At the time of inspection of an article, the ID of the electronic tag attached to the article acquired by wireless communication between the reader / writer and the electronic tag at the time of incoming / outgoing inspection or stocktaking, or missing product information recorded on the electronic tag In addition to confirming the presence or absence of information, it also includes information on the reading rate between the reader / writer and the electronic tag, and information on the reception intensity of the response signal received from the electronic tag received by the reader / writer. The communication result is compared with the reference communication result acquired and stored in advance.

  If there is a difference in the comparison result due to a missing item, etc., even if the ID of the electronic tag or the product information recorded on the electronic tag can be acquired without loss through communication with the electronic tag attached to the item. It is determined that there is a possibility that an abnormality such as an article is missing, and a warning is issued. In this way, even in a situation where communication with an electronic tag associated with an article is possible, an abnormality such as an article defect can be detected.

  That is, the article management system according to the present invention is an article management system for managing articles by attaching an electronic tag for article management capable of wireless communication to an article to be managed, and communicating with the electronic tag. A reader / writer that performs wireless communication with the electronic tag and acquires information on the electronic tag, and a reference communication state information storage unit (for example, the article management system control server 1) that stores communication state information of the wireless communication with the electronic tag. The result of wireless communication between the RFID tag and the reader / writer in the article to be managed is compared with the reference communication status information at the time of inspection. A processing unit (for example, configured by a control unit in the article management system control server 1) for determining the state of the article. Here, the reference communication state information is obtained by performing wireless communication a plurality of times between the reader / writer and the electronic tag obtained in advance by wireless communication between the electronic tag and the reader / writer under predetermined communication conditions regarding the reader / writer. This information includes at least one of a reading rate, which is a communication success rate at the time of reading, and a reception strength of a response signal from the electronic tag received by the reader / writer.

  More specifically, the processing unit communicates the communication result obtained by wirelessly communicating the article to be managed and the electronic tag under the same communication conditions as when the reference communication state information is acquired, and the reference communication state information. Compare More specifically, the processing unit obtains the product of the reading rate in the reference state and the reading rate acquired at the time of inspection of the article, and the reception intensity of the response signal in the reference state and the inspection of the article under a predetermined communication condition. The state of the article to be managed is determined based on the value of the correlation function calculated from at least one of the products of the received response signals and the received intensity. In addition, when the difference between the communication result and the reference communication state information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the processing unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the article to be managed. The processing unit displays the state of the article to be managed on the display unit.

  The predetermined communication conditions for the reader / writer include the reader / writer antenna, the reader / writer antenna installation position, the reader / writer antenna angle, the reader / writer antenna main axis direction, and the radiation from the reader / writer. Any one of the intensities of the electromagnetic waves to be generated is included.

  In addition, the processing unit first acquires the ID of the article from the electronic tag in the article to be managed, and executes a comparison process with reference communication state information when the ID is acquired.

  Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the best mode for carrying out the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the defect | deletion of an article | item can be detected also in the condition where only an article | item is missing and it can communicate with the electronic tag tied with an article | item.

  The article management system according to the present invention uses not only the ID of the electronic tag or the product information recorded therein but also the communication status (for example, reading rate, response signal reception intensity, etc.) in the reading operation of the electronic tag information as a standard communication. The abnormality of the article is detected based on how much the state changes compared to the state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that this embodiment is merely an example for realizing the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are assigned to common components.

<Configuration of article management system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an article management system using an electronic tag according to an embodiment of the present invention. The article management system is assumed to be used when, for example, an article is inspected upon receipt / shipment.

  In FIG. 1, an article management system control server 1 controls an operation of the entire system inside an article management system control server monitor 2 for displaying a communication result and the like between a reader / writer and an electronic tag, although not shown. A control unit (CPU or MPU) is provided. The article management system control server 1 is connected to the reader / writer 10 through an article management system control server-reader / writer connection signal line 20. The article management system control server 1 can control the reader / writer 10 through the article management system control server-reader / writer connection signal line 20.

  The reader / writer 10 is connected to the reader / writer antennas 40 and 41 via the reader / writer antenna cables 30 and 31, and communicates with the electronic tag by transmitting and receiving radio signals from these reader / writer antennas. be able to. The reader / writer 10 may be integrated with the article management system control server 1 or may be physically separated.

