Reading System

Abstract

To provide a reading system that can further improve accuracy of reading a wireless tag by ensuring visibility of a measurement object.SOLUTION: A reading system 1 comprises: an inspection chamber 2 that allows an object of measurement 10 including a plurality of articles 11 to which RFID tags 12 are attached to be placed therein from an opening 21, wherein the opening 21 is openable and closable by a door member 22; a placement table 3 that is provided in the inspection chamber 2 and on which the object of measurement 10 is placed; a driving device 5 that moves the placement table 3 at least in a horizontal direction; an RFID antenna 4 that is provided inside the inspection chamber 2 and reads information from the RFID tags 12 attached to the plurality of articles 11 that is placed on the placement table 3 and moved by the driving device 5; and a transparent member 24 that is provided on an outer face of the door member 22 of the inspection chamber 2 and allows visual recognition of the inside of the inspection chamber 2 from the outside. The inspection chamber 2, the door member 22, and the transparent member 24 are configured to have properties capable of blocking radio waves.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a reading system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In recent years, a technology for managing items using wireless tags such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags has become known.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a reading system that includes an inspection room in which a measurement object including multiple items to which a wireless tag is affixed can be placed through an opening that can be opened and closed by a door member, a mounting table that is provided in the inspection room and is configured to be movable at least horizontally with the measurement object placed on it, and a reading device that is provided inside the inspection room and reads information from the wireless tags affixed to multiple items that are placed on the mounting table and moved at least horizontally by moving the mounting table.

[0004] According to the reading system described in Patent Document 1, by configuring the mounting table in the inspection room to be movable, it is possible to swing the measurement object on the mounting table and change the relative positional relationship of multiple objects. As a result, even if the wireless tags of the objects to be measured are positioned in a way that makes them difficult for the reading device to read, it is possible to resolve this positioning and move the wireless tags to a position where they can be easily read. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-006254 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the reading system described in Patent Document 1, in order to improve the accuracy of reading wireless tags by the reading device, the surfaces of the inner walls of the inspection room and door members are covered with radio wave shielding material that has properties that can block radio waves. Non-transparent materials such as metals are mainly used as radio wave shielding materials. Therefore, conventional reading systems have room for improvement in terms of visibility of the interior of the inspection room. If the interior of the inspection room cannot be seen from the outside, it is impossible to grasp the arrangement of multiple items on the mounting table, and therefore, even if the mounting table is swung, it may not be possible to read all of the items.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a reading system that can further improve the accuracy of reading wireless tags by ensuring the visibility of the measurement target. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A reading system according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention comprises an inspection chamber into which a measurement object, including a plurality of items to which a wireless tag is affixed, can be placed through an opening configured to be opened and closed by a door member; a mounting table provided in the inspection chamber on which the measurement object is placed; a drive unit that moves the mounting table at least horizontally; a reading unit provided inside the inspection chamber and that reads information from the wireless tags affixed to the plurality of items that are moved by the drive unit while placed on the mounting table; and a transparent member that is provided as at least a part of the outer surface of the inspection chamber or the door member and that allows the interior of the inspection chamber to be seen from the outside, wherein the inspection chamber, the door member, and the transparent member are configured to have properties that can block radio waves.

[0009] According to this aspect, by providing a transparent member in the inspection chamber, the interior of the inspection chamber can be viewed from the outside through the transparent member. As a result, when an operator performs a rocking operation, the operator can rock the objects to achieve an appropriate position for the RFID tag reading process while sequentially checking the position of each object to be measured. As a result, all objects to be measured can be more reliably, more easily, and more quickly transitioned to a position that allows them to be read by the reading device. Furthermore, because the transparent member has the same radio wave shielding properties as the inspection chamber and the door member, providing the transparent member in the inspection chamber does not impede the reading ability of the reading device. As a result, by ensuring visibility of the objects to be measured, the reading accuracy of the RFID tags can be further improved.

[0010] In the reading system according to another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the transparent member may be provided on the door member. According to this aspect, the arrangement of each object in the examination room can be easily seen through the transparent member, and it is possible to more efficiently transition all of the objects to be measured to an arrangement state in which they can be read by the reading device.

[0011] In a reading system according to another aspect of the present invention, the drive device may include rails provided on the floor of the examination room along one horizontal direction, rollers provided on the bottom surface of the table and engaged with the rails, and a handle connected to the table, extending outside the examination room, and capable of inputting an external force, wherein the rollers rotate and move along the rails in response to the external force input via the handle, thereby reciprocating the table. According to this aspect, the table can be easily oscillated manually.

[0012] A reading system according to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention includes a drive source that supplies power to the drive device, an imaging device that images the plurality of items inside the inspection room through the transparent member, and a control device that controls the operation of the drive source and the imaging device, and the control device may be configured to adjust the amount of control of the drive device by the drive source depending on the arrangement of the plurality of items imaged by the imaging device on the placement table.

