Control system and control program

Abstract

To provide a control system for switching a virtual switch, using a RF tag, capable of operating the virtual switch as an alternate type switch regardless of a type of the RF tag or presence / absence of a holder.SOLUTION: A control system comprises: a reading part for reading ID information from a RF tag; a collation part for performing collation to the ID information read by the reading part; and a switching part for switching an off state and an on state of the virtual switch. The switching part can execute alternate operation processing. In the alternate operation processing, the switching part switches the state of the virtual switch from the off state to the on state when collation to the ID information on the collation part succeeds, and maintains the on state of the virtual switch even when reading of the ID information on the reading part stops, then, if the same ID information is read again on the reading part, returns the state of the virtual switch to the off state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for controlling switching of a virtual switch. [Background technology]

[0002] Mechanical switches such as push buttons are classified into momentary switches and alternate switches. A momentary switch is a switch that turns on when pressed and returns to the off state when the pressing operation is released. An alternate switch is a switch that turns on when pressed, maintains the on state even when the pressing operation is released, and returns to the off state when pressed again. Such alternate switches are applied to switches that need to maintain the on state for a long period of time, such as a main power switch.

[0003] Furthermore, among the above-mentioned mechanical switches, there are key switches that can be switched between on and off only when a key is inserted. With a key switch, only a specific user who possesses the key is given the authority to operate the switch. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-155507 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, technology (RFID technology) that reads ID (identifier) ​​information from an RF (Radio Frequency) tag and performs verification against the read ID information has been used in various technical fields (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] In view of these recent circumstances, the present inventor is proceeding with development to create a virtual switch in a control system by software instead of a mechanical switch, and to realize a momentary type switch or an alternate type switch by using the above-mentioned RFID technology in the virtual switch. In addition, the present inventor is considering using RFID technology to grant the operation authority for the virtual switch only to specific users who have RF tags.

[0007] Here, a momentary switch can be easily realized using RFID technology as follows: When an RF tag reader reads ID information from an RF tag (i.e., an RF tag is held up to an RF tag reader) and matching with the ID information of the RF tag is successful, a virtual switch is switched from off to on, and when the RF tag reader no longer reads ID information from the RF tag, the virtual switch is returned to the off state, thereby realizing a momentary switch.

[0008] As a further application, for example, when the RF tag is a fob type, an alternate type switch can be realized by providing an RF tag reader with a holder that can hold the RF tag in a held-up state. In other words, while the RF tag is inserted into the holder, even if the user removes his / her hand from the RF tag, the RF tag can continue to be held over the RF tag reader, so that the virtual switch can be maintained in the on state.

[0009] However, in cases where the RF tag cannot be inserted into the holder (when using a type of RF tag that cannot be inserted into a holder, such as a card-type RF tag) or when there is no holder, if one tries to keep the virtual switch in the on state, it becomes necessary to take measures such as attaching the RF tag to the reading surface of the RF tag reader with adhesive tape in order to keep the RF tag in front of the RF tag reader, which imposes a burden on the user.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable a virtual switch in a control system that uses an RF tag to operate as an alternate type switch regardless of the type of RF tag or the presence or absence of a holder. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The control system according to the present invention includes a reading unit that reads ID information from an RF tag, a matching unit that performs matching on the ID information read by the reading unit, and a switching unit that switches a virtual switch between an off state and an on state. The switching unit is capable of executing an alternate operation process. In the alternate operation process, the switching unit switches the virtual switch from an off state to an on state when the matching unit has successfully matched the ID information, and maintains the virtual switch in an on state even when the reading unit no longer reads the ID information, and thereafter, when the reading unit reads the same ID information again, returns the virtual switch to an off state.

[0012] According to the above control system, when an RF tag is held over the reading section, the virtual switch is switched from the OFF state to the ON state, regardless of the type of RF tag or the presence or absence of a holder, and the virtual switch is maintained in the ON state until the same RF tag is held over the reading section again. Therefore, the virtual switch can be operated as an alternate type switch, regardless of the type of RF tag or the presence or absence of a holder.

[0013] In the above control system, the switching unit may be capable of selectively executing an alternate operation process and a momentary operation process. In the momentary operation process, the switching unit switches the virtual switch from an off state to an on state when the matching unit has successfully matched the ID information, and then returns the virtual switch to the off state when the reading unit no longer reads the ID information. According to this configuration, when the momentary operation process is selected, the virtual switch switches from an off state to an on state only for a temporary period during which the RF tag is held over the reading unit. Therefore, the virtual switch can be operated as a momentary type switch.

[0014] The control system may further include a first reception unit that receives a user's selection of whether the switching unit is to execute an alternate operation process or a momentary operation process. With this configuration, the user can operate the virtual switch as an alternate type switch or as a momentary type switch depending on the application.

[0015] In the above control system, the switching unit may continue to maintain the virtual switch in the on state during the alternate operation process, even if the reading unit reads ID information from another RF tag. According to this configuration, during the period in which the virtual switch is maintained in the on state as a result of reading the ID information from the RF tag and verifying the ID information, even if an RF tag other than the RF tag is held over the reading unit, the virtual switch will not return to the off state.

[0016] In the above control system, the switching unit may be set with a maintenance time for maintaining the virtual switch in the on state after switching the virtual switch to the on state in the alternate operation process. Then, after switching the virtual switch to the on state in the alternate operation process, if the same ID information is read again by the reading unit before the maintenance time has elapsed, the switching unit may return the virtual switch to the off state, and may also return the virtual switch to the off state if the maintenance time has elapsed without the reading of the same ID information by the reading unit. According to this configuration, even if the user forgets to hold the same RF tag over the reading unit again after the RF tag that has been successfully matched is removed from in front of the reading unit, when a certain time (maintenance time) has elapsed, the virtual switch returns to the off state, and a new operation can be accepted. This prevents unnecessary restrictions on other users' operations on the target device.

[0017] The control system may further include a second reception unit that receives a setting of the maintenance time by a user. With this configuration, the user can change the maintenance time depending on the application.

[0018] The control program according to the present invention is a program for causing a processing device to execute an alternate operation process, in which the processing device switches a virtual switch from an off state to an on state when a match is successful with ID information read from an RF tag by a reading unit, and maintains the virtual switch in the on state even when the reading unit no longer reads the ID information, and thereafter, returns the virtual switch to the off state when the reading unit reads the same ID information again. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, in a control system that uses an RF tag to switch a virtual switch, it is possible to operate the virtual switch as an alternate type switch regardless of the type of RF tag or the presence or absence of a holder. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a control system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an RF tag reader. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection screen. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart showing a collation process in a momentary operation mode. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a switching process in a momentary operation mode. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the contents of the control process in a momentary operation mode. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing a verification process in an alternate operation mode. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing a switching process in an alternate operation mode. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the contents of the control process in an alternate operation mode. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a switching process in an alternate operation mode executed by a control system according to a first modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram visualizing the contents of a control process in a momentary operation mode executed by a control system according to a second modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a control system according to a fifth modified example. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a screen (registration / deletion screen) displayed on a programmable display device. [Figure 15] 13(A) to 13(C) are diagrams sequentially showing changes in the registration / deletion screen that occur in response to operations when registering ID information. [Figure 16A]13 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing (reception processing and registration processing) in the programmable display device and the RF tag reader executed in response to an operation when registering ID information. [Figure 16B] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the reception process and the registration process. [Figure 16C] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the reception process and the registration process. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a list of registered ID information. [Figure 18] 13A and 13B are diagrams sequentially showing the changes in the registration / deletion screen that occur as a result of operations when deleting ID information. [Figure 19A] 13 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing (acceptance processing and deletion processing) in the programmable display device and the RF tag reader executed in response to an operation when deleting ID information. [Figure 19B] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the reception process and the deletion process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] [1] Control system configuration FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a control system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the control system of this embodiment includes an RF tag reader 1, a management device 2, and an information processing device 3, which are connected via a network 50. The control system of this embodiment causes the RF tag reader 1 to function as a virtual switch constructed by software. Hereinafter, a case where the RF tag reader 1 functions as a virtual switch by executing a program by itself will be specifically described. Note that this is not limited to the case where the RF tag reader 1 itself executes a program, and the RF tag reader 1 may function as a virtual switch by being controlled by the management device 2 (for example, by operating according to a command transmitted from the management device 2) by the management device 2 operating as a host device for the RF tag reader 1 (see the fourth modified example [3-4] described later).

