Carrier management device and carrier positioning method

Abstract

The invention provides a carrier management device and a carrier positioning method.The carrier management device comprises a base and a mounting rack arranged on the base, a reader-writer and an antenna assembly which are electrically connected with each other are arranged in the base, and the antenna assembly comprises a transverse antenna group and a longitudinal antenna group; the transverse antenna group comprises a plurality of transverse antennas which are arranged in parallel along a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal antenna group comprises a plurality of longitudinal antennas which are arranged in parallel along the transverse axis, the plurality of transverse antennas and the plurality of longitudinal antennas are mutually crossed to form a plurality of crossed positions, the mounting frame is provided with a plurality of mounting positions, and the mounting positions are arranged on the mounting frame. The plurality of mounting positions are respectively and correspondingly located right above the plurality of cross positions, the mounting positions are used for mounting carriers, and radio frequency tags are arranged on the carriers. By means of the positioning method, checking and positioning of the carriers can be accurately achieved, and compared with a traditional method that each carrier is provided with one antenna, the number of the antennas of the carrier management device is remarkably reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of radio frequency technology, and specifically relates to a carrier management device and a carrier positioning method. Background Art

[0002] As an indispensable auxiliary tool in chemical, biological and medical experiments, the main function of the test tube rack is to store test tubes neatly and safely, so that the experimenters can conduct various chemical and biological experiments. In the experiment, the test tubes are usually loaded with various solvents, biological samples and other experimental materials. The type and concentration of these materials are crucial to the success of the experiment. Therefore, the experimenters usually put labels on the outside of the test tubes to record the relevant information of the materials in the test tubes.

[0003] As the scale and complexity of experiments increase, the number of test tubes placed on the test tube rack increases day by day. Finding the required test tube quickly and accurately among many test tubes with similar appearance has become a major challenge for experimenters. Traditional label recognition methods rely on the visual search and memory of experimenters, which is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also prone to misselection or omission due to human negligence, which seriously reduces the efficiency of the experiment.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the industry has begun to try to integrate RF antennas at the bottom of the test tube rack, and communicate with the RF tags on the test tubes through the RF antennas to achieve automatic identification of the test tube location information and material information, which can obtain the test tube information more quickly and accurately. However, when only one RF antenna is configured at the bottom of the test tube rack, due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal and the diversity of the tag position, the RF tag positioning will be inaccurate, which in turn affects the precise positioning of the test tube.

[0005] To solve this problem, the industry has further proposed a solution of configuring an RF antenna at each test tube position, that is, each antenna corresponds to only one test tube position and is specifically used to detect the RF tag on the test tube at that position. Although this solution can achieve accurate positioning of the test tube, it also brings new problems.

[0006] First, since each test tube position needs to be equipped with an antenna, the number of antennas in the entire test tube rack is huge. Too many antennas are prone to interfere with each other, affecting the quality of signal transmission, which in turn leads to inaccurate positioning, information reading failure and other problems. Secondly, a large number of antennas need to process and identify signals one by one when performing card reading operations, which will undoubtedly greatly extend the card reading time and reduce work efficiency. Especially in scenarios where a large amount of test tube information needs to be identified quickly and accurately, this long card reading process may have serious consequences and even lead to experimental failure. Finally, from a cost perspective, a large number of antennas means higher manufacturing costs, usage costs, and subsequent maintenance costs. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of this application is to provide a carrier management device and a carrier positioning method.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a carrier management device, comprising a base and a mounting frame arranged on the base, wherein the base is provided with a reader / writer and an antenna assembly electrically connected to each other, the antenna assembly comprises a transverse antenna group and a longitudinal antenna group, the transverse antenna group comprises a plurality of transverse antennas arranged in parallel along a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal antenna group comprises a plurality of longitudinal antennas arranged in parallel along the transverse axis, the plurality of transverse antennas and the plurality of longitudinal antennas intersect with each other to form a plurality of intersection positions, the mounting frame is provided with a plurality of mounting positions, the plurality of mounting positions respectively corresponding to being located directly above the plurality of intersection positions, the mounting positions are used to install a carrier, and a radio frequency tag is provided on the carrier.

[0009] In one embodiment, a circuit board is disposed in the base, an antenna arrangement area is disposed in the circuit board, and the transverse antenna group and the longitudinal antenna group are cross-arranged in the antenna arrangement area.

[0010] In one embodiment, each transverse antenna is arranged to intersect with the plurality of longitudinal antennas, and each longitudinal antenna is arranged to intersect with the plurality of transverse antennas.

[0011] In one embodiment, a limiting hole is provided on the installation position, and the limiting hole is used for loading the carrier.

[0012] In one embodiment, the transverse antenna and the longitudinal antenna are both radio frequency antennas with long strip structures.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present application, a carrier positioning method is provided, which is implemented based on the carrier management device as described in any one of the preceding purposes, and includes the following steps:

[0014] Controlling the transverse antenna to transmit a first read / write signal to the outside, and receiving, via the transverse antenna, a first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the first read / write signal;

[0015] Controlling the longitudinal antenna to transmit a second read / write signal to the outside, and receiving, via the longitudinal antenna, a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the second read / write signal;

[0016] The tag information respectively included in the first response signal and the second response signal is obtained. If the two tag information are the same information, the installation position of the radio frequency tag is determined through the first response signal and the second response signal, and the tag information is bound to the corresponding installation position.

