Integrated reader / writer

Abstract

To provide an integrated reader / writer that can more reliably execute authentication of a two-dimensional code displayed on a smartphone.SOLUTION: A reader / writer obtained by integrating a non-contact IC reader / writer 40 and a two-dimensional code reader 30 is provided with an illuminance sensor 51 that detects illuminance of a display of the smartphone, and a proximity sensor (distance measuring sensor) 52 that detects approach of an authentication medium. When the proximity sensor detects the approach of the authentication medium and determines that the smartphone is held over the two-dimensional code reader, the integrated reader / writer temporarily stops the detection operation performed by the non-contact IC reader / writer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated reader / writer that integrates a non-contact IC reader / writer and a two-dimensional code reader. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, integrated reader / writers that combine a contactless IC reader / writer with a two-dimensional code reader are being used at airport boarding gates. An integrated reader / writer is a device that has a two-dimensional code reader built into the antenna of a contactless IC reader / writer. This device is easy for users to understand and use, as there is no need to change the touch or place to hold it depending on the authentication medium. Another advantage is that it can be installed in a smaller space when installed in the information reading section of the boarding gate.

[0003] This type of reading device is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. The reading device in Patent Document 1 includes a two-dimensional code reading unit and a non-contact IC communication unit. The range in which the two-dimensional code can exist is wider than the communication range of the non-contact IC communication unit, and when a two-dimensional code is detected within this range, the operation of the non-contact IC communication unit is stopped. This makes it possible to prevent the non-contact IC communication unit from operating even when the user of the reading device wants to read the two-dimensional code. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-118971 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, the technology of Patent Document 1 described above is premised on the normal reading of the two-dimensional code. However, if a user displays a QR code (registered trademark) on a smartphone and holds it at an angle over the two-dimensional code reader, or if part of the two-dimensional code is covered by a finger, the detection of the two-dimensional code will be delayed. Such a delay in the detection of the two-dimensional code will delay the stop of the operation of the non-contact IC communication unit, and the two-dimensional code reader and the non-contact IC communication unit may operate simultaneously and interfere with each other, making it difficult to perform authentication smoothly. For this reason, there is still room for improvement in terms of the reliability of authentication of two-dimensional codes under special conditions.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an integrated reader / writer that can more reliably authenticate two-dimensional codes displayed on a smartphone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The integrated reader / writer of the present invention is a reader / writer that integrates a contactless IC reader / writer and a two-dimensional code reader, and is equipped with an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance of the display of a smartphone, and a proximity sensor that detects the approach of an authentication medium, and is characterized in that when the proximity sensor detects the approach of an authentication medium and determines from the illuminance acquired by the illuminance sensor that the smartphone is being held up, the detection operation by the contactless IC reader / writer is temporarily halted. Effect of the Invention

[0008] In the present invention, when the proximity sensor detects the approach of an authentication medium and determines that the smartphone is held up based on the illuminance acquired by the illuminance sensor, the detection operation by the contactless IC reader / writer is temporarily stopped. Therefore, the detection operation by the contactless IC reader / writer can be stopped without being affected even if the smartphone is held up at an angle to the two-dimensional code reading section or if part of the two-dimensional code is hidden by a finger. In addition, since the detection operation by the contactless IC reader / writer is stopped when the proximity sensor detects the approach of the authentication medium, it is possible to prevent the illuminance sensor from stopping the detection operation due to the influence of changes in the surrounding illuminance. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an integrated reader / writer that can more reliably authenticate a two-dimensional code displayed on a smartphone. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a boarding gate to which an integrated reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the main body at the boarding gate of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 1 is a functional block diagram of an integrated reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the integrated reader / writer shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional integrated reader / writer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a boarding gate to which an integrated reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The boarding gate 10 is used, for example, at an airport, and includes a pair of main bodies 11-1 and 11-2 arranged opposite each other along an aisle (specific position) 11a indicated by an arrow AA, and a person counting unit 12 arranged above the main bodies 11-1 and 11-2.