[0022] [1-1] RF tag reader 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RF tag reader 1. As shown in FIGS.

[0023] <Reading section> The reading unit 11 is detachably attached to the communication unit 12 and has a reading surface 110 that reads ID information from the RF tag 100 by transmitting and receiving radio waves. Here, the RF tag 100 is classified into a fob type and a card type. In this embodiment, the reading surface 110 is provided with a holder 112 that can hold the fob type RF tag 100 in a held-up state. Note that the reading surface 110 of the reading unit 11 may not have the holder 112, and the reading unit 11 with or without the holder 112 may be selectively attached to the communication unit 12 depending on the application.

[0024] The reading unit 11 also has a light-emitting unit 113 that notifies the user of the collation result of the read ID information by changing the color of light or blinking. The light-emitting unit 113 is configured, for example, with an LED (Light Emitting Diode). In this embodiment, a plurality of light-emitting units 113 (for example, four) are provided around the reading unit 11, and they include a white LED, a red LED, and a green LED. The configuration of the light-emitting unit 113 is not limited to this, and may be appropriately changed depending on the number of types and contents of information to be notified to the user.

[0025] <Communication unit> The communication unit 12 has a control unit 121, a storage unit 122, and a communication interface 124 used for connection to the network 50. Here, the communication unit 12 may be compatible with a communication protocol called Modbus TCP, which is one of the open protocols. In this case, the communication unit 12 is able to communicate (transmit and receive data) with the management device 2, which will be described later, using Modbus TCP. Note that the communication unit 12 is not limited to Modbus TCP, and may be compatible with an open protocol such as EtherNet / IP or CC-Link IE Field Basic.

[0026] The control unit 121 is a part configured with a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Device), and performs matching on the ID information read by the reading unit 11 (matching process). Specifically, when the reading unit 11 intermittently transmits radio waves and the RF tag 100 responds to the radio waves, and the reading unit 11 receives ID information from the RF tag 100, the control unit 121 performs matching on the ID information. The storage unit 122 stores ID information that is preregistered as ID information that can be matched (hereinafter, referred to as "registered ID information"), and when the ID information read by the reading unit 11 matches any of the registered ID information in the storage unit 122, the control unit 121 transmits the matching result to the management device 2. Details of the matching process will be described later.

[0027] The control unit 121 also causes the RF tag reader 1 to function as a virtual switch constructed by software. Here, this virtual switch is switched between an OFF state and an ON state based on the result of matching the ID information in the RF tag reader 1, and the control of the switching (switching process) is performed by the control unit 121.

[0028] In the switching process, the control unit 121 selects and executes either a process for operating the virtual switch as an alternate type switch (alternate operation process) or a process for operating the virtual switch as a momentary type switch (momentary operation process). In this embodiment, of these two operation processes, the one accepted by a accepting unit 31 (see FIG. 1) of the information processing device 3 described later is executed by the RF tag reader 1. The details of the switching process will be described later.

[0029] In this embodiment, the matching process and the switching process are executed by a matching section 121A and a switching section 121B built in the control section 121 (see FIG. 2). Here, these processing sections are configured by software by having the control section 121 execute a program. Such a program may be stored in a portable storage device (e.g., a flash memory or the like) in a readable state, or may be saved in another server or the like so as to be downloadable, and the downloaded program may be stored in the storage section 122 of the communication unit 12. Note that the control section 121 may control not only the matching process and the switching process, but also other operations of the RF tag reader 1 (such as the light emitting operation of the light emitting section 113).

[0030] [1-2] Management device The management device 2 is a control device such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), and communicates with the RF tag reader 1 and the information processing device 3. If the RF tag reader 1 supports an open protocol such as Modbus TCP, the management device 2 also uses the same communication protocol as the open protocol used by the RF tag reader 1 so that communication between the RF tag reader 1 and the management device 2 is possible using the open protocol. The management device 2 controls the target device based on information acquired through communication with the RF tag reader 1 and the information processing device 3. As an example, the management device 2 switches between permission / prohibition of operations (such as changing settings) on the target device using software. As another example, the management device 2 switches between two possible states of the target device (such as power on / off) using software.

[0031] [1-3] Information processing device The information processing device 3 is a processing device such as a personal computer (PC) that accepts a user's selection of whether the RF tag reader 1 (switching unit 121B) should execute alternate operation processing or momentary operation processing, and transmits information on the accepted operation processing to the RF tag reader 1 (reception processing).

[0032] Specifically, the information processing device 3 displays a screen (selection screen Ms) on the display unit 30 for selecting between these two operation processes, and accepts the operation process selected by the user on the selection screen Ms as the operation process to be executed by the RF tag reader 1.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the selection screen Ms. In the example of Fig. 3, a check box Bc is displayed for selecting whether or not to switch the momentary operation process to an alternate operation process as a default operation process to be executed by the RF tag reader 1. Note that the selection screen Ms is not limited to this example, and may be appropriately changed to a screen displayed in another way, such as a pull-down menu, as long as it allows selection of either the alternate operation process or the momentary operation process.

[0034] By selecting such an operation process, the user can operate the RF tag reader 1 as an alternate type switch or as a momentary type switch depending on the application.

[0035] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned reception process is executed by a reception unit 31 constructed in the information processing device 3 (see FIG. 1). Here, the reception unit 31 is a processing unit configured by software by making the information processing device 3 execute a program. Such a program may be stored in a portable storage device (e.g., a flash memory or the like) in a readable state, or may be saved in another server or the like so as to be downloadable, and the downloaded program may be stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the information processing device 3.

[0036] [2] Control processing executed by the control system Here, the control processes (the above-mentioned matching process and switching process) executed by the RF tag reader 1 (control unit 121) as control processes executed by the control system will be specifically explained in terms of a case where a momentary operation process is selected and accepted on the selection screen Ms (momentary operation mode) and a case where an alternate operation process is selected and accepted on the selection screen Ms (alternate operation mode).

[0037] [2-1] Momentary operation mode Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the collation process in the momentary operation mode. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the switching process in the momentary operation mode. Fig. 6 is a diagram visualizing the contents of these control processes.

[0038] <Matching process> In the collation process (see FIGS. 4 and 6), the collation unit 121A first transmits a first radio wave from the reading unit 11 (step S101). In step S101, in order to identify the time when the radio wave was transmitted, the time (current time T) is substituted into a variable T1.

[0039] If the RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110 at the timing when the radio waves are transmitted in step S101, the RF tag 100 responds to the radio waves and transmits its own ID information, and the reading unit 11 receives the ID information from the RF tag 100. After executing step S101, the matching unit 121A determines whether the reading unit 11 has received the ID information from the RF tag 100 (step S102).

[0040] Then, the collation unit 121A transmits a radio wave from the reading unit 11 every time a predetermined time Tc1 (e.g., 0.3 seconds) elapses until it can determine "received (Yes)" in step S102. Specifically, if the collation unit 121A determines "not received (No)" in step S102, it determines whether the difference between the current time T and the variable T1 (i.e., the elapsed time (T-T1) since the radio wave was transmitted in step S101) has reached the predetermined time Tc1 (step S111), and if it can determine "received (Yes)", it returns to step S101 and transmits the next radio wave.

[0041] If the matching unit 121A judges in step S102 that the ID information has been received (Yes), it performs matching against the received ID information (step S103). Specifically, the matching unit 121A judges whether the received ID information matches any of the registered ID information in the storage unit 122, and if the matching unit 121A judges that the ID information matches (Yes), the matching is successful, and if the matching unit 121A judges that the ID information does not match (No), the matching is unsuccessful. Note that FIG. 6 shows a case where the reader 11 receives the ID information at the second radio wave transmission (i.e., the RF tag 100 is held up at the time of the second radio wave transmission).

[0042] If the collation is "successful" in step S103, the collation unit 121A judges whether or not communication with the management device 2 is possible (step S104). If the collation unit 121A judges in step S104 that "communication is possible (Yes)", it generates a hold signal Sf (step S105). Here, the hold signal Sf is a signal for causing the switching unit 121B to hold the ID information that was successfully collated in step S103, and is also a signal for causing the switching unit 121B to transmit an on signal Son (a signal notifying that the ID information has been held) to the management device 2 that is in a communicable state.