[0017] Furthermore, a plane rectangular coordinate system is established, the longitudinal axis is set as the y-axis, the transverse axis is set as the x-axis, the y-axis coordinates are respectively assigned to the multiple transverse antennas, and the x-axis coordinates are respectively assigned to the multiple longitudinal antennas, and the coordinates of the intersection position are the same as the coordinates of the installation position corresponding to the intersection position.

[0018] In one embodiment, the plurality of transverse antennas and the plurality of longitudinal antennas are controlled to work in turn so that the transverse antennas or longitudinal antennas receive the corresponding first response signal or the second response signal in different time slots respectively.

[0019] In one embodiment, the step of receiving, via the transverse antenna, a first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the first read / write signal comprises the following specific steps:

[0020] When multiple lateral antennas all receive the first response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, multiple first response signals are deduplicated based on signal strength, and only the first response signal with the largest signal strength is retained;

[0021] When multiple transverse antennas receive the first response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, if the signal strengths of two or more first response signals are the largest, the carrier positioning method is re-executed.

[0022] In one embodiment, the step of receiving, via the longitudinal antenna, a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the second read / write signal comprises the following specific steps:

[0023] When multiple longitudinal antennas all receive the second response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, multiple second response signals are deduplicated based on signal strength, and only the second response signal with the largest signal strength is retained;

[0024] When multiple longitudinal antennas all receive the second response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, if the signal strengths of two or more second response signals are the largest, the carrier positioning method is re-executed.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, this application has many advantages, including but not limited to:

[0026] The present application utilizes the coordinate positioning principle of two-dimensional space by setting a horizontal antenna group and a vertical antenna group and forming multiple intersections between them. Each intersection can be regarded as a coordinate point, and the radio frequency tag is used as the target to be located. When the horizontal antenna and the vertical antenna respectively transmit read and write signals, the radio frequency tag responds to these signals and returns a response signal to determine the position of the radio frequency tag relative to the antenna group.

[0027] Compared with traditional single-direction scanning or manual search, the method of positioning using horizontal antenna groups and vertical antenna groups has higher accuracy. This is because positioning in two-dimensional space requires two-dimensional information, while traditional methods can only provide one-dimensional information (such as distance or angle). This application can greatly reduce the uncertainty range of positioning by introducing two-dimensional information (i.e., cross position), thereby improving the accuracy of positioning.

[0028] Compared with the solution mentioned in the background technology of equipping each test tube position with a radio frequency antenna, the present application significantly reduces the number of antennas used by setting up a horizontal antenna group and a longitudinal antenna group, while maintaining high-precision and high-efficiency positioning capabilities and reducing production costs.

[0029] Although the number of antennas is reduced in this application, high-quality signal transmission can still be maintained by optimizing antenna layout and signal processing technology. This is because each antenna is responsible for covering a certain area and determining the precise location of the RFID tag through cross-positioning. This allows the signal to be more evenly distributed throughout the mounting frame, reducing signal blind spots and improving signal quality and positioning accuracy.

[0030] Although the number of antennas is reduced in this application, the operation efficiency is not sacrificed. On the contrary, the reduction in the number of antennas that need to be controlled not only shortens the processing time, but also improves the work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier management device according to a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic block diagram of the circuit principle of a carrier management device according to a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of multiple horizontal antennas and multiple vertical antenna groups of a carrier management device in a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the process of the carrier positioning method according to a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 5It is a flowchart diagram of the step of receiving, via the transverse antenna, a first response signal returned by a radio frequency tag in an installation position in response to the first read / write signal in one embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 6 It is a flowchart diagram of the step of receiving, via the longitudinal antenna, a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the second read / write signal in another embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 7 It is a flowchart diagram of subsequent steps of the carrier positioning method in another embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of a carrier positioning device according to a typical embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the computer device in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present application.

[0042] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless expressly stated, the singular forms "one", "said", and "the" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "comprising" used in the specification of the present application refers to the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that when we refer to an element as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be an intermediate element. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used herein may include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term "and / or" used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0043] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with those in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless specifically defined as here.

[0044] The present application provides a carrier management device and a positioning method implemented based on the device. The positioning method can accurately realize the inventory and positioning of the carrier. Compared with the traditional method of configuring an antenna for each carrier, the number of antennas of the carrier management device of the present application is significantly reduced, so as to reduce mutual interference between antennas and reduce production costs.

