Inventory Management System

Abstract

To detect an event that a box has been opened, using a mechanism that reads information from an RFID tag, when managing articles accommodated in the box by reading information from the RFID tag.SOLUTION: An article management system has: a box 10 that has an accommodation unit 11 that includes an opening 14 for accommodating an article to which an RFID tag for management is attached, and a lid 15 that openably closes the opening 14; and an RFID reader 40 that radiates radio waves from antennas 30a-30d within the box 10 so as to read information from the RFID tag within the box 10; and an RFID tag 20 for detection that is attached within the box 10. The RFID reader 40 is constituted such that the output of radio waves radiated from the antennas 30a-30d is switchable between a value in which information is readable from all of the RFID tags existing within the box 10, and a value in which information is readable via the antennas 30a-30d from the RFID tags 20 only when the opening 14 is closed by the lid 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article management system for managing articles by storing an article with an RFID tag attached therein and reading information from the RFID tag.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, RFID tags capable of writing and reading information in a non-contact state have been used in various applications. For example, a technology for managing articles by attaching an RFID tag to an article such as a product and writing or reading information to / from the RFID tag has been considered. When managing articles using such RFID tags, it is possible to write or read information to / from a plurality of RFID tags at once, thereby improving the efficiency of operations related to article management.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for performing settlement by attaching an RFID tag to a product and reading product information from the RFID tag. Specifically, a product with an RFID tag attached is stored in a storage chamber from an opening of a housing, and information is read from the RFID tag to perform settlement. In that case, the housing is made of a material that reflects radio waves or absorbs radio waves, and has a lid that closes the opening of the housing, so as to prevent incorrect reading of information from an RFID tag existing outside the storage chamber.

[0004] Thus, in a case where an article with an RFID tag attached is stored in a housing and the article is managed by reading information from the RFID tag, a smaller and simpler configuration can be achieved compared to a case where an article with an RFID tag attached is managed by passing it through a so-called tunnel reader.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] As mentioned above, when managing items by storing items with RFID tags inside an enclosure and reading information from the RFID tags, it is possible to avoid accidentally reading information from externally located RFID tags by covering the opening of the enclosure, which is made of materials that reflect or absorb radio waves, with a lid. However, even with such a lid, if the lid is opened while information is being written to or read from an RFID tag, there is a risk of accidentally reading information from an externally located RFID tag. Also, if the lid is opened while managing an item by reading information from an RFID tag attached to the item, a new item may be placed inside the enclosure, making it impossible to accurately manage the items stored inside.

[0007] In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is an open / close sensor that detects whether the lid is open or closed. However, in this case, since the open / close sensor is provided separately from the mechanism that reads information from RFID tags attached to items for managing the items, a new mechanism must be constructed to receive the detection results from the open / close sensor, such as connecting the open / close sensor to the processing device, which presents the problem of incurring additional effort and cost.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide an item management system that can detect whether a box has been opened by reading information from an RFID tag when an item with an attached RFID tag is placed inside a box and the item is managed by reading information from the RFID tag. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides: An item management system for managing items to which management RFID tags are attached, A box having a storage section capable of accommodating an item to which the aforementioned management RFID tag is attached, and having an opening for accommodating the item, and a covering section that can open and close the opening, and being made of or surrounded by a material that reflects radio waves or absorbs radio waves, A reading means that reads information from an RFID tag present inside the box by emitting radio waves from an antenna installed inside the box, The device includes a detection RFID tag attached to a region inside the box, such that the distance from the antenna when the opening is not covered by the covering is greater than the distance from the antenna when the opening is covered by the covering. The reading means is configured such that the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna can be switched between a first value that allows information to be read from all RFID tags present inside the box via the antenna, and a second value that allows information to be read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna only when the opening is covered by the covering. moreover, A switching means for switching the output of radio waves radiated from the antenna between the first value and the second value, The item management system includes a determination means that determines that the opening is not blocked by the covering when the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna by the reading means is the second value and no information is read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna.