[0043] After executing step S105, the collation unit 121A returns to step S101 to transmit the next radio wave. At this time, the collation unit 121A transmits the next radio wave from the reading unit 11 after a predetermined time Tc2 (e.g., 1 second) considering the time required for communication has elapsed so that the timing of transmission is after the communication with the management device 2 (information transmission to the management device 2) in step S203 (see FIG. 5) described later is completed. Specifically, the collation unit 121A determines whether the difference between the current time T and the variable T1 (i.e., the elapsed time (T-T1) since the radio wave was transmitted in step S101) has reached the predetermined time Tc2 (step S106), and if it can be determined that the "predetermined time Tc2 has been reached (Yes)", the collation unit 121A returns to step S101 to transmit the next radio wave.

[0044] On the other hand, if the matching unit 121A "fails" the matching in step S103, it notifies the user that the matching has failed by making the light-emitting unit 113 perform a predetermined light-emitting operation (step S112A), and then returns to step S101 via step S111, thereby transmitting the next radio wave from the reading unit 11 after a predetermined time Tc1 (e.g., 0.3 seconds) has elapsed. Also, if the matching unit 121A determines that "communication is not possible (No)" in step S104, it notifies the user that communication is not possible by making the light-emitting unit 113 perform a predetermined light-emitting operation (step S112B), and then returns to step S101 via step S111, thereby transmitting the next radio wave from the reading unit 11 after a predetermined time Tc1 (e.g., 0.3 seconds) has elapsed.

[0045] <Switching process> In the switching process (see FIGS. 5 and 6), the switching unit 121B first determines whether the collation unit 121A has generated a hold signal Sf (step S201), and repeatedly executes step S201 until it can determine that the signal has been generated (Yes).

[0046] If the switching unit 121B determines "generated (Yes)" in step S201, it holds the ID information that the matching unit 121A successfully matched in step S103 (step S202). Specifically, the switching unit 121B assigns the ID information that the matching unit 121A successfully matched to a variable Fd. Also, in step S202, in order to specify the time when the holding of the ID information started, the time (current time T) is assigned to a variable t1.

[0047] Thereafter, the switching unit 121B communicates with the management device 2 to transmit to the management device 2 the ID information successfully matched by the matching unit 121A, an on signal Son, information on the operation mode being executed (here, momentary operation mode), and the time for which the ID information is to be held (predetermined time tp1, for example, 1 second) (step S203). Here, the on signal Son is a signal for notifying the management device 2 that the ID information has been held. Note that the on signal Son may be generated by the switching unit 121B separately from the held signal Sf, or the held signal Sf may be used as is.

[0048] After executing step S203, the switching unit 121B continues to hold the ID information until a predetermined time tp1 has elapsed since the ID information was started to be held in step S202. Specifically, the switching unit 121B judges whether or not the difference between the current time T and the variable t1 (i.e., the elapsed time (T-t1) since the ID information was held in step S202) reaches the predetermined time tp1 (step S204), and continues to hold the ID information until it can be judged that the "predetermined time tp1 has been reached (Yes)". Then, when it can be judged that the "predetermined time tp1 has been reached (Yes)" in step S204, the switching unit 121B discards the held ID information, thereby ending the holding of the ID information (step S205). Specifically, the switching unit 121B erases the ID information substituted for the variable Fd. Thereafter, the switching unit 121B returns to step S201, and repeatedly executes the process from step S201.

[0049] When the management device 2 receives the information transmitted by the switching unit 121B in step S203, the management device 2 performs control corresponding to the state of ID information held by the switching unit 121B as control corresponding to the momentary operation mode. As one example, the management device 2 temporarily (for example, for a predetermined time tp1) permits an operation (such as changing settings) on the target device. As another example, the management device 2 temporarily (for example, for a predetermined time tp1) switches from one of two possible states of the target device (such as power on / off) to the other.

[0050] According to the control processing (matching processing and switching processing) in such momentary operation mode, when the RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110 and matching is successful with the ID information read from the RF tag 100, the RF tag reader 1 retains the ID information, and then discards the ID information when a predetermined time Tc2 has elapsed.

[0051] Therefore, by setting the state where the ID information is held (holding state) as the on state and the state where the ID information is discarded (discarding state) as the off state, the RF tag reader 1 functions as a virtual switch that switches between these states, and in the momentary operation mode, the state switches from the off state to the on state only for a temporary period when the RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110. That is, when the ID information is successfully matched, the virtual switch switches from the off state to the on state, and when the reading unit 11 no longer reads the ID information thereafter, the virtual switch automatically returns to the off state accordingly. Therefore, in the momentary operation mode, the virtual switch (i.e., the RF tag reader 1) can be operated as a momentary type switch. Also, according to such a control process, the operation authority for the virtual switch can be given only to a specific user who possesses an authorized RF tag 100.

[0052] Furthermore, in the momentary operation mode, when the ID information is being held (i.e., when the virtual switch is on), if the reader 11 reads the ID information of the same RF tag 100 again, the ID information is held again, and as a result, the time for which the virtual switch is in the on state is extended. Therefore, when the RF tag 100 is a fob type, by inserting the RF tag 100 into the holder 112, the RF tag 100 can be held over the reading surface 110 to keep the virtual switch in the on state, so that an alternate type switch can be realized as an application of the momentary operation mode.

[0053] However, in cases where the RF tag 100 cannot be inserted into the holder 112 (when a type of RF tag 100 that cannot be inserted into the holder 112, such as a card type, is used) or when the holder 112 is not present, if one tries to keep the virtual switch in the on state, it becomes necessary to take measures such as attaching the RF tag 100 to the reading surface 110 with adhesive tape in order to keep the RF tag 100 held over the reading surface 110, which imposes a burden on the user.

[0054] Therefore, in the control system of this embodiment, it is possible to perform control processing (matching processing and switching processing) in the alternate operation mode described below, so as to enable the virtual switch to operate as an alternate type switch regardless of the type of RF tag 100 or the presence or absence of a holder 112.

[0055] [2-2] Control processing in alternate operation mode Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the collation process in the alternate operation mode. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the switching process in the alternate operation mode. Fig. 9 is a diagram visualizing the contents of these control processes.

[0056] <Matching process> In the alternate operation mode (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 9), the collation unit 121A executes the same processes as steps S101 to S105 executed in the momentary operation mode, and then executes further processes different from those in the momentary operation mode. Note that the process following step S105 will be described later.

[0057] <Switching process> In the alternate operation mode (see Figs. 8 and 9), the switching unit 121B first determines whether the matching unit 121A has generated a hold signal Sf (step S401), as in the momentary operation mode, and repeats step S401 until it determines "yes (Yes)". If it determines "yes (Yes)" in step S401, the switching unit 121B holds the ID information that the matching unit 121A successfully matched in step S103 (step S402). Specifically, the switching unit 121B assigns the ID information that the matching unit 121A successfully matched to a variable Fd.

[0058] Thereafter, the switching unit 121B communicates with the management device 2 to transmit to the management device 2 the ID information that the matching unit 121A has successfully matched, the on signal Son, and information on the operating mode currently being executed (here, the alternate operating mode) (step S403).

[0059] In the alternate operation mode of this embodiment, the switching unit 121B continues to hold the ID information until the reader 11 reads the ID information of the same RF tag 100 again. When the management device 2 receives the information transmitted by the switching unit 121B in step S403, the management device 2 performs control corresponding to the holding state of the ID information by the switching unit 121B as control corresponding to the alternate operation mode. As an example, the management device 2 permits an operation (such as changing settings) on the target device and maintains that state. As another example, the management device 2 switches from one of two possible states of the target device (such as power on / off) to the other and maintains that state. The subsequent processing of step S403 will be described later.

[0060] <Matching process (continued)> After executing step S105, the matching unit 121A judges whether the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 is still held over the reading surface 110 or whether it has been removed from in front of the reading surface 110. Specifically, this is as follows. Note that Fig. 9 shows a case in which the RF tag 100 is held over the second radio wave transmission, and after the ID information of the RF tag 100 has been successfully authenticated, the RF tag 100 is removed from in front of the reading surface 110 before the third radio wave transmission.

[0061] First, the collation unit 121A executes the same process as that of transmitting the next radio wave via step S106 in the momentary operation mode (steps S301 and S302). In step S302, in order to specify the time of transmitting the radio wave, the time (current time T) is substituted into a variable T1. After executing step S302, the collation unit 121A executes steps S303 to S305.

[0062] In step S303, the matching unit 121A executes the same process as in step S102 (determining whether or not ID information has been received from the RF tag 100). If the matching unit 121A determines "received (Yes)" in step S303, the process proceeds to step S304 and executes the same process as in step S103 (matching the received ID information).