[0045] The carrier management device is used to install a carrier, and the carrier is provided with a radio frequency tag. The carrier can be used to accommodate various solvents, biological samples and other experimental materials. In this embodiment, the carrier can be a test tube, a culture dish and other containers. In this embodiment, the carrier is a test tube and the carrier management device is a test tube rack. This should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0046] In a typical embodiment of the present application, Figure 1 The carrier management device 100 includes a base 110 and a mounting frame 120. The mounting frame 120 and the base 110 are arranged up and down, and the mounting frame 120 is fixed on the base 110. The mounting frame 120 is provided with a plurality of mounting positions 121, and the mounting positions 121 are used to load the carrier. Since there are a plurality of mounting positions 121, a plurality of carriers can be loaded on the mounting frame 120. A radio frequency tag is provided on the carrier, and the radio frequency tag stores tag information. The tag information includes the identity information of the carrier, the information of the loaded items, and the like. In this embodiment, a limiting hole 1211 is provided on the mounting position 121, and the carrier can be well limited by the limiting hole 1211, especially when the carrier is a test tube or a culture dish.

[0047] The base 110 includes a housing 111, a reader / writer 112 and an antenna assembly. The reader / writer 112 and the antenna assembly are disposed in the housing 111. Figure 2The reader / writer 112 is electrically connected to the antenna assembly, and the reader / writer 112 is used to control the antenna assembly to detect the radio frequency tag, determine the position of the radio frequency tag, and thus determine the position of the carrier, so as to locate the carrier and quickly find the carrier. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the radio frequency tag be set at the bottom of the carrier, so as to be close to the antenna assembly, so that the antenna assembly can well detect the radio frequency tag.

[0048] Combination Figure 3 The antenna assembly includes a transverse antenna group and a longitudinal antenna group. The transverse antenna group includes a plurality of transverse antennas 130, and the plurality of transverse antennas 130 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal axis; the longitudinal antenna assembly includes a plurality of longitudinal antennas 140, and the plurality of longitudinal antennas 140 are arranged in parallel along the transverse axis. In this embodiment, the longitudinal axis is arranged perpendicular to the transverse axis. The plurality of transverse antennas 130 and the plurality of longitudinal antennas 140 intersect with each other. Specifically, each transverse antenna 130 is arranged to intersect with the plurality of longitudinal antennas 140, and each longitudinal antenna 140 is arranged to intersect with the plurality of transverse antennas 130. It can be understood that the plurality of transverse antennas 130 and the plurality of longitudinal antennas 140 intersect with each other to form a structure similar to a Go chessboard.

[0049] The intersection of the transverse antenna 130 and the longitudinal antenna 140 forms a crossover point 115, and the plurality of longitudinal antennas 140 and the plurality of transverse antennas 130 intersect with each other to form a plurality of crossover points 115. Figure 1 and Figure 3 The several mounting positions 121 on the mounting frame 120 respectively correspond to the several cross positions 115, wherein the mounting position 121 is arranged directly above the corresponding cross position 115. It can be understood that when the position of the cross position 115 is determined, the position of the corresponding mounting position 121 can be determined.

[0050] In this embodiment, the transverse antenna 130 and the longitudinal antenna 140 are both long strip-shaped radio frequency antennas. Since the transverse antenna 130 is a long strip-shaped structure, the transverse antenna 130 can be arranged to intersect with multiple longitudinal antennas 140; since the longitudinal antenna 140 is a long strip-shaped structure, the longitudinal antenna 140 can be arranged to intersect with multiple transverse antennas 130. Multiple transverse antennas 130 and multiple longitudinal antennas 140 intersect with each other to form the plurality of intersections 115.

[0051] In this embodiment, a circuit board (not shown) is further installed in the housing 111 of the base 110, and the antenna assembly is arranged on the circuit board. The circuit board is provided with an antenna arrangement area, and the transverse antenna group and the longitudinal antenna group are arranged in the antenna arrangement area. In this embodiment, the transverse antenna 130 and the longitudinal antenna 140 are printed in the antenna arrangement area of ​​the circuit board to facilitate the wiring of the antenna assembly, reduce the wiring difficulty, and facilitate production and manufacturing.

[0052] In one embodiment, in combination Figure 2 The reader / writer 112 is respectively connected in parallel with the plurality of transverse antennas 130 and the plurality of longitudinal antennas 140. A radio frequency switch circuit 131 and a matching circuit 132 are also provided between the reader / writer 112 and the transverse antenna 130. The radio frequency switch circuit 131 is used to control the on and off of the transverse antenna 130. The matching circuit 132 is used to ensure the stability of the signal transmission between the reader / writer 112 and the transverse antenna 130, so as to improve the signal transmission quality.

[0053] A radio frequency switch circuit 141 and a matching circuit 142 are also provided between the reader 112 and the longitudinal antenna 140, and the radio frequency switch circuit 141 controls the on and off of the longitudinal antenna 140. The matching circuit 142 is used to ensure the stability of signal transmission between the reader 112 and the longitudinal antenna 140, so as to improve the signal transmission quality.

[0054] In one embodiment, the transverse antenna 130 and the longitudinal antenna 140 respectively operate at different frequencies to avoid mutual interference between the transverse antenna 130 and the longitudinal antenna 140 .

[0055] In one embodiment, in combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the carrier management device 100 further includes an indication circuit 150, and the indication circuit 150 is electrically connected to the reader / writer 112. The indication circuit 150 includes a plurality of indicator lights 151, and the plurality of indicator lights 151 are arranged on the side of the mounting position 121 of the mounting frame 120, and the plurality of indicator lights 151 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of mounting positions 121, that is, each mounting position 121 is equipped with an indicator light 151. When it is necessary to find the corresponding carrier, the reader / writer 112 can drive the indicator light 151 corresponding to the mounting position 121 where the carrier is located to emit light to indicate the location of the carrier, so as to improve the efficiency of the user in finding the carrier.