[0010] In the present invention configured as described above, articles with management RFID tags attached are housed inside a box, and a reading means emits radio waves from an antenna installed inside the box to read information from the RFID tags inside the box via the antenna, thereby managing the articles with management RFID tags attached. In this case, the box has a housing section capable of housing articles with management RFID tags attached and having an opening for housing articles, and a covering section that can open and close the opening, and is made of a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves, or is surrounded by a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves. Therefore, when the opening of the housing section is closed by the covering section, there is no risk of the reading means mistakenly reading information from externally existing RFID tags via the antenna, and information is read only from the management RFID tags, allowing for accurate management of the articles housed in the box. However, when the box is opened and the opening is not closed, there is a risk of the reading means mistakenly reading information from externally existing RFID tags via the antenna.

[0011] Here, inside the box, detection RFID tags are attached in an area where the distance to the antenna when the opening is not covered by the covering is longer than the distance to the antenna when the opening is covered by the covering. The reading means is configured to switch between a first value in which the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna allows information to be read from all RFID tags inside the box via the antenna, and a second value in which information can be read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna only when the opening is covered by the covering. In the switching means, by setting the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna to the first value, the items contained in the box are managed by reading information from management RFID tags attached to the items contained in the box via the antenna using the reading means. Also, by setting the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna to the second value, the determination means detects that the box has been opened by determining that the opening is not covered by the covering if information cannot be read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna using the reading means.

[0012] In this way, when managing items by storing items with management RFID tags inside a box and reading information from the RFID tags, a detection RFID tag is attached to the box. The output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna of the reading means that reads information from the management RFID tags attached to the items to be managed can be switched to a second value that allows information to be read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna only when the opening is covered by the covering. When the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna is at the second value, it is detected whether the box has been opened by whether information can be read from the detection RFID tag. Thus, when managing items by storing items with RFID tags inside a box and reading information from the RFID tags, the system detects whether the box has been opened by reading information from the RFID tags.

[0013] Furthermore, the switching means switches the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna to a second value during the period of reading information from the management RFID tag, with the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna set to a first value. If information is read from the detection RFID tag, it switches the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna back to the first value and continues reading information from the management RFID tag. The determination means outputs an alarm if no information is read from the detection RFID tag while the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna is switched to the second value. This allows notification to be given even if the box is opened and the opening is not sealed during the period of reading information from the management RFID tag.

[0014] Furthermore, if the information read from the detection RFID tag includes a code that is distinguishable from the information read from the management RFID tag, and the reading means switches the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna to a second value, and reads only the information containing the code that is only present in the information read from the detection RFID tag, then when reading information from the RFID tag to detect that the box has been opened, it is possible to read information only from the detection RFID tag. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, a detection RFID tag is attached to a box containing an item to which a management RFID tag is attached. The output of radio waves emitted from the antenna of a reading means that reads information from the management RFID tag attached to the item to be managed can be switched to a second value that allows information to be read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna only when the opening is covered by the covering. The system is configured to detect whether the box has been opened by checking whether information can be read from the detection RFID tag when the output of radio waves emitted from the antenna is the second value. Therefore, when managing an item by storing an item to which an RFID tag is attached in a box and reading information from the RFID tag, it is possible to detect whether the box has been opened using a mechanism that reads information from the RFID tag.

[0016] Also, during the period of reading information from the management RFID tag with the output of the radio wave radiated from the antenna being set to a first value, the switching means switches the output of the radio wave radiated from the antenna to a second value. When information is read from the detection RFID tag, the output of the radio wave radiated from the antenna is returned to the first value and the reading of information from the management RFID tag is continued. In a case where the determination means outputs an alarm when information is not read from the detection RFID tag in a state where the output of the radio wave radiated from the antenna is switched to the second value, even if the box body is opened and the opening is not blocked during the period of reading information from the management RFID tag, it is possible to notify that fact.