[0013] According to this aspect, by automatically controlling the swing using the drive source and the imaging device, it is possible to perform a more appropriate swing, thereby further improving the accuracy of reading the wireless tag. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a reading system that can further improve the reading accuracy of wireless tags by ensuring the visibility of the measurement target. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a reading system according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a mounting table and a driving device in FIG. [Figure 3] Front view of the reading system shown in Figure 1 [Figure 4] Schematic diagram explaining the effect of shaking the measurement target [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display content on a display device; [Figure 6] Schematic diagram illustrating a first effect of applying a transparent member. [Figure 7] Schematic diagram illustrating a second effect of applying a transparent member. [Figure 8] Schematic diagram showing a modified example of the arrangement of the transparent member [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a reading system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of swing control by the reading system of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0017] In the following description, the x, y, and z directions are perpendicular to each other. The x and y directions are horizontal directions, and the z direction is vertical. The x direction is the front-to-rear direction of the reading system 1, and the y direction is the width direction of the reading system 1. For ease of explanation, the positive z direction may also be referred to as the upper side, and the negative z direction may also be referred to as the lower side.

[0018] [First embodiment] <Reading system configuration> First, the basic configuration of a reading system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a reading system 1 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a mounting table 3 and a driving device 5 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view of the reading system 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows the reading system 1 as viewed from the front side (positive x-direction side). Note that FIG. 2 illustrates the reading system 1 so that the right side of the drawing corresponds to the front side (positive x-direction side) of the reading system 1.

[0020] 1, the reading system 1 of this embodiment is a device for reading information about each of a plurality of items 11 from a measurement target 10 that includes the items 11. An RFID tag 12 (wireless tag) is attached to each of the items 11, and the reading system 1 can obtain the information about each of the items 11 by reading the information stored in the RFID tag 12.

[0021] A specific example of the measurement object 10 is a plurality of medical drugs 11 taken out of a medicine shelf in a hospital and placed on a tray 13.

[0022] The reading system 1 includes an examination room 2, a mounting table 3, an RFID antenna 4 (reading device), a driving device 5, and a control device 6.

[0023] The inspection chamber 2 is a space used to read information from the measurement target 10. The inspection chamber 2 has, for example, a hexahedral shape, and an opening 21 is provided on a surface thereof, through which the measurement target 10 can be brought in from the outside and placed therein. The opening 21 is provided, for example, on the front surface 2A on the x-positive side of the inspection chamber 2, as shown in FIG. 1 . A door member 22 is rotatably attached to the opening 21, and the opening 21 is configured to be openable and closable by the door member 22. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the inspection chamber 2 has legs 23 extending downward from the four corners of a substantially rectangular bottom plate 2B on the z-negative side, thereby forming a space below the bottom plate 2B.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a transparent member 24 is provided on a part of the door element 22. The transparent member 24 is a member that allows the interior of the examination room 2 to be viewed from the outside. The transparent member 24 also includes a semi-transparent member. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the transparent member 24 is provided on the central rectangular portion surrounded by the outer frame of the door element 22 when the door element 22 is viewed from the front (x-positive direction side).

[0025] The mounting table 3 is a plate-like member that is provided inside the inspection chamber 2 and on which the measurement object 10 can be placed. The mounting table 3 is configured to be movable back and forth in one horizontal direction (the x direction in the example of FIG. 1) by a driving device 5.

[0026] 1 and 2, for example, and includes rails 51, rollers 52, and a handle 53. The rails 51 are provided on the upper surface (floor surface) of the bottom plate 2B of the examination room 2 along the direction of movement of the mounting table 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, two rails 51 are provided side by side in the width direction of the mounting table 3.

[0027] The rollers 52 are provided on the bottom surface 3A of the mounting table 3, and are fitted to the rails 51 so as to be rotatable in the x direction along the rails 51. As shown in Fig. 2, for example, two rollers 52 are provided for each rail 51 along the front-to-rear direction (x direction) of the mounting table 3, for a total of four rollers 52. Each roller 52 is supported, for example, via a bearing, so that the mounting table 3 can rotate smoothly and move on the rails 51 when it is subjected to an external force in the front-to-rear direction.

[0028] The handle 53 is a member capable of applying an external force to the mounting table 3 in the forward and backward directions. The handle 53 is connected to the mounting table 3 and extends outside the examination chamber 2. An opening 54 extending in the x direction is provided in the bottom plate 2B of the examination chamber 2 directly below the mounting table 3 (for example, between two rails 51 as shown in FIG. 2 ). The handle 53 is a rod-shaped member, and one end 53A of the handle 53 is connected to the bottom surface 3A of the mounting table 3. The handle 53 extends directly downward from the bottom surface 3A, passes through the opening 54, and advances below the bottom plate 2B, then bends toward the x positive direction, extends horizontally, and advances to the front of the examination chamber 2. A grip 56 to be held by the operator is connected to the other end 53B of the handle 53. In response to the external force applied via the handle 53, the rollers 52 rotate and move along the rails 51, causing the mounting table 3 to reciprocate in the x direction.

[0029] By providing the legs 23 as described above to form a space below the examination chamber 2, it becomes possible to place the handle 53 of the drive unit 5 in this space, and the drive unit 5 can be placed so as not to affect the reading of the measurement target 10 by the RFID antenna 4. Furthermore, in this placement, the opening 54 through which the handle 53 is pulled out from the examination chamber 2 to the outside is shielded from the RFID antenna 4 by the mounting base 3. This makes it possible to prevent radio waves from leaking from the opening 54 during the reading operation by the RFID antenna 4.