[0056] In one embodiment, the carrier management device may be a chessboard, the carrier may be a chess piece, and a radio frequency tag is provided at the bottom of the chess piece. For example, the carrier management device may be a Go board, the carrier may be a Go piece; or the carrier management device may be a chess board, and the carrier may be a chess piece.

[0057] In a typical embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 , the multiple transverse antennas 130 of the carrier management device 100 are arranged in parallel along the longitudinal axis, and the multiple transverse antennas 130 are arranged at intervals. Extending from the first end to the second end of the longitudinal axis, the multiple longitudinal axes are sequentially the first transverse antenna 133, the second transverse antenna 134, the third transverse antenna 135, and so on to the Nth transverse antenna.

[0058] The multiple longitudinal antennas 140 of the carrier management device 100 are arranged in parallel along the transverse axis, and the multiple longitudinal antennas 140 are arranged at intervals. Extending from the first end to the second end along the transverse axis, the multiple longitudinal axes are sequentially the first longitudinal antenna 143, the second longitudinal antenna 144, the third longitudinal antenna 145, and so on, to the Nth longitudinal antenna.

[0059] An xy coordinate system is established based on the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis, wherein the longitudinal axis is the y-axis of the coordinate system and the transverse axis is the x-axis of the coordinate system.

[0060] Assuming that the y-axis coordinate of the first transverse antenna 133 is 1, and the distance between two adjacent transverse antennas 130 on the transverse axis is 1, the y-axis coordinate of the second transverse antenna 134 is 2, the y-axis coordinate of the third transverse antenna 135 is 3... and so on, the y-axis coordinate of the Nth transverse antenna 130 is N.

[0061] Assuming that the x-axis coordinate of the first longitudinal antenna 143 is 1, and the distance between two adjacent longitudinal antennas 140 on the horizontal axis is 1, then the x-axis coordinate of the second longitudinal antenna 144 is 2, the x-axis coordinate of the third longitudinal antenna 145 is 3... and so on, the x-axis coordinate of the Nth longitudinal antenna 140 is N.

[0062] The multiple transverse antennas 130 and the longitudinal antennas 140 intersect with each other to form multiple intersection positions 115. Based on the coordinate system, the coordinates of the intersection positions 115 are (x, y). For example, the coordinates of the intersection position 115 formed by the intersection of the first transverse antenna 133 and the first longitudinal antenna 143 are (1, 1). Each intersection position 115 formed by the intersection of the transverse antenna 130 and the multiple longitudinal antennas 140 has corresponding coordinates, and the coordinates corresponding to each intersection position 115 have unique characteristics. Each intersection position 115 formed by the intersection of the longitudinal antenna 140 and the multiple transverse antennas 130 has corresponding coordinates, and the coordinates corresponding to each intersection position 115 also have unique characteristics.

[0063] Since the plurality of installation positions 121 are respectively located directly above the plurality of intersection positions 115, the coordinates of the installation position 121 are the same as the coordinates of the corresponding intersection position 115. It can be understood that the coordinates of the corresponding installation position 121 can be determined by determining the coordinates of the intersection position 115. Further, the position of the corresponding installation position 121 can be determined by the position of the intersection position 115. For example, if the coordinates of the intersection position 115 are (1, 6), the coordinates of the installation position 121 corresponding to the intersection position 115 are also (1, 6).

[0064] Furthermore, since the carrier is loaded in the installation position 121, the coordinates of the carrier are the same as the coordinates of the installation position 121. It can be understood that the coordinates of the radio frequency tag set on the carrier are also the same as the coordinates of the corresponding installation position 121, that is, the coordinates of the radio frequency tag are the same as the coordinates of the corresponding intersection position 115.

[0065] Since the carrier is loaded in the installation position 121, the position of the carrier can be determined by the coordinates of the installation position 121, which makes it easier for the carrier management device 100 to inventory the carrier and find the required carrier among several carriers, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0066] The present application also provides a carrier positioning method, which is implemented based on the carrier management device described above. The reader / writer obtains the tag information of the radio frequency tags on each carrier loaded by the carrier management device through the carrier positioning method, and counts the multiple carriers based on the obtained multiple tag information, and facilitates finding the required carrier from the carrier management device.

[0067] In a typical embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 , the carrier positioning method comprises the following steps:

[0068] Step S100, controlling the horizontal antenna to transmit a first read / write signal to the outside, and receiving a first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the first read / write signal via the horizontal antenna:

[0069] The reader controls the multiple transverse antennas to poll in sequence and transmit the first read / write signal. After the transverse antenna transmits the first read / write signal, the radio frequency tag on the carrier loaded in the installation position will be stimulated to generate a first response signal, and the first response signal is radiated outward. The transverse antenna receives the first response signal, and the transverse antenna transmits the first response signal to the reader, and the reader parses the first response signal to obtain the tag information of the corresponding radio frequency tag from the first response signal.