  The electromagnetic shielding box 50 is for shielding electromagnetic waves that become noise from the outside of the shielding box, and is made of, for example, a metal body. In the electromagnetic shielding box 50, wireless communication can be performed without depending on the surrounding environment of the electromagnetic shielding box 50. The reader / writer antennas 40 and 41 are installed in an electromagnetic shielding box 50 as shown in FIG. When inspecting an article with an electronic tag attached, it is assumed that it is installed in the electromagnetic shielding box 50. In addition, the inside of the electromagnetic shielding box 50 may be configured by a radio wave absorber that absorbs electromagnetic waves as well as metal.

  The packing box 60 is used for packing merchandise, and a packing box managing electronic tag 300 in which a unique ID for specifying the packing box is recorded is attached. In each product (100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105) in the packaging box 60, an electronic tag for product management (200, 201, 200) in which a unique ID for identifying each product is recorded. 202, 203, 204, 205) are attached respectively. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the article management system control server 1 associates (associates) the packaging box 60 with the product in the packaging box 60.

  The method of associating the packaging box 60 with the product in the packaging box 60 in the article management system control server 1 is as follows. The packaging box management table 400 of FIG. 2 is a table that stores information for associating the packaging box stored in the recording device of the article management system control server 1 with the product in the packaging box. It is a table that exists and is managed for each. The packing box management table 400 is attached to each packing box ID for identifying the packing box recorded in the IC chip 300 of the packing box management electronic tag and all the products packed in the packing box. The product management electronic tag IC chip 200 to 205 is a set of records composed of a product ID for identifying a product and size information of the other packaging box.

  The article management system control server 1 controls the reader / writer 10 to wirelessly communicate between the reader / writer 10 and the packaging box management electronic tag 300, and sets the packaging box ID of the packaging box management electronic tag 300 through the reader / writer 10. get. The article management system control server 1 refers to the packaging box management table 400 relating to the acquired packaging box ID, and confirms a list of product IDs in the packaging box management table 400, thereby identifying which product ID in the packaging box. It is possible to confirm whether the product is packed.

  In the present embodiment, the packaging box management table 400 is recorded in the recording device of the article management system control server 1, but the packaging box management table 400 is recorded in the IC chip of the packaging box management electronic tag 300. The management system control server 1 may acquire a list of product IDs from the packing box management electronic tag 300.

  The product management table 401 in FIG. 3 is a table in which information for associating the product ID stored in the recording device of the product management system control server 1 with the content of the product is stored. Is a table to be played. The product management table 401 is a collection of records related to each product such as a product ID, a product code, and a manufacturer code for specifying a product recorded on the IC chips 200 to 205 of the product management electronic tag. The article management system control server 1 controls the reader / writer 10 to wirelessly communicate between the reader / writer 10 and the product management electronic tag, and acquires the product ID of the product management electronic tag through the reader / writer 10. The article management system control server 1 can confirm what kind of product it is by referring to the product management table 401 relating to the acquired product ID. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the product ID and the packaging box ID have a code system that can be distinguished from each other by a method in which the numerical value of the most significant digit is different. In the present embodiment, the product management table 401 is recorded in the recording device of the article management system control server 1, but is recorded in the IC chip of the product management tag, and the article management system control server. 1 may acquire product information from a product management tag.

<Operation of article management system>
Next, a method for detecting a defect in an article even in a situation where the electronic tag attached to the article is peeled off from the article, only the article is lost, and the electronic tag attached to the article can communicate with the reader / writer. explain.

1) Overall operation (outline)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the process (whole) for acquiring the product management electronic tag communication state of the present embodiment. Here, the communication status of the electronic tag for product management in the present embodiment means that the communication parameters of the reader / writer when communicating with the electronic tag for product management are varied, and for all product management in the packaging box in each communication parameter. It means the entire information regarding the reading rate for each electronic tag for product management when communication with the electronic tag is attempted. The reading rate is the response of the electronic tag to each command when the reader / writer issues a command for controlling the electronic tag to the electronic tag a plurality of times during wireless communication between the reader / writer and the electronic tag. Is the percentage of successful reception by the reader / writer.

  In this embodiment, when there are a plurality of reader / writer antennas, the reader / writer communication parameters include the number of the reader / writer antenna to be used, the installation angle of the reader / writer antenna, and the reader / writer. Is the output (intensity) of electromagnetic waves when performing wireless communication. In this embodiment, the reading rate for each product management electronic tag refers to the communication performed by the reader / writer when the product ID response command is transmitted from the reader / writer to the product management electronic tag being communicated multiple times. This is the rate of successful response reception from the targeted product management electronic tag.