[0030] In addition, stopper 55A is provided in inspection chamber 2 at a position where mounting table 3 hits when moved in one direction (x-negative direction). Stoppers 55B are also provided on both end faces of mounting table 3 in the movement direction (x-direction). When mounting table 3 is reciprocated by drive device 5, the end face of mounting table 3 on the x-negative side hits stopper 55A and receives a reaction force. Furthermore, stoppers 55B provided on the end faces of mounting table 3 on the x-positive side and x-negative side hit the inner wall of the inspection chamber and receive a reaction force, thereby enabling smooth reversal of the reciprocating motion of mounting table 3. Furthermore, since mounting table 3 can be prevented from hitting the inner wall of inspection chamber 2, wear and tear such as damage to mounting table 3 can be suppressed, and the item 11 on mounting table 3 can be prevented from flying out of mounting table 3 due to impact.

[0031] The stoppers 55A and 55B are preferably made of an elastic material such as rubber or a spring. If the stoppers 55A and 55B are made of an elastic material, they can absorb impact by elastically contracting when the mounting table 3 hits something, further reducing wear on the mounting table 3. Furthermore, the elastic return of the stoppers can apply force to the mounting table 3 in the direction of movement and reversal, allowing for smoother determination of the reciprocating motion of the mounting table 3. The arrangement of the stoppers 55A and 55B is not limited to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , and other arrangements are possible as long as they can be interposed between the mounting table 3 and the inner wall of the examination chamber 2 when the mounting table 3 hits the wall. For example, the stoppers may be arranged only on both end faces of the mounting table 3 in the x direction, or only at the positions on the inner wall of the examination chamber 2 where the mounting table 3 hits the wall.

[0032] The RFID antenna 4 is provided inside the inspection room 2 and reads information from RFID tags 12 affixed to a plurality of objects 11 that are placed on the mounting table 3 and undergo reciprocating motion. The RFID antenna 4 can transmit the read information to the control device 6. The RFID antenna 4 is installed, for example, on the top board 2C of the inspection room 2, and is positioned so that the receiving region R faces the upper surface of the mounting table 3.

[0033] In consideration of the communication distance, it is preferable to use the HF band, which is suitable for short-distance communication, for communication between the RFID tag 12 and the RFID antenna 4, but the UHF band, which is advantageous for miniaturizing the IC chip of the tag, may also be used. Furthermore, the RFID tag 12 may be a passive tag that is powered by radio waves radiated from the RFID antenna 4, or an active tag that is powered by an internal power source for communication.

[0034] Furthermore, to improve the reading accuracy of the RFID antenna 4, the surfaces of the inner walls of the inspection room 2 and the door member 22 may be made to have properties that absorb radio waves. This prevents, for example, radio waves emitted from the RFID tag 12 of a single item 11 on the mounting table 3 from being reflected by the inner wall of the inspection room 2, causing the RFID antenna 4 to receive radio waves from multiple directions, resulting in the RFID antenna 4 mistakenly recognizing that it has received radio waves from multiple RFID tags 12. It also prevents, for example, the RFID antenna 4 from mistakenly reading radio waves emitted from another RFID tag 12 outside the inspection room 2, instead of the radio waves emitted from the item 11 placed inside the inspection room 2.

[0035] In other words, the surfaces of the inner walls of the examination room 2 and the door member 22 can be covered with a radio wave shielding material that has the property of blocking radio waves. Non-transparent materials such as metals are typically used as the radio wave shielding material. The entire examination room 2 and the door member 22 may be made of a radio wave shielding material, thereby providing radio wave shielding on the inner walls.

[0036] Furthermore, the transparent member 24 is preferably configured to have the same radio wave shielding properties as the above-mentioned radio wave shielding material. An example of a structure that satisfies the properties of the transparent member 24 is a structure in which a transparent glass plate is laminated with a perforated metal member such as a wire mesh or punched mesh plate that has both transparency and radio wave shielding properties. The size of the holes formed in the perforated metal member may be adjusted so as to block radio waves in the desired frequency band depending on the frequency band used for communication between the RFID tag 12 and the RFID antenna 4.

[0037] The control device 6 controls the operation of the components of the reading system 1, such as the RFID antenna 4. The control device 6 may also be configured to aggregate and store information related to the items 11 acquired by the RFID antenna 4, and to perform processes such as counting and inventory management based on the information. The control device 6 can physically be configured as a computer system including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) as main storage devices, a communication module, an auxiliary storage device, and the like. Each of the functions of the control device 6 described above is realized by loading predetermined computer software into the CPU, RAM, etc., thereby operating various hardware under the control of the CPU and reading and writing data from and to the RAM.

[0038] The procedure for reading information from the measurement target 10 using the reading system 1 of this embodiment will be described. First, an operator prepares the measurement target 10 by placing a plurality of items 11 with RFID tags 12 attached onto a tray 13 outside the reading system 1. Next, the operator opens the door element 22 and places the measurement target 10 through the opening 21 onto the mounting table 3 inside the inspection room 2. After that, the operator closes the door element 22, and the inspection room 2 is closed.