[0070] The reader / writer marks the y-axis coordinate of the transverse antenna that receives the first response signal on the tag information parsed by the first response signal. Since the first response signal is stimulated by the radio frequency tag, the y-axis coordinate of the corresponding radio frequency tag can be determined by the y-axis coordinate of the transverse antenna that receives the first response signal, thereby determining the y-axis coordinate of the carrier where the radio frequency tag is located through the y-axis coordinate of the radio frequency tag.

[0071] Because the one horizontal antenna intersects with multiple longitudinal antennas to form multiple cross positions, the multiple cross positions correspond to multiple installation positions, and the multiple installation positions can respectively load multiple carriers, and each carrier is respectively provided with a radio frequency tag. It can be understood that multiple carriers can be simultaneously arranged directly above the same horizontal antenna, and the first read and write signal emitted by the horizontal antenna simultaneously excites the radio frequency tags of the multiple carriers to obtain multiple first response signals. Therefore, based on the multiple first response signals, the y-axis coordinates of the multiple radio frequency tags can be obtained accordingly, that is, the y-axis coordinates of the multiple carriers can be obtained accordingly.

[0072] In one embodiment, since the multiple transverse antennas and the multiple longitudinal antennas work in a polling manner, it can be understood that when one of the transverse antennas is working, the remaining transverse antennas and the multiple longitudinal antennas are not working, so as to avoid the first response signal generated by the radio frequency tag excited by the transverse antenna in the working state being received by the transverse antenna and the longitudinal antenna in the non-working state.

[0073] For example, the first transverse antenna works in the first time slot, and the remaining transverse antennas and multiple longitudinal antennas do not work. The first transverse antenna sends the first read-write signal in the first time slot, and receives the first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag stimulated by the first read-write signal. In the first time slot, the inoperative transverse antenna and longitudinal antenna will not receive external signals.

[0074] In another embodiment, the operating frequency of the transverse antenna is different from the operating frequency of the longitudinal antenna to prevent the first response signal generated by the radio frequency tag excited by the transverse antenna from being received by the longitudinal antenna.

[0075] Step S200, controlling the longitudinal antenna to transmit a second read / write signal to the outside, and receiving a second response signal returned by the RFID tag in the installation position in response to the second read / write signal via the longitudinal antenna:

[0076] The reader controls the multiple longitudinal antennas to poll in sequence and transmit the second read / write signal. After the longitudinal antenna transmits the second read / write signal, the RFID tag on the carrier in the installation position will be stimulated to generate a second response signal, and the second response signal will radiate outward. The longitudinal antenna receives the second response signal, and the longitudinal antenna transmits the second response signal to the reader. The reader parses the second response signal and obtains the tag information of the corresponding RFID tag from the second response signal.

[0077] The reader / writer marks the x-axis coordinate of the longitudinal antenna that receives the second response signal on the tag information parsed by the second response signal. Since the second response signal is stimulated by the radio frequency tag, the x-axis coordinate of the corresponding radio frequency tag can be determined by the x-axis coordinate of the longitudinal antenna that receives the second response signal, thereby determining the x-axis coordinate of the carrier where the radio frequency tag is located through the x-axis coordinate of the radio frequency tag.

[0078] Because the one longitudinal antenna intersects with multiple transverse antennas to form multiple cross positions, the multiple cross positions correspond to multiple installation positions, and the multiple installation positions can respectively load multiple carriers, and each carrier is respectively provided with a radio frequency tag. It can be understood that multiple carriers can be simultaneously arranged directly above the same longitudinal antenna, and the second read-write signal emitted by the longitudinal antenna simultaneously excites the radio frequency tags of the multiple carriers to obtain multiple second response signals. Therefore, based on the multiple second response signals, the x-axis coordinates of the multiple radio frequency tags can be obtained accordingly, that is, the x-axis coordinates of the multiple carriers can be obtained accordingly.

[0079] In one embodiment, since the multiple transverse antennas and the multiple longitudinal antennas work in a polling manner, it can be understood that when one of the longitudinal antennas is working, the remaining longitudinal antennas and the multiple transverse antennas are not working, so as to avoid the second response signal generated by the radio frequency tag excited by the longitudinal antenna in a working state being received by the transverse antenna and the longitudinal antenna in a non-working state.

[0080] For example, the second longitudinal antenna works in the sixth time slot, and the remaining longitudinal antennas and multiple transverse antennas do not work. The second longitudinal antenna sends a second read-write signal in the sixth time slot, and receives a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag stimulated by the second read-write signal. In the sixth time slot, the inoperative transverse antenna and longitudinal antenna will not receive external signals.

[0081] In another embodiment, the operating frequency of the longitudinal antenna is different from the operating frequency of the transverse antenna to prevent the second response signal generated by the radio frequency tag excited by the longitudinal antenna from being received by the transverse antenna.

