Reading device and information processing device

Abstract

To make it easier to change the operating settings of the RFID reader. [Solution] A reader is provided, comprising: a reading means for reading information from a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag; and a control means for acquiring operation setting data based on the information read from the RFID tag by the reading means, and setting the operation of the reader according to the acquired operation setting data. An information processing device for providing the operation setting data to the reader is also provided.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a reading device and an information processing device. [Background Art]

[0002] Passive RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tags are widely used for various purposes such as article management and tracking. For example, a UHF (Ultra High Frequency) tag capable of communicating in the UHF band has a communication range of 1 to several meters, and transmits a signal using the energy of electromagnetic waves radiated from a tag reader.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that reads a signal from an RFID tag attached to an article by an RFID reader worn by a worker who carries the article. The RFID reader transmits information based on the signal read from the RFID tag to a host system via a communication protocol such as Bluetooth.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for reducing power consumption of a battery-driven RFID reader, in which operation settings such as a period during which the RFID reader radiates electromagnetic waves or the intensity of electromagnetic waves are changed according to the position and tilt of the RFID reader detected by a sensor. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-524948 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2022-068013 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] In scenarios where battery-powered RFID readers are used, there is a trade-off between the frequency of tag reading and battery life. For example, increasing the frequency of electromagnetic wave output from the RFID reader allows for the detection of more RFID tags per unit time, but it increases power consumption and shortens battery life. Conversely, decreasing the frequency of electromagnetic wave output from the RFID reader extends battery life, but fewer RFID tags are detected per unit time.

[0007] Given the trade-offs mentioned above, the desirable tag detection performance or battery life varies depending on the use case. However, it is cumbersome or difficult for users to appropriately change or optimize the RFID reader's operating settings to suit their use case.

[0008] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide an improved mechanism that facilitates changing the operating settings of an RFID reader to suit the use case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] From one perspective, a reader is provided, comprising: a reading means for reading information from a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag; and a control means for acquiring operation setting data based on the information read from the RFID tag by the reading means, and setting the operation of the reader according to the acquired operation setting data. An information processing device that provides the operation setting data to the reader is also provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it becomes easy to change the operating settings of the RFID reader to suit the use case. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1]Schematic diagram showing an example configuration of an article management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing an example configuration of a tag reader according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] Block diagram showing an example configuration of a management server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4A] Explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of an article table. [Figure 4B] Explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of an operation setting table. [Figure 4C] Explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of an area table. [Figure 4D] Explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a reader table. [Figure 4E] Explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a movement amount table. [Figure 4F] Explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a tag detection table. [Figure 5] Explanatory diagram showing a movement route of the tag reader in a first scenario. [Figure 6] Flowchart showing an example flow of reading control processing that can be executed by a tag reader in the first embodiment. [Figure 7A] Flowchart showing an example flow of data reception processing that can be executed by a management server in the first embodiment. [Figure 7B] Flowchart showing an example flow of data transmission processing that can be executed by a management server in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] Block diagram showing an example configuration of a tag reader according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] Explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a setting table. [Figure 10] Flowchart showing an example flow of reading control processing that can be executed by a tag reader in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] Explanatory diagram showing a movement route of the tag reader in a second scenario. [Figure 12] Explanatory diagram showing an example of reading results in the second scenario. [Figure 13A]A flowchart showing an example of the flow of read control processing that may be performed by the tag reader in the first modified example. [Figure 13B] A flowchart showing an example of the flow of read control processing that may be performed by the tag reader in the second modified example. [Figure 13C] A flowchart showing an example of the flow of read control processing that may be performed by the tag reader in the third modified example. [Figure 14] An explanatory diagram illustrating the area-specific communication settings in the seventh modified example. [Figure 15] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the changes to the operating settings in the eighth modified example. [Figure 16] An explanatory diagram showing an example of the structure of a user tag table. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0013] <1. First Embodiment> <1-1. System Overview> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the item management system 1 according to the first embodiment. The item management system 1 is a system that tracks the location of items to be managed, which may change from day to day, and manages the location or state of the items to be managed. Items to be managed may be items located in physical space. Items may be inanimate objects (e.g., machines, equipment, tools, materials, consumer goods, parts, household goods, vehicles, or robots) or living objects (e.g., animals or plants).

[0014] In this embodiment, multiple areas are defined in real space for the purpose of managing location information. These areas serve as candidate locations for each managed object. The location information for each managed object further includes the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates of the point where each managed object is estimated to be located.

[0015] In the example shown in Figure 1, multiple areas 10a and 10b are set in real space. Each of areas 10a and 10b may be, for example, an area outdoors, a building, a floor within a building, a section within a floor, or a room.

[0016] User 20a moves within and between areas while carrying the tag reader 100a during their daily work. User 20b also moves within and between areas while carrying the tag reader 100b. In this specification, the expression that a user carries an object broadly includes various ways in which the user moves with that object (for example, moving while holding or wearing the object).

[0017] Area 10a contains items 30a and 30b. Area 10b contains items 30c, 30d, 30e, 30f, and 30g. These items are subject to management in the item management system 1 and are movable in physical space.

[0018] The item management system 1 utilizes passive RFID tags (also called passive tags) to track the location of managed items. A passive tag consists of a small IC (Integrated Circuit) chip with built-in memory and an antenna, and stores unique identification information and other information in the memory. In this specification, the identification information is simply called the ID, and the identification information that identifies the tag is also called the tag ID. The tag ID may be considered as information that identifies the object to which the tag is attached. The IC chip of the passive tag operates using the energy of electromagnetic waves radiated from the tag reader, modulating the tag ID and other information stored in the memory into an information signal, and transmitting (returning) the information signal from the antenna.

[0019] In the example shown in Figure 1, location tag 40a is installed near the entrance / exit 11a of area 10a, and location tag 40b is installed near the entrance / exit 11b of area 10b. Location tags 40a and 40b are passive tags. Each of location tags 40a and 40b stores unique identification information in its internal memory.

[0020] Furthermore, items 30a to 30g are each fitted with target tags 50a to 50g. Target tags 50a to 50g are passive tags. Each of the target tags 50a to 50g stores identification information in its internal memory to identify the managed object to which the tag is attached.

[0021] In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between areas 10a and 10b, the alphabet at the end of the code will be omitted, and they will be collectively referred to as area 10. The same applies to users 20 (20a, 20b), items 30 (items 30a to 30g), location tags 40 (40a, 40b), target tags 50 (target tags 50a to 50g), and other elements.

[0022] Note that the number of areas 10 under the system's management, the number of users 20, the number of items 30, and the number of location tags 40 installed in each area 10 are not limited to the example shown in Figure 1, but may be any number.

[0023] The item management system 1 includes location tags 40, target tags 50, terminal devices 90, tag readers 100, and a management server 200. The terminal devices 90, tag readers 100, and management server 200 are connected to a network 5. Network 5 may be a wired network, a wireless network, or any combination thereof. Examples of network 5 may include the internet, an intranet, and a cloud network.

[0024] Terminal device 90 is an information processing device used by user 20 or other administrative users. Terminal device 90 may be a general-purpose computer such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a smartphone, or it may be a dedicated terminal device provided for the management and viewing of location information. Terminal device 90 may be portable or stationary. Terminal device 90 typically includes an input device for receiving user input, a communication interface for communicating with other devices (e.g., management server 200), and a display device for displaying information. As an example, terminal device 90 is used when user 20 or an administrative user views information provided by the management server 200.

[0025] The tag reader 100 is a reading device capable of reading information stored in an RFID tag. For example, the tag reader 100 can detect a location tag 40 by reading its tag ID. The tag reader 100 can also detect a target tag 50 (and the corresponding item 30) by reading its tag ID. In this embodiment, the tag reader 100 is also capable of measuring the relative amount of movement from a reference position using a self-position estimation method also known as PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning). Attempts to read tags and measurement of movement by the tag reader 100 can be performed continuously while the tag reader 100 is operating, even without explicit instructions from the user 20. For example, when user 20a passes through an entrance / exit 11a to enter area 10a, the tag reader 100a carried by user 20a detects the location tag 40a and reads information from the location tag 40a. As user 20a moves further, the tag reader 100a can measure the relative amount of movement of the location tag 40a from its detection position. The tag reader 100 provides the results of this tag reading and movement measurement to the management server 200. The tag reader 100 may communicate directly with the management server 200, or it may communicate indirectly with the management server 200 via some kind of relay device (not shown). A specific example of the configuration of the tag reader 100 will be described further later.

[0026] Generally, RFID tags operating in the UHF band provide a session function to avoid duplicate information reading by the same tag reader within a short period of time. The session state of an RFID tag is controlled by an inventory flag maintained internally within the RFID tag. The initial state of the inventory flag is "A: Unresponsive". When an RFID tag receives a read command from a tag reader, it sends a response signal and switches the inventory flag to "B: Responded". After switching to "B: Responded", the inventory flag value returns to "A: Unresponsive" after a predetermined time. A session is associated with a pattern of switching this inventory flag value.

[0027] A tag reader can instruct an RFID tag on the session type. For example, if session type "S0" is instructed, the RFID tag maintains the inventory flag value while electromagnetic wave reception continues, and switches the value when electromagnetic wave reception ends. If session type "S1" is instructed, the RFID tag maintains the inventory flag value for a predetermined period (e.g., 0.5 to 5 seconds), regardless of whether electromagnetic wave reception continues, and switches the value after that period has elapsed. If session type "S2" or "S3" is instructed, the RFID tag maintains the inventory flag value while electromagnetic wave reception continues, and switches the value after a predetermined period (e.g., 2 seconds or more) has elapsed since the end of electromagnetic wave reception. An RFID tag can maintain, for example, four sessions in parallel, and each session holds a separate inventory flag. This prevents conflicts in information reading by multiple different tag readers.