[0039] It is preferable to provide a fixing (holding) means between the mounting table 3 and the tray 13 so that the tray 13 does not come off the mounting table 3 due to the reciprocating motion of the mounting table 3. Alternatively, the mounting table 3 and the tray 13 may be configured as an integral unit, and the articles 11 may be stored in the tray 13 through the opening 21 or through an opening (insertion port) at the top of the inspection chamber 2 (not shown). When the mounting table 3 and the tray 13 are separate, the target articles can be varied by preparing a tray 13 having a size and shape suitable for the type of article 11 to be inserted.

[0040] The control device 6 operates the RFID antenna 4 in response to a command, such as pressing a switch, by an operator, and reads information from each tag of the measurement object 10 on the mounting table 3 using the RFID antenna 4. The RFID antenna 4 outputs the read information from each tag to the control device 6.

[0041] Next, the operator operates the handle 53 to reciprocate the table 3 back and forth (x direction). This causes each article 11 on the tray 13 to swing, changing the arrangement of each article 11. In this embodiment, "swing" refers to the irregular movement of the position of each article 11 on the measurement target 10 in the horizontal direction, vertical direction, or a combination of these directions, due to the application of an external force resulting from the horizontal reciprocating movement of the table 3.

[0042] Thereafter, the control device 6 activates the RFID antenna 4 in response to a command, such as a switch being pressed by an operator, and the RFID antenna 4 again reads information from each tag of the measurement object 10 on the mounting table 3, and the RFID antenna 4 outputs the read information to the control device 6.

[0043] The worker repeats the above steps of shaking the article 11 and reading the RFID tag 12 as necessary.

[0044] In this embodiment, a transparent member 24 is provided on the door member 22 of the inspection room 2, and therefore, as shown in Fig. 3, an operator can see the inside of the inspection room 2 from the outside through the transparent member 24. Therefore, the operator can check the arrangement of each article 11 on the tray 13 one by one, and perform the work of rocking the above-mentioned articles 11 so that they are arranged appropriately for the reading process of the RFID tags 12.

[0045] <Effect of rocking> Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of shaking the measurement target 10. Fig. 4(A) shows an example of the arrangement of multiple items 11 in the measurement target 10 before shaking, and Fig. 4(B) shows an example of the arrangement after shaking. In the example of Fig. 4, the measurement target 10 includes five items 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E, and RFID tags 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, and 12E are attached to each item, respectively.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4(A), depending on the arrangement of five items 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E, it may be impossible to read at least some of the RFID tags even if the measurement target 10 is within the reception area R. This situation may arise, for example, due to the relative positional relationship between the RFID antenna 4 and the RFID tag 12 (e.g., when the RFID tag 12 is located at the null point), the proximity of the RFID tag 12 to other items around it, or the degree to which the items overlap. In the example of FIG. 4(A), the RFID tag 12A of the item 11A is too close to the adjacent item 11B and cannot communicate with the RFID antenna 4. Furthermore, the RFID tags 12C and 12E of the items 11C and 11E cannot communicate with the RFID antenna 4 because another item 11D is interposed between the item 11A and the RFID antenna 4.

[0047] In contrast, in this embodiment, the drive unit 5 causes the mounting table 3 to reciprocate in one horizontal direction (x direction), thereby swinging the measurement target 10 on the mounting table 3. This changes the relative positional relationship between the multiple items 11A-11E of the measurement target 10, and changes the relative positional relationship between the RFID tags 12A-12E and the RFID antenna 4, thereby increasing the number of RFID tags 12A-12E that can be read by the RFID antenna 4. In the example of FIG. 4(B), the swinging widens the gap A between the items 11A and 11B, allowing the RFID tag 12A to communicate with the RFID antenna 4. The swinging also rotates the item 11D in the direction of arrow B, inserting it between the items 11C and 11E, causing the items 11C-11E to become parallel, allowing the RFID tags 12C and 12E to communicate with the RFID antenna 4.

[0048] As described above, according to the reading system 1 of this embodiment, by configuring the mounting table 3 in the inspection room 2 to be capable of horizontal reciprocating motion, the measurement target 10 on the mounting table 3 can be swung, thereby changing the relative positional relationship of the multiple objects 11. As a result, even if the RFID tags 12 of the objects 11 of the measurement target 10 are positioned in a way that makes them difficult to read by the RFID antenna 4, these positions can be resolved and the RFID tags 12 can be moved to a position that makes them easier to read. As a result, the reading system 1 of this embodiment can improve the accuracy of reading the RFID tags 12 of the measurement target 10.

[0049] The reading system 1 may also be configured to include a detection unit that detects that the measurement object 10 has been placed on the mounting table 3. In this case, when the detection unit detects that the measurement object 10 has been placed, the control device 6 causes the RFID antenna 4 to execute a reading operation of the RFID tag 12 at predetermined time intervals, and when the detection unit detects that the measurement object 10 has been removed from the mounting table 3, the control device 6 ends the reading operation by the RFID antenna 4.

[0050] This allows the operator to automatically perform the reading operation by simply placing the measurement object 10 in the inspection room 2, thereby avoiding reading failures due to the operator forgetting to give instructions, and allowing the RFID tag 12 to be read more reliably.