[0082] Step S300, obtaining the tag information respectively contained in the first response signal and the second response signal. If the two tag information are the same information, the installation position of the radio frequency tag is determined by the first response signal and the second response signal, and the tag information is bound to the corresponding installation position:

[0083] In this embodiment, the tag information is associated with the y-axis coordinate associated with the tag information, collectively referred to as the y-axis information; the tag information is associated with the x-axis coordinate associated with the tag information, collectively referred to as the x-axis information.

[0084] After the multiple horizontal antennas and the multiple vertical antennas are polled in sequence, the reader obtains multiple y-axis information and multiple x-axis information. The reader finds out the y-axis information and x-axis information with the same tag information from the multiple y-axis information and the multiple x-axis information. It can be understood that the y-axis information and x-axis information with the same tag information are stimulated by the same radio frequency tag. The y-axis coordinate in the y-axis information and the x-axis coordinate in the x-axis information can be obtained, and the y-axis coordinate and the x-axis coordinate can be combined to obtain the coordinate (x, y) of the corresponding radio frequency tag.

[0085] It can be understood that the coordinates of the RFID tag, the coordinates of the carrier where the RFID tag is located, the coordinates of the installation position corresponding to the carrier, and the coordinates of the cross position corresponding to the installation position are the same. The coordinates of the corresponding installation position can be directly obtained through the coordinates of the RFID tag, and the tag information can be bound to the corresponding installation position, so that the carrier management device can inventory multiple carriers on the carrier management device, thereby improving the inventory efficiency of the carrier.

[0086] Furthermore, the reader / writer pairs multiple y-axis information with multiple x-axis information based on whether the tag information is the same, so as to obtain the coordinates corresponding to each of the multiple radio frequency tags, and then obtain the coordinates of the installation positions where the multiple carriers are located, and the tag information is bound to the corresponding installation positions, so that the carrier management device can inventory the multiple carriers on the carrier management device, thereby improving the inventory efficiency, and facilitating the search for carriers through the reader / writer, thereby improving the search efficiency for carriers.

[0087] Therefore, the reader / writer obtains the coordinates of the carriers where the radio frequency tags are located by obtaining the coordinates of the multiple radio frequency tags. It can be understood that the coordinates of all carriers on the carrier management device can be obtained, so that the carrier management device can inventory the multiple carriers.

[0088] Based on any embodiment of the carrier positioning method of the present application, Figure 5 In the step of receiving, via the transverse antenna, a first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the first read / write signal, the following specific steps are also included:

[0089] Step S110, when multiple lateral antennas all receive the first response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, multiple first response signals are deduplicated based on signal strength, and only the first response signal with the largest signal strength is retained;

[0090] When one of the multiple transverse antennas transmits a first read / write signal, the first read / write signal stimulates the radio frequency tag to generate a first response signal. The first response signal is radiated outward. Within a preset time period, if the multiple transverse antennas in the carrier management device all receive the same first response signal, due to the different distances between the radio frequency tags and the multiple transverse antennas, the signal strengths of the same first response signal received by the multiple transverse antennas are different. It can be understood that the closer the distance, the stronger the signal strength; conversely, the weaker the signal strength.

[0091] Because the distance between the y-axis coordinate of the RFID tag and the transverse antenna corresponding to the y-axis coordinate (the transverse antenna is called a coaxial transverse antenna) is the shortest, when multiple transverse antennas receive the same first response signal, the coaxial transverse antenna is closest to the RFID tag, and thus the signal strength of the first response signal received by the coaxial transverse antenna is the strongest.

[0092] Within the preset time, after the multiple horizontal antennas receive the same first response signal respectively, they will transmit the received first response signal to the reader / writer respectively. After the reader / writer determines that the multiple first response signals are the same signal, it compares the signal strengths of the multiple first response signals, sets the first response signal with the strongest signal strength as the y-axis valid signal, and sets the horizontal antenna that receives the y-axis valid signal as the coaxial horizontal antenna, and sets the y-axis coordinate of the coaxial horizontal antenna as the y-axis coordinate of the corresponding RFID tag. In addition, the remaining signals in the multiple first response signals except the y-axis valid signal are deleted to complete the deduplication process.

[0093] Step S120, when multiple lateral antennas receive the first response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, if the signal strengths of two or more first response signals are the largest, the carrier positioning method is re-executed:

[0094] Because among multiple transverse antennas, the RFID tag is closest to the corresponding coaxial transverse antenna, so when the RFID tag is stimulated to transmit the first response signal, the signal strength of the first response signal received by the coaxial transverse antenna should be the largest in theory. If the reader receives that two or more transverse antennas transmit the same first response signal, and the signal strengths of the two or more first response signals are the largest, the reader determines that a system error has occurred, and the multiple first response signals obtained this time are unusable, and the carrier positioning method is re-executed.

[0095] Based on any embodiment of the carrier positioning method of the present application, Figure 6 , the step of receiving, via the longitudinal antenna, a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the second read / write signal comprises the following specific steps:

[0096] Step S210: when multiple longitudinal antennas receive the second response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, multiple second response signals are deduplicated based on signal strength, and only the second response signal with the largest signal strength is retained:

[0097] When one of the multiple longitudinal antennas transmits a second read-write signal to the outside, the second read-write signal stimulates the radio frequency tag to generate a second response signal, and the second response signal is radiated outward. Within a preset time period, if multiple longitudinal antennas in the carrier management device receive the same second response signal, due to the different distances between the radio frequency tag and the multiple longitudinal antennas, the signal strengths of the same second response signal received by the multiple longitudinal antennas are different. It can be understood that the closer the distance, the stronger the signal strength; conversely, the weaker the signal strength.