  Before issuing the product ID response command, issue a product management electronic tag selection command from the reader / writer, use the product ID as a filter mask value, and use this mask value from a plurality of product management electronic tags. It is assumed that a product ID response command is issued after enabling communication with only the product management electronic tag having the product ID that matches the above.

  In FIG. 4, in order to make the communication environment between the reader / writer and each electronic tag constant, a packing box 60 is installed at a specified position in the electromagnetic shielding box 60, and a control unit (CPU) in the article management system control server. Detects the installation of the packaging box 60 (step S001). As a method of setting to a specified position, the center of the electromagnetic wave shielding box 60 and the center of the packing box 60 may be aligned, and the packing box management electronic tag 300 may be installed on the reader / writer antenna 41 side. The detection method may be a sensor, or it is detected by instructing the system to start inspection after the user installs and closes the lid of the electromagnetic shielding box, and the control unit receives the instruction signal. May be.

  After the packaging box 60 is installed at a specified position, the control unit specifies the reader / writer antenna, the reader / writer antenna installation angle, and the reader / writer electromagnetic wave output, which are communication parameters of the reader / writer. The initial value is set (step S002). In the present embodiment, regarding the initial value, the installation angle of the reader / writer antennas 40 and 41 is set to 0 degree, and the output of the electromagnetic wave of the reader / writer is set to 28 dBm. Here, the reader / writer antenna, which is one of the communication parameters of the reader / writer, has a positive orientation in the clockwise direction of FIG. 5 which is a top view of the system, and the reader / writer antenna. The state where 40 and the reader / writer antenna 41 face each other is defined as 0 degree. In this embodiment, both the reader / writer antennas can be changed from -60 degrees to 60 degrees every 30 degrees. Further, the output of the electromagnetic wave, which is the communication parameter of the other reader / writer, is changed by 3 dBm from 28 dBm to 4 dBm.

  Although details will be described later after setting the communication parameters to the initial values, the control unit performs a product ID confirmation process (step S003). Then, the control unit refers to the packaging box management table 400 corresponding to the packaging box ID of the packaging box management electronic tag 300, and has obtained all the commodity IDs of the commodity management electronic tags in the packaging box 60. Confirmation (step S004).

  When all the product IDs have been acquired, details will be described later, but the control unit performs a product management electronic tag communication state acquisition process to acquire the communication state of the product management electronic tag (step S005). On the other hand, when all the product IDs cannot be acquired, the control unit displays a warning on the article management system control server monitor 2 (step S006).

2) Details of Product ID Confirmation Process Next, details of the product ID confirmation process (step S003) will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the product ID confirmation process. With the communication parameter of the reader / writer set to the initial value, the reader / writer 10 wirelessly communicates with the packaging box management electronic tag 300 and acquires the packaging box ID of the packaging box management electronic tag 300 (step S101). And the control part in the article management system control server 1 refers to the packing box management table 400 corresponding to the packing box ID using the acquired packing box ID as a reference key, and the packing box recorded in this table Product IDs related to all the products are acquired (step S102). At this stage, each electronic tag has not actually been read, and information on each product has not been acquired.

  The control unit determines whether all the product information has been acquired from the product ID of the electronic tag given to the product in the packaging box 60 (step S103). If all are acquired, the process ends. If all are not acquired, the process proceeds to step S104.

  After acquiring all the product IDs in the packaging box from the packaging box management table, the control unit is for product management that has not yet wirelessly communicated with the reader / writer 10 and the product management electronic tag from the acquired product IDs. Select the product ID of the electronic tag. Using the selected product ID value as a mask value for filtering, wireless communication is performed between the reader / writer 10 and only the product management electronic tag having the selected product ID value from among a plurality of product management electronic tags. Product information corresponding to the product ID is acquired from the electronic tag (steps S104 and S105). After the product ID is acquired, the above processing (S104, S105) is performed until there is no product ID that is not wirelessly communicated between the reader / writer 10 and the product management electronic tag in the product ID acquired from the packaging box management table. ) Is repeated, and product information is acquired from product IDs related to all products in the packaging box 60.

  In the process shown in FIG. 6, the product management electronic tags are selected one by one by filtering and the product ID is acquired from the product management electronic tag. And product IDs may be acquired collectively.