[0017] Further, the information read from the detection RFID tag includes a code distinguishable from the information read from the management RFID tag. When the reading means reads only the information including the code included only in the information read from the detection RFID tag when the output of the radio wave radiated from the antenna is switched to the second value, it is possible to read information only from the detection RFID tag when reading information from the RFID tag to detect that the box body has been opened.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an embodiment of the article management system of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the configuration of the RFID tag shown in FIG. 1, (a) is a diagram showing a laminated state, (b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the surface of the inlet, and (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of the back surface of the inlet. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RFID reader shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management personal computer shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a diagram for explaining the distance between the RFID tag attached to the lid body and the antenna attached to the side surface of the housing part in the article management system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6]This is a diagram for explaining an article to be stored in a box and managed in the article management system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the configuration of an RFID tag attached to an article stored in the box shown in FIG. 6. (a) is a diagram showing the laminated state, and (b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the surface of the inlet. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart for explaining the process when managing an article in the article management system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart for explaining the process when executing the opening / closing detection mode during the article reading mode in the article management system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing another embodiment of the box used in the article management system of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a diagram for explaining the distance between the RFID tag attached to the top surface of the drawer storage body and the antenna attached to the side surface of the drawer in the box shown in FIG. 10.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] 〈Overall Configuration〉 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the article management system of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment has an RFID tag 20 and antennas 30a to 30d attached to a box 10, an RFID reader 40, and a management personal computer 50.

[0022] The box 10 has a storage portion 11 and a lid 15.

[0023] The storage compartment 11 has a rectangular base 13 and four side surfaces 12a to 12d that are erect on each of the four sides of the base 13. The portion enclosed by the sides of the side surfaces 12a to 12d that are opposite to the base 13, that is, the side opposite to the base 13, has an opening 14 for storing articles in the storage compartment 11. Antennas 30a to 30d are attached to the inner surface of each of the side surfaces 12a to 12d.

[0024] The lid 15 is the covering portion in the present invention. The lid 15 is rotatably attached to the side 12c opposite to the bottom surface 13 by a hinge or the like, and by rotating relative to the side 12c, it closes the opening 14 in an openable and closable manner. An RFID tag 20 is attached to the side of the lid 15 that faces the storage section 11 when the lid 15 closes the opening 14. As a result, the RFID tag 20 is attached to an area inside the box 10.

[0025] The housing 11 and the lid 15 are made of a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves, for example, metal. Alternatively, the housing 11 and the lid 15 may be surrounded by a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves.

[0026] The RFID reader 40 is the reading means in the present invention. The RFID reader 40 is electrically connected via a cable to antennas 30a to 30d attached to the sides 12a to 12d of the housing section 11, and reads information from the RFID tags inside the box 10 via the antennas 30a to 30d by emitting radio waves from the antennas 30a to 30d. The RFID reader 40 is configured to allow switching between a first value, in which the output of the radio waves emitted from the antennas 30a to 30d is switchable, and a second value, in which information is read from the RFID tag 20 attached to the lid 15 via the antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 is closed by the lid 15.

[0027] The management PC 50 is electrically connected to the RFID reader 40 via a cable. The RFID reader 40 reads information from the RFID tags inside the box 10 via antennas 30a to 30d, thereby managing the items stored in the box 10 and detecting whether the opening 14 of the storage compartment 11 is blocked.

[0028] <Configuration of RFID Tag 20> Figure 2 shows the configuration of the RFID tag 20 shown in Figure 1, where (a) shows the stacked state, (b) shows the configuration of the surface of the inlet 24, and (c) shows the configuration of the back surface of the inlet 24. Note that the configuration of the RFID tag 20 shown in Figure 2 is just one example, and other configurations are acceptable as long as the information can be read by the RFID reader 40.

[0029] The RFID tag 20 shown in Figure 1 is for detecting whether the opening 14 of the housing 11 is blocked by the cover 15, and is the RFID tag for detection in the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the RFID tag 20 shown in Figure 1 has adhesive layers 27a and 27b laminated on the front and back of a strip-shaped inlet 24, and a surface sheet 25 is attached to the surface of the inlet 24 via the adhesive layer 27a, and is a so-called metal-compatible tag.

[0030] The inlet 24 includes a base substrate 23, two antennas 22, an IC chip 21, and a metal layer 26.

[0031] The base substrate 23 is made of a non-conductive material such as a film.

[0032] The two antennas 22 are formed on one surface of the base substrate 23, with two isosceles triangular conductors arranged side by side with an air gap between them. However, the shape of the antennas 22 is not limited to this; various other shapes are conceivable, such as two strip-shaped conductors arranged in a straight line with an air gap between them, or those composed of a single conductor.