[0063] Here, if it is determined in step S303 that the signal has not been received (No), it can be determined that the RF tag 100 is not held over the reading surface 110. In other words, it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 has been removed from in front of the reading surface 110.

[0064] Furthermore, if the matching in step S304 "fails," it can be determined from the result that some RF tag 100 having unauthorized ID information is held over the reading surface 110. That is, it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 has been removed from in front of the reading surface 110 because another RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110. Note that, if the matching in step S304 fails, the same process as in step S112A (notifying the user) is executed in step S321.

[0065] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S303 that a signal has been received (Yes) and the matching in step S304 is "successful", it can be determined from these results that some RF tag 100 having ID information that is permitted by the matching is held over the reading surface 110. The RF tag 100 at that time is either the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103, or another RF tag 100 that is permitted.

[0066] Therefore, in order to determine which RF tag 100 it is, the matching unit 121A determines whether or not the ID information that has been "successfully" matched in step S304 matches the ID information (held ID information) held in the switching unit 121B (step S305). Specifically, the matching unit 121A determines whether or not the ID information that has been "successfully" matched in step S304 matches the ID information substituted for the variable Fd.

[0067] If the result of the determination in step S304 is "no match", it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that "succeeded" in the matching in step S304 is permitted but is different from the RF tag 100 that succeeded in the matching in step S103. That is, it can be determined that another RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110, and therefore it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that succeeded in the matching in step S103 has been removed from in front of the reading surface 110. If the determination in step S304 is "no match", the matching unit 121A does not accept the operation using the RF tag 100 at that time, and notifies the user that it cannot be accepted (i.e., that it already holds different ID information) by causing the light emitting unit 113 to perform a predetermined light emitting operation (step S322).

[0068] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S304 that there is a "match (Yes)", then it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was "successful" in the comparison in step S304 is the same as the RF tag 100 that was successful in the comparison in step S103. In other words, it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was successful in the comparison in step S103 is being held over the reading surface 110.

[0069] Therefore, when the matching unit 121A determines "match (Yes)" in step S304, it returns to step S302 via step S323, whereby the next radio wave is transmitted from the reading unit 11 after a predetermined time Tc1 (e.g., 0.3 seconds) has elapsed, and the processing from step S303 is executed again. Then, the matching unit 121A repeatedly executes the processing from steps S302 to S305 until the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 is removed from in front of the reading surface 110.

[0070] If the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 is removed from in front of the reading surface 110 (i.e., if it is determined that it has not been received (No) in step S303, or the match in step S304 has failed, or if it is determined that it does not match (No) in step S305), the matching unit 121A then determines whether the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 has been held up again over the reading surface 110. Specifically, this is as follows.

[0071] First, the collation unit 121A executes the same process as that for transmitting the next radio wave via step S323 (steps S306 and S307). In step S307, in order to identify the time of transmission of the radio wave, the time (current time T) is substituted into a variable T1. After executing step S307, the collation unit 121A executes steps S308 to S310.

[0072] In step S308, the matching unit 121A executes the same process as in step S303 (determining whether or not ID information has been received from the RF tag 100). If the matching unit 121A determines "received (Yes)" in step S308, it proceeds to step S309 and executes the same process as in step S304 (matching the received ID information). If the matching unit 121A determines "successful" in step S309, it proceeds to step S310 and executes the same process as in step S305 (determining whether or not the ID information matches the held ID information).

[0073] If it is determined in step S310 that there is a "match (Yes)", then it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was "successful" in the comparison in step S309 is the same as the RF tag 100 that was successful in the comparison in step S103. That is, it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was successful in the comparison in step S103 has been held over the reading surface 110 again. Note that Fig. 9 shows a case in which the same RF tag 100 is held over the tenth time radio waves are transmitted, and authentication of the ID information of that RF tag 100 is successful.

[0074] Therefore, when the collation unit 121A determines "match (Yes)" in step S310, it generates a discard signal Sg (step S311). Here, the discard signal Sg is a signal for causing the switching unit 121B to discard the ID information it holds, and is also a signal for causing the switching unit 121B to transmit an off signal Soff (a signal notifying that the ID information has been discarded) to the management device 2. Thereafter, the collation unit 121A returns to step S101, and repeatedly executes the processes from step S101.

[0075] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S308 that the signal has not been received (No), it can be determined that the RF tag 100 is not held over the reading surface 110. In other words, it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 has not yet been held over the reading surface 110.

[0076] Furthermore, if the matching in step S309 "fails," it can be determined from that result that some RF tag 100 having unauthorized ID information is held over the reading surface 110. That is, because another RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110, it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 has not yet been held over the reading surface 110. If the matching in step S309 fails, the same process as in step S321 (notifying the user) is executed in step S324.

[0077] Furthermore, if the result of the determination in step S310 is "no match", it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that "succeeded" in the comparison in step S309 is permitted but is different from the RF tag 100 that succeeded in the comparison in step S103. That is, it can be determined that another RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110, and therefore it can be determined that the RF tag 100 that succeeded in the comparison in step S103 has not yet been held over the reading surface 110. If the result of the determination in step S310 is "no match", similarly to step S322, the operation using the RF tag 100 at that time is not accepted (see other RF tags in FIG. 9), and the user is notified that it cannot be accepted (that is, that it already holds different ID information) (step S325).

[0078] In this way, if the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 has not yet been held over the reading surface 110 (i.e., if it is determined that "not received (No)" in step S308, or the match in step S309 has "failed", or it is determined that "no match (No)" in step S310), the matching unit 121A returns to step S307 via step S306, and transmits the next radio wave from the reading unit 11 after a predetermined time Tc1 (e.g., 0.3 seconds) has elapsed, and executes the process from step S308 again. Then, the matching unit 121A repeatedly executes the processes from steps S306 to S310 until the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 is held over the reading surface 110 again.

[0079] Therefore, even if an RF tag 100 other than the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 is held over the reading surface 110, the discard signal Sg is not generated, and therefore the switching unit 121B continues to retain the ID information of the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 without discarding it (see Figure 9).

[0080] <Switching process (continued)> After executing step S403, the switching unit 121B judges whether the matching unit 121A has generated a discard signal Sg (step S404), and repeats step S404 until it can judge "generated (Yes)". According to the judgment in step S404, a judgment of "generated (Yes)" can be used to judge that the same ID information has been read again by the reading unit 11 (i.e., the same RF tag 100 has been held up again), and a judgment of "not generated (No)" can be used to judge that the same ID information has not been read again by the reading unit 11 (i.e., the same RF tag 100 has not been held up again).

[0081] If the switching unit 121B determines in step S404 that the ID information has been generated (Yes), it discards the ID information it has stored, thereby ending the storage of the ID information (step S405). Specifically, the switching unit 121B erases the ID information substituted for the variable Fd.

[0082] After executing step S405, the collation unit 121A communicates with the management device 2 to transmit the discarded ID and an off signal Soff to the management device 2 (step S406). Here, the off signal Soff is a signal for notifying the management device 2 that the ID information has been discarded. Note that the off signal Soff may be generated by the switching unit 121B separately from the discard signal Sg, or the discard signal Sg may be used as is. Thereafter, the switching unit 121B returns to step S401 and repeatedly executes the processes from step S401.

[0083] When the management device 2 receives the information transmitted by the switching unit 121B in step S406, the management device 2 cancels the state maintained for the target device. As an example, when the management device 2 maintains a state in which operations (such as changing settings) for the target device are permitted, the management device 2 cancels the state and prohibits the operation. As another example, when the management device 2 maintains a state in which the target device has switched from one of two possible states (such as power on / off) to the other, the management device 2 cancels the state and returns the target device to its original state. As a result, the management device 2 executes control corresponding to the state in which the ID information is held by the switching unit 121B (here, control corresponding to the alternate operation mode).

[0084] According to such control processing (matching processing and switching processing) in the alternate operation mode, when the RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110 and matching with the ID information read from the RF tag 100 is successful, the RF tag reader 1 retains the ID information, and thereafter continues to retain the ID information until the RF tag 100 is again held over the reading surface 110. Then, when the RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110 again, the RF tag reader 1 discards the retained ID information.

[0085] Therefore, by setting the state in which the ID information is held (holding state) as the on state and the state in which the ID information is discarded (discarding state) as the off state, the RF tag reader 1 functions as a virtual switch that switches between these states, and in the alternate operation mode, the state is switched from the off state to the on state when the RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110, and the on state is maintained until the same RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110 again. That is, when the matching of the ID information is successful, the virtual switch is switched from the off state to the on state, and even if the reading unit 11 no longer reads the ID information, the virtual switch is maintained in the on state, and thereafter, when the reading unit 11 reads the same ID information again, the virtual switch returns to the off state. According to such a control process, the operation authority for the virtual switch can be given only to a specific user who possesses an authorized RF tag 100.