[0028] The tag reader sends a read command to an RFID tag, instructing it which RFID tags should respond based on the value of the inventory flag (hereinafter referred to as the inventory mode). Typically, the inventory mode is one of the following: inventory flag "A" only, inventory flag "B" only, or both inventory flags "A" and "B". For example, by instructing the inventory mode so that only RFID tags with inventory flag "A" return a response signal, the tag reader can reduce the reading of redundant information and proceed with the reading operation efficiently.

[0029] In this specification, we will mainly describe an example in which user 20 carries the tag reader 100, but the tag reader 100 is not limited to this example and may move within and between areas with any type of mobile object. A mobile object may include, for example, a person, a vehicle, a cart, a wheelchair, a robot, and a drone. The mobile object may move automatically or autonomously, or it may be moved manually.

[0030] The management server 200 is an information processing device that stores location information and other information of the item 30 in a database. The management server 200 may be implemented as an application server, database server, or cloud server using, for example, a high-performance general-purpose computer. The management server 200 receives the results of tag reading and movement measurement from the tag reader 100 and updates the database based on the received data. The management server 200 also provides information about the managed items (for example, via the terminal device 90) in response to inquiries from users. A specific example of the configuration of the management server 200 will be described further later.

[0031] Figure 1 shows a single management server 200, but the functions of the management server 200, which will be described in detail later, may be provided by a single device, or by multiple physically separate devices cooperating with each other. Also, in this embodiment, an example is described in which the management server 200 holds the database, but a device separate from the management server 200 may hold part or all of the database.

[0032] Although Figure 1 depicts the terminal device 90 and the tag reader 100 as separate devices, an integrated device possessing the functions of both the terminal device 90 and the tag reader 100 may be provided. The terminal device 90 may be carried by the user 20 and may relay communication between the tag reader 100 and the management server 200. Furthermore, the functions of the management server 200 described herein may be implemented in the terminal device 90.

[0033] <1-2. Example of Tag Leader Configuration> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the tag reader 100 according to this embodiment. Referring to Figure 2, the tag reader 100 comprises a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a communication unit 113, a measurement unit 114, an operation unit 115, a reading unit 116, and a power supply unit 117.

[0034] The control unit 111 consists of a memory for storing computer programs and one or more processors (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) for executing computer programs. The control unit 111 controls all the functions of the tag reader 100 as described herein. For example, the control unit 111 causes the reading unit 116 to periodically attempt to read information from RFID tags within the tag reading range. When the reading unit 116 detects an RFID tag, the control unit 111 temporarily stores the read information and reading time as reading result data in the storage unit 112. The reading result data may further include the received intensity of the response signal from the RFID tag. In parallel with reading the RFID tags, the control unit 111 also causes the measurement unit 114 to measure the relative movement of the tag reader 100 and stores the measurement result data in the storage unit 112. The control unit 111 then transmits the reading result data and measurement result data stored in the storage unit 112, along with the reader identification information (also called the reader ID) of its own device, to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113.

[0035] The storage unit 112 may include any type of storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory like ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory), an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. In this embodiment, the storage unit 112 stores the read result data, measurement result data, and the reader ID of the tag reader 100.

[0036] The communication unit 113 is a communication means for the tag reader 100 to communicate with other devices. For example, the communication unit 113 may be a WLAN interface for communicating with a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) access point, or a cellular communication interface for communicating with a cellular base station. Alternatively, the communication unit 113 may be a connection interface for connecting with a relay device (for example, a Bluetooth® interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface).

[0037] The measurement unit 114 is a unit capable of measuring the amount of movement of the tag reader 100. In this embodiment, the measurement unit 114 uses a self-position estimation method to measure the relative amount of movement of the tag reader 100 from a certain reference position and outputs the measured amount of movement to the control unit 111. The reference position for measuring the relative amount of movement may be, for example, the position of the tag reader 100 when it is activated. For example, the measurement unit 114 includes a 3-axis accelerometer 114a, a gyro sensor 114b, and a geomagnetic sensor 114c. The 3-axis accelerometer 114a measures the acceleration applied to the tag reader 100 in a device coordinate system specific to the tag reader 100 and outputs first sensor data. The gyro sensor 114b measures the angular velocity of the tag reader 100, i.e., the change in the attitude of the tag reader 100, and outputs second sensor data. The geomagnetic sensor 114c measures the orientation of the tag reader 100 in real space and outputs third sensor data. Based on the sensor data from these sensors, the measurement unit 114 can measure the relative movement of the tag reader 100 by accumulating the acceleration while converting the direction of the acceleration of the tag reader 100 to the direction in the coordinate system of real space. The relative movement output from the measurement unit 114 to the control unit 111 may be a two-dimensional vector in the horizontal plane, or a three-dimensional vector that also includes a component in the height direction.

[0038] As will be explained later, in this embodiment, the position coordinates of the installation location of each position tag 40 are known and registered in the database. Therefore, the current absolute position (position coordinates) of the tag reader 100 can be estimated based on the relative amount of movement from the time the tag reader 100 detected a position tag 40 to the present time, and the known position coordinates of the position tag 40. In this embodiment, an example in which the management server 200 estimates the position of the tag reader 100 will be mainly described, but the control unit 111 or measurement unit 114 of the tag reader 100 may access the database to estimate the position of the tag reader 100. Alternatively, instead of the tag reader 100 including the measurement unit 114, a separate measuring device (for example, carried by the user 20) may measure the relative amount of movement. In that case, the tag reader 100 may receive measurement result data indicating the relative amount of movement via a communication link with the measuring device.

[0039] The operation unit 115 receives operations from the user 20. The operation unit 115 includes, for example, an input device such as a button, switch, lever, or touch sensor located on the housing of the tag reader 100. The operation unit 115 receives operations from the user 20 via the input device and outputs the operation signal to the control unit 111. The operation unit 115 may also include an audio input interface such as a microphone.

[0040] The reading unit 116 is a reading means that attempts to read information from an RFID tag under the management of the item management system 1. Referring to Figure 2, the reading unit 116 includes an RF controller 120, a power amplifier 121, a filter 122, a first coupler 123, a second coupler 124, an antenna 125, a power detection unit 126, and a canceller 127. The RF controller 120 outputs a transmission signal (for example, a signal modulated in the UHF band) from the TX terminal to the power amplifier 121 according to the control of the control unit 111. The power amplifier 121 amplifies the transmission signal input from the RF controller 120 and outputs it to the filter 122. The amplification factor of the transmission signal here may be variably controllable, and the higher the amplification factor, the higher the output strength of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the tag reader 100. The filter 122 may be, for example, a low-pass filter, which removes unwanted frequency components of the transmission signal after amplification by the power amplifier 121. The first coupler 123 distributes the transmission signal that has passed through the filter 122 to the second coupler 124 and the power detection unit 126. The second coupler 124 outputs the transmission signal input from the first coupler 123 to the antenna 125, and outputs the reception signal input from the antenna 125 to the RF controller 120. The antenna 125 transmits the transmission signal input from the second coupler 124 into the air as an electromagnetic wave. The antenna 125 also receives signals returned from RFID tags within the reading range of the tag reader 100 as a response to the transmission signal, and outputs the received signal to the second coupler 124. The power detection unit 126 detects the power level of the signal input from the first coupler 123 and outputs the signal RF_DETECT indicating the detected power level to the control unit 111. The canceller 127 receives the signal CARRIER_CANCEL indicating the power level of the carrier wave from the control unit 111. Then, the canceller 127, based on CARRIER_CANCEL, cancels the carrier component of the transmitted signal, thereby extracting the desired signal component of the received signal that should be output to the RX terminal of the RF controller 120. The RF controller 120 demodulates the signal input from the RX terminal, obtains the tag ID and other information returned from the RFID tag, and outputs the obtained information to the control unit 111.

[0041] The power supply unit 117 is a power supply circuit consisting of a battery, a DC-DC converter, and charging terminals. The power supply unit 117 supplies operating power to each part of the tag reader 100 via power supply lines partially shown by dashed lines in the figure.

[0042] In this embodiment, the behavior of the tag reader 100 can be dynamically switched by changing the operating settings. The control unit 111 functions as a control means for setting the operation of the tag reader 100. The storage unit 112 stores the values ​​of one or more setting parameters for setting the operation. When the tag reader 100 is powered on, the values ​​of each setting parameter may be predetermined initial values ​​(default values). As will be explained in detail later, when an event that triggers a change in the operating settings occurs, the control unit 111 changes the operating settings by rewriting the values ​​of the setting parameters.

[0043] The operation settings of the tag reader 100 may include at least one of reading settings and communication settings. The reading settings are settings related to the reading operation in the reading unit 116 (i.e., reading or attempting to read information from an RFID tag). The communication settings are settings related to communication with other devices in the communication unit 113 (e.g., transmission of reading result data and measurement result data).

[0044] (1) Reading settings The reading settings include at least one of the following setting parameters: • Electromagnetic wave output intensity • Frequency of electromagnetic wave output • Electromagnetic wave output time ratio • Receiving sensitivity to response signal • Session type to be indicated to the RFID tag • Conditions for the inventory flag of RFID tags that should respond

[0045] The electromagnetic wave output strength refers to the intensity of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the antenna 125 of the reading unit 116 when the tag reader 100 attempts to read information from an RFID tag (for example, the signal amplification factor in the power amplifier 121). A higher electromagnetic wave output strength allows for the detection of more RFID tags located within a wider reading range, but increases battery power consumption.

[0046] The electromagnetic wave output frequency refers to the frequency at which the tag reader 100 emits electromagnetic waves from the antenna 125 of the reading unit 116 in order to attempt to read information from the RFID tag. A higher electromagnetic wave output frequency allows for tracking the location of the RFID tag at finer time intervals, but increases battery power consumption.

