Read control device and read control method

Abstract

The present application includes: an opening / closing state determination section (131) that determines an opening / closing state of a door of a cargo compartment of a vehicle (100); a tag information acquisition section (134) that acquires tag information stored in a tag attached to a cargo by a communication element (4) provided in the cargo compartment, i.e., the communication element (4) that reads the tag; and a radio wave control section (133) that controls a radio wave strength of a radio wave emitted by the communication element (4) for reading the tag to be a first radio wave strength when the opening / closing state determination section (131) determines that the door is in a closed state, and controls the radio wave strength to be a second radio wave strength that is lower than the first radio wave strength when the opening / closing state determination section (131) determines that the door is in an open state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a reading control device and reading control method for acquiring information stored in a tag. Background Technology

[0002] A technique is proposed for reading cargo information stored in a tag attached to the cargo when the cargo is loaded into the cargo hold of a vehicle (e.g., see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-103885 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] When the reading control device described in Patent Document 1 reads the tags while the cargo compartment door of the vehicle is open, it reads the information of the tags of goods that are not loaded into the cargo compartment, thus causing a problem that it cannot distinguish between goods that have been loaded into the cargo compartment and goods that have not been loaded into the cargo compartment.

[0008] The present invention is made in view of this purpose, and its object is to provide a reading control device and reading control method that can suppress the reading of cargo outside the cargo compartment of a vehicle.

[0009] means for solving problems

[0010] The first aspect of the reading control device of the present invention includes: an opening / closing state determination unit for determining the opening / closing state of the cargo compartment door of a vehicle; a tag information acquisition unit for acquiring tag information stored in a tag attached to the cargo via a communication element provided in the cargo compartment, i.e., the communication element for reading tags; and a radio wave control unit for controlling the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element for reading the tag to a first radio wave intensity when the opening / closing state determination unit determines that the door is closed, and controlling the radio wave intensity to a second radio wave intensity lower than the first radio wave intensity when the opening / closing state determination unit determines that the door is open.

[0011] Multiple communication elements may be configured in the cargo hold. When the opening / closing state determination unit determines that the door is open, the radio wave control unit may cause the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element closest to the door to be lower than the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element farther from the door. The reading control device may also include a receiving unit that receives instruction information from a wireless terminal indicating the start of reading. Alternatively, upon receiving the instruction information, the tag information acquisition unit may begin acquiring the tag information via the communication elements.

[0012] The second aspect of the reading control device of the present invention includes: an opening / closing state determination unit for determining the opening / closing state of the cargo compartment door of a vehicle; a tag information acquisition unit for acquiring tag information stored in a tag attached to the cargo via a communication element provided in the cargo compartment, i.e., the communication element for reading tags; and a sensitivity control unit for controlling the reading sensitivity of the communication element for reading tags to a first reading sensitivity when the opening / closing state determination unit determines that the door is closed, and controlling the reading sensitivity to a second reading sensitivity lower than the first reading sensitivity when the opening / closing state determination unit determines that the door is open.

[0013] The third-party reading control method of the present invention includes the following steps performed by a reading control device: determining the open / closed state of the cargo compartment door of a vehicle; acquiring tag information stored in a tag attached to the cargo via a communication element disposed in the cargo compartment, i.e., the communication element for reading the tag; and when it is determined that the door is closed, controlling the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element for reading the tag to a first radio wave intensity, and when it is determined that the door is open, controlling the radio wave intensity to a second radio wave intensity lower than the first radio wave intensity.

[0014] The reading control method may further include: a step performed by the reading control device to send the acquired tag information to a wireless terminal; a step performed by the wireless terminal to receive the tag information; a step to determine, with reference to a list of information, whether the identification information of the tag included in the received tag information is consistent with the identification information of the tag included in the list of information, wherein the list of information represents a list of identification information of tags installed on multiple goods to be loaded in the cargo hold; and a step to notify the user of the determination result.

[0015] In the notification step, if, after reading the tag with the first radio wave intensity, the identification information of the tag included in the received tag information is determined to be inconsistent with the identification information of the tag included in the list information, the wireless terminal may also notify the user that the goods have not been loaded as scheduled. In the notification step, the wireless terminal may also notify the user of the identification information of the tags attached to goods that have not yet been loaded into the cargo hold, from the identification information of the tags included in the list information.