[0086] Moreover, such switching of the virtual switch is realized regardless of the type of RF tag 100 or the presence or absence of the holder 112. Therefore, according to the control system of this embodiment, the virtual switch (i.e., the RF tag reader 1) can be operated as an alternate type switch regardless of the type of RF tag 100 or the presence or absence of the holder 112.

[0087] Furthermore, in the alternate operation mode, during the period in which the ID information read from the RF tag 100 is being held, even if another RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110, the original ID information is maintained as it is (see FIG. 9). Therefore, even if another RF tag 100 is held over, the original ID information is not discarded and the virtual switch is not returned to the OFF state. That is, in the alternate operation mode, during the period in which the virtual switch is maintained in the ON state, the virtual switch is maintained in the ON state even if the reading unit 11 reads ID information from another RF tag 100.

[0088] [3] Variations [3-1] First modified example In the control system of the above embodiment, when the control process is being performed in the alternate operation mode, if the RF tag 100 that was successfully matched in step S103 (FIG. 7) is removed from in front of the reading surface 110 and the user forgets to hold the same RF tag 100 over the reading surface 110 again, the processes of steps S306 to S310 (FIG. 7) are repeatedly performed. Therefore, in the RF tag reader 1 that functions as a virtual switch, the ID information of the RF tag 100 remains held (i.e., the virtual switch remains on). In addition, in this situation, the ID information held by another RF tag 100 cannot be discarded (i.e., the virtual switch cannot be returned to the off state), so that the operation of the target device by other users is unnecessarily restricted.

[0089] Therefore, the above-mentioned control system may be modified to a configuration in which, after the ID information of the RF tag 100 is stored in step S402 (FIG. 8), the ID information is forcibly discarded if a certain time (maintenance time Tm, described later) has elapsed without the same RF tag 100 being held over the reading surface 110 again. A specific description will be given below.

[0090] 10 is a flow chart showing the switching process in the alternate operation mode executed by the control system according to the first modified example. In the control system of this modified example, a maintenance time Tm is set in the switching unit 121B. Here, the maintenance time Tm is the time during which the ID information of the RF tag 100 is maintained after being held in step S402. In other words, the maintenance time Tm is the time during which the on state of a virtual switch (i.e., the RF tag reader 1) is maintained after being switched to the on state in the alternate operation process.

[0091] Here, the setting of the maintenance time Tm is accepted by the information processing device 3. Specifically, the information processing device 3 displays a screen (setting screen Mt) for setting the maintenance time Tm on the display unit 30, and accepts the time set by the user on the setting screen Mt as the maintenance time Tm.

[0092] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a setting screen Mt. In the example of FIG. 11, in addition to the check box Bc, an input box Bi for inputting the maintenance time Tm is displayed on the selection screen Ms. This input box Bi is enabled for time input when the check box Bc is checked (i.e., when the alternate operation process is selected). In FIG. 11, the screen on which the check box Bc is checked and input to the input box Bi is enabled is shown as the setting screen Mt. Note that the setting screen Mt is not limited to this, and may be displayed by switching from the selection screen Ms when the alternate operation process is selected on the selection screen Ms, or may be displayed as a pop-up on the selection screen Ms.

[0093] When an alternate operation process is selected on the selection screen Ms and a maintenance time Tm is set on the setting screen Mt, the information processing device 3 accepts the setting of the maintenance time Tm in addition to the selection of the operation process, and transmits the accepted operation process and maintenance time Tm to the RF tag reader 1 (acceptance process). This acceptance process is also executed by the acceptance unit 31 built in the information processing device 3 (see FIG. 1).

[0094] In the switching process in the alternate operation mode in this modified example (see FIG. 10), in step S402, the switching unit 121B not only retains the ID information that the matching unit 121A successfully matched in step S103, but also assigns the time (current time T) to variable t2 to identify the time when the ID information started to be retained.

[0095] Then, after the information transmission to the management device 2 in step S403, if the reading unit 11 does not read the same ID information again before the retention time Tm has elapsed since the ID information was retained in step S402, the switching unit 121B forcibly discards the ID information.

[0096] Specifically, when the switching unit 121B determines in step S404 (determination of whether the collation unit 121A has generated the discard signal Sg) that the discard signal Sg has not been generated (No), the switching unit 121B determines whether the difference between the current time T and the variable t2 (i.e., the elapsed time (T-t2) since the ID information was held in step S402) has reached the retention time Tm (step S411). When the switching unit 121B determines in step S411 that the retention time Tm has not been reached (No), the processing returns to step S404. Then, steps S404 and S411 are repeatedly executed until the switching unit 121B determines in step S404 that the discard signal Sg has been generated (Yes) or the switching unit 121B determines in step S411 that the discard signal Sg has been generated (Yes).

[0097] If the switching unit 121B determines "generated (Yes)" in step S404, it discards the ID information it holds (step S405). Specifically, the switching unit 121B erases the ID information substituted for the variable Fd. As a result, when the same ID information is read again by the reading unit 11 (i.e., when the same RF tag 100 is held up again over the reading surface 110), the ID information is discarded, and as a result, the virtual switch (i.e., the RF tag reader 1) returns to the OFF state. After that, the collation unit 121A transmits information (such as an OFF signal Soff) to the management device 2 (step S406).

[0098] On the other hand, when the switching unit 121B determines in step S411 that "the maintenance time Tm has been reached (Yes)", even if it cannot determine in step S404 that "the ID information has been generated (Yes)", it forcibly discards the retained ID information (step S412). As a result, if a certain time (maintenance time Tm) has elapsed since the ID information of the RF tag 100 was retained without the same ID information being read again by the reading unit 11 (i.e., without the same RF tag 100 being held over the reading surface 110 again), the ID information is forcibly discarded, and as a result, the virtual switch (i.e., the RF tag reader 1) returns to the off state.

[0099] After execution of step S412, the switching unit 121B generates an end signal Sh (step S413), and then transmits information (such as an off signal Soff) to the management device 2 (step S406). Here, the end signal Sh is a signal for returning the matching process to step S101. Therefore, when the end signal Sh is generated in step S413, the matching unit 121A ends the repetition of steps S306 to S310 (FIG. 7) in the matching process, and returns to step S101.

[0100] Thus, in the alternate operation mode of this modified example, after the virtual switch is switched to the on state, if the same ID information is read again by the reading unit 11 before the maintenance time Tm has elapsed, the virtual switch returns to the off state, and also if the maintenance time Tm has elapsed without the reading of the same ID information by the reading unit 11, the virtual switch returns to the off state.

[0101] According to such control processing in the alternate operation mode, even if the user forgets to hold the same RF tag 100 over the reading surface 110 again after removing the successfully matched RF tag 100 from in front of the reading surface 110, the virtual switch returns to the off state after a certain period of time (maintenance time Tm) has elapsed, and new operations can be accepted. This prevents unnecessary restrictions on operations of other users on the target device.

[0102] Furthermore, in this modified example, since the maintenance time Tm can be appropriately set on the setting screen Mt, the user can change the maintenance time Tm according to the purpose.

[0103] [3-2] Second variant FIG. 12 is a diagram visualizing the contents of the control process in the momentary operation mode executed by the control system according to the second modified example. As shown in FIG. 12, in the above-mentioned control system, the momentary operation process is not limited to the single-shot mode in which a virtual switch (i.e., the RF tag reader 1) is temporarily turned on, but may be changed to a mode in which the single-shot mode is switched to a continuous mode when the RF tag 100 is held over the reading surface 110 for a long time and the reading unit 11 reads the same ID information during the retention period of the ID information of the RF tag 100. Here, the continuous mode is a mode in which the retention of the ID information retained in the single-shot mode is extended, so that the ID information is retained continuously for a predetermined time longer than that of the single-shot mode. In the continuous mode, the ID information is discarded when the predetermined time has elapsed (i.e., the on state is maintained for a predetermined time, and the state is automatically turned off when the predetermined time has elapsed).

[0104] [3-3] Third variant In the above-described control system, the selection of the operation processing (alternate operation processing and momentary operation processing) may not be limited to being accepted on the selection screen Ms (acceptance unit 31), but may be based on the type of RF tag 100 carried by the user and its ID information, etc.