[0047] The electromagnetic wave output time ratio refers to the duty cycle of the electromagnetic wave output when the tag reader 100 attempts to read information from an RFID tag, i.e., the proportion of time in a unit of time that the electromagnetic wave is being emitted. The electromagnetic wave output time ratio may also be expressed, for example, by the duration of alternating on and off periods of output. In the following explanation, the duration of the on period is referred to as "on time," and the duration of the off period is referred to as "off time." If both the on time and off time are 2000 milliseconds, the output time ratio is 50%. If the on time is 2000 milliseconds and the off time is 500 milliseconds, the output time ratio is 80%. A higher electromagnetic wave output time ratio allows for the detection of more RFID tags, but increases battery power consumption.

[0048] The receiving sensitivity to the response signal refers to the sensitivity with which the RF controller 120 of the reading unit 116 detects the received signal input via the RX terminal as a response signal from the RFID tag (for example, the detection threshold compared to the received level). Higher receiving sensitivity allows for the detection of more RFID tags located within a wider reading range, but it also increases the probability of false detections, such as mistakenly detecting noise as a response signal.

[0049] The session type to be instructed to the RFID tag refers to the session type that should be instructed to the RFID tag (especially UHF band RFID tags) during the reading operation. The session type may be any of "S0", "S1", "S2", and "S3", as described above. For example, items 30 are present at a higher density in area 10b than in area 10a. When the tag reader 100 enters area 10b, more items 30 will be within the reading range of the tag reader 100. Therefore, in area 10b, the tag reader 100 can reduce the reading of redundant information and efficiently detect items 30 by setting a specific session type (e.g., "S0").

[0050] The inventory flag condition for an RFID tag to respond refers to the inventory mode instructed to the RFID tag (especially UHF band RFID tags) during the reading operation. As mentioned above, the inventory mode can be "A" only, "B" only, or both "A" and "B". For example, items 30 are present at a higher density in area 10b than in area 10a. When the tag reader 100 enters area 10b, more items 30 will be within the reading range of the tag reader 100. Therefore, in area 10b, by setting the inventory mode to respond only to RFID tags with inventory flag "A", the detection of items 30 can be performed efficiently.

[0051] (2) Communication settings The communication settings include at least one of the following configuration parameters: • Destination of the reading operation results • Connection settings for connecting to the relay device

[0052] The destination for the reading operation results refers to the device to which the tag reader 100 should send the reading result data and measurement result data, and in this embodiment, this may correspond to the management server 200. The destination may be specified, for example, by the IP (Internet Protocol) address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of that device.

[0053] The connection settings for connecting to a relay device refer to the configuration information required to set up a communication connection between the tag reader 100 and the relay device that relays the communication when the tag reader 100 transmits data to an external device. For example, the connection settings may include protocol information that identifies the communication protocol, the address of the relay device, the device ID or SSID (Service Set Identifier), and authentication data such as a password.

[0054] <1-3. Example of Management Server Configuration> (1) Overall structure Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management server 200 according to this embodiment. Referring to Figure 3, the management server 200 includes a communication unit 210, a management database (DB) 220, and a controller 230.

[0055] The communication unit 210 is a communication means for the management server 200 to communicate with other devices. The communication unit 210 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface. In this embodiment, the communication unit 210 communicates with the terminal device 90 and the tag reader 100. The management DB 220 is a database that stores various data related to the management of the system. In this embodiment, the management DB 220 maintains the correspondence between information stored in the RFID tag and operation setting data to be used to set the operation of the tag reader 100. More specifically, the management DB 220 includes a target table 240, an operation setting table 250, an area table 260, a reader table 270, a movement amount table 280, and a tag detection table 290. The controller 230 is a control means that can access the management DB 220 and may be a collection of software modules for controlling various functions of the management server 200. Each software module may operate by one or more processors (not shown) of the management server 200 executing a computer program stored in memory (not shown). In this embodiment, the controller 230 includes a data management unit 231, a position estimation unit 232, an information provision unit 233, and a leader management unit 234.

[0056] (2) Data structure Figures 4A to 4F show examples of the configurations of the target table 240, operation setting table 250, area table 260, leader table 270, movement amount table 280, and tag detection table 290 of the management DB 220, respectively.

[0057] Referring to Figure 4A, the target table 240 has six data items: tag ID 241, item ID 242, name 243, type 244, area 245, and coordinates 246. Tag ID 241 is identification information that uniquely identifies the target tag 50 attached to each of the items 30 being managed. The value of tag ID 241 is the same as the value of the tag ID stored internally by the corresponding target tag 50. Item ID 242 is identification information that uniquely identifies each item 30. Name 243 represents the name of each item 30. Type 244 represents the type to which each item 30 is classified.

[0058] Area 245 represents the area where each item 30 was last detected by the tag reader 100, using an area ID that identifies that area. Coordinates 246 represent the position coordinates of the location where each item 30 is estimated to be located. The values ​​for Area 245 and Coordinates 246 are examples of location information. As will be explained later, this location information can be updated by the location estimation unit 232 when the movement of the item 30 is detected by the tag reader 100.

[0059] The operation setting table 250 holds operation setting data that defines the setting values ​​to be applied to the tag reader 100. In this embodiment, a plurality of candidate operation modes are predefined, and each operation mode is associated with a set of setting values ​​for the operation settings of the tag reader 100. Referring to Figure 4B, the operation setting table 250 has six data items: mode ID 251, output intensity 252, on time 253, off time 254, session type 255, and inventory mode 256. Mode ID 251 is identification information that uniquely identifies each operation mode. Output intensity 252 indicates the output intensity (also called output level) of electromagnetic waves during the reading operation in each operation mode. The output intensity value may be set to two levels, for example, "H: strong" and "L: weak," or it may be set to more levels. On time 253 and off time 254 indicate the duration of the output on and output off periods of the electromagnetic wave output cycle during the reading operation in each operation mode, respectively (for example, in milliseconds). Session type 255 indicates the session type value to be instructed to the RFID tag during the reading operation in each operating mode (e.g., "S0", "S1", "S2", or "S3"). Inventory mode 256 indicates the inventory flag condition of the RFID tag to respond during the reading operation in each operating mode (e.g., "A", "B", or "AB").

[0060] As can be understood from the above explanation, in the example of Figure 4B, the operation setting table 250 holds only read setting data related to read operations. In other examples, the operation setting table 250 may hold communication setting data related to communication settings in addition to or instead of read setting data.

[0061] Referring to Figure 4C, the area table 260 has seven data items: tag ID 261, area ID 262, name 263, coordinates 264, map image 265, scale 266, and operation mode 267. Tag ID 261 is identification information that uniquely identifies the location tag 40 installed in each of the areas 10 under the management of the system. The value of tag ID 261 is the same as the value of the tag ID stored internally by the corresponding location tag 40. Area ID 262 is identification information that uniquely identifies each area 10. Name 263 represents the name of each area 10. Coordinates 264 represents the location coordinates of the installation location of the location tag 40 installed in each area 10. Map image 265 is a data item that stores map image data for each area 10. Map image data may be acquired from an external data source or uploaded and updated by the user at the necessary time. The scale 266 indicates the ratio used to convert distances on the map image 265 to distances in real space (for example, how many meters in real space one pixel of the image corresponds to). The operation mode 267 identifies the operation mode to be applied to the tag reader 100 in each area 10 using the mode ID registered in the operation setting table 250.

[0062] Referring to Figure 4D, the reader table 270 has four data items: reader ID 271, name 272, operation mode 273, and update flag 274. The reader ID 271 is identification information that uniquely identifies each tag reader 100 used in the system. The name 272 represents the name of each tag reader 100. The operation mode 273 identifies the operation mode associated with the most recently detected location tag 40 by each tag reader 100, using the mode ID registered in the operation setting table 250. The update flag 274 is a flag that indicates whether each tag reader 100 needs to update its operation mode from the current mode to a new mode.

[0063] Referring to Figure 4E, the movement amount table 280 is a table for storing records of measurement result data (hereinafter referred to as measurement result records) that show the measurement results of the movement amount received from the tag reader 100. The movement amount table 280 has three data items: measurement time 281, reader ID 282, and movement amount 283. The measurement time 281 represents the time when the measurement was performed for the measurement result shown by each measurement result record. The reader ID 282 is identification information that identifies the tag reader 100 that performed the measurement for the measurement result shown by each measurement result record. In the example in Figure 4E, the six records in the movement amount table 280 show the results of movement amount measurements performed by the tag reader 100, identified by reader ID "RD01", at six different times "T01" to "T06". The movement amount 283 represents the relative movement amount as a measurement result. Here, the movement amount 283 represents the relative movement amount in the form of a two-dimensional vector in a coordinate system in real space.

[0064] Referring to Figure 4F, the tag detection table 290 is a table for storing records of read result data received from the tag reader 100 (hereinafter referred to as read result records). The tag detection table 290 has four data items: read time 291, tag ID 292, reader ID 293, and detection location 294. The read time 291 represents the time when the tag ID was read for each read result record. The tag ID 292 represents the tag ID read for each read result record. The reader ID 293 is identification information that identifies the tag reader 100 that performed the tag reading for each read result record. In the example in Figure 4F, the first record in the tag detection table 290 indicates that the tag reader 100, identified by reader ID "RD01", read the tag ID "TGA" (for example, location tag 40a in area 10a) at time "T01". The second record indicates that the tag reader 100 read tag ID "TG01" (for example, the target tag 50a of item 30a) at time "T05". The third record indicates that the tag reader 100 read tag ID "TGB" (for example, the location tag 40b of area 10b) at time "T06". The detection location 294 represents the position coordinates of the location where the tag reader 100 was present at the time the tag was read from each target tag 50 (i.e., the detection location of each target tag 50). The detection location 294 in the reading result record for location tag 40 may be blank, or it may indicate the position coordinates of a known installation location.