3) Details of Electronic Tag Communication Status Acquisition Process for Product Management Next, details of the electronic tag communication status acquisition process for product management (step S005) will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining details of the merchandise management electronic tag communication state acquisition process.

  First, the control unit in the article management system control server 1 determines whether or not there is an unused (unset) antenna for a reader / writer, and whether or not there is an unused (unset) antenna angle pattern. (Step S301). If measurement has been performed for all antennas and antenna angle patterns, the process ends.

  When there is an unused antenna and antenna angle, the control unit causes the reader / writer 10 to install an unused reader / writer antenna, an installation angle of the reader / writer antenna, and a reader / writer at the time of wireless communication. An instruction is given to control (control) the output value of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the writer as a communication parameter (step S302). As for the installation angle of the reader / writer antenna, the antenna main axis direction may be electrically changed instead of changing the antenna installation angle.

  Then, the control unit determines whether or not measurement has been performed for all output patterns at the set antenna angle (step S303). If all have been performed, the process proceeds to step S301 and has been performed. If not, the process proceeds to step S304.

  In step S304, the control unit instructs the reader / writer 2 to set the output value of the unset reader / writer.

  After setting the communication parameters, the reader / writer 10 acquires the reading rate for all the product management electronic tags in the packaging box. The reader / writer 10 selects one product ID for which the reading rate has not yet been acquired from among the product IDs acquired from the packing box management table according to control by the control unit, and filters the value of this product ID. As a mask value, wireless communication is performed with only the product management electronic tag having the value of the selected product ID among the plurality of product management electronic tags. Under the control of the control unit, the reader / writer 10 transmits a product ID response command to the product management electronic tag that is a communication target a plurality of times, and obtains the reading rate of the product management electronic tag (step). S306, S307). The acquired reading rate is recorded and stored in the communication status storage table 500 of the product management electronic tag (step S308).

  In the processing related to acquisition of the reading rate, the product management electronic tags are selected one by one by filtering and the reading rate of the product management electronic tag is acquired. The reading rate may be acquired collectively through wireless communication.

  For product management of product IDs for which the reading rate is not acquired from the product IDs acquired from the packing box management table, in the same manner as the above-described reading rate acquisition processing under the conditions of the set communication parameters of the reader / writer 10 The control unit repeatedly performs the above processing (steps S306, S307, and S308) until the electronic tag is exhausted.

  The control unit acquires the reading rate for all the product management electronic tags in the packing box 60 under the communication parameter conditions of the set reader / writer 10, and then uses the unused reader / writer antenna and reader / writer antenna. The communication parameter of the reader / writer 10 is changed to the installation angle of the reader / writer 10 and the output value of the electromagnetic wave of the reader / writer at the time of wireless communication. In addition, after the communication parameter of the reader / writer 10 is changed, the control unit obtains the reading rate relating to all the product management electronic tags in the packaging box 60 again until there is no communication parameter of the unused reader / writer. The above processing (steps S305, S306, S307, and S308) is repeated.

4) Specific Example of Communication State FIG. 8 is a table showing a specific example of the communication state of the product management electronic tag. The communication status storage table 500 is a table that stores the reading rate of each product management electronic tag in the communication parameters of each reader / writer. For example, in the second column from the left of the communication status storage table of the product management electronic tag, the reader / writer antenna 40 is used, the antenna installation angle is set to -60 degrees, and the output of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the reader / writer is displayed. The reading rate of each product management electronic tag at 28 dBm, for example, the reading rate of the product management electronic tag of the product ID 0001 is 90%, and the reading rate of the product management electronic tag of the product ID 0002 is 73%. It has become.
The above is an example of a processing procedure for acquiring the product management electronic tag communication state of the present embodiment.

5) Method for detecting an abnormality of an article Next, a method for detecting an abnormality such as a defect in an article even in a situation where it can communicate with an electronic tag associated with the article by comparing the communication status of the electronic tag for merchandise management will be described. .

  In the present embodiment, a state in which there is no product defect and a product management electronic tag is attached to all products is set as a reference state. The state in FIG. 1 corresponds to the reference state in the present embodiment because all the products in the packaging box 60 are attached with the product management electronic tag.

  The control unit in the article management system control server 1 controls the reader / writer 10 to acquire the communication state of the commodity management electronic tag in this reference state in advance and store the reference communication state. It is recorded in the communication status storage table of the electronic tag.