[0016] The fourth aspect of the reading control method of the present invention includes the following steps performed by a reading control device: determining the open / closed state of the cargo compartment door of a vehicle; acquiring tag information stored in a tag attached to the cargo through a communication element disposed in the cargo compartment, i.e., the communication element for reading the tag; and when it is determined that the door is closed, controlling the reading sensitivity of the communication element for reading the tag to a first reading sensitivity, and when it is determined that the door is open, controlling the reading sensitivity to a second reading sensitivity lower than the first reading sensitivity.

[0017] The effects of the invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it has the effect of suppressing the reading of goods outside the cargo compartment of a vehicle. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the outline of the reading control device according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the structure of the vehicle.

[0021] Figure 3 This is another example of a vehicle door.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the structure of a wireless terminal.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the sequence of reading processes for tags attached to goods, performed by a reading control device.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the structure of a vehicle equipped with the reading control device of the second embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0025] <First Implementation Method>

[0026] [Overview of the reading control device]

[0027] Figure 1This is a diagram illustrating the outline of the reading control device 1 according to the first embodiment. The diagram shows a vehicle 100 equipped with the reading control device 1. The vehicle 100 is, for example, a truck having a cargo compartment for carrying goods. The walls and roof of the cargo compartment are made of metal plates. The vehicle 100 has a door 2, an opening / closing sensor 3, a communication element 4, a communication unit 5, and the reading control device 1. The door 2 is used to transport goods into the cargo compartment of the vehicle 100. The opening / closing sensor 3 detects the open state of the door 2 and the closed state of the door 2.

[0028] Communication element 4 is installed in the cargo compartment of vehicle 100. For example, communication element 4 is installed on the side wall of the cargo compartment. As an example, communication element 4 is a communication unit including a coil antenna, modulation circuit, and demodulation circuit. Communication element 4 receives radio waves emitted by a tag attached to cargo in the cargo compartment via the coil antenna. Communication element 4 demodulates the received radio waves. The tag is, for example, a battery-free RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​tag. The tag stores tag information including identification information for identifying the tag. The identification information is, for example, TID (Tag ID) or EPC (Electronic Product Code). Communication element 4 supplies power to the tag for wireless communication via a contactless power supply method such as radio waves, and receives tag information transmitted by the tag.

[0029] Multiple communication elements 4 are configured in the cargo hold. By slightly staggering the timing of their emitted radio waves, interference between the multiple communication elements 4 can be suppressed, and tag readings can be performed approximately simultaneously. Furthermore, by slightly staggering the timing of communication between the communication elements 4 and each of the multiple tags, multiple tags can be read approximately simultaneously.

[0030] Communication unit 5 is a communication module for wireless communication with management device 300 via a mobile phone network. Communication unit 5 communicates with management device 300 via wireless communication methods such as 4G. Management device 300 is, for example, a server that manages driving data such as the driving distance and driving status of vehicle 100. Communication unit 5 communicates wirelessly with wireless terminal 200 via management device 300. Communication unit 5 is connected to reading control device 1 via a signal cable. Wireless terminal 200 is, for example, a smartphone. Wireless terminal 200 can also be an in-vehicle controller that communicates via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). As an example, wireless terminal 200 is an infotainment device that displays audio, etc.

[0031] The reading control device 1 is, for example, an RFID reader. The reading control device 1 communicates with the user's wireless terminal 200 via the communication unit 5. For example, the reading control device 1 receives an instruction from the wireless terminal 200 to begin reading the tag. Alternatively, the reading control device 1 can also communicate directly with the user's wireless terminal 200 via wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

[0032] The reading control device 1 acquires tag information via the communication element 4. Based on the detection results of the opening / closing sensor 3, the reading control device 1 determines the opening / closing state of the door 2. When the reading control device 1 determines that the door 2 is closed, it controls the electromagnetic wave intensity emitted by the communication element 4 to a first electromagnetic wave intensity. When the reading control device 1 determines that the door 2 is open, it controls the electromagnetic wave intensity to a second electromagnetic wave intensity, which is lower than the first electromagnetic wave intensity.

[0033] When the door 2 is open, the reading control device 1 suppresses radio wave leakage to the outside of the cargo hold by reading the tag with a relatively low second radio wave intensity. This allows the reading control device 1 to suppress the reading of tags attached to cargo on the outside of the cargo hold. When the door 2 is open, the tag moves relative to the communication element 4 as cargo is transported into the cargo hold. Therefore, the reading control device 1 reads the tag when it is easily accessible by the radio waves from the communication element 4, thereby improving reading accuracy. On the other hand, when the door 2 is closed, the risk of radio wave leakage to the outside of the cargo hold is lower. Therefore, the reading control device 1 improves tag reading accuracy by using a relatively high radio wave intensity when the door is closed.