[0011] An information reading unit 13 is provided at the entrance side of the main body 11-1, and passage control gates (gates) 14-1 and 14-2 are provided at the exit sides of the main bodies 11-1 and 11-2. The information reading unit 13 has an integrated reader / writer built in, which reads the passage ticket information and the two-dimensional code, and is equipped with a non-contact IC reader / writer and a two-dimensional code reader. The information reading unit 13 is provided with an illuminance sensor 51 for detecting that a smartphone is held up, a proximity sensor 52 for detecting the approach of an authentication medium, a buzzer 53 for sounding the success or failure of authentication, and a display device 56 for displaying the read information and the success or failure of authentication. A passerby holds up an IC card, smartphone, admission ticket, boarding pass, etc. over the antenna part (circular part 13a) of the non-contact IC reader / writer 40, which has the illuminance sensor 51 and the proximity sensor 52 built in at the bottom of the information reading unit 13.

[0012] Then, the pass information recorded on the IC card or the like is read contactlessly to perform near-field communication authentication, and two-dimensional code authentication such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a smartphone or a pass medium (admission ticket or boarding pass) is performed. When open, the gates 14-1 and 14-2 allow pedestrians to pass through the passage 11a, but when closed, they prevent pedestrians from passing through the passage 11a.

[0013] The person counting unit 12 is installed on the main body 11-1 by an L-shaped arm 15, and a point cloud data acquisition unit and an infrared data acquisition unit are disposed above a specific position on the passage. Then, based on the 3D point cloud data of the pedestrian acquired by the point cloud data acquisition unit and the heat source data acquired by the infrared data acquisition unit, it is possible to determine whether an object approaching the pedestrian is a person or an object, and detect whether the pedestrian is tailgating.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a side view of the main body 11-1 at the boarding gate shown in Fig. 1. Although not shown, the main body 11-2 is basically configured in the same way, and 16 pairs of transmission type sensors 20-1 to 20-16 and 4 pairs of reflection type sensors 21-1 to 21-4 are arranged facing each other on the side surfaces of the main bodies 11-1 and 11-2 facing the aisle 11a. The transmission type sensors 20-1 to 20-16 are paired with a light emitter and a light receiver, and the light emitted from the light emitter is received by the light receiver. These transmission type sensors 20-1 to 20-16 function as human detection sensors, and detect people when a passerby passing through the aisle 11a blocks the light.

[0015] The reflective sensors 21-1 to 21-4 are each provided with a pair of a light projector and a light receiver on the same side, and the light emitted from the projector is reflected by a person and received by the light receiver. In this way, the reflective sensors 21-1 to 21-4 detect people by detecting the light reflected by the passersby. The transmission sensors 20-1 to 20-16 detect the movement of the passersby in the passage 11a, and the reflective sensor can determine whether the passersby are adults or children.

[0016] The main body 11-1 has a main control unit and a passage control unit built in. The main control unit receives QR code (registered trademark) information printed on an admission ticket or boarding pass read by a QR reader provided in the information reading unit 13, or passage ticket information recorded on an IC card or the like read by an IC reader / writer. Then, based on the passage ticket information or two-dimensional code read by the information reading unit 13 and the number of people counted by the person counting unit 12, the number of people passing through and whether or not they are allowed to pass through are determined.

[0017] Meanwhile, the passage control unit receives detection information of passersby, such as the passing position, the number of passersby, whether they are adults or children, etc., from the transmission sensors 20-1 to 20-16 and the reflective sensors 21-1 to 21-4. Then, based on the determination result from the main control unit, the passage control unit controls the opening and closing of the gate 14 (or the door unit).

[0018] 3 is a functional block diagram of an integrated reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the main parts related to the determination of whether or not a person can pass are extracted and shown. The integrated reader / writer includes a two-dimensional code reader 30 and a contactless IC reader / writer 40. The two-dimensional code reader 30 includes an image capturing unit 31 and a light emitting unit 32. The contactless IC reader / writer 40 includes a transmission circuit unit 41, an antenna unit 42, and a reception circuit unit 43. Although the two-dimensional code reader 30 and the contactless IC reader / writer 40 are shown separately in FIG. 3, the two-dimensional code reader 30 is actually mounted within the antenna unit 42 of the contactless IC reader / writer 40.

[0019] The photographing unit 31 of the two-dimensional code reader 30 is a camera that photographs two-dimensional codes such as QR Code (registered trademark) printed on the screen of a smartphone or on a pass medium (authentication medium), and transmits the photographed image information to the main control unit 50. The light emitting unit 32 is a detection light source that blinks when photographing a two-dimensional code, or a detection light source whose brightness changes periodically. The light emitting unit 32 is controlled by the main control unit 50 to emit light, and functions to recognize the two-dimensional code from the brightness difference of the two-dimensional code image.