[0051] Furthermore, the reading system 1 may further include a display device 7 as shown in FIG. 1, which displays the results of reading the RFID antennas 4 collected by the control device 6.

[0052] The control device 6 can also determine whether or not all of the desired articles are included in the measurement target 10 based on the information read by the RFID antenna 4. In this case, if it is determined that at least some of the desired articles are not included in the measurement target 10, a message to that effect may be displayed on the display device 7, prompting the worker to reciprocate the platform 3 again, and the RFID antenna 4 may read information from the RFID tags 12 affixed to the multiple articles 11 that have been reciprocated again.

[0053] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the display content of the display device 7. Fig. 5(A) shows an example of the display before shaking, and Fig. 5(B) shows an example of the display after shaking and re-measurement. As shown in Fig. 5, the display device 7 can include a read result display area 71 that displays the read result of the RFID tag 12, and a notification area 72 that displays information to be provided to the operator according to the read result.

[0054] For example, as shown in Fig. 5(A), if only two items (item B and item D) out of five items are detected before shaking, only the two detected items B and D are displayed in the reading result display area 71. The notification area 72 displays a message such as "Some items cannot be detected. Please shake with the handle" to prompt the operator to shake the platform 3.

[0055] For example, as shown in Fig. 5(B), if all five items (products A to E) are detected after shaking, all detected products A to E are displayed in the reading result display area 71. At this time, a message such as "All products have been detected" is displayed in the notification area 72 to notify the operator that the information has been successfully read.

[0056] Furthermore, when the control device 6 determines that the measurement target 10 does not contain at least some of the desired items, the control device 6 may be configured to display an "information missing state" on the display device 7 to notify the worker. In this case, the worker reciprocates the mounting table 3 again in response to this display. After the "information missing state" display is displayed, the control device 6 reads information from the RFID tags 12 affixed to the multiple items 11 that have been reciprocated again, and displays the read information as additional information on the display device 7. Then, when the control device 6 determines that the measurement target 10 contains all of the desired items based on this additional information, the control device 6 displays an "information sufficient state" on the display device 7 to notify the worker. This allows the worker to be appropriately notified of the reading status and more reliably read information from the RFID tags 12.

[0057] <Effects of transparent materials> 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first effect achieved by applying a transparent member 24. FIG. 6(A) shows an example of the arrangement of multiple items 11 on the measurement target 10 before rocking, which is generally similar to FIG. 4(A) in this example. FIG. 6(B) shows an example of the arrangement of multiple items 11 when the rocking applied to the measurement target 10 is insufficient. FIG. 6(C) shows an example of the arrangement of multiple items 11 when the rocking applied to the measurement target 10 is sufficient, which is generally similar to FIG. 4(B) in this example.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 6(A), depending on the arrangement of the five items 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E, it may be impossible to read at least some of the RFID tags of the measurement target 10 even if it is located within the receiving area R. In such cases, in this embodiment, the measurement target 10 on the mounting table 3 is oscillated by causing the driving device 5 to reciprocate in one horizontal direction (x direction) as described above. At this time, if the inspection chamber 2 is configured without a transparent member 24, the interior of the inspection chamber 2 cannot be seen from the outside, and the operator cannot grasp the arrangement of the multiple items 11 on the mounting table 3. For this reason, even if the mounting table 3 is oscillated, as shown in FIG. 6(B), for example, there may be a case where the oscillation applied to the measurement target 10 is insufficient, making it impossible to read all of the items 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E.

[0059] 6(B), the gap A1 between the article 11A and the article 11B widens due to the shaking, and the RFID tag 12A can communicate with the RFID antenna 4. However, the shaking also rotates the article 11D in the direction of the arrow B1, but the article 11D is still interposed between the article 11C and the RFID antenna 4. Therefore, the RFID tag 12C of the article 11C still cannot communicate with the RFID antenna 4.

[0060] In contrast, in this embodiment, the operator can view the inside of the inspection chamber 2 from the outside through the transparent member 24. Therefore, while sequentially checking the arrangement of each article 11 on the tray 13, the operator can operate the drive device 5 to apply sufficient rocking to the measurement target 10 so that all articles 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E can be read, for example, as shown in FIG. 6(C). For example, when the state shown in FIG. 6(B) is visually confirmed, the operator adds rocking to move article 11D further. As a result, article 11D rotates in the direction of arrow C1 and enters between articles 11C and 11E, so that articles 11C to 11E are parallel to each other, enabling RFID tag 12C to communicate with RFID antenna 4.

[0061] In this way, the reading system 1 of this embodiment can ensure visibility of the measurement object 10 by providing a transparent member 24 on the door member 22 of the examination room 2, thereby further improving the reading accuracy of the RFID tag 12.