[0034] [Vehicle Structure]

[0035] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the structure of vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 includes a read control device 1, an opening / closing sensor 3, multiple communication elements 4, and a communication element 5. The read control device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0036] The communication unit 11 is a communication module used to communicate with the wireless terminal 200 via wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The storage unit 12 is composed of, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 12 stores various programs or data used to enable the control unit 13 to function. The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 functions as an on / off state determination unit 131, a communication control unit 132, a radio wave control unit 133, and a tag information acquisition unit 134 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 12.

[0037] The opening / closing status determination unit 131 determines the opening / closing status of the cargo compartment door 2 of the vehicle 100 based on the detection results of the opening / closing sensor 3. For example... Figure 1 As shown, door 2 is located at the rear of the cargo hold, but is not limited thereto. For example, door 2 can also be located on the side wall of the cargo hold. Figure 3 This is another example of a door 2 of vehicle 100. Figure 3 In the example, door 2 and opening / closing sensor 3 are located on the side wall of the cargo compartment.

[0038] The communication control unit 132 communicates with the management device 300 via the communication unit 5 and the mobile phone network. The communication control unit 132 also communicates with the user's wireless terminal 200 via the management device 300. Alternatively, the communication control unit 132 can communicate directly with the user's wireless terminal 200 via the communication unit 11 using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi wireless communication. For example, the communication control unit 132 receives an instruction from the wireless terminal 200 to begin reading tag information. The communication control unit 132 outputs the received instruction information to the tag information acquisition unit 134. The communication control unit 132 sends information indicating the open / closed state of door 2, as determined by the open / closed state determination unit 131, to the wireless terminal 200. The communication control unit 132 sends tag information input from the tag information acquisition unit 134 and read by the communication element 4 to the wireless terminal 200.

[0039] [Control of radio wave intensity]

[0040] The radio wave control unit 133 controls the intensity of the radio waves emitted by the communication element 4. When the open / closed state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is closed, the radio wave control unit 133 controls the intensity of the radio waves emitted by the communication element 4 for tag reading to a first radio wave intensity. The first radio wave intensity is, for example, the maximum value of the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element 4. On the other hand, when the open / closed state determination unit 131 determines that the door is open, the radio wave control unit 133 controls the intensity of the radio waves emitted by the communication element 4 to a second radio wave intensity lower than the first radio wave intensity. The second radio wave intensity is, for example, the minimum value of the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element 4.

[0041] Furthermore, the radio wave control unit 133 is not limited to the example of controlling multiple communication elements 4 to emit radio waves of the same intensity. For example, when the opening / closing state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is in the open state, the radio wave control unit 133 may also make the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element 4 closest to the door 2 among the multiple communication elements 4 provided in the cargo hold lower than the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element 4 farther away from the door 2.

[0042] More specifically, when the open / closed state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is in the open state, the radio wave control unit 133 sets the radio wave intensity of the radio wave emitted by the communication element 4 near the door 2 as the second radio wave intensity. At this time, the radio wave control unit 133 sets the radio wave intensity of the radio wave emitted by the communication element 4 further away from the door 2 than the communication element 4 emitting the second radio wave intensity as the first radio wave intensity, which is greater than the second radio wave intensity.

[0043] On the other hand, when the opening / closing state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is closed, the radio wave control unit 133 sets the radio wave intensity of all communication elements 4 inside the cargo hold to a relatively high first radio wave intensity. In this way, when the door 2 is open, the radio wave control unit 133 makes the radio wave intensity of the communication elements 4 closer to the door 2 lower than the first radio wave intensity, thereby suppressing the leakage of radio waves to the outside of the cargo hold.

[0044] The tag information acquisition unit 134 acquires tag information stored in the tag attached to the goods via the communication element 4. Assuming that the communication control unit 132 receives an instruction, the tag information acquisition unit 134 begins acquiring tag information via the communication element 4. The tag information acquisition unit 134 then outputs the acquired tag information to the communication control unit 132.