[0098] Because the distance between the x-axis coordinate of the radio frequency tag and the longitudinal antenna corresponding to the x-axis coordinate (the longitudinal antenna is called a coaxial longitudinal antenna) is the shortest, when multiple longitudinal antennas receive the same second response signal, the coaxial longitudinal antenna is closest to the radio frequency tag, and thus the signal strength of the second response signal received by the coaxial longitudinal antenna is the strongest.

[0099] Within the preset time, after the multiple longitudinal antennas receive the same second response signal respectively, they transmit the received second response signals to the reader / writer respectively. After the reader / writer determines that the multiple second response signals are the same signal, it compares the signal strengths of the multiple second response signals, sets the second response signal with the strongest signal strength as the x-axis valid signal, and sets the longitudinal antenna that receives the x-axis valid signal as the coaxial longitudinal antenna, and sets the x-axis coordinate of the coaxial longitudinal antenna as the x-axis coordinate of the corresponding radio frequency tag. In addition, the remaining signals in the multiple second response signals except the x-axis valid signal are deleted to complete the deduplication process.

[0100] Step S220, when multiple longitudinal antennas receive the second response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, if the signal strengths of two or more second response signals are the largest, the carrier positioning method is re-executed:

[0101] Because among the multiple longitudinal antennas, the RFID tag is closest to the corresponding coaxial longitudinal antenna, so when the RFID tag is stimulated to transmit the second response signal, the signal strength of the second response signal received by the coaxial longitudinal antenna should be the largest in theory. If the reader receives the same second response signal transmitted by multiple longitudinal antennas, and the signal strengths of two or more of the second response signals are the largest, the reader determines that a system error has occurred, and the multiple second response signals obtained this time are unusable, and the carrier positioning method is re-executed.

[0102] Based on any embodiment of the carrier positioning method of the present application, Figure 7 The carrier positioning method further includes subsequent steps, which are after step S300 and include the following specific steps:

[0103] S400, obtaining identity information of a carrier to be searched;

[0104] The reader / writer is provided with an input device, or the reader / writer is externally connected to an input device, and the input device can accept external instructions, and the external instructions include the identity information of the carrier to be searched, and the identity information has a unique feature. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the identity information is the serial number data of the carrier, but it should not be understood as a limitation to the present application. In this embodiment, it is recommended that the input device is any one of a computer, a mobile phone, a tablet computer and a control panel, but it should not be understood as a limitation to the present application.

[0105] S500, matching the identity information of the carrier to be found with the identity information of each of the plurality of tag information, and setting the matching tag information as the target tag information;

[0106] The reader / writer stores a number of tag information, and the tag information stores the identity information of the corresponding carrier. Since the identity information of the carrier has a unique feature, the tag information has a unique feature, that is, the multiple tag information each has a unique feature.

[0107] After the reader obtains the identity information of the carrier to be searched (the identity information is called the information to be searched), it calls out the stored multiple tag information, matches the information to be searched with the identity information of each of the multiple tag information, and sets the tag information whose identity information matches the information to be searched as the target tag information.

[0108] S600, obtaining coordinate data corresponding to the target tag information, and controlling the indicator light on the installation position corresponding to the coordinate data to light up:

[0109] The reader / writer obtains the coordinate data corresponding to the target tag information, and determines the coordinates of the carrier to be searched through the coordinate data.

[0110] Each installation position is equipped with an indicator light, and the coordinates of the indicator light correspond to the coordinates of the corresponding installation position. After the reader obtains the coordinates of the carrier to be found, it controls the indicator light on the same coordinate to light up based on the coordinates to indicate the location of the carrier to be found, so that the user can quickly find the carrier and improve work efficiency.

[0111] Based on any embodiment of the present application, another embodiment of the present application further provides a carrier positioning device, combined with Figure 8 , which includes a horizontal transceiver module 910, a vertical transceiver module 920 and a position determination module 930, wherein the horizontal transceiver module 910 controls the horizontal antenna to transmit a first read-write signal, and receives a first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the first read-write signal through the horizontal antenna; the vertical transceiver module 920 controls the vertical antenna to transmit a second read-write signal, and receives a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the second read-write signal through the vertical antenna; the position determination module 930 obtains the tag information respectively contained in the first response signal and the second response signal. If the two tag information are the same information, the installation position of the radio frequency tag is determined through the first response signal and the second response signal, and the tag information is bound to the corresponding installation position.