[0062] 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second effect achieved by applying a transparent member 24. FIG. 7(A) shows an example of the arrangement of multiple items 11 on the measurement target 10 before shaking, and this example is generally similar to FIG. 4(A) and FIG. 6(A). FIG. 7(B) shows a first example of the arrangement of multiple items 11 when the shaking applied to the measurement target 10 is too large. FIG. 7(C) shows a second example of the arrangement of multiple items 11 when the shaking applied to the measurement target 10 is too large.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 7(A), depending on the arrangement of five items 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E, it may be impossible to read at least some of the RFID tags of the measurement target 10 even if it is located within the receiving area R. In such cases, in this embodiment, the measurement target 10 on the mounting table 3 is oscillated by causing the driving device 5 to reciprocate in one horizontal direction (x direction) as described above. In this case, if the inspection chamber 2 is configured without a transparent member 24, the interior of the inspection chamber 2 cannot be seen from the outside, making it difficult for an operator to intuitively grasp how much force should be applied to the driving device 5 to oscillate the mounting table 3 to properly move the item 11. This may result in excessive oscillation being applied to the measurement target 10.

[0064] 7(B), if the shaking is excessive, a situation may occur in which item 11A falls in the direction of arrow A2 due to the shaking and collides with item 11B, resulting in damage to item 11B. Similarly, a situation may occur in which item 11D falls in the direction of arrow B2 due to the shaking and collides with the bottom surface of tray 13, resulting in damage to item 11D due to its own weight, etc.

[0065] In this way, if the inspection room 2 is configured without a transparent member 24, depending on the amount of force applied by the operator to the drive unit 5 via the handle 53, the items 11 on the loading platform 3 may be scattered, or may be damaged due to collisions between the items 11 or the collapse of stacked items 11.

[0066] 7(C), for example, a situation may occur in which the item 11D moves in the direction of arrow C2 due to the shaking and falls from the mounting table 3 onto the bottom plate 2B of the inspection room 2. In this case, the fallen item 11D gets caught in the gap between the bottom plate 2B and the mounting table 3. If the drive device 5 is moved in this state, for example, the rollers 52 may get caught in the item 11D, or the movement of the mounting table 3 may be hindered by the item 11D, causing a malfunction in the operation of the drive device 5, making it impossible to perform subsequent shaking operations. Furthermore, the fallen item 11D may come into contact with the drive device 5, resulting in damage to the item 11D.

[0067] In this way, in a configuration in which the transparent member 24 is not provided in the examination room 2, depending on the amount of force applied by the operator to the drive unit 5 via the handle 53, the item 11 that falls from the mounting table 3 may get caught in the gap between the bottom plate 2B or side plate of the examination room 2 and the mounting table 3, causing a malfunction in the drive unit 5 and possibly damaging the item 11 by coming into contact with the drive unit 5.

[0068] In contrast, in this embodiment, the operator can view the inside of the inspection chamber 2 from the outside through the transparent member 24. Therefore, while sequentially checking the arrangement of each article 11 on the tray 13, the operator can operate the drive device 5 to apply an appropriate amount of rocking to the measurement target 10 so as to maintain all articles 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E on the mounting table 3, without damaging any of the articles 11A to 11E. As a result, by providing the transparent member 24 on the door member 22 of the inspection chamber 2, the reading system 1 of this embodiment can prevent damage caused by collisions between articles 11 as shown in FIG. 7(B), or malfunction of the drive device 5 or damage to the article 11 caused by the article 11 falling from the mounting table 3 as shown in FIG. 7(C).

[0069] As described above, the reading system 1 of the first embodiment includes an inspection room 2 in which a measurement target 10 including multiple items 11 to which RFID tags 12 are affixed can be placed through an opening 21 that can be opened and closed by a door member 22, a mounting table 3 provided in the inspection room 2 on which the measurement target 10 is placed, a drive unit 5 that moves the mounting table 3 at least in the horizontal direction, an RFID antenna 4 provided inside the inspection room 2 that reads information from the RFID tags 12 affixed to the multiple items 11 that are moved by the drive unit 5 in a state desired to be placed on the mounting table 3, and a transparent member 24 provided on the outer surface of the door member 22 of the inspection room 2 that allows the interior of the inspection room 2 to be viewed from the outside. The inspection room 2, the door member 22, and the transparent member 24 are configured to have properties that can block radio waves.

[0070] By providing the door member 22 of the inspection room 2 with a transparent member 24, the operator performing the swinging operation can view the interior of the inspection room 2 from the outside through the transparent member 24. This allows the operator to swing the door member 22 to an appropriate position for the RFID tag 12 reading process while sequentially checking the positioning state of each item 11 of the measurement target 10. As a result, all items 11 of the measurement target 10 can be more reliably, easily, and quickly transitioned to a positioning state that allows reading by the RFID antenna 4. Furthermore, because the transparent member 24 has the same radio wave shielding properties as the inspection room 2 and the door member 22, providing the transparent member 24 in the inspection room 2 does not impede the reading ability of the RFID antenna 4. As a result, the reading system 1 of the first embodiment can further improve the reading accuracy of the RFID tag 12 by ensuring the visibility of the measurement target 10.

[0071] Furthermore, by making the inside of the inspection room 2 visible from the outside through the transparent member 24, the operator performing the shaking operation can easily find a method that allows for more accurate and faster reading by adjusting the shaking method (for example, stroke size, speed, etc.) for each type of item 11 while looking at the transparent member 24. As a result, it is possible to reduce individual differences between operators. This makes it possible to more stabilize the reading accuracy of the RFID tag 12.