[0045] [Structure of a wireless terminal]

[0046] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the structure of the wireless terminal 200. The wireless terminal 200 includes a communication unit 21, an operation unit 22, a display unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0047] The communication unit 21 is a wireless communication module used to communicate with the reading control device 1 or the management device 300. For example, the communication unit 21 communicates with the reading control device 1 via wireless communication methods such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The communication unit 21 communicates with the management device 300 via wireless communication lines such as 4G. In addition, the communication unit 21 can also communicate with the reading control device 1 via the management device 300.

[0048] The operation unit 22 is, for example, a touch panel that detects user touch operations. The display unit 23 is a display for displaying images. The display unit 23 and the operation unit 22 together constitute the touch panel. The storage unit 24 is, for example, composed of ROM and RAM. The storage unit 24 stores various programs or various data used to enable the control unit 25 to function.

[0049] The control unit 25 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 25 performs various processes by executing programs stored in the storage unit 24. The control unit 25 communicates with the management device 300 via the communication unit 21. The control unit 25 receives from the management device 300 a list of identification information representing tags affixed to multiple goods intended to be loaded into the cargo hold of the vehicle 100. For example, the control unit 25 receives the list information from the management device 300 upon receiving an operation from a user instructing the update of the list information. The control unit 25 stores the received list information in the storage unit 24.

[0050] The control unit 25 determines whether the cargo has been loaded into the cargo hold as scheduled. The control unit 25 receives tag information read by the communication element 4 from the reading control device 1. The control unit 25 reads a list of identification information of tags affixed to multiple cargoes scheduled to be loaded into the cargo hold from the storage unit 24. The control unit 25 refers to the read list information and determines whether the tag identification information included in the tag information received from the reading control device 1 matches the tag identification information included in the list information.

[0051] The control unit 25 notifies the user of the determination result. More specifically, the control unit 25 receives information from the reading control device 1 indicating the opening / closing state determined by the opening / closing state determination unit 131. When the received information indicating the opening / closing state indicates that the door is open, the control unit 25 displays whether the identification information of multiple tags included in the list information is included in the received tag information. In this way, the control unit 25 can notify the user of the identification information of tags attached to goods that have not yet been transported into the cargo hold while goods are being transported into the cargo hold.

[0052] After reading the tag at a relatively high first radio wave intensity, if the tag identification information included in the tag information acquired by the tag information acquisition unit 134 is determined to be inconsistent with the tag identification information included in the list information, the control unit 25 notifies the user that the goods have not been loaded as scheduled. For example, the control unit 25 displays whether the identification information of multiple tags included in the list information is included in the received tag information, and causes the display unit 23 to display a message indicating that the goods have not been loaded as scheduled.

[0053] [Processing order for obtaining tag information]

[0054] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the reading process sequence of tags attached to goods, performed by the reading control device 1. This process sequence begins, for example, when the communication control unit 132 receives an instruction from the user's wireless terminal to begin reading the tag.

[0055] First, the opening / closing state determination unit 131 determines the opening / closing state of the cargo compartment door 2 of the vehicle 100 based on the detection result of the opening / closing sensor 3 (S101). Next, the radio wave control unit 133 determines whether the state determined by the opening / closing state determination unit 131 is an open state (S102). If the door 2 is closed (S102 "No"), the radio wave control unit 133 causes the communication element 4 to transmit radio waves at a first radio wave intensity (S103). On the other hand, if the door 2 is open (S102 "Yes"), the radio wave control unit 133 causes the communication element 4 to transmit radio waves at a second radio wave intensity lower than the first radio wave intensity (S104). After processing in S103 or S104, the tag information acquisition unit 134 acquires the tag information stored in the tag attached to the cargo through the communication element 4 (S105) and ends the processing.

[0056] [Effects of the Invention]

[0057] According to this embodiment, when the opening / closing state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is open, the radio wave control unit 133 controls the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element 4 to a second radio wave intensity that is lower than the first radio wave intensity. This suppresses the tag information acquisition unit 134 from acquiring tag information from tags attached to goods on the outside of the cargo hold. Therefore, the radio wave control unit 133 can suppress situations where it cannot identify goods that have been transported into the cargo hold and goods that have not been transported into the cargo hold.

[0058] <Second Implementation Method>

[0059] In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the radio wave control unit 133 controls the radio wave intensity to a second radio wave intensity that is lower than the first radio wave intensity when the open / closed state determination unit 131 determines that the door is in the open state. In contrast, in the second embodiment, an example was described in which the readout control device 1 further includes a sensitivity control unit 301, which, when the open / closed state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is in the open state, lowers the readout sensitivity of the communication element 4 than the readout sensitivity in the closed state.