[0020] On the other hand, the transmission waveform information input from the main control unit 50 to the transmission circuit unit 41 is transmitted from the antenna unit 42. The pass information recorded on the IC card held by the pedestrian is received by the antenna unit 42 and the reception circuit unit 43 and output to the main control unit 50.

[0021] The integrated reader / writer further includes an illuminance sensor 51, a proximity sensor 52, a buzzer 53, and a display device 56. When a user displays a two-dimensional code on the screen of a smartphone and holds it up, the illuminance sensor 51 detects that the smartphone screen has been held up. The distance at which the illuminance sensor 51 detects the illuminance of the smartphone display is set to be longer than the communication distance by the smartphone's NFC (near field communication) function.

[0022] The proximity sensor 52 detects the approach of the smartphone, which is the authentication medium, and is formed of, for example, a ToF (Time of Flight) distance measuring sensor. The proximity sensor 52 detects the approach of the authentication medium when the authentication medium approaches closer than a predetermined distance. This predetermined distance is set to be longer than the communication distance by the NFC function of the smartphone.

[0023] The buzzer 53 notifies by sound whether the authentication has been successful or not. It can also be used to sound a warning or to notify an administrator when an unauthenticated person enters. The display device 56 is used by passersby to check the read information or whether the authentication has been successful or not. The communication unit 54 also serves as a connection interface with the host device, transmitting information about the boarding gate 10 to the host device as necessary, and controlling the overall operation of the boarding gate 10 according to instructions from the host device. Furthermore, the memory unit 55 is used to temporarily store information for entry / exit management, setting information for the non-contact IC reader / writer 40, and detection values ​​of the illuminance sensor 51 and the proximity sensor 52, and control is performed by the main control unit 50 based on the setting information stored in this memory unit 55.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the integrated reader / writer shown in FIG. When the boarding gate 10 starts authentication reception (step ST1), the reader function unit in the non-contact IC reader / writer 40 starts polling the IC card. Also, the two-dimensional code reader 30 starts reading the QR code. Furthermore, acquisition of values ​​(detection values) of the proximity sensor (distance measurement sensor) 52 and the illuminance sensor 51 starts (step ST2).

[0025] When the user holds an authentication medium (IC card or QR code (registered trademark)) over the information reading unit 13 of the boarding gate 10 (step ST3), a process is executed to determine whether a smartphone has been held over based on the values ​​acquired by the proximity sensor (distance measurement sensor) 52 and the illuminance sensor 51 (step ST4). Next, it is determined whether the smartphone has been held over (step ST5). This determination is made when the proximity sensor 52 detects the approach of the authentication medium and the illuminance acquired by the illuminance sensor 51 reaches a predetermined illuminance stored in the memory unit 55, and it is determined that a smartphone has been held over.

[0026] If it is determined in step ST5 that the smartphone has been held up (the QR code displayed on the smartphone has been held up), the contactless IC reader / writer 40 stops polling the IC card (step ST6) and queries the main control unit 50 at the boarding gate 10 for the reading results of each reader function unit (step ST7). On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST5 that the smartphone is not being held up (that is, what is being held up is an IC card or a QR code printed on paper), the reading results of each reader function unit are queried to the main control unit 50 of the boarding gate 10 (step ST7).

[0027] Next, the main control unit 50 judges whether the authentication medium has been authenticated (step ST8), and if it has been authenticated, for example, the buzzer 53 is sounded and displayed on the display device 56 to inform the pedestrian that authentication has been successful, and also notifies the higher-level device via the communication unit 54. Then, based on the judgment result of the main control unit 50, the passage control unit (not shown) opens the gates 14-1 and 14-2 (step ST9).

[0028] If the authentication medium cannot be authenticated in step ST8, it is determined whether the authentication medium has moved a certain distance from the value acquired by the proximity sensor (distance measuring sensor) 52 (step ST10), and steps ST8 and ST10 are repeated until the certain distance has passed. If it is determined that the authentication medium has moved a certain distance (polling has stopped despite the IC card being held up, or the person does not have an authenticable medium), gates 14-1 and 14-2 are closed and the process returns to step ST2, where authentication is performed on the authentication medium of the next passerby.