[0065] Note that the configuration of the database managed by the management server 200 is not limited to the configuration described here. Two or more of the above-mentioned tables may be merged into one table, or one of the above-mentioned tables may be separated into two or more tables. Each table may have additional data items, or it may not have one or more of the above-mentioned data items.

[0066] For example, the operation setting table 250 may further have a data item for holding the set value of the receiving sensitivity, which is one of the setting parameters for the reading operation. Also, as shown in the modified example described later, the operation setting table 250 may have a data item for holding the set value of the setting parameter for the communication operation. Note that the setting parameter for the communication operation may be held in a separate setting table from the setting parameter for the reading operation.

[0067] (3) Data registration The data management unit 231 manages the data stored in the management DB 220 described above. For example, the data to be registered in the target table 240, operation setting table 250, area table 260, and leader table 270 is generated in advance by the user or engineer. The data management unit 231 may receive data files describing such data via the communication unit 210 and register the data in each table. The map image data for each area 10 may be data based on CAD (Computer-Aided Design) drawings, for example. The data management unit 231 may also provide a user interface (UI) for accepting data registration, modification, or deletion to, for example, the terminal device 90.

[0068] (4) Estimation of position The position estimation unit 232 adds each record of the measurement result data received from the tag reader 100 via the communication unit 210 to the movement amount table 280 as a measurement result record. The position estimation unit 232 also adds each record of the reading result data received from the tag reader 100 via the communication unit 210 to the tag detection table 290 as a reading result record. The position estimation unit 232 then estimates the current position of the tag reader 100 based on the relative movement amount of the tag reader 100 from the time the tag ID was read from the position tag 40 by the tag reader 100 and the known position of the position tag 40. The position estimation unit 232 also estimates the position of the item 30 to which the target tag 50 is attached, in response to the tag reader 100 reading the tag ID from the target tag 50. The estimated position of the item 30 may be, for example, equal to the current position of the tag reader 100 at the time the item 30 was detected. The position estimation unit 232 adds the position coordinates representing the estimated location of each item 30 (the target tag 50 attached to each item 30) to the detection location 294 column of the tag detection table 290. The position estimation unit 232 also determines which area 10 the latest location of each estimated item 30 belongs to, and updates the area ID of the determined area 10 and the position coordinates representing the latest location to the values ​​of area 245 and coordinate 246 in the target table 240.

[0069] For example, let (X0,Y0) be the relative movement of a tag reader 100 at the first time point in time when the tag ID is read from a location tag 40, and (U0,V0) be the position coordinates of the known installation location of the location tag 40. Also, let (X,Y) be the relative movement of the tag reader 100 at the second time point in time when the tag ID is read from a target tag 50 by the same tag reader 100. Then, the position (U,V) of the item 30 to which this target tag 50 is attached can be derived according to the following equation (1): (U,V)=(U0+(X-X0),V0+(Y-Y0)) (1) Equation (1) assumes the estimation of a two-dimensional position, but it is easy to extend this to three-dimensional position estimation. Furthermore, if the same target tag 50 is detected multiple times within a certain period, the position estimation unit 232 may estimate that the corresponding item 30 is located at the center of multiple estimated positions derived according to equation (1) (for example, the centroid position). In the item management system 1 according to this embodiment, the position of each item 30 is estimated in this way, and position information indicating the estimated position is stored in the management DB 220.

[0070] (5) Provision of location information The information provision unit 233 provides the terminal device 90 with location information for each item 30 in order to assist the user in determining the location of each item 30. For example, when the information provision unit 233 receives an information request from the terminal device 90 specifying a particular area 10, it may obtain location information for items 30 estimated to be located in the specified area 10 from the target table 240 and provide the obtained location information to the terminal device 90. In this case, the information provision unit 233 may also obtain map image data of the specified area 10 from the area table 260 and provide it to the terminal device 90. The terminal device 90 may, for example, display the location information of the items 30 on the screen by plotting the estimated locations of the items 30 on the map image of the specified area 10. Alternatively, when the information provision unit 233 receives an information request from the terminal device 90 specifying a particular item 30, it may obtain location information for the specified item 30 from the target table 240 and provide the obtained location information to the terminal device 90.

[0071] <1-4. Changing the operation settings of the tag reader> In this embodiment, the reader management unit 234 of the management server 200 manages the operation settings of the tag reader 100 based on the reading results reported from the tag reader 100 and the definition of the operation mode registered in the management DB 220.

[0072] Specifically, as described above, the management DB 220 holds operation setting data for operation settings to be applied to the tag reader 100 in the area 10 where the location tag 40 is installed, associated with the tag ID stored in each location tag 40. The control unit 111 of the tag reader 100 transmits the reading result data, including the tag ID read from the RFID tag by the reading unit 116, to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113. The reader management unit 234 of the management server 200 identifies the operation mode associated with the tag ID by referring to the area table 260 when the reading result data received from the tag reader 100 includes the tag ID of the location tag 40. The reader management unit 234 then obtains the operation setting data corresponding to the identified operation mode from the operation setting table 250 and transmits the obtained operation setting data to the tag reader 100. The control unit 111 of the tag reader 100 receives this operation setting data from the management server 200 via the communication unit 113 and sets the operation of the tag reader 100 according to the received operation setting data. The control unit 111 setting the operation of the tag reader 100 according to the operation setting data may include performing the initial operation of the tag reader 100 according to the operation setting data and changing the operation settings of the tag reader 100 according to the operation setting data.

[0073] The differences in the behavior of the tag reader 100 for each operating mode will be explained again with reference to Figure 4B. In the example in Figure 4B, when the operating mode identified by mode ID "M1" is selected, the output intensity is set to a relatively high level, and the on time within a 1-second output cycle is set to 100 milliseconds (i.e., high output and low frequency reading attempts). In addition, "S0" is selected as the session type, and the reader is instructed to respond only to RFID tags with inventory flag "A". This avoids redundant detection of the same RFID tag.

[0074] On the other hand, when the operating mode identified by mode ID "M2" is selected, the output intensity is set to a relatively low level, and the on-time within a 600-millisecond output cycle is set to 300 milliseconds (i.e., low output and high-frequency reading attempts). Also, "S1" is selected as the session type, and RFID tags with inventory flag "A" and RFID tags with inventory flag "B" are instructed to respond. Thus, redundant detection of the same RFID tag is permitted.

[0075] The operating settings to be applied to the tag reader 100 in each area 10 may be arbitrarily determined by considering various factors such as the environment of each area 10, the arrangement of the items 30, and the intended use of the location information. For example, in a warehouse where items 30 are densely arranged, it may be necessary to perform reading operations at a relatively high frequency while avoiding redundant detection. Also, if the distance from the passageway the user moves to the expected location of the item 30 is far, it may be necessary to try reading with high power or high sensitivity accordingly. The user or engineer will determine several candidate operating modes considering these factors, register the operating setting data in the operating setting table 250, and register the mode number of the operating mode to be used in each area 10 in the operating mode 267 of the area table 260. Subsequently, when the tag reader 100 approaches a location tag 40 installed in an area 10 and reads the tag ID of the location tag 40, the operating mode setting associated with the read tag ID will be reflected in the tag reader 100.

[0076] Figure 5 shows an example of the tag reader's movement path in a first scenario related to changing the tag reader's operation settings. In the first scenario, user 20a enters area 10a and patrols within area 10a, carrying the tag reader 100a along the movement path shown by the dotted line. At time T1, when user 20a passes through entrance / exit 11a, the tag reader 100a detects the location tag 40a and reads the tag ID "TGA" of the location tag 40a. The tag reader 100a transmits this reading result to the management server 200. The tag reader 100a then receives operation setting data for the operation mode "M1" associated with the tag ID "TGA" of the location tag 40a from the management server 200 and changes the reading operation settings according to the received operation setting data. Since items 30 are present at a low density in area 10a, the modified operation settings are intended to attempt reading at a relatively low frequency, thereby reducing the power consumption of the tag reader 100's battery.

[0077] In the first scenario, user 20a leaves area 10a, enters area 10b, and patrols within area 10b. At time T2, when user 20a passes through entrance / exit 11b, tag reader 100a detects location tag 40b and reads the tag ID "TGB" of location tag 40b. Tag reader 100a transmits this reading result to management server 200. Tag reader 100a then receives operation setting data for operation mode "M2" associated with the tag ID "TGB" of location tag 40b from management server 200 and changes the reading operation settings according to the received operation setting data. Since items 30 are present at a high density in area 10b, the changed operation settings are intended to attempt reading at a relatively high frequency, thereby enabling comprehensive detection of items 30.

[0078] <1-5. Processing Flow> (1) Processing in the tag reader Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a read control process that can be performed by the tag reader 100 in this embodiment. The read control process in Figure 6 is started when the user 20 turns on the power of the tag reader 100. In the following description, 'S' is an abbreviation for a processing step.

[0079] First, in S111, the control unit 111 and other units of the tag reader 100 are activated in response to the power being turned on. Next, in S112, the control unit 111 sets the setting parameters for the operation settings of the tag reader 100 to their default values.

[0080] Next, in S113, the reader unit 116 attempts to read information from the RFID tag according to the current reading operation settings. For example, the reader unit 116 outputs electromagnetic waves at a set output intensity during the on-time in an output cycle consisting of on-time and off-time. At this time, the session type and inventory mode may also be instructed to the RFID tag. The reader unit 116 then detects the response signal returned from the RFID tag with a set reception sensitivity.