[0112] Based on any embodiment of this application, please refer to Fig. 9 Another embodiment of the present application further provides a computer device, which can be used as a controller, such as Fig. 9As shown, a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a computer device. The computer device includes a processor, a computer-readable storage medium, a memory, and a network interface connected via a system bus. Among them, the computer-readable storage medium of the computer device stores an operating system, a database, and a computer program that encapsulates computer-readable instructions. The database may store a control information sequence. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the processor may implement a carrier positioning method. The processor of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities to support the operation of the entire computer device. The memory of the computer device may store computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the processor may execute the carrier positioning method of the present application. The network interface of the computer device is used to connect and communicate with a terminal. Those skilled in the art will understand that Fig. 9 The structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the solution of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the solution of the present application is applied. The specific computer device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0113] In this embodiment, the processor is used to execute Figure 8 The memory stores the program code and various data required to execute the above modules or submodules. The network interface is used to transmit data between user terminals or servers. The memory in this embodiment stores the program code and data required to execute all modules / submodules in the carrier positioning device of this application, and the server can call the program code and data of the server to execute the functions of all submodules.

[0114] The present application also provides a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, enables the one or more processors to execute the steps of the carrier positioning method described in any embodiment of the present application.

[0115] The present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program / instruction, which, when executed by one or more processors, implements the steps of the carrier positioning method described in any embodiment of the present application.

[0116] A person skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application can be implemented by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, the aforementioned storage medium can be a computer-readable storage medium such as a disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM).

[0117] The above description is only a partial implementation method of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

[0118] To summarize, the carrier positioning method of the present application is implemented based on a carrier management device. By establishing a coordinate system, coordinates are assigned to the intersection position formed by the intersection of the transverse antenna and the longitudinal antenna, so that the installation positions corresponding to the intersection position have the same coordinates, thereby facilitating the search for the carrier loaded on the installation position through the coordinates of the installation position, thereby facilitating the inventory and search of the carrier.

Claims

1. A carrier management device, characterized in that: It includes a base and a mounting frame arranged on the base, wherein a reader / writer and an antenna assembly electrically connected to each other are arranged in the base, wherein the antenna assembly includes a transverse antenna group and a longitudinal antenna group, wherein the transverse antenna group includes a plurality of transverse antennas arranged in parallel along the longitudinal axis, wherein the longitudinal antenna group includes a plurality of longitudinal antennas arranged in parallel along the transverse axis, wherein the plurality of transverse antennas and the plurality of longitudinal antennas intersect with each other to form a plurality of intersection positions, wherein a plurality of mounting positions are arranged on the mounting frame, wherein the plurality of mounting positions correspond to being located directly above the plurality of intersection positions respectively, and wherein the mounting positions are used to install a carrier, wherein a radio frequency tag is arranged on the carrier.

2. The carrier management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A circuit board is arranged in the base, an antenna arrangement area is arranged in the circuit board, and the transverse antenna group and the longitudinal antenna group are arranged crosswise in the antenna arrangement area.

3. The carrier management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each transverse antenna is arranged to intersect with the plurality of longitudinal antennas, and each longitudinal antenna is arranged to intersect with the plurality of transverse antennas.

4. The carrier management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting hole is provided on the installation position, and the limiting hole is used for loading the carrier.

5. The carrier management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transverse antenna and the longitudinal antenna are both radio frequency antennas with long strip structures.

6. A carrier positioning method, characterized in that: The carrier management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is implemented, comprising the following steps: Controlling the transverse antenna to transmit a first read / write signal to the outside, and receiving, via the transverse antenna, a first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the first read / write signal; Controlling the longitudinal antenna to transmit a second read / write signal to the outside, and receiving, via the longitudinal antenna, a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the second read / write signal; The tag information respectively included in the first response signal and the second response signal is obtained. If the two tag information are the same information, the installation position of the radio frequency tag is determined through the first response signal and the second response signal, and the tag information is bound to the corresponding installation position.

7. The carrier positioning method according to claim 6, characterized in that: A plane rectangular coordinate system is established, the longitudinal axis is set as the y-axis, the transverse axis is set as the x-axis, the y-axis coordinates are respectively assigned to the multiple transverse antennas, and the x-axis coordinates are respectively assigned to the multiple longitudinal antennas, and the coordinates of the intersection position are the same as the coordinates of the installation position corresponding to the intersection position.

8. The carrier positioning method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The multiple transverse antennas and the multiple longitudinal antennas are controlled to work in turn so that the transverse antennas or the longitudinal antennas receive the corresponding first response signal or the second response signal in different time slots respectively.

9. The carrier positioning method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step of receiving, via the transverse antenna, a first response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the first read / write signal comprises the following specific steps: When multiple lateral antennas all receive the first response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, multiple first response signals are deduplicated based on signal strength, and only the first response signal with the largest signal strength is retained; When multiple transverse antennas receive the first response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, if the signal strengths of two or more first response signals are the largest, the carrier positioning method is re-executed.

10. The carrier positioning method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step of receiving, via the longitudinal antenna, a second response signal returned by the radio frequency tag in the installation position in response to the second read / write signal comprises the following specific steps: When multiple longitudinal antennas all receive the second response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, multiple second response signals are deduplicated based on signal strength, and only the second response signal with the largest signal strength is retained; When multiple longitudinal antennas all receive the second response signal returned by the same radio frequency tag, if the signal strengths of two or more second response signals are the largest, the carrier positioning method is re-executed.

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