[0029] 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of a conventional integrated reader / writer, in comparison with the present invention described above. Conventionally, when the boarding gate starts authentication reception (step ST11), the reader function unit in the non-contact IC reader / writer starts polling. Also, the two-dimensional code reader starts reading the QR code (step ST12).

[0030] When the user holds the authentication medium (IC card or QR code (registered trademark)) over the information reading unit 13 of the boarding gate 10 (step ST13), the reading results of each reader function unit are queried to the main control unit 50 of the boarding gate 10 (step ST14). Then, it is determined whether the authentication medium has been authenticated (step ST15), and if it has been authenticated, a buzzer is sounded, for example, to notify the host device that authentication has been performed, and the boarding gate passage control unit opens the gate (step ST16). If the authentication medium cannot be authenticated in step ST15, the process returns to step ST13 to repeat steps ST14 and ST15.

[0031] As such, in the past, it was assumed that the two-dimensional code would be read normally. Therefore, if a passerby displayed a QR code (registered trademark) on their smartphone and held it at an angle over the two-dimensional code reader, or if part of the two-dimensional code was covered by their finger, the two-dimensional code reader and contactless IC communication unit would operate simultaneously and interfere with each other, which could prevent smooth authentication.

[0032] As described above, in the present invention, when the proximity sensor detects the approach of the authentication medium and determines that the smartphone is held up based on the illuminance acquired by the illuminance sensor, the detection operation by the contactless IC reader / writer is temporarily stopped, so authentication can be performed smoothly. Since the implementation of only the illuminance sensor may result in a misdetection and a failure to read the IC card, a proximity sensor is implemented in addition to the illuminance sensor. When the proximity sensor detects the approach of the authentication medium and determines that it is a smartphone based on the value acquired by the illuminance sensor, polling by the contactless IC reader / writer is stopped. By using a distance measuring sensor as the proximity sensor, the illuminance at each distance to the authentication medium can be quantitatively acquired and the illuminance at each distance can be accurately estimated, thereby improving the detection sensitivity of the smartphone.

[0033] The circuit configurations, control procedures, etc. described in the above embodiments are merely schematic illustrations to enable the present invention to be understood and implemented. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and may be modified in various forms without departing from the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims.

[0034] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an airport boarding gate was used as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to security gates that use both authentication of a two-dimensional code displayed on a smartphone screen and short-range communication authentication of an IC card. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10...boarding gate, 11-1, 11-2...boarding gate main body, 12...person counting unit, 13...information reading unit, 14-1, 14-2...passage control gate (gate), 15...L-shaped arm, 30...two-dimensional code reader, 31...photographing unit, 32...light emitting unit, 40...non-contact IC reader / writer, 41...transmitting circuit unit, 42...antenna unit, 43...receiving circuit unit, 50...main control unit, 51...illuminance sensor, 52...proximity sensor (distance measuring sensor), 53...buzzer, 54...communication unit, 55...memory unit, 56...display unit

Claims

1. A reader / writer that integrates a non-contact IC reader / writer and a two-dimensional code reader, The smartphone is provided with an illuminance sensor for detecting the illuminance of a display and a proximity sensor for detecting the approach of an authentication medium, An integrated reader / writer characterized in that when the proximity sensor detects the approach of an authentication medium and determines that a smartphone is being held up based on the illuminance acquired by the illuminance sensor, the detection operation by the contactless IC reader / writer is temporarily suspended.

2. 2. The integrated reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor is a Time of Flight (ToF) distance measuring sensor that detects the approach of the authentication medium when the authentication medium approaches closer than a predetermined distance.

3. The integrated reader / writer according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined distance is longer than a communication distance achieved by a near field communication (NFC) function of a smartphone.

4. The integrated reader / writer according to claim 1 , wherein a distance at which the illuminance sensor detects the illuminance of the display of the smartphone is longer than a communication distance by a near field communication (NFC) function of the smartphone.

5. 2. The integrated reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein the temporary suspension of the detection operation by the non-contact IC reader / writer is a temporary suspension of polling.

6. 6. An integrated reader / writer according to claim 1, which is incorporated into a boarding gate.

Images