[0033] The IC chip 21 is provided with two antenna terminals (not shown). The side with the antenna terminals is the mounting surface, and it is mounted on the side of the base substrate 23 where the antenna 22 is formed, and fixed with anisotropic conductive paste (not shown). The two antenna terminals of the IC chip 21 are connected to the two antennas 22, respectively, and the anisotropic conductive paste provides electrical conductivity between the antenna terminals and the antennas 22. The IC chip 21 operates using power obtained through contactless communication via the antennas 22, and transmits a unique ID, which is pre-encoded information within the IC chip 21, via the antennas 22.

[0034] The metal layer 26 is laminated on the surface of the base substrate 23 opposite to the surface on which the antenna 22 is formed, so as to cover the antenna 22 in a plan view.

[0035] The RFID tag 20 configured as described above is attached to the lid 15 by the adhesive layer 27b, as shown in Figure 1. As mentioned above, the lid 15 is made of a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves. However, the RFID tag 20 to which the lid 15 is attached has a metal layer 26 laminated on the side of the base substrate 23 opposite to the side on which the antenna 22 is formed, so as to cover the antenna 22 in a plan view. This suppresses the shortening of the communication distance in contactless communication via the antenna 22.

[0036] <Configuration of RFID Reader 40> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RFID reader 40 shown in Figure 1.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, the RFID reader 40 includes a sharer 41, a tag data transmission processing unit 42, a digital signal conversion unit 43, a communication unit 44, a transmission level adjustment unit 45, an RF transmission unit 46, an RF reception unit 47, and a tag data reception processing unit 48.

[0038] The shared unit 41 transmits the signal output from the RF transmitting unit 46 as a radio wave signal via antennas 30a to 30d, and also outputs the radio wave signal received by antennas 30a to 30d to the RF receiving unit 47.

[0039] The tag data transmission processing unit 42 outputs a signal for detecting RFID tags during polling, and also outputs a signal for reading information from the RFID tag via contactless communication.

[0040] The digital signal conversion unit 43 converts the signal output from the tag data transmission processing unit 42 into an analog signal and outputs it to the transmission level adjustment unit 45. It also converts the signal received by the RF reception unit 47 into a digital signal and outputs it to the tag data reception processing unit 48.

[0041] The communications unit 44 sends and receives information with the management computer 50.

[0042] The transmission level adjustment unit 45 adjusts the radiation output level of the radio waves from antennas 30a to 30d via the RF transmission unit 46 for the signal that has been converted to an analog signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43, in accordance with commands output from the management PC 50 via the communication unit 44.

[0043] The RF transmitter 46 transmits a signal whose radio wave radiation output level has been adjusted by the transmission level adjustment unit 45, on a carrier wave, via the combiner 41 and antennas 30a to 30d.

[0044] The RF receiver 47 receives response signals from the RFID tag to the signal transmitted from the RF transmitter 46 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41.

[0045] The tag data receiving processing unit 48 transmits the signal, which has been converted into a digital signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43, to the management PC 50 via the communication unit 44 as information read from the RFID tag.

[0046] <Configuration of 50 management computers> Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management PC 50 shown in Figure 1. Note that in Figure 4, the illustration and explanation of components of the management PC 50 that are not directly related to the present invention have been omitted.

[0047] As shown in Figure 1, the management PC 50 includes a communication unit 51, a transmission level switching unit 52, a read control unit 56, an open / closed state determination unit 53, an item management unit 54, and an output unit 55, as shown in Figure 4.

[0048] The communication unit 51 transmits and receives information with the RFID reader 40.

[0049] The transmission level switching unit 52 is the switching means in the present invention. The transmission level switching unit 52 transmits a command to the RFID reader 40 via the reading control unit 56 and the communication unit 51 to switch the output of the radio waves radiated from the antennas 30a to 30d, thereby switching the output of the radio waves radiated from the antennas 30a to 30d by the RFID reader 40.

[0050] The reading control unit 56 transmits a command to the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51 to read information from the RFID tag, and also receives the information read from the RFID tag by the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51. Furthermore, if a command to switch the output of the radio waves emitted from antennas 30a to 30d by the RFID reader 40 is output from the transmission level switching unit 52, this command is included in the command to read information from the RFID tag and transmitted to the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51.

[0051] The open / closed state determination unit 53 is the determination means in the present invention. Based on the information received from the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51 by the reading control unit 56, the open / closed state determination unit 53 determines whether the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15.