[0081] In S114, the control unit 111 determines whether or not a response signal has been detected from the RFID tag. If a response signal is detected, in S115, the control unit 111 transmits the read result data, including the tag ID obtained from the response signal, to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113. If no response signal is detected from the RFID tag, S115 may be skipped.

[0082] Regardless of whether a response signal is detected from the RFID tag, in S116, the measurement unit 114 measures the relative movement of the tag reader 100 from the reference position. Then, in S117, the control unit 111 transmits measurement result data indicating the measured relative movement to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113.

[0083] Next, in S121, the control unit 111 determines whether or not it has received an instruction from the management server 200 to change the operating mode. If an instruction to change the operating mode is received, in S122, the control unit 111 changes the values ​​of the setting parameters for the operation settings of the tag reader 100 according to the operation setting data received along with the instruction. If no instruction to change the operating mode is received, S122 is skipped.

[0084] The processing steps S113 to S122 are repeated until the operation to turn off the power is detected by the operation unit 115 in S123. When the operation to turn off the power is detected, the read control process shown in Figure 6 ends.

[0085] (2) Processing on the management server Figure 7A is a flowchart showing an example of the data reception process that can be executed by the management server 200 in this embodiment. The data reception process in Figure 7A is initiated when read result data is received from a tag reader 100 via the communication unit 210.

[0086] First, in S131, the position estimation unit 232 stores the reading result data received from the tag reader 100 into the tag detection table 290. The subsequent processing branches in S132 depending on whether the RFID tag detected by the tag reader 100 is a position tag 40 or a target tag 50. If a position tag 40 is detected, the process proceeds to S134. On the other hand, if a target tag 50 is detected, the process proceeds to S133.

[0087] If the target tag 50 is detected, in S133, the position estimation unit 232 estimates the position of the item 30 to which the detected target tag 50 is attached, based on the reading result data and measurement result data received from the tag reader 100, according to the above-described formula (1). The position estimation unit 232 then updates the position information of the item 30 held in the management DB 220.

[0088] If a location tag 40 is detected, in S134, the reader management unit 234 identifies the operating mode for the area 10 where the detected location tag 40 is installed by referring to the area table 260.

[0089] Next, in S135, the leader management unit 234 determines whether the tag reader 100 should change its operating mode. For example, the leader management unit 234 determines that the operating mode should be changed if the identified operating mode is different from the current operating mode 273 of the tag reader 100 indicated by the operating mode 273 in the leader table 270.

[0090] If it is determined that the operating mode should be changed, in S136, the reader management unit 234 writes the mode number of the identified operating mode to the operating mode 273 of the reader table 270 and switches the value of the update flag 274 of the reader table 270 to "True". Then, the data reception process shown in Figure 7A is completed.

[0091] Figure 7B is a flowchart showing an example of the data transmission process flow that can be executed by the management server 200 in this embodiment. The data transmission process in Figure 7B may be executed following the data reception process in Figure 7A.

[0092] First, in S141, the reader management unit 234 refers to the update flag 274 of the reader table 270. Next, in S142, the reader management unit 234 determines whether or not to change the operating mode of the tag reader 100. For example, if the update flag 274 for the target tag reader 100 indicates "True", the reader management unit 234 determines that the operating mode of the tag reader 100 should be changed. On the other hand, if the update flag 274 for the target tag reader 100 indicates "False", the reader management unit 234 determines that it is not necessary to change the operating mode of the tag reader 100. If it is not necessary to change the operating mode, steps S143 to S145 are skipped.

[0093] In S143, the reader management unit 234 obtains operation setting data from the operation setting table 250 that corresponds to a new operation mode identified by the mode number indicated by the operation mode 273 of the reader table 270. Next, in S144, the reader management unit 234 transmits the obtained operation setting data to the tag reader 100 via the communication unit 210, instructing the tag reader 100 to set its operation according to the operation setting data. Next, in S145, the reader management unit 234 switches the value of the update flag 274 of the reader table 270 to "False". Then, the data transmission process in Figure 7B is completed.

[0094] <1-6. Summary of the First Embodiment> According to the first embodiment described in this section, the operation of the tag reader that attempts to read information from the RFID tag is set according to operation setting data obtained based on the information read from the location tag. Therefore, the operation settings of the tag reader can be automatically changed to suit the use case at each work location without the user having to manually change the operation settings of the tag reader. This reduces the workload on the user and improves the efficiency of work for managing and tracking items.

[0095] Furthermore, the tag reader sets the reading operation for reading information from RFID tags according to the reading setting data obtained based on the information read from the location tag. Therefore, the balance between the tag detection performance and battery life of the tag reader can be automatically optimized at each work site.

[0096] Furthermore, the tag reader can communicate with a management server that holds operational configuration data associated with the tag ID of the location tag, and receives operational configuration data associated with the tag ID of the detected location tag from the management server. With this configuration, the operational configuration of the tag reader appropriate for the area in which each location tag is installed can be managed commonly for multiple tag readers by the management server. For example, if there is a change in the operational configuration appropriate for a certain area, the operational configuration data held by the management server can be updated, and the updated operational configuration data can be provided in a timely manner to tag readers that subsequently enter that area.

[0097] Furthermore, it is not necessary for all location tags to be associated with specific operation settings. For example, the operation mode 267 in the area table 260 may indicate that the operation setting is arbitrary for a certain location tag 40 (and the corresponding area 10) (for example, by leaving it blank or by a value such as "Any"). When a tag reader 100 enters an area 10 where the operation setting is arbitrary, the reader management unit 234 does not need to change the operation mode of the tag reader 100, or it may instruct the tag reader 100 to reset the operation setting to the default value. This makes it possible to use operation settings that match the characteristics of the tag reader 100 in situations where the characteristics of the tag reader 100 should take precedence over the use cases for each area.

[0098] Furthermore, although this section mainly describes an example in which the area table 260 of the management DB 220 plays a role in maintaining the correspondence between the tag ID read from the location tag 40 and the mode ID of the operating mode, the technology relating to this disclosure is not limited to such an example. For example, the memory of the location tag 40 may have a mode ID of an operating mode suitable for the area 10 in which the location tag 40 is installed written in advance. In this case, the tag reader 100 can send the mode ID read from the location tag 40 to the management server 200 and receive the operation setting data associated with the mode ID from the management server 200.

[0099] <2. Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment described in this section, a tag reader 300 is introduced that autonomously changes its operating settings without requiring a query to the management server 200. The item management system 1 according to the second embodiment may be configured in the same way as the item management system 1 according to the first embodiment, except that the tag reader 300 described below is used instead of the tag reader 100.

[0100] <2-1. Example of Tag Leader Configuration> The tag reader 300, like the tag reader 100, is a reader capable of reading information stored in an RFID tag. The tag reader 300 may also be capable of measuring the relative amount of movement from a reference position. The tag reader 300 provides the results of tag reading and movement measurement to the management server 200. The tag reader 300 may also be capable of instructing RFID tags operating in the UHF band to specify the session type and inventory mode.

[0101] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the tag reader 300 according to this embodiment. Referring to Figure 8, the tag reader 300 comprises a control unit 311, a storage unit 312, a communication unit 113, a measurement unit 114, an operation unit 115, a reading unit 116, and a power supply unit 117.

[0102] The control unit 311 consists of a memory for storing computer programs and one or more processors for executing computer programs. Similar to the control unit 111 of the tag reader 100 according to the first embodiment, the control unit 311 controls the overall functions of the tag reader 300. In addition, in this embodiment, the control unit 311 functions as an operation setting unit 330, which will be described later.

[0103] The storage unit 312 may include any type of storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory like ROM or RAM, an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. In this embodiment, the storage unit 312 stores the reading result data, the measurement result data, the reader ID of the tag reader 300, and the values ​​of one or more setting parameters for setting the operation of the tag reader 300. When the tag reader 300 is powered on, the values ​​of each setting parameter may be default values.

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage unit 312 pre-stores a setting table 320. The setting table 320 is a table that holds operation setting data for the tag reader 300 in association with the tag ID stored in the location tag 40. The operation setting data may include at least one of read setting data and communication setting data. Examples of setting parameters for read settings and setting parameters for communication settings are as described in the first embodiment.

[0105] Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the setting table 320. Referring to Figure 9, the setting table 320 has six data items: tag ID 321, output intensity 322, on time 323, off time 324, session type 325, and inventory mode 326. Tag ID 321 is the tag ID that identifies each of the location tags 40 that the tag reader 300 may detect. Output intensity 322, on time 323, off time 324, session type 325, and inventory mode 326 are the same data items as output intensity 252, on time 253, off time 254, session type 255, and inventory mode 256 in the operation setting table 250 of Figure 4B, respectively.

[0106] As can be understood from the above explanation, in the example of Figure 9, the configuration table 320 holds only read configuration data related to read operations. In other examples, the configuration table 320 may hold communication configuration data related to communication settings in addition to or instead of read configuration data.

[0107] When the reading unit 116 detects an RFID tag, the operation setting unit 330 determines whether the tag ID of the detected RFID tag is registered in the setting table 320. If the tag ID of the detected RFID tag is registered in the setting table 320, the operation setting unit 330 retrieves operation setting data corresponding to that tag ID from the setting table 320. Then, the operation setting unit 330 sets the operation of the tag reader 300 according to the retrieved operation setting data.

[0108] The contents of the setting table 320 are predetermined according to the conditions of the area 10 where each position tag 40 is installed, and are written to the storage unit 312. The contents of the setting tables 320 for multiple tag readers 300 may differ from each other to accommodate the differences in the characteristics of each tag reader 300. If there is a change in the operation settings suitable for a particular area, the contents of the setting table 320 may be rewritten.