[0072] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the transparent member 24 is provided on the door member 22 of the examination room 2. Meanwhile, the grip 56 of the handle 53 used by the operator to perform the swinging operation is also located on the front surface 2A side of the examination room 2, i.e., the same side as the door member 22. This allows the operator operating the grip 56 to easily direct their line of sight toward the transparent member 24, enabling the operator to perform the swinging operation while easily receiving visual feedback of the arrangement status of each item 11 in the examination room 2. As a result, the arrangement status of each item 11 in the examination room 2 can be easily seen through the transparent member, and it becomes possible to more efficiently transition all of the items 11 in the measurement target 10 to an arrangement state in which they can be read by the RFID antenna 4.

[0073] In this embodiment, the drive device 5 includes rails 51 provided horizontally in one direction on the floor surface (upper surface of the bottom plate 2B) of the examination room 2, rollers 52 provided on the bottom surface 3A of the mounting table 3 and engaged with the rails 51, and a handle 53 connected to the mounting table 3, extending outside the examination room 2, and capable of receiving an external force. The drive device 5 moves the mounting table 3 back and forth by rotating the rollers 52 and moving along the rails 51 in response to an external force input via the handle 53. This configuration allows the mounting table 3 to be easily swung manually.

[0074] 8 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the arrangement of the transparent member. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, a configuration in which the transparent member 24 is provided on most of the door member 22 provided on the front of the examination room 2 is exemplified. However, the transparent member 24 only needs to be able to at least view the inside of the examination room 2 from the outside, and the installation position is not limited to the example in FIG. 3. The transparent member 24 only needs to be provided as at least a part of the outer surface of the examination room 2 or the door member 22.

[0075] For example, by placing a transparent member 24A as shown in Fig. 8 on the top plate 2C of the examination chamber 2, the arrangement of the multiple items 11 in the examination chamber 2 can be visually confirmed from above. Also, by placing a transparent member 24B as shown in Fig. 8 on the side plate 2D in the y direction of the examination chamber 2, the arrangement of the multiple items 11 in the examination chamber 2 can be visually confirmed from the side. Also, like transparent member 24C as shown in Fig. 8, a configuration in which the transparent member is placed on only a part of the door member 22, for example, the upper half, rather than the entire surface, is possible.

[0076] Furthermore, the transparent member 24 of the above embodiment and the modified transparent members 24A and 24B may be applied in combination. This allows the arrangement of the multiple items 11 in the examination room 2 to be visually confirmed from multiple angles, making it possible to more accurately adjust the swinging operation.

[0077] [Second embodiment] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a reading system 1A according to the second embodiment. In the reading system 1 according to the first embodiment, the driving device 5 oscillates the mounting table 3 by manual operation of an operator, but in the reading system 1A according to the second embodiment, the driving device 5 oscillates the mounting table 3 automatically according to the arrangement of the articles 11 on the mounting table 3.

[0078] 9, the reading system 1A includes a drive source 8 and an imaging device 9 in addition to the components of the reading system 1 of the first embodiment. Also, a control device 6A is provided instead of the control device 6 of the first embodiment.

[0079] The drive source 8 supplies power to the drive device 5. The drive source 8 includes, for example, an actuator that outputs power and a gear system that converts speed and torque. The drive source 8 is provided in place of the handle 53 of the first embodiment.

[0080] The imaging device 9 captures an image of the multiple items 11 of the measurement target 10 inside the inspection room 2 through the transparent member 24. The imaging device 9 is installed facing the transparent member 24 from outside the inspection room 2, and is installed so that its optical axis direction can capture an image of the area on the mounting table 3 inside the inspection room 2. The imaging device 9 can be any element that can acquire information that can determine the arrangement status of the multiple items 11 on the mounting table 3, such as a camera that captures video or still images.

[0081] The control device 6A controls the operation of the drive source 8 and the imaging device 9. The control device 6A adjusts the control amount of the drive device 5 by the drive source 8 in accordance with the arrangement state of the multiple articles 11 on the platform 3, the image of which has been captured by the imaging device 9.

[0082] Similarly to the control device 6 of the first embodiment, the control device 6A also controls the operations of other components of the reading system 1A, such as the RFID antenna 4, the display device 7, and the detection unit.

[0083] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the swing control by the reading system 1A of the second embodiment.

[0084] In step S1, an operator places a plurality of items 11 of the measurement object 10 on the placement table 3 inside the inspection room 2. The control device 6 detects that the measurement object 10 has been placed in the inspection room 2 in response to an instruction by the operator, such as pressing a switch.

[0085] In step S2, the imaging device 9 captures images of the multiple articles 11 on the mounting table 3. The imaging device 9 transmits image information of the captured images of the articles to the control device 6A.

[0086] In step S3, the control device 6A determines the control amount of the drive source 8 based on the image information acquired in step S2. The control device 6A determines, for example, from the image information, the arrangement status of the multiple articles 11 on the mounting table 3, and estimates the control amount required to transition to a state in which all of the articles 11 can be read by the RFID antenna 4. The control amount includes, for example, a control command to the drive source 8 for realizing a desired rocking pattern of the mounting table 3. Note that the control device 6A can use any method for estimating the control amount based on the image information, such as a method using a predictor (model) in the field of machine learning, an optimization method such as linear programming, a search method using simulation, a calculation method using a predetermined function, or a method using a lookup table. The control device 6A outputs information on the determined control amount to the drive source 8.