[0060] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the structure of a vehicle 100 equipped with the reading control device 1 of the second embodiment. Figure 6 In the middle, regarding functional blocks other than the sensitivity control unit 301, due to... Figure 2 The same, therefore labeled as Figure 2 The same reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings, and the descriptions are omitted.

[0061] When the open / closed state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is in the closed state, the sensitivity control unit 301 controls the reading sensitivity of the communication element 4 to a first reading sensitivity. The first reading sensitivity is achieved, for example, by having the communication element 4 demodulate radio waves with a received signal strength exceeding a first received signal strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication) and not demodulate radio waves with a signal strength below the first received signal strength.

[0062] When the open / closed state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is open, the sensitivity control unit 301 controls the reading sensitivity of the communication element 4 to a second reading sensitivity that is lower than the first reading sensitivity. The second reading sensitivity is achieved, for example, by having the communication element 4 demodulate radio waves with a received signal strength exceeding the second received signal strength and not demodulate radio waves with a signal strength below the second received signal strength. The second received signal strength is a value higher than the first received signal strength.

[0063] In this way, when the opening / closing state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is open, the sensitivity control unit 301 controls the reading sensitivity of the communication element 4 to a second reading sensitivity that is lower than the first reading sensitivity, thereby suppressing the tag information acquisition unit 134 from acquiring tag information of tags attached to cargo on the outside of the cargo hold. On the other hand, when the opening / closing state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is closed, the sensitivity control unit 301 controls the reading sensitivity of the communication element 4 to the first reading sensitivity, thereby improving the success rate of the tag information acquisition unit 134 in acquiring tag information of tags attached to cargo inside the cargo hold.

[0064] In addition, when the opening / closing state determination unit 131 determines that the door 2 is in the open state, the radio wave control unit 133 makes the radio wave intensity emitted by the communication element 4 lower than the radio wave intensity in the closed state, and the sensitivity control unit 301 makes the reading sensitivity of the communication element 4 lower than the reading sensitivity in the closed state.

[0065] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and alterations can be made within its scope. For example, all or part of the device can be configured in any unit, functionally or physically distributed / integrated. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of new embodiments resulting from combinations are the same as the effects of the original embodiments.

[0066] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0067] 1. Reading control device

[0068] 2 doors

[0069] 3. Opening / closing sensor

[0070] 4. Communication elements

[0071] 5 Communication Units

[0072] 11 Ministry of Communications

[0073] 12 Storage Department

[0074] 13 Control Department

[0075] 21 Ministry of Communications

[0076] 22 Operations Department

[0077] 23 Display Department

[0078] 24 Storage Department

[0079] 25 Control Department

[0080] 100 vehicles

[0081] 131 Opening / Closing State Determination Unit

[0082] 132 Communications Control Department

[0083] 133 Radio Wave Control Department

[0084] 134 Tag Information Acquisition Department

[0085] 200 wireless terminals

[0086] 300 Management Device

[0087] 301 Sensitivity Control Unit.

Claims

1. A reading control system, the reading control system comprising a reading control device and a wireless terminal, characterized in that, The reading control device has: The opening / closing status determination unit determines the opening / closing status of the vehicle's cargo compartment doors. The tag information acquisition unit acquires tag information stored in tags attached to cargo by means of multiple communication elements configured in the cargo hold for reading tags; as well as The radio wave control unit, when the opening / closing state determination unit determines that the door is open, controls the radio wave intensity emitted by the door-side communication element closer to the door to read the tag to a second radio wave intensity lower than a first radio wave intensity, and controls the radio wave intensity emitted by the inner-side communication element farther from the door than the door-side communication element to read the tag to the first radio wave intensity. When the opening / closing state determination unit determines that the door is closed, it controls the radio wave intensity of both the door-side communication element and the inner-side communication element to the first radio wave intensity. The wireless terminal includes: The storage section stores a list of information representing the identification information of tags attached to multiple goods scheduled to be loaded into the cargo hold; as well as The terminal control unit receives information from the reading control device indicating the opening / closing state of the door as determined by the opening / closing state determination unit. If the door is in the open state, the terminal control unit displays whether the identification information of multiple tags included in the list information is included in the tag information acquired by the tag information acquisition unit.

2. The reading control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reading control device further includes a receiving unit, which receives instruction information from the wireless terminal indicating the start of reading. When the receiving unit receives the instruction information, the tag information acquisition unit begins to acquire the tag information through the communication element.

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