[0109] <2-2. Processing Flow> Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a read control process that can be performed by the tag reader 300 in this embodiment. The read control process in Figure 10 is started when the user 20 turns on the power of the tag reader 300.

[0110] First, in S211, the control unit 311 and other units of the tag reader 300 are activated in response to the power being turned on. Next, in S212, the operation setting unit 330 sets the setting parameters for the operation settings of the tag reader 300 to their default values.

[0111] Next, in S213, the reading unit 116 attempts to read information from the RFID tag according to the current reading operation settings. The reading unit 116 then detects the response signal sent back from the RFID tag.

[0112] In S214, the control unit 311 determines whether or not a response signal has been detected from the RFID tag. If a response signal is detected, the process proceeds to S215. On the other hand, if no response signal is detected, the process proceeds to S231.

[0113] In S215, the control unit 311 determines whether the tag ID obtained from the response signal is registered in the setting table 320. If the obtained tag ID is registered in the setting table 320, the process proceeds to S219. On the other hand, if the obtained tag ID is not registered in the setting table 320, steps S219 and S220 are skipped.

[0114] In S219, the operation setting unit 330 obtains operation setting data corresponding to the tag ID (of the position tag 40) obtained from the response signal from the setting table 320. Then, in S220, the operation setting unit 330 changes the values ​​of the setting parameters for the operation setting of the tag reader 300 according to the acquired operation setting data. Then the process proceeds to S221.

[0115] In S221, the control unit 311 transmits reading result data, which indicates the result of reading information from the RFID tag by the reading unit 116, to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113.

[0116] Next, in S231, the measurement unit 114 measures the relative movement of the tag reader 300 from the reference position. Then, in S232, the control unit 311 transmits the measurement result data indicating the measured relative movement to the management server 200 via the communication unit 113.

[0117] The processing steps S213 to S232 are repeated until the operation to turn off the power is detected by the operation unit 115 in S240. When the operation to turn off the power is detected, the read control process shown in Figure 10 ends.

[0118] If multiple RFID tags are detected in S213, the reading result data for those RFID tags may be sent collectively to the management server 200 in S221. The changes to the operation settings in S215 to S220 may be made based on the tag ID read from one selected location tag 40, or they may be made iteratively based on the tag IDs read from all location tags 40.

[0119] <2-3. Summary of the second embodiment> According to the second embodiment described in this section, the operation of the tag reader that attempts to read information from the RFID tag is set according to operation setting data obtained based on the information read from the location tag. Therefore, the operation settings of the tag reader can be automatically changed to suit the use case at each work location without the user having to manually change the operation settings of the tag reader. This reduces the workload on the user and improves the efficiency of work for managing and tracking items.

[0120] Furthermore, the tag reader sets the reading operation for reading information from RFID tags according to the reading setting data obtained based on the information read from the location tag. Therefore, the balance between the tag detection performance and battery life of the tag reader can be automatically optimized at each work site.

[0121] Furthermore, the tag reader pre-stores candidate operation setting data in memory, associated with the tag ID stored in the location tag. It dynamically retrieves the operation setting data corresponding to the tag ID of the detected location tag from memory and changes its own operation setting. With this configuration, the tag reader can autonomously and responsively change its own operation setting without being constrained by the communication environment. It is also possible to differentiate the operation settings according to the individual characteristics of the tag reader.

[0122] <3. Various variations> Various modifications can be conceivable from the first and second embodiments described above. This section will describe such modifications.

[0123] <3-1. First variation> When multiple location tags are installed relatively close together, or when the reading range of the tag reader is expanded due to the presence of a metallic object that easily reflects electromagnetic waves, the likelihood of the tag reader detecting multiple location tags in a short time increases. In response to this, the first modification described in this section provides additional setting change conditions for changing the operation settings of the tag reader in response to the detection of location tags. That is, when the tag reader reads a tag ID from a location tag, it is determined whether a predetermined setting change condition is met, and when it is determined that the setting change condition is met, the operation of the tag reader is set according to the operation setting data obtained based on the tag ID.

[0124] Figure 11 shows an example of the tag reader's movement path in a second scenario related to a change in the tag reader's operating settings. In the example in Figure 11, areas 10c and 10d are set up in real space. A location tag 40c is installed near the entrance / exit of area 10c, and a location tag 40d is installed near the entrance / exit of area 10d. In the second scenario, user 20a enters area 10d and patrols within area 10d, carrying the tag reader 100a along the movement path shown by the dotted line. However, because location tags 40c and 40d are installed relatively close to each other, the tag reader 100a detects both location tags 40c and 40d near the entrance / exit of area 10d.

[0125] Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the reading results in the second scenario. The records in the tag detection table 290 shown in Figure 12 are arranged chronologically from top to bottom. Here, the tag detection table 290 has an additional data item called received strength 295. Received strength 295 represents the received strength of the response signal detected when reading the tag ID for each reading result record. The reader ID "RD01" is identification information that identifies the tag reader 100a. The symbol P is attached to the right of the tag detection table 290 in Figure 12. A , P B and P C This corresponds to the same symbol in Figure 11 and represents the point where the tag reader 100a read each read result record.

[0126] In the example shown in Figure 12, the tag leader 100a is at point P A At time "T11", the tag ID "TGC" of location tag 40c is read, and at time "T12", the tag ID "TGD" of location tag 40d is read. Next, the tag reader 100a reads location P B At time "T13", the tag ID "TGD" of location tag 40d is read. Next, the tag reader 100a reads location P C In this case, the tag ID "TGD" of location tag 40d is read at time "T14", and the tag ID "TGC" of location tag 40c is read at time "T15". If the tag reader 100a does not detect location tag 40d again after time "T15", the operating mode of the tag reader 100a will remain set to the operating mode for area 10c, even though the tag reader 100a is being used in area 10d. Normally, the received strength of electromagnetic waves from an RFID tag decreases as the distance from the RFID tag increases. However, if the tag reader 100 is located at a point where multiple reflected electromagnetic waves from an RFID tag overlap, it is possible that a more distant RFID tag may be detected with a particularly high received strength. Also, if an object that blocks electromagnetic waves happens to pass between the tag reader 100 and a nearby RFID tag, it is possible that the tag reader 100 may not detect the nearby RFID tag, and instead detect a more distant RFID tag. The setting change conditions introduced in this modified example are intended to avoid incorrect operation settings in such situations.

[0127] In the following description, the operation setting unit 330 of the tag reader 300 described in the second embodiment will be assumed to determine whether the setting change conditions are met. However, the same determination may be made by the control unit 111 of the tag reader 100 in the first embodiment, or by the reader management unit 234 of the management server 200. The same applies to the second and third modified examples described later.

[0128] In this modified example, the setting change condition is a condition related to the received intensity of the response signal received from the RFID tag. For example, the operation setting unit 330 sets the operation of the tag reader 300 according to operation setting data obtained based on the tag ID of a location tag 40 when the received intensity of the response signal from a location tag 40 is greater than a predetermined threshold. Since the received intensity of the response signal from a location tag 40 increases as the distance between the tag reader 300 and the location tag 40 decreases, incorporating the received intensity into the setting change condition can avoid setting an incorrect operation mode due to the detection of a distant location tag 40. For example, in the scenarios of Figures 11 and 12, if the threshold for received intensity is -55dB, then only the detection of location tag 40d at time "T13" will trigger a change in the operation setting.

[0129] Figure 13A is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a read control process that can be executed by the tag reader 300 in the first modified example. The read control process in Figure 13A has the same flow as the read control process described using Figure 10, except that a conditional judgment at S216 is added as a processing branch when a position tag 40 is detected.

[0130] If it is determined in S215 that the tag ID included in the response signal from the location tag 40 is registered in the setting table 320, the process proceeds to S216. In S216, the operation setting unit 330 determines whether the received signal strength of the response signal is above a predetermined threshold. If the received signal strength of the response signal is above the threshold, the process proceeds to S219. If the received signal strength of the response signal is below the threshold, S219 and S220 are skipped.

[0131] In S219, the operation setting unit 330 obtains operation setting data corresponding to the tag ID included in the response signal from the position tag 40 from the setting table 320. Then, in S220, the operation setting unit 330 changes the values ​​of the setting parameters for the operation setting of the tag reader 300 according to the obtained operation setting data.

[0132] <3-2. Second variation> In the second modified example described in this section, additional setting change conditions are provided for changing the operation settings of the tag reader in response to the detection of a location tag. In this modified example, the setting change conditions are conditions related to the number of times a response signal received from an RFID tag is received. For example, the operation setting unit 330 sets the operation of the tag reader 300 according to operation setting data obtained based on the tag ID of a location tag 40 when a response signal from a certain location tag 40 is detected more times than a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time window. The predetermined time window may be, for example, a certain period in the past ending at the timing of the determination. Response signals from location tags 40 should be detected more frequently the closer the distance between the tag reader 300 and the location tag 40. Therefore, by incorporating the number of times a response signal is received into the setting change conditions, it is possible to avoid the detection of a distant location tag 40 mistakenly triggering a change in the operation settings. For example, in the scenarios of Figures 11 and 12, if the threshold for the number of receptions is 3, then only the detection of location tag 40d at time "T14" will trigger a change in the operation settings.

[0133] Figure 13B is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the read control process that can be executed by the tag reader 300 in the second modified example. The read control process in Figure 13B has the same flow as the read control process described using Figure 10, except that a conditional judgment in S217 is added as a processing branch when a location tag 40 is detected. In addition, the operation setting unit 330 has an added processing step S222, which maintains a counter for the number of receptions for each location tag 40 in the storage unit 312 and updates the counter.

[0134] If it is determined in S215 that the tag ID included in the response signal from the location tag 40 is registered in the setting table 320, the process proceeds to S217. In S217, the operation setting unit 330 determines whether the number of times a response signal has been received from the same location tag 40 within a predetermined time window is equal to or greater than a threshold. If the number of received response signals is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to S219. If the number of received response signals is less than the threshold, S219 and S220 are skipped.