  On the other hand, the state in FIG. 9 is a state in which the product management electronic tag 202 attached to the product 102 is peeled off from the product 102 and only the product 102 is removed from the packaging box 60. In the state of FIG. 9, the product 102 does not exist in the packaging box 60, but the product management electronic tag 202 is in the packaging box 60, so that it can communicate with the electronic tag. For this reason, in the method of determining the presence / absence of a product based on the presence / absence of a response of the product management electronic tag 202, it is mistaken that the product 102 exists in the packaging box 60.

  However, in the present invention, even in such a case, the presence / absence of a product can be determined because detection is performed based on a difference in the communication status of the product management electronic tag. Specifically, it is as follows.

  Even in the state of FIG. 9, since the product management electronic tag 202 exists in the packaging box 60, the read rate of the product management electronic tag does not become 0%. However, in the state of FIG. 9, since the product 102 to which the product management electronic tag 202 is attached does not exist in the packaging box 60, the directivity of the product management electronic tag, the IC chip of the electronic tag, and the antenna of the electronic tag The communication characteristics of the electronic tag for product management such as the impedance between them change. Further, since the product 102 does not exist from the inside of the packing box 60, the radio wave characteristics in the electromagnetic wave shielding box 50 change from the state of FIG. As a result, the reading rate of the product management electronic tag 202 in the state of FIG. 9 is different from the reading rate in the state of FIG. Similarly, the reading rate of other product management electronic tags also changes from FIG. Therefore, the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the state of FIG. 9 is different from the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the state of FIG. 1, that is, the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the reference state.

  FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are examples in which the communication state of the product management electronic tag is different. FIG. 10 shows a communication status storage table 501 for recording a standard communication status related to the product management electronic tag 202. The table 501 is a table in which only data related to the product management electronic tag 202 is extracted from the communication state storage table of the product management electronic tag storing the reference communication state. On the other hand, FIG. 11 shows a communication state storage table 502 relating to the product management electronic tag 202 when only the product is extracted from the packaging box. The table 502 is a communication status storage table of the product management electronic tag that stores the communication status of the product management electronic tag when only the product is extracted from the packaging box, and only the data related to the product management electronic tag 202 is extracted. It is a table.

  10 corresponds to the reading rate of the electronic tag 202 for product management corresponding to each communication parameter of the reader / writer 10 in the communication status storage table 501 and corresponds to each communication parameter of the reader / writer 10 in the communication status storage table 502. The reading rate of the product management electronic tag 202 has a different value because the radio wave characteristic around the product management electronic tag has changed.

  Therefore, even in a situation where only the product is lost and the product management electronic tag remains in the packaging box 60, a change in the reading rate of the product management electronic tag due to a change in radio wave characteristics around the product management electronic tag is detected. Therefore, it is possible to detect a product defect.

  The above is the method for detecting an abnormality such as an article defect in the present embodiment. A specific process for detecting an abnormality such as an article defect will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, at the time of receipt / inspection inspection or inventory inspection, the reader / writer 10 wirelessly communicates with the product management electronic tag under the control of the control unit in the article management system control server 1 to communicate with the product management electronic tag. A state is acquired (step S401).

  Subsequently, the control unit determines from the communication state of the product management electronic tag acquired at the time of inspection of receipt / shipment inspection and inventory products, and the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the reference state acquired and recorded in advance. A correlation function R is calculated (step S402). The correlation function R is a numerical value that quantitatively indicates the degree of similarity between the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the reference state and the communication state of the comparative product management electronic tag.

  Expression 1 is an arithmetic expression for calculating the correlation function R. In Equation 1, f is an element of the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the reference state. That is, the reading rate of each electronic tag for product management for each communication parameter of the reader / writer in the reference state. Further, g is an element of the communication state of the product management electronic tag at the time of product inspection. That is, the reading rate of each product management electronic tag for each communication parameter of the reader / writer at the time of product inspection. The subscripts i, j, k, and l in Equation 1 are the reader / writer antenna number, the reader / writer antenna installation angle, the output value of the electromagnetic wave from the reader / writer, and the product management product tag product. It is a parameter regarding ID. The correlation function R defined by Equation 1 takes a value in the range of 0 to 1, and is a value of 1 as the communication state of the electronic tag for product management in the reference state is similar to the communication state of the electronic tag at the time of product inspection. Get closer to. When the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the reference state completely matches the communication state of the product management electronic tag at the time of product inspection, the correlation function R has a value of 1.