[0052] The item management unit 54 manages the items to be stored in the box 10 based on the information received from the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51 by the reading control unit 56. For example, the item management unit 54 has a database in which data on the items to be stored in the box 10 is registered, and it manages the items to be stored in the box 10 by comparing the information registered in this database with the information received from the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51.

[0053] The output unit 55 consists of a display or the like, and displays and outputs the decision result from the open / closed state determination unit 53 and the management status of the items by the item management unit 54.

[0054] In this embodiment, the management PC 50 is used as an example for explanation, but any control device such as a computer capable of controlling the RFID reader 40, including portable terminals, may have the above-described configuration. Alternatively, the configuration of the management PC 50 described above may be installed on the RFID reader 40.

[0055] <Processing in the inventory management system> The following describes the process for managing items using the item management system configured as described above.

[0056] First, we will explain the distance between the RFID tag 20 attached to the lid 15 and the antennas 30a to 30d attached to the sides 12a to 12d of the housing section 11.

[0057] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the distance between the RFID tag 20 attached to the lid 15 and the antenna 30a attached to the side surface 12a of the storage compartment 11 in the item management system shown in Figure 1.

[0058] In the item management system shown in Figure 1, when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15, the distance between the RFID tag 20 attached to the lid 15 and the antenna 30a attached to the side surface 12a of the storage section 11 is the first distance D1, as shown in Figure 5(a).

[0059] On the other hand, when the lid 15 is opened, and the opening 14 of the box body 10 is no longer blocked by the lid 15, the distance between the RFID tag 20 attached to the lid 15 and the antenna 30a attached to the side surface 12a of the housing section 11 becomes a second distance D2, which is longer than the first distance D1, as shown in Figure 5(b).

[0060] Similarly, with respect to the antennas 30b to 30d attached to the sides 12b to 12d of the housing section 11, the distance from the RFID tag 20 when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is not covered by the lid 15 is longer than the distance from the RFID tag 20 when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is covered by the lid 15.

[0061] Thus, the RFID tag 20 is attached to the side facing the housing 11 when the lid 15 closes the opening 14, that is, in the area within the box body 10 where the distance to the antennas 30a to 30d when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is not closed by the lid 15 is longer than the distance to the antennas 30a to 30d when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15.

[0062] Therefore, if the output of the radio waves radiated from the antennas 30a to 30d, which are attached to the sides 12a to 12d of the housing section 11 of the box body 10, is set to a value such that information can be read from the RFID tag 20 via the antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 is closed by the lid 15, then the RFID reader 40 can determine whether the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15 by checking whether information can be read from the RFID tag 20 via the antennas 30a to 30d.

[0063] In the configuration described above, it may be difficult to set the mounting positions of the RFID tag 20 and all the antennas 30a to 30d such that the distance D1 between the detection RFID tag 20 and all the antennas 30a to 30d is equal when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15. Therefore, the mounting positions of the RFID tag 20 and antennas 30a to 30d may be set such that the distance between the detection RFID tag 20 and antenna 30a is shorter than the distance between the RFID tag 20 and antennas 30b to 30d when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15, and the RFID reader 40 may determine whether the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15 by checking whether information is read from the RFID tag 20 via antenna 30a only.

[0064] Next, we will describe the items that are contained in the box 10 and subject to management.

[0065] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the items to be stored in the box 10 and managed in the item management system shown in Figure 1, and is a view from the opening 14 side showing the items stored in the storage section 11.

[0066] As shown in Figure 6, in the item management system shown in Figure 1, a foldable container 80 containing items 70 is housed in a storage section 11 within the box 10. Each item 70 inside the foldable container 80 housed in the storage section 11 is attached with a management RFID tag 60. A unique ID is written to the RFID tag 60, and the item management unit 54 of the management PC 50 manages this unique ID in association with information about the item to which the RFID tag 60 with that unique ID is attached. The foldable container 80 is not made of a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves, so the RFID reader 40 can read information from the RFID tags 60 attached to the items 70 housed in the foldable container 80 via antennas 30a to 30d.

[0067] Figure 7 shows the configuration of an RFID tag 60 attached to an item 70 housed in the box 10 shown in Figure 6, where (a) shows the stacked state and (b) shows the surface configuration of the inlet 64. Note that the configuration of the RFID tag 60 shown in Figure 7 is merely an example, and other configurations are acceptable as long as the information can be read by the RFID reader 40.