[0087] In step S4, the drive source 8 supplies power to the drive device 5 based on the control amount determined in step S3, and the mounting table 3 is oscillated by this power.

[0088] In step S5, the control device 6A verifies the arrangement of the articles 11 after shaking. The control device 6A, for example, causes the imaging device 9 to capture an image of the multiple articles 11 on the mounting table 3 again to obtain image information of the articles after shaking. Then, from this image information, the control device 6A estimates whether the arrangement of all the articles 11 is such that they can be read by the RFID antenna 4. Note that the control device 6A may also read information from each tag of the measurement target 10 on the mounting table 3 using the RFID antenna 4, and make the estimation taking this reading result into consideration.

[0089] In step S6, it is determined whether the placement situation is such that all of the articles 11 can be read by the RFID antenna 4 as a result of the estimation in step S5. If the placement situation is such that all of the articles 11 cannot be read (NO in step S6), the process returns to step S2 and the processes of steps S2 to S5 are repeated. On the other hand, if the placement situation is such that all of the articles 11 can be read (YES in step S6), this control flow ends.

[0090] After completing the processing of the flowchart in Figure 10, the control device 6A may use the RFID antenna 4 to read information from each tag of the measurement object 10 on the mounting table 3, or if tag information is also read in step S5 as described above, it may use this tag information.

[0091] The reading system 1A of the second embodiment automatically controls the swing using a drive source 8 and an imaging device 9, thereby enabling more appropriate swinging compared to manual operation by an operator through visual inspection as in the first embodiment, thereby further improving the reading accuracy of the RFID tag 12.

[0092] The reading system 1A of the second embodiment may be configured to include an input device that allows an operator to input information to the control device 6A. In this case, instead of using image information from the imaging device 9, the operator visually checks the arrangement of the items 11 inside the inspection room 2 through the transparent member 24, and inputs a command value for the control amount of the drive source 8 to the control device 6A using the input device according to the visually checked arrangement. The control device 6A controls the drive source 8 according to the input command value.

[0093] The present embodiment has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Design modifications to these specific examples made by a person skilled in the art as appropriate are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they comprise the features of the present disclosure. The elements of the above-described specific examples, as well as their arrangement, conditions, shape, etc., are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate. The elements of the above-described specific examples can be combined in various ways as appropriate, as long as no technical contradictions arise.

[0094] In the above embodiment, the reciprocating motion of the mounting table 3 is unidirectional, i.e., the x direction, but the reciprocating motion may be in any other direction, such as the y direction, as long as it is horizontal. Furthermore, the reciprocating motion is not limited to a single direction, and may be in multiple directions, such as the x and y directions. The horizontal direction does not only refer to a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (the direction of gravity), but also includes a case where the direction is slightly inclined.

[0095] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a configuration has been exemplified in which the RFID antenna 4 reads information from the RFID tag 12 attached to the item 11 when the platform 3 or the item 11 is made to perform regular movements such as reciprocating or periodic movements, but the platform 3 and the item 11 may also perform irregular movements as long as they are capable of moving at least horizontally. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1. 1A reading system 2. Examination Room 21 Opening 22 Door material 24 Transparent materials 3. Mounting table 4 RFID antenna (reader) 5. Drive unit 51 Rail 52 Laura 53 Handle 55A, 55B stopper 6, 6A control device 7 Display device 8. Drive source 9. Imaging device 10 Measurement Object 11 Goods 12 RFID tags (wireless tags)

Claims

1. an inspection chamber in which a test object including a plurality of items to which wireless tags are attached can be placed through an opening, the opening being configured to be openable and closable by a door member; a mounting table provided in the inspection room and on which the measurement object is placed; a drive unit for moving the mounting table at least in a horizontal direction; a reading device provided inside the inspection room, which reads information from the wireless tags attached to the plurality of articles that are moved by the driving device while being placed on the table; a transparent member provided as at least a part of the outer surface of the examination chamber or the door member, which allows the interior of the examination chamber to be viewed from the outside; Equipped with The examination room, the door member, and the transparent member are configured to have properties that can block radio waves. Reading system.

2. The transparent member is provided on the door member. The reading system according to claim 1 .

3. The drive device is a rail provided on the floor surface of the examination room along one horizontal direction; a roller provided on the bottom surface of the mounting table and engaged with the rail; a handle that is connected to the mounting table and extends to the outside of the examination room, and that can input an external force; and The rollers rotate and move along the rails in response to an external force input via the handle, thereby reciprocating the mounting table.

3. A reading system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a drive source that supplies power to the drive device; an imaging device that images the plurality of items inside the inspection chamber through the transparent member; a control device that controls the operation of the driving source and the imaging device; and the control device adjusts the amount of control of the drive device by the drive source in accordance with the arrangement state of the plurality of articles on the placement table, the image of which is captured by the imaging device.

3. A reading system according to claim 1 or 2.

Images