  From the above, if there is no product defect at the time of product inspection, the communication state of the product management electronic tag at the time of product inspection matches the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the reference state, and the correlation function R is 1 (ideal state). By utilizing this, in this embodiment, when the correlation function R is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the communication state of the product management electronic tag at the time of product inspection is the communication state of the product management electronic tag in the reference state. Therefore, the control unit determines that the product is in a normal state with no product loss (steps S403 and S404).

  On the other hand, when the correlation function R is a certain threshold value or less, it means that the communication state of the product management electronic tag at the time of product inspection is changed from the reference communication state. Is detected and a warning is displayed on the article management system control server monitor 2 (step S405).

  Note that the reason why 1 is not selected as the threshold value of the correlation function R is that there is no product defect because there is a slight misalignment of the product in the use of the actual product management system using an electronic tag. This is because the correlation function may not be 1.

  The correlation function R may be a discrete cosine transformed element of the communication state of the product management electronic tag at the time of product inspection. Further, in order to simplify the calculation, the principal component analysis may be performed on the elements of the communication state of the electronic tag for product management at the time of product inspection, and only the upper principal components may be handled.

<Summary of Embodiment>
According to this embodiment, even if the product management electronic tag attached to the product is peeled off from the product, only the product is lost, and the product management electronic tag and the reader / writer can communicate, the product is missing. It is possible to detect such abnormalities.

  In this embodiment, the communication status storage table of the product management electronic tag in the reference state is recorded in the recording device of the article management system control server 1, but the IC of the packaging box management electronic tag is used. Recorded in the chip, the article management system control server 1 may acquire the communication state of the commodity management electronic tag in the reference state from the packaging box management electronic tag.

  In the present embodiment, the electromagnetic shielding box 50 is installed in order to block electromagnetic waves that are noise from the outside of the shielding box. However, the electromagnetic shielding box 50 may be omitted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the loss of the product is detected by detecting the change in the reading rate of the product management electronic tag due to the change in the radio wave characteristic around the product management electronic tag, but the change in the reading rate of the electronic tag Instead, it may be a method of detecting a loss of merchandise by detecting a change in reception intensity of a response signal from an electronic tag received by a reader / writer.

  Similar to the reading rate, the intensity of the response signal of the electronic tag to the electronic tag control command issued by the reader / writer changes due to the change in the radio wave characteristics around the electronic tag for product management. Therefore, instead of the reading rate, even when the reception strength of the response signal in various communication conditions regarding the reader / writer that communicates wirelessly with the electronic tag is acquired and the information regarding the reception strength is set to the communication state of the electronic tag, the reading rate In the same way as the communication status, the correlation function of the communication status related to the reception intensity of the response signal of the electronic tag is calculated, and the change of the communication status is detected by judging this value, and the product management attached to the product Even in a situation where the electronic tag for the product is peeled off from the product, only the product is lost, and the electronic tag for product management and the reader / writer can communicate, it is possible to detect an abnormality such as a product defect.

  The communication status is composed of the reading rate and the reception intensity of the response signal of the electronic tag for each communication condition related to the reader / writer that communicates wirelessly with the electronic tag. Anomalies may be detected.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described concretely based on the embodiment, it is not limited to this and can be variously changed in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  For example, at each distribution base on the distribution route of goods, even if the goods are distributed while changing the article structure at each base, or even if the article structure is changed on the way due to theft, distribution will continue In this case, the communication state of the electronic tag associated with the article in the reference state may be corrected at any time when the article configuration is changed.

  In addition, a feature of the present invention is that a change such as a defect in an article is detected as a change in the reading rate of the electronic tag due to a change in radio wave characteristics around the article management electronic tag. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the status of products from time to time, such as smart shelves that are expected to record a series of consumer activities, such as a consumer taking a product from a shelf but immediately returning the product to the shelf. The present invention can also be applied to intended applications. In a specific example, in the case of a smart shelf, the electronic tag attached to each product is wirelessly communicated with a reader / writer as needed, and the reading rate of each electronic tag is recorded. For the product associated with the electronic tag whose reading rate has changed, it is determined that the product has temporarily moved from the shelf. In this way, the status of the product on the shelf can be monitored at any time. In applications such as smart shelves that monitor products at any time, it is not necessary to set the communication state of the electronic tag associated with the article in the standard state, and simply acquire the communication state of the electronic tag periodically and perform communication. A warning may be issued when a change occurs in the state.