[0105] [3-4] Fourth variant In the above-mentioned control system, at least one of the matching unit 121A and the switching unit 121B may be constructed in the management device 2. In this case, for various processes executed by the management device 2, the management device 2 operates as a host device for the RF tag reader 1, and the RF tag reader 1 performs the operation required at that time (for example, transmitting radio waves required for matching processing and reading ID information, etc.) according to the control by the management device 2 (for example, the control unit 121 controls the reading unit 11 according to a command transmitted from the management device 2). In this way, the RF tag reader 1 may function as a virtual switch by having part or all of its operations controlled by the management device 2, not limited to when it executes a program by itself.

[0106] [3-5] Fifth variant In the above-mentioned control system, the information processing device 3 can also be used as a processing device for registering or deleting ID information used in matching by the RF tag reader 1 (i.e., adding registered ID information to the storage unit 122 or deleting registered ID information from the storage unit 122). Generally, a notebook PC having software installed therein for registering or deleting ID information is used as such an information processing device 3. Then, each time it becomes necessary to register or delete ID information, the user brings the notebook PC to the site and connects it to the RF tag reader 1, and adds registered ID information to the storage unit 122 or deletes registered ID information from the storage unit 122 through the screen of the notebook PC.

[0107] However, in a control system in which ID information is registered or deleted using a notebook PC, the user is forced to take the notebook PC to the site each time it becomes necessary to register or delete ID information, which places a burden on the user.

[0108] Therefore, the above-mentioned control system may be appropriately modified to the following configuration. Fig. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a control system according to a fifth modified example. As shown in Fig. 13, a programmable display 32 may be used as the information processing device 3 instead of a notebook PC. The programmable display 32 may be permanently installed at the site together with the RF tag reader 1. Here, the programmable display 32 may have a function for registering or deleting ID information on a touch panel of a target device (such as a machine tool) installed at the site, or may be permanently installed at the site separately from such a touch panel.

[0109] In such a control system configuration, if the RF tag reader 1 supports an open protocol such as Modbus TCP, the programmable display 32 also uses the same communication protocol as the open protocol used in the RF tag reader 1, so that communication between the RF tag reader 1 and the programmable display 32 is possible using the open protocol.

[0110] Fig. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the programmable display 32. As shown in Fig. 14, a screen (registration / deletion screen Mu) for registering or deleting ID information is displayed on the programmable display 32 (display unit 30). In this modification, the registration / deletion screen Mu is a screen including buttons and display fields realized by software, and specifically includes a registration button, a deletion button, a change button, a cancel button, an update button, an ID information display field, a registration status display field, an authority information display field, an ID information display field, and a name display field.

[0111] Here, the ID information display field is a field in which the ID information transmitted from the RF tag reader 1 is displayed. The registration status display field is a field in which the registration status of the ID information displayed in the ID information display field is displayed. When the ID information is in a registered state (including a provisionally registered state), the display "registered" is lit, and when the ID information is in an unregistered state (including a deleted or provisionally deleted state), the display "not registered" is lit. The authority information display field is a field in which information on the authority granted to the ID information displayed in the ID information display field is displayed. As specific examples, the authority includes the authority to operate the target device, the authority to maintain the target device, the authority to change the settings of the target device, the authority to enter the room in which the target device is installed, and the like. The authority information is a number associated with each authority, and is composed of a smaller number of bits than the ID information. The name display field is a field in which a name associated with the ID information displayed in the ID information display field is displayed, and the name is a name or a job title, etc., which is easy for the user to recognize.

[0112] The programmable display 32 (reception unit 31) receives the registration or deletion operation performed by the user using the buttons and display fields in the above-described registration / deletion screen Mu, and transmits the received operation content to the RF tag reader 1 (reception process). Then, the RF tag reader 1 executes the processing (registration process or deletion process) necessary for the registration or deletion of the ID information according to the received operation content.

[0113] Hereinafter, an example of the registration or deletion operation procedure performed using the registration / deletion screen Mu and the processing in the programmable display 32 and the RF tag reader 1 executed according to the operation at that time will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0114] <Registration of ID information> Figs. 15(A) to 15(C) are diagrams showing in sequence the changes in the registration / deletion screen Mu caused by the operation when registering ID information. Also, Figs. 16A to 16C are flowcharts showing the processing (reception process and registration process) in the programmable display 32 and the RF tag reader 1 (mainly the control unit 121) executed according to the operation when registering ID information.

[0115] When registering ID information, the user first presses the registration button on the registration / deletion screen Mu to turn it on (see Fig. 15(A)). At this time, the programmable display 32 determines whether the registration button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S501 in Fig. 16A). If it can be determined that "pressed (Yes)" in step S501, a registration process command Sr1 for causing the RF tag reader 1 to execute the processing necessary for the registration of ID information is transmitted to the RF tag reader 1 (step S502 in Fig. 16A). In Fig. 15(A), the on state of the registration button is indicated by hatching. Hereinafter, in the drawings, the on state of other buttons will also be indicated by hatching in the same manner.

[0116] The RF tag reader 1 judges whether or not the registration process command Sr1 has been received (step S601 in FIG. 16A), and if it judges "received (Yes)" in step S601, it executes the process necessary for registering the ID information. Specifically, the RF tag reader 1 enables the reading of the ID information by the reading unit 11 (step S602 in FIG. 16A), and then judges whether or not the ID information has been read by the reading unit 11 (step S603 in FIG. 16A). In this state, the user makes the RF tag reader 1 read the ID information to be registered. Specifically, the user holds the RF tag 100 on which the ID information to be registered is recorded over the reading unit 11 of the RF tag reader 1, thereby making the RF tag reader 1 read the ID information. If the RF tag reader 1 determines in step S603 that "reading has occurred (Yes)", it determines whether the read ID information is unregistered or already registered by referring to the ID information (registered ID information) in the memory unit 122 (step S604 in FIG. 16A).

[0117] If the RF tag reader 1 determines in step S604 that the ID information is "unregistered", it can determine that the ID information may be permitted to be registered (i.e., added to the storage unit 122) because the ID information will not overlap with existing information in the storage unit 122 even if it is registered. In this case, the RF tag reader 1 temporarily sets the read ID information to a provisionally registered state (step S605 in FIG. 16A). Specifically, the RF tag reader 1 stores the read ID information in the RAM, and in this state, waits for either a real registration command signal Sr4 (see step S508 in FIG. 16B) for real registration (addition to the storage unit 122) or a cancellation signal Sr5 (see step S507C in FIG. 16B) for canceling the registration, while repeatedly executing steps S606A and 606B (see FIG. 16B). Furthermore, in step S605, the RF tag reader 1 transmits to the programmable indicator 32 the provisionally registered ID information and a provisional registration signal Sr2 for notifying the programmable indicator 32 that the ID information has been provisionally registered.

[0118] After transmitting the registration processing command Sr1 in step S502, the programmable display 32 judges whether or not the provisional registration signal Sr2 has been received from the RF tag reader 1 (step S503 in FIG. 16A). If the programmable display 32 judges "received (Yes)" in step S503, the programmable display 32 turns on the display of "completed" in the registration status display field on the registration / deletion screen Mu based on the received provisional registration signal Sr2, and displays the ID information received together with the provisional registration signal Sr2 in the ID information display field (step S504 in FIG. 16B; see FIG. 15(B)). Furthermore, since the provisionally registered ID information does not have associated authority information and name at this point, the programmable display 32 displays predetermined default values ​​in the authority information display field and name display field of the registration / deletion screen Mu (see FIG. 15(B)).

[0119] In such a registration / deletion screen Mu, the user can press the change button to turn it on as necessary, and then rewrite the values ​​in the authority information display field and name display field (see FIG. 15(C)). At this time, the programmable display device 32 judges whether the change button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S505 in FIG. 16B), and if it is judged to be "pressed (Yes)" in step S505, it validates input into the authority information display field and name display field (step S506 in FIG. 16B). In this state, the user can rewrite the values ​​in the authority information display field and name display field as necessary.