[0135] In S219, the operation setting unit 330 obtains operation setting data corresponding to the tag ID included in the response signal from the position tag 40 from the setting table 320. Then, in S220, the operation setting unit 330 changes the values ​​of the setting parameters for the operation setting of the tag reader 300 according to the obtained operation setting data.

[0136] In S222, the operation setting unit 330 updates the reception count counter for each location tag 40. For example, the counter for the location tag 40 detected in S213 is incremented. The counter for the location tag 40 that triggered the change in operation settings because the reception count reached a threshold is reset to zero. The counter for the location tag 40 whose past response signal reception time has fallen outside the time window due to the passage of time is decremented.

[0137] <3-3. Third Variation> In the third modified example described in this section, additional setting change conditions are provided for changing the operation settings of the tag reader in response to the detection of a location tag. In this modified example, the setting change conditions are conditions related to a predetermined user operation for enabling the setting change. For example, when a location tag 40 is detected after a predetermined user operation is detected in the tag reader 300, the operation setting unit 330 sets the operation of the tag reader 300 according to the operation setting data obtained based on the tag ID of the location tag 40. The predetermined user operation may be any operation on the operation unit 115 of the tag reader 300. The operation setting unit 330 may maintain a flag in the storage unit 312 indicating whether or not a predetermined user operation has been performed. This flag may be switched from "False" to "True" when a predetermined user operation is performed, and may be reset to "False" when the power of the tag reader 300 is turned off. The above flag may be reset to "False" when a predetermined user operation for invalidating the setting change is detected, a predetermined time period has elapsed since the user operation, or the operation setting is changed in response to the detection of the location tag 40.

[0138] Figure 13C is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a read control process that can be executed by the tag reader 300 in the third modified example. The read control process in Figure 13C has the same flow as the read control process described using Figure 10, except that a conditional judgment at S218 is added as a processing branch when a position tag 40 is detected.

[0139] If it is determined in S215 that the tag ID included in the response signal from the location tag 40 is registered in the setting table 320, the process proceeds to S218. In S218, the operation setting unit 330 determines whether a predetermined user operation has been detected, for example by referring to the flag described above. If a predetermined user operation has been detected, the process proceeds to S219. If a predetermined user operation has not been detected, S219 and S220 are skipped.

[0140] In S219, the operation setting unit 330 obtains operation setting data corresponding to the tag ID included in the response signal from the position tag 40 from the setting table 320. Then, in S220, the operation setting unit 330 changes the values ​​of the setting parameters for the operation setting of the tag reader 300 according to the obtained operation setting data.

[0141] In this modified version, the tag reader's operating settings are only changed when the user explicitly performs a user action to enable the setting change, thus preventing the tag reader's operating settings from changing at times unintended by the user.

[0142] <3-4. Fourth Variation> In the fourth modified example described in this section, additional setting change conditions are provided for changing the operation settings of the tag reader in response to the detection of a location tag. In this modified example, the setting change conditions are conditions related to the elapsed time between the activation of the tag reader and the reception of a response signal from the location tag. For example, if a location tag 40 is detected before a predetermined time has elapsed since the tag reader 300 was activated, the operation setting unit 330 sets the operation of the tag reader 300 according to the operation setting data obtained based on the tag ID of the location tag 40. On the other hand, even if a location tag 40 is detected after a predetermined time has elapsed since the tag reader 300 was activated, the operation setting unit 330 does not change the operation settings of the tag reader 300.

[0143] In this modified version, the user can change the tag reader's operating settings as intended by activating the tag reader and bringing it close to the desired location tag when they intend to change the tag reader's operating settings (for example, when they are about to start working in a certain area).

[0144] <3-5. Fifth variation> In the fifth modified example described in this section, additional setting change conditions are provided for changing the operation settings of the tag reader in response to the detection of a location tag. In this modified example, the setting change conditions are related to the elapsed time between the last change in the operation settings of the tag reader and the reception of a response signal from the location tag. For example, the operation setting unit 330 does not change the operation settings of the tag reader 300 even if a location tag 40 is detected before a predetermined time has elapsed since the last change in the operation settings of the tag reader 300. On the other hand, if a location tag 40 is detected after a predetermined time has elapsed since the last change in the operation settings of the tag reader 300, the operation setting unit 330 sets the operation of the tag reader 300 according to the operation setting data obtained based on the tag ID of the location tag 40.

[0145] This modified version avoids the situation where the tag reader's operating settings are changed excessively frequently due to the repeated detection of the same or different location tags within a short period of time.

[0146] <3-6. Sixth Variation> In the sixth modified example described in this section, additional setting change conditions are provided for changing the operation settings of the tag reader in response to the detection of a location tag. In this modified example, the setting change conditions are conditions related to the time when a response signal is received from the location tag. For example, if a location tag 40 is detected at a time that belongs to a predetermined time period between a certain start time and an end time, the operation setting unit 330 sets the operation of the tag reader 300 according to the operation setting data obtained based on the tag ID of the location tag 40. On the other hand, even if a location tag 40 is detected at a time that does not belong to the above time period, the operation setting unit 330 does not change the operation settings of the tag reader 300.

[0147] In this modified version, the tag reader's operating settings can only be changed during specific time periods when the user is expected to set up the tag reader. This prevents the tag reader's operating settings from changing at times unintended by the user.

[0148] The setting change conditions for the first to sixth variations described above may be combined in any way.

[0149] <3-7. Seventh Variation> In the first and second embodiments, examples were mainly described in which the operation setting data includes read setting data related to the read operation. However, the solutions of the embodiments and modifications described above are also applicable to communication settings related to the communication operation.

[0150] For example, the tag reader 300 includes a communication unit 113 that transmits the results of a reading operation by the reading unit 116 to the management server 200. The setting table 320 includes, in addition to or instead of, reading setting data, communication setting data related to the communication operation in the communication unit 113. The communication setting data includes, for example, destination data indicating the destination of the reading operation results, and connection data for connecting to a relay device that relays the reading operation results. The operation setting unit 330 acquires the communication setting data based on the information read from the location tag 40 and sets the communication operation of the tag reader 300 according to the acquired communication setting data.

[0151] Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the area-specific communication settings in this modified example. The item management system 2 shown in Figure 14 is a system that manages the location or status of managed items, similar to the item management system 1 shown in Figure 1. The item management system 2 includes location tags 40, target tags 50, terminal devices 90, tag readers 300a to 300e, and management servers 200a and 200b.

[0152] In the example shown in Figure 14, multiple areas 10e and 10f are set up in real space. Location tags 40e are installed near the entrances and exits of area 10e. Location tags 40f are installed near the entrances and exits of area 10f. In addition, multiple items 30 exist in areas 10e and 10f.

[0153] Management servers 200a and 200b are server devices having the same configuration as management server 200. Management server 200a can communicate with devices located in area 10e via relay device 80a and manages items 30 located in area 10e. Management server 200b can communicate with devices located in area 10f via relay device 80b and manages items 30 located in area 10f. Relay devices 80a and 80b are, for example, wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access points.

[0154] The configuration table 320 for the tag reader 300 (tag readers 300a to 300e) has at least two records pre-registered. The first record is associated with the tag ID of the location tag 40e and holds the SSID and password required to configure the connection with the relay device 80a, as well as the URL for accessing the management server 200a. The second record is associated with the tag ID of the location tag 40f and holds the SSID and password required to configure the connection with the relay device 80b, as well as the URL for accessing the management server 200b.

[0155] In one scenario, tag readers 300a to 300e are assumed to have been used in area 10e during the previous work opportunity. The communication units 113 of tag readers 300a to 300e are configured to communicate with the management server 200a via relay device 80a along the communication path C1 shown by the dashed line in the figure. In the next work opportunity, tag readers 300a to 300e are assumed to be used in area 10f. In this case, user 20 brings tag readers 300a to 300e into area 10f through the entrance / exit of area 10f with the power turned on. Then, each of the tag readers 300a to 300e detects the location tag 40f and automatically sets its respective communication operation according to the communication setting data obtained from the setting table 320 based on the tag ID read from the location tag 40f. As a result, the communication settings of tag readers 300a to 300e are changed to communicate with the management server 200b via relay device 80b along communication path C2.

[0156] In this modified version, the communication settings of the tag reader are automatically changed to match the communication environment of the area where the tag reader is used, thereby reducing the user's workload required for communication settings and improving work efficiency.

[0157] <3-8. Eighth Variation> In the first and second embodiments, examples were mainly described in which operation setting data is obtained based on information read from location tags installed in real space. However, none of the embodiments or modified solutions described above are limited to such examples. For example, operation setting data may be obtained based on information read from user tags that move with the user.

[0158] Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the changes in the operation settings in this modified example. The item management system 3 shown in Figure 15 is a system that manages the location or state of managed items, similar to the item management system 1 shown in Figure 1. The item management system 3 includes target tags 50, user tags 60, terminal devices 90, tag readers 100, and a management server 400.

[0159] In the example in Figure 15, multiple areas 10g and 10h are set up in real space. No location tags are installed in areas 10g and 10h. Multiple items 30 exist in areas 10g and 10h.

[0160] Users 20a and 20b share the tag reader 100. For example, user 20b receives the tag reader 100 used by user 20a, enters area 10h, and carries the tag reader 100 while performing tasks for item management.

[0161] User tag 60a is a passive tag that moves with user 20a (for example, is attached by user 20a). User tag 60b is a passive tag that moves with user 20b. Each of user tags 60a and 60b stores unique identification information (for example, a tag ID) in its internal memory.