  The present invention can also be realized by a program code of software that realizes the functions of the embodiments. In this case, a storage medium in which the program code is recorded is provided to the system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reads the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code itself and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention. As a storage medium for supplying such program code, for example, a flexible disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM Etc. are used.

  Also, based on the instruction of the program code, an OS (operating system) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. May be. Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory on the computer, the computer CPU or the like performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code. Thus, the functions of the above-described embodiments may be realized.

  Also, by distributing the program code of the software that realizes the functions of the embodiment via a network, the program code is stored in a storage means such as a hard disk or memory of a system or apparatus, or a storage medium such as a CD-RW or CD-R And the computer of the system or apparatus (or CPU or MPU) may read and execute the program code stored in the storage means or the storage medium when used.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the article | item management system using the electronic tag of embodiment by this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the table for packing box management of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the table for goods management of this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the outline | summary of the process which acquires the electronic tag communication state for goods management of this embodiment. It is a top view of the article management system using the electronic tag of this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detail of the goods ID confirmation process of this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detail of the electronic tag communication state acquisition process for goods management of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the communication state storage table of the electronic tag for goods management of this embodiment. It is a general-view figure of the article management system using an electronic tag when only the goods of this embodiment are extracted from a packing box. It is an excerpt of data related to the electronic tag for product management 202 in the reference communication state storage table in the present embodiment. It is an excerpt figure of the data regarding the electronic tag 202 for merchandise management of the communication status storage table when only the merchandise of this embodiment is extracted from the packing box. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process for detecting abnormality by the defect | deletion etc. of the articles | goods in this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Goods management system control server 2 ... Goods management system control server monitor 10 ... Reader / writer 20 ... Goods management system control server-reader / writer connection signal lines 30, 31 ... Reader / writer antenna cables 40, 41 ... Reader / writer antenna 50 ... Electromagnetic shielding box 60 ... Packing boxes 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 ... Merchandise 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 ... Merchandise management electronic tag 300 ... For packaging box management Electronic tag 400 ... Packaging box management table 401 ... Product management table 500 ... Communication status storage table 501 for product management electronic tag ... Communication status storage table 502 for standard product management electronic tag 202 ... Only products are extracted from the packaging box. Communication state storage table related to the electronic tag 202 for product management when

Claims (8)

An article management system for managing articles by attaching an electronic tag for article management capable of wireless communication to an article to be managed, and communicating with the electronic tag,
A reader / writer that performs wireless communication with the electronic tag and acquires information of the electronic tag;
A reference communication state information storage unit that stores reference communication state information of wireless communication with the electronic tag;
At the time of inspection, the result of wireless communication between the electronic tag and the reader / writer in the article to be managed is compared with the reference communication state information, and the state of the article to be managed is determined based on the comparison result. A processing unit,
The reference communication state information is a plurality of times between the reader / writer and the electronic tag obtained by wireless communication in advance between the electronic tag and the reader / writer under predetermined communication conditions regarding the reader / writer. An article management system comprising at least one of a reading rate, which is a communication success rate when performing wireless communication, and a reception strength of a response signal from the electronic tag received by the reader / writer.   The processing unit obtains the communication result obtained by wirelessly communicating the management target article and the electronic tag under the same communication conditions as when the reference communication state information was acquired, and the reference communication state information. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein comparison is made.   The said processing part determines with abnormality having generate | occur | produced in the said management object, when the difference of the said communication result and the said reference | standard communication status information is more than a predetermined threshold value. Goods management system.   The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit displays a state of the article to be managed on a display unit.   The predetermined communication conditions relating to the reader / writer include the antenna of the reader / writer, the antenna installation position of the reader / writer, the antenna angle of the reader / writer, the antenna main axis direction of the reader / writer, and the reader / writer. The article management system according to claim 1, comprising any one of the intensities of electromagnetic waves radiated from the writer.   The article according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit executes a comparison process with the reference communication state information when the ID of the article is acquired from the electronic tag in the article to be managed. Management system.   The processing unit, under the predetermined communication conditions, a product of the reading rate in a reference state and the reading rate acquired at the time of inspection of the article, and the received intensity of the response signal in the reference state and inspection of the article 2. The article according to claim 1, wherein the state of the article to be managed is determined based on a value of a correlation function calculated from at least one of the products of the response signals obtained at times and the reception intensity of the response signal. Management system.   A program for causing a computer to function as the article management system according to claim 1.

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