[0120] Thereafter, the user can confirm the contents finally displayed on the registration / deletion screen Mu by pressing the update button on the registration / deletion screen Mu. Alternatively, the user can cancel the registration (addition) of the ID information displayed on the registration / deletion screen Mu by pressing the cancel button. At this time, the programmable display device 32 judges whether the update button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S507A in FIG. 16B), and if it is judged that the button has been pressed (Yes) in step S507A, it transmits a main registration command signal Sr4 for executing the main registration to the RF tag reader 1 together with the authority information and name finally displayed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S508 in FIG. 16B). On the other hand, if the programmable display device 32 determines in step S507A that the button has not been pressed (No), it further determines whether the cancel button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S507B in FIG. 16B), and if it determines in step S507B that the button has been pressed (Yes), it sends a cancel signal Sr5 to the RF tag reader 1 to cancel the registration process (step S507C in FIG. 16B).

[0121] After setting the ID information to a provisionally registered state in step S605 (after transmitting the provisional registration signal Sr2), the RF tag reader 1 judges whether or not a formal registration command signal Sr4 has been received (step S606A in FIG. 16B). If the RF tag reader 1 judges "received (Yes)" in step S606A, the ID information set to the provisionally registered state and the authority information and name received together with the formal registration command signal Sr4 are added to the storage unit 122 in association with each other (step S607A in FIG. 16B). On the other hand, if the RF tag reader 1 judges "not received (No)" in step S606A, the RF tag reader 1 further judges whether or not a cancel signal Sr5 has been received (step S606B in FIG. 16B), and if the RF tag reader 1 judges "received (Yes)" in step S606B, the process up to that point is reset and the process returns to step S601 (step S607B in FIG. 16B).

[0122] Fig. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing a list of registered ID information (i.e., ID information stored in memory unit 122). In Fig. 17, each registered ID information is associated with a corresponding name (name and job title) and authority information (number indicating authority). In this way, by managing the registered ID information in a state in which the name and authority information are associated with each other, RF tag reader 1 becomes able to manage and control as follows.

[0123] When the RF tag reader 1 reads ID information from the RF tag 100 by holding the RF tag 100 over the reading unit 11, it can manage the system (manage users' entry and exit, operation history (traceability), etc.) by using the name associated with the read ID information in combination with the time when the ID information was read.

[0124] Furthermore, when the RF tag reader 1 transmits the result of matching for the ID information read by the reading unit 11 to the management device 2 (in the above embodiment, when transmitting the on signal Son to the management device 2 when the matching is "successful"), it can also transmit the authority information associated with the ID information to the management device 2 together with the matching result. Then, when the management device 2 receives the authority information together with the matching result, it can control the target device, etc., within the scope of the authority associated with the authority information. In this way, by managing the authority associated with each ID information using authority information composed of a smaller number of bits than the ID information, it is possible to simplify the processing required for control.

[0125] In step S604 of Fig. 16A, if the RF tag reader 1 determines that the read ID information is "already registered", the RF tag reader 1 can determine that if the read ID information is newly registered, it will overlap with existing information in the storage unit 122. Therefore, the RF tag reader 1 does not permit new registration (i.e., addition to the storage unit 122) of the ID information, and sets the ID information to a state in which only the authority information and name associated with it can be changed (changeable state) (step S611 of Fig. 16A). Specifically, if the RF tag reader 1 determines that the ID information is "already registered" in step S603, it reads the authority information and name associated with the read ID information from the storage unit 122 and stores the read information in the RAM together with the ID information. In this state, the RF tag reader 1 waits for either a change command signal Sr6 for rewriting the information (see step S516 in FIG. 16C) or a cancellation signal Sr5 for canceling the registration (see step S515C in FIG. 16C) to be transmitted from the programmable display 32 while repeatedly executing steps S612A and 612B (see FIG. 16C). Also, in step S611, the RF tag reader 1 transmits to the programmable display 32 the read ID information, an already-registered signal Sr3 for notifying that the ID information has already been registered, and the authority information and name already associated with the ID information.

[0126] After transmitting the registration processing command Sr1 in step S502, if the programmable display 32 determines in step S503 that the provisional registration signal Sr2 has not been received (No), it further determines whether or not the already-registered signal Sr3 has been received from the RF tag reader 1 (step S511 in FIG. 16A). If the programmable display 32 determines in step S511 that the provisional registration signal Sr2 has been received (Yes), it turns on the display of "Completed" in the registration status display field on the registration / deletion screen Mu based on the already-registered signal Sr3 received, and displays the ID information received together with the already-registered signal Sr3 in the ID information display field (step S512 in FIG. 16C). Furthermore, the programmable display 32 displays the values ​​of the authority information and name received together with the already-registered signal Sr3 in the authority information display field and name display field of the registration / deletion screen Mu, respectively.

[0127] In such a registration / deletion screen Mu, the user can press the change button to turn it on as necessary, and then rewrite the values ​​in the authority information display field and the name display field. At this time, the programmable display device 32 judges whether the change button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S513 in FIG. 16C), and if it is judged that the button has been pressed (Yes) in step S513, it validates input to the authority information display field and the name display field (step S514 in FIG. 16C). In this state, the user can rewrite the values ​​in the authority information display field and the name display field as necessary.

[0128] After that, the user can finalize the content finally displayed on the registration / deletion screen Mu by pressing the update button on the registration / deletion screen Mu. Alternatively, the user can also cancel the change (rewrite) of the authority information display column and the name display column by pressing the cancel button. At this time, the programmable display 32 determines whether the update button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S515A in FIG. 16C). If it can be determined that "pressed (Yes)" in step S515A, a change command signal Sr6 for executing the change to the authority information and name finally displayed on the registration / deletion screen Mu is transmitted to the RF tag reader 1 (step S516 in FIG. 16C). On the other hand, if the programmable display 32 determines that "not pressed (No)" in step S515A, it further determines whether the cancel button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S515B in FIG. 16C). If it can be determined that "pressed (Yes)" in step S515B, a cancel signal Sr5 for canceling the registration process is transmitted to the RF tag reader 1 (step S515C in FIG. 16B).

[0129] After enabling the change of the authority information and name associated with the ID information in step S611, the RF tag reader 1 determines whether it has received the change command signal Sr6 (step S612A in FIG. 16C). If it can be determined that "received (Yes)" in step S612A, the authority information and name associated with the above ID information in the storage unit 122 are rewritten to the values of the authority information and name received together with the change command signal Sr6 (step S613A in FIG. 16C). On the other hand, if the RF tag reader 1 determines that "not received (No)" in step S612A, it further determines whether it has received the cancel signal Sr5 (step S612B in FIG. 16C). If it can be determined that "received (Yes)" in step S612B, the previous processing is reset and the process returns to step S601 (step S613B in FIG. 16C).

[0130] <Deletion of ID information> Fig. 18(A) and Fig. 18(B) are diagrams sequentially showing changes in the registration / deletion screen Mu caused by an operation when deleting ID information. Fig. 19A and Fig. 19B are flowcharts showing the processes (acceptance process and deletion process) in the programmable display device 32 and the RF tag reader 1 (mainly the control unit 121) executed in response to an operation when deleting ID information.

[0131] When deleting ID information, the user first presses the delete button on the registration / deletion screen Mu to turn it on (see FIG. 18(A)). At this time, the programmable display device 32 judges whether the delete button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S521 in FIG. 19A), and if it is judged that the button has been pressed (Yes) in step S521, it transmits a delete process command St1 to the RF tag reader 1 to execute the process required to delete the ID information (step S522 in FIG. 19A).

[0132] The RF tag reader 1 judges whether or not the deletion process command St1 has been received (step S621 in FIG. 19A), and if it judges "received (Yes)" in step S621, it executes the process necessary for deleting the ID information. Specifically, the RF tag reader 1 enables the reading of the ID information by the reading unit 11 (step S622 in FIG. 19A), and then judges whether or not the ID information has been read by the reading unit 11 (step S623 in FIG. 19A). In this state, the user makes the RF tag reader 1 read the ID information to be deleted. Specifically, the user holds the RF tag 100 in which the ID information to be deleted is recorded over the reading unit 11 of the RF tag reader 1, thereby making the RF tag reader 1 read the ID information. If the RF tag reader 1 determines in step S623 that "reading has occurred (Yes)", it determines whether the read ID information is unregistered or already registered by referring to the ID information (registered ID information) in the memory unit 122 (step S624 in FIG. 19A).