[0162] The management server 400 is a server device having the same configuration as the management server 200. However, in this modified example, the management DB 220 of the management server 400 includes a user tag table 460 in addition to or instead of the area table 260.

[0163] Figure 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the user tag table 460. Referring to Figure 16, the user tag table 460 has three data items: tag ID 461, user ID 462, and operation mode 463. Tag ID 461 is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the user tags 60 under the management of the system. The value of tag ID 461 is the same as the value of the tag ID stored internally by the corresponding user tag 60. User ID 462 is identification information that identifies the user 20 who carries each user tag 60. Operation mode 463 identifies the operation mode that should be applied to the tag reader 100 when each user 20 uses the tag reader 100, using the mode ID registered in the operation setting table 250. Note that the area table 260 and the user tag table 460 may be integrated into a common table that maintains the correspondence between tag ID and operation mode.

[0164] When the reading unit 116 of the tag reader 100 detects a user tag 60, the control unit 111 transmits the reading result data, including the tag ID read from the user tag 60, to the management server 400. The reader management unit 234 of the management server 400, if the reading result data received from the tag reader 100 includes the tag ID of the user tag 60, refers to the user tag table 460 to identify the operating mode associated with that tag ID. The reader management unit 234 then obtains the operating setting data corresponding to the identified operating mode from the operating setting table 250 and transmits the obtained operating setting data to the tag reader 100. The control unit 111 of the tag reader 100 receives this operating setting data from the management server 400 and changes the operating settings of the tag reader 100 according to the received operating setting data.

[0165] By changing the tag reader's operating settings based on the information read from the user tag, the tag reader's operating settings can be automatically adjusted to suit the individual user's needs without the user having to manually change them. For example, when a user stays near an item for an extended period, the electromagnetic wave output intensity and frequency may be set to a low level, while when a user passes by at a distance from the item, the electromagnetic wave output intensity and frequency may be set to a high level.

[0166] <4. Other Embodiments> The above embodiment can also be implemented in the form of a process in which a program that implements one or more functions is supplied to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0167] The disclosures herein include at least the following reading devices and information processing devices. (Item 1) A reading device, A reading method for reading information from passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags, A control means that acquires operation setting data based on the information read from the RFID tag by the reading means, and sets the operation of the reading device according to the acquired operation setting data, A reading device equipped with [a specific feature]. (Item 2) The operation setting data includes read setting data related to the read operation in the read means, The control means sets the reading operation according to the reading setting data. The reading device described in item 1. (Item 3) The aforementioned reading device, A communication means for communicating with an external device that holds the operation setting data in association with the identification information stored in the RFID tag. Furthermore, The control means is The identification information read from the RFID tag by the reading means is transmitted to the external device via the communication means. The operation setting data associated with the identification information is received from the external device via the communication means. By doing so, the aforementioned operation setting data is obtained. The reading device described in item 1 or 2. (Item 4) The aforementioned reading device, A storage means that stores the operation setting data in advance in association with the identification information stored in the RFID tag. Furthermore, The control means obtains the operation setting data associated with the identification information read from the RFID tag by the reading means from the storage means. The reading device described in item 1 or 2. (Item 5) The reader according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the control means determines whether predetermined setting change conditions are met when the reading means reads the information from the RFID tag, and when it is determined that the predetermined setting change conditions are met, sets the operation of the reader according to the operation setting data obtained based on the information read from the RFID tag. (Item 6) The reader according to item 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the received intensity of the response signal received from the RFID tag. (Item 7) The reader according to item 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the number of times a response signal is received from the RFID tag. (Item 8) The reading device described in item 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to user operations that enable the setting change. (Item 9) The reader according to item 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the elapsed time between the activation of the reader and the reception of a response signal from the RFID tag. (Item 10) The reader according to item 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the elapsed time between the previous setting change of the reader and the reception of a response signal from the RFID tag. (Item 11) The reader according to item 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the time at which a response signal is received from the RFID tag. (Item 12) The RFID tag is a reader device installed in the physical space, as described in any one of items 1 to 11. (Item 13) The RFID tag is moved along with the user using the reader, as described in any one of items 1 to 11. (Item 14) The data of the aforementioned reading settings is The output intensity of the electromagnetic wave output during the aforementioned reading operation, The frequency of output of electromagnetic waves that are output during the aforementioned reading operation, The output time ratio of the electromagnetic waves output during the aforementioned reading operation, The receiving sensitivity to the response signal received in the aforementioned reading operation, The session type to be instructed to the RFID tag in the aforementioned reading operation, and The conditions for the inventory flag of the RFID tag to respond in the aforementioned reading operation, A reader according to item 2, comprising at least one of the following. (Item 15) The aforementioned reading device, A communication means for communicating the result of the reading operation by the reading means to another device. Furthermore, The operation setting data includes communication setting data related to the communication operation in the communication means, The control means sets the communication operation according to the communication setting data. A reading device as described in any one of items 1 through 14. (Item 16) The aforementioned communication settings data is The destination data indicating the destination of the result of the reading operation, and Connection data for connecting to a relay device that relays the results of the aforementioned reading operation, A reader according to item 15, comprising at least one of the following: (Item 17) The reading device according to any one of items 1 to 16, wherein the control means setting the operation of the reading device according to the operation setting data includes the control means changing the operation settings of the reading device according to the operation setting data. (Item 18) A reader device that reads information from a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag and a communication means for communicating with it, A control means that can access a database that maintains a correspondence between the information stored in the RFID tag and operation setting data to be used for setting the operation of the reader device, Equipped with, The control means is The information read from the RFID tag by the reader is received via the communication means. The operation setting data corresponding to the received information is obtained from the database. The acquired operation setting data is transmitted to the reading device, thereby instructing the reading device to set the operation according to the operation setting data. Information processing device.

[0168] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0169] 1,2,3: Item management system, 5: Network, 10(10a,10b,...): Area, 20(20a,20b): User, 30(30a,30b,...): Item, 40(40a,40b,...): Location tag, 50(50a,50b,...): Target tag, 60(60a,60b): User tag, 90: Terminal device, 100(100a,100b),300(300a~300e): Tag reader, 111,311: Control unit, 115: Communication unit, 116: Reading unit, 200(200a,200b),400: Management server, 230: Controller, 250: Operation setting table, 260: Area table, 320: Setting table, 330: Operation setting unit, 460: User tag table

Claims

1. A reading device, A reading method for reading information from passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags, A control means that acquires operation setting data based on the information read from the RFID tag by the reading means, and sets the operation of the reading device according to the acquired operation setting data, A reading device equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The operation setting data includes read setting data related to the read operation in the read means, The control means sets the reading operation according to the reading setting data. The reading device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned reading device, Communication means for communicating with an external device that holds the operation setting data in association with the identification information stored in the RFID tag, Furthermore, The control means is The identification information read from the RFID tag by the reading means is transmitted to the external device via the communication means. The operation setting data associated with the identification information is received from the external device via the communication means. By doing so, the aforementioned operation setting data is obtained. The reading device according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned reading device, A storage means that stores the operation setting data in advance in association with the identification information stored in the RFID tag. Furthermore, The control means obtains the operation setting data associated with the identification information read from the RFID tag by the reading means from the storage means. The reading device according to claim 1.

5. The reader according to claim 1, wherein the control means determines whether predetermined setting change conditions are met when the information is read from the RFID tag by the reading means, and when it is determined that the predetermined setting change conditions are met, sets the operation of the reader according to the operation setting data obtained based on the information read from the RFID tag.

6. The reader according to claim 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the received intensity of the response signal received from the RFID tag.

7. The reader according to claim 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the number of times a response signal is received from the RFID tag.

8. The reading device according to claim 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to user operations that enable the change of the settings.

9. The reader according to claim 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the elapsed time between the activation of the reader and the reception of a response signal from the RFID tag.

10. The reader according to claim 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the elapsed time between the previous change in the settings of the reader and the reception of a response signal from the RFID tag.

11. The reader according to claim 5, wherein the setting change conditions include conditions related to the time at which a response signal is received from the RFID tag.

12. The RFID tag is installed in the physical space, as described in claim 1.

13. The RFID tag moves with the user using the reader according to claim 1.

14. The data of the aforementioned reading settings is The output intensity of the electromagnetic wave output during the aforementioned reading operation, The frequency of output of electromagnetic waves that are output during the aforementioned reading operation, The output time ratio of the electromagnetic waves output during the aforementioned reading operation, The receiving sensitivity to the response signal received in the aforementioned reading operation, The session type to be instructed to the RFID tag in the aforementioned reading operation, and The conditions for the inventory flag of the RFID tag to respond in the aforementioned reading operation, The reading device according to claim 2, comprising at least one of the following.

15. The aforementioned reading device, A communication means for communicating the result of the reading operation by the reading means to another device. Furthermore, The operation setting data includes communication setting data related to the communication operation in the communication means, The control means sets the communication operation according to the communication setting data. The reading device according to claim 1.

16. The aforementioned communication settings data is The destination data indicating the destination of the result of the reading operation, and Connection data for connecting to a relay device that relays the results of the aforementioned reading operation, The reading device according to claim 15, comprising at least one of the following.

17. The reading device according to claim 1, wherein the control means setting the operation of the reading device according to the operation setting data includes the control means changing the operation settings of the reading device according to the operation setting data.

18. A reader device that reads information from a passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag and a communication means for communicating with it, A control means that can access a database that maintains a correspondence between the information stored in the RFID tag and operation setting data to be used for setting the operation of the reader, Equipped with, The control means is The information read from the RFID tag by the reader is received via the communication means. The operation setting data corresponding to the received information is obtained from the database. The acquired operation setting data is transmitted to the reading device, thereby instructing the reading device to set the operation according to the operation setting data. Information processing device.

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