[0068] The RFID tag 60 attached to the article 70 contained in the box 10 shown in Figure 6 is for managing the article 70 contained in the box 10, and is the RFID tag for management in the present invention. As shown in Figure 7, the RFID tag 60 is constructed by laminating adhesive layers 67a and 67b on the front and back of a strip-shaped inlet 64, and attaching a surface sheet 65 to the surface of the inlet 64 via the adhesive layer 67a.

[0069] The inlet 64 includes a base substrate 63, two antennas 62, and an IC chip 61.

[0070] The base substrate 63 is made of a non-conductive material such as a film.

[0071] The two antennas 62 are formed on one surface of the base substrate 63, with two isosceles triangular conductors arranged side by side with an air gap between them. The antennas 62, having this shape, resonate at the same frequency as the RFID tag 20.

[0072] The IC chip 61 is provided with two antenna terminals (not shown). The side with the antenna terminals is the mounting surface, and it is mounted on the side of the base substrate 63 where the antenna 62 is formed, and fixed with anisotropic conductive paste (not shown). The two antenna terminals of the IC chip 61 are connected to the two antennas 62, respectively, and the anisotropic conductive paste ensures electrical conductivity between the antenna terminals and the antennas 62. The IC chip 61 operates using power obtained through contactless communication via the antennas 62, and transmits a unique ID, which is information stored in the IC chip 61, contactlessly via the antennas 62 using the same protocol as the RFID tag 20.

[0073] In this embodiment of the item management system, the RFID tag 60 configured as described above is attached to the item 70 as shown in Figure 6, the item 70 is placed in the box 10, and the item 70 is managed by reading information from the RFID tag 60.

[0074] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the process of managing items using the item management system shown in Figure 1. Note that the explanation of the polling process performed prior to reading information from RFID tags 20 and 60 by the RFID reader 40 is omitted.

[0075] When managing items using the item management system shown in Figure 1, the operation mode on the management PC 50 is first set to the open / close detection mode.

[0076] In the open / close detection mode, first, the transmission level switching unit 52 outputs a command to set the output of the radio waves radiated from antennas 30a to 30d to a value (low output) that allows information to be read from the RFID tag 20 via antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15.

[0077] Then, in the reading control unit 56, the command output from the transmission level switching unit 52 is included in the command for reading information from the RFID tag 20 via the antennas 30a to 30d, and is transmitted to the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51.

[0078] In the RFID reader 40, when a command transmitted from the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51 is received via the communication unit 44, a signal for reading information from the RFID tag 20 is output from the tag data transmission processing unit 42 according to the received command, and is converted into an analog signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43. At this time, the information read from the RFID tag 20 is the unique ID stored in the RFID tag 20. However, by encoding distinguishable IDs for the RFID tag 20 and the RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70, it is possible to easily determine whether the information read by the RFID reader 40 via the antennas 30a to 30d is information read from the RFID tag 20 or information read from the RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70. For example, the RFID tag 20 could be encoded with an ID starting with the code "FFFF", and the RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70 could be encoded with an ID starting with a common code "AAAA", followed by a code unique to each RFID tag 60.

[0079] Furthermore, in the transmission level adjustment unit 45, the radiation output level of the radio waves from antennas 30a to 30d of the signal converted to an analog signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43 is adjusted according to the command output from the transmission level switching unit 52, transmitted from the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51, and received via the communication unit 44. Specifically, the output of the radio waves radiated from antennas 30a to 30d is set to a value that allows information to be read from the RFID tag 20 via antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed with the lid 15.

[0080] Subsequently, in the RF transmission unit 46, the signal whose radio wave radiation output level has been adjusted by the transmission level adjustment unit 45 is mounted on a carrier wave and transmitted via the shared unit 41 and antennas 30a to 30d, thereby executing the process of reading information from the RFID tag 20 in open / close detection mode (step S1).