[0133] When the RF tag reader 1 determines in step S624 that the ID information is "already registered", it can determine that the ID information that the user is trying to delete is present in the storage unit 122. In this case, the RF tag reader 1 sets the read ID information to a temporary deletion state once (step S625 in FIG. 19A). Specifically, the RF tag reader 1 reads out the authority information and name associated with the read ID information from the storage unit 122, and stores the read out information together with the ID information in the RAM as a deletion target. In this state, the RF tag reader 1 waits for either a real deletion command signal St4 (see step S526 in FIG. 19B) for performing real deletion (deletion from the storage unit 122) or a cancel signal St5 (see step S525C in FIG. 19B) for canceling the deletion, while repeatedly executing steps S626A and 626B (see FIG. 19B). Also, in step S625, the RF tag reader 1 transmits to the programmable display 32 the read ID information, a temporary deletion signal St2 to notify that the ID information has been temporarily deleted, and the authority information and name already associated with the ID information.

[0134] After transmitting the delete processing command St1 in step S522, the programmable display unit 32 judges whether or not the temporary delete signal St2 has been received from the RF tag reader 1 (step S523 in FIG. 19A). If the programmable display unit 32 judges "received (Yes)" in step S523, the programmable display unit 32 turns on the display of "Not yet" in the registration status display column on the registration / deletion screen Mu based on the received temporary delete signal St2, and displays the ID information received together with the temporary delete signal St2 in the ID information display column (step S524 in FIG. 19B; see FIG. 18(B)). Furthermore, the programmable display unit 32 displays the values ​​of the authority information and name received together with the temporary delete signal St2 in the authority information display column and name display column of the registration / deletion screen Mu, respectively (see FIG. 18(B)).

[0135] In such a registration / deletion screen Mu, the user can confirm the deletion of the ID information displayed on the registration / deletion screen Mu by pressing an update button. Alternatively, the user can cancel the deletion of the ID information displayed on the registration / deletion screen Mu by pressing a cancel button. At this time, the programmable display device 32 determines whether the update button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S525A in FIG. 19B), and if it is determined that the update button has been pressed (Yes) in step S525A, it transmits a real deletion command signal St4 to the RF tag reader 1 to execute the real deletion (step S526 in FIG. 19B). On the other hand, if the programmable display device 32 determines in step S525A that the button has not been pressed (No), it further determines whether the cancel button has been pressed on the registration / deletion screen Mu (step S525B in FIG. 19B), and if it determines in step S525B that the button has been pressed (Yes), it sends a cancel signal St5 to the RF tag reader 1 to cancel the deletion process (step S525C in FIG. 19B).

[0136] After setting the ID information to the temporarily deleted state in step S625 (after transmitting the temporarily deleted signal St2), the RF tag reader 1 judges whether or not the permanent deletion command signal St4 has been received (step S626A in FIG. 19B). If the RF tag reader 1 judges that the ID information is "received (Yes)" in step S626A, the RF tag reader 1 deletes the ID information set to the temporarily deleted state and the authority information and name associated therewith from the storage unit 122 (step S627A in FIG. 19B). On the other hand, if the RF tag reader 1 judges that the ID information is "not received (No)" in step S626A, the RF tag reader 1 further judges whether or not the cancel signal St5 has been received (step S626B in FIG. 19B), and if the RF tag reader 1 judges that the cancel signal St5 is "received (Yes)" in step S626B, the process up to that point is reset and the process returns to step S621 (step S627B in FIG. 19B).

[0137] Here, in step S627A, the ID information to be deleted may be completely deleted from storage unit 122, or may be set to be invalid while remaining stored in storage unit 122 without being deleted.

[0138] 19A, if the RF tag reader 1 determines that the read ID information is "unregistered", the RF tag reader 1 can determine based on this that there is no target (ID information) to be deleted in the memory unit 122. In this case, the RF tag reader 1 transmits an error signal St3 to the programmable indicator 32 to inform the user of this (step S631 in FIG. 19A).

[0139] After transmitting the delete processing command St1 in step S522, if the programmable display device 32 determines in step S523 that the temporary delete signal St2 has "not been received (No)", it further determines whether or not an error signal St3 has been received from the RF tag reader 1 (step S531 in FIG. 19A). If the programmable display device 32 determines in step S531 that the temporary delete signal St2 has been "received (Yes)", it notifies the user on the registration / deletion screen Mu that an error has occurred that prevents deletion by using means such as lighting a lamp or displaying text (step S532 in FIG. 19A).

[0140] Such a programmable display 32 reduces the burden on the user because it allows registration or deletion of ID information without bringing a notebook PC to the site. Also, the processes executed by the RF tag reader 1 and the programmable display 32 described above make it easy to register or delete ID information on site.

[0141] The above-mentioned operation procedure for registering or deleting ID information and the process executed in response to the operation are merely examples, and may be appropriately changed to simplify the operation and process, for example. In the control system according to this modification, the process in the programmable display 32 for enabling registration or deletion of ID information may be executed by the management device 2 (such as a PLC) instead of the programmable display 32.

[0142] Furthermore, the programmable indicator 32 may be appropriately modified to one that allows selection between the alternate operation processing and the momentary operation processing described in the above embodiment.

[0143] [3-6] 6th variant The above-described control system (see FIGS. 1 and 13) may be modified to have a configuration that does not include the management device 2. In this case, instead of the management device 2, the information processing device 3 or the programmable display 32 can be operated as a host device for the RF tag reader 1. Such a control system can simplify its configuration and control.

[0144] The above-mentioned description of the embodiment and the modified examples should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above-mentioned embodiment or modified examples. That is, from the above-mentioned description of the embodiment and modified examples, the reading unit 11, the matching unit 121A, and the switching unit 121B can be extracted as the minimum necessary components of the control system according to the present invention, and also the case where the switching unit 121B performs only the alternate operation process can be extracted. Furthermore, it is intended that the scope of the present invention includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0145] In addition, the description of the above-mentioned embodiments and variant examples includes not only the invention described in the claims, but also the configuration of each device included in the control system (including various processing units) and the control processing performed by each device, as well as parts of these. [Explanation of symbols]

[0146] 1 RF tag reader 2 Management device 3. Information processing equipment T Current time 11 Reading unit 12 Communication unit 30 Display section 31 Reception 32 Programmable Display 50 Network Bc Checkbox Bi input box Ms selection screen Mt Settings Screen Mu Registration / Deletion Screen SF hold signal Sg Discard signal Sh End signal Tm retention time 100 RF tags 110 Reading surface 112 Holder 113 Light-emitting part 121 Control Unit 121A Collation Unit 121B Switching section 122 Storage section 124 Communication Interface Sr1 Registration Processing Commands Sr2 Provisional registration signal Sr3 Registered Signal Sr4 Registered command signal Sr5 Cancel signal Sr6 Change signal St1 Delete processing command St2 Temporary deletion signal St3 Error signal St4 Main removal command signal St5 Cancellation signal Tc1, Tc2, tp1 Predetermined time Son On Signal Soff Off signal

Claims

1. a reading unit that reads ID (Identifier) ​​information from an RF (Radio Frequency) tag; a verification unit that performs verification on the ID information read by the reading unit; a switching unit that switches between an off state and an on state of a virtual switch, and that is capable of executing an alternate operation process in which, when the matching unit has successfully matched the ID information, the switching unit switches the switch from an off state to an on state, and maintains the switch in the on state even when the reading unit no longer reads the ID information, and thereafter, when the reading unit reads the same ID information again, the switching unit returns the switch to the off state; A control system comprising:

2. The switching unit is the alternate operation process; a momentary operation process for switching the switch from an off state to an on state when the matching unit has successfully matched the ID information, and then returning the switch to an off state when the reader unit no longer reads the ID information; The control system of claim 1 , capable of selectively executing:

3. The control system according to claim 2 , further comprising a first receiving unit configured to receive a user's selection as to whether the switching unit is to execute the alternate operation process or the momentary operation process.

4. A control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the switching unit continues to maintain the switch in the on state during the period in which the alternate operation process is performed, even if the reading unit reads ID information from another RF tag.

5. a maintenance time for maintaining the on state after the switch is switched to the on state in the alternate operation process is set in the switching unit, The control system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the switching unit returns the switch to the off state if the same ID information is read again by the reading unit before the maintenance time has elapsed after switching the switch to the on state in the alternate operation processing, and also returns the switch to the off state if the maintenance time has elapsed without the reading of the same ID information by the reading unit.

6. The control system according to claim 5 , further comprising a second reception unit that receives a setting of the maintenance time by a user.

7. A control program that causes a processing device to execute an alternate operation process in which, when a match with ID (Identifier) ​​information read from an RF (Radio Frequency) tag by a reading unit is successful, a virtual switch is switched from an off state to an on state, and the switch is maintained in the on state even when the reading unit no longer reads the ID information, and then, when the reading unit reads the same ID information again, the switch is returned to the off state.

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