[0081] When the signal transmitted from the RF transmitter 46 via the combiner 41 and antennas 30a to 30d is received by the RFID tag 20, the RFID tag 20 transmits a unique ID as a response signal to the RFID reader 40. In this case, as described above, if the information read from RFID tag 20 includes codes that are distinguishable from the information read from RFID tag 60, such as encoding an ID that starts with the code "FFFF" into RFID tag 20 and encoding an ID that starts with the code "AAAA" into RFID tag 60 attached to item 70, then by including a command to transmit only IDs that start with the code "FFFF" into the command transmitted from the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51 to read information from RFID tag 20 by RFID reader 40, the output of the radio waves radiated from antennas 30a to 30d can be set to a value that allows information to be read from RFID tag 20 via antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 is covered by the cover 15, filtering by ID can be performed so that only RFID tag 20 transmits IDs from RFID tag 20, and the ID transmitted from RFID tag 20 can be identified.

[0082] As explained with reference to Figure 5, the RFID tag 20 is attached to an area within the box 10 where the distance to the antennas 30a to 30d when the opening 14 of the box 10 is not covered by the lid 15 is longer than the distance to the antennas 30a to 30d when the opening 14 of the box 10 is covered by the lid 15. The antennas 30a to 30d emit radio waves at an output that allows information to be read from the RFID tag 20 via the antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 of the box 10 is covered by the lid 15. Therefore, a unique ID is transmitted from the RFID tag 20 to the RFID reader 40 as a response signal only when the opening 14 of the box 10 is covered by the lid 15. Furthermore, as described above, the RFID tag 20 has a metal layer 26 laminated on the side of the base substrate 23 opposite to the side on which the antenna 22 is formed, so as to cover the antenna 22 in a plan view. This suppresses the reduction in the communication distance in contactless communication via the antenna 22, even when the tag is attached to a metal cover 15.

[0083] When the unique ID of the RFID tag 20, transmitted as a response signal from the RFID tag 20 to the RFID reader 40, is received by the RF receiver 47 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, it is converted into a digital signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43. Subsequently, the tag data reception processing unit 48 identifies the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 converted into a digital signal and transmits it to the management PC 50 via the communication unit 44.

[0084] When the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 transmitted from the RFID reader 40 is received by the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51 of the management PC 50, the open / closed state determination unit 53 determines that the opening 14 is closed by the cover 15.

[0085] Meanwhile, in the management PC 50, after the process of reading information from the RFID tag 20 in open / close detection mode is started in step S1, the process of reading information from the RFID tag 20 in open / close detection mode continues to be performed until the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is received by the RF receiver 47 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41 (step S2).

[0086] Then, until the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is received by the RF receiver 47 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, and until the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is transmitted from the RFID reader 40 and received by the management PC 50, the management PC 50 will determine in the open / closed state determination unit 53 that the opening 14 is not blocked by the lid 15, and will not switch to the item reading mode to read information from the RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70 contained in the box 10.

[0087] The unique ID of the RFID tag 20 transmitted from the RFID reader 40 is received by the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51. When the open / closed state determination unit 53 determines that the opening 14 is closed by the cover 15, the operation mode on the management PC 50 is switched to item reading mode.

[0088] In item reading mode, first, the transmission level switching unit 52 outputs a command to set the output of the radio waves radiated from antennas 30a to 30d to a value (high output) that allows information to be read from all RFID tags 20 and 60 inside the box 10 via antennas 30a to 30d.

[0089] Then, in the reading control unit 56, the command output from the transmission level switching unit 52 is included in the command for reading information from the RFID tags 20 and 60 via the antennas 30a to 30d, and is transmitted to the RFID reader 40 via the communication unit 51.

[0090] In the RFID reader 40, when a command transmitted from the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51 is received via the communication unit 44, a signal for reading information from the RFID tags 20 and 60 is output from the tag data transmission processing unit 42 according to the received command, and is converted into an analog signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43.

[0091] Furthermore, in the transmission level adjustment unit 45, the radiation output level of the radio waves from antennas 30a to 30d of the signal converted to an analog signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43 is adjusted according to the command output from the transmission level switching unit 52, transmitted from the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51, and received via the communication unit 44. Specifically, the output of the radio waves radiated from antennas 30a to 30d is set to a value that allows information to be read from all RFID tags 20 and 60 present inside the box 10 via antennas 30a to 30d.

[0092] Subsequently, in the RF transmission unit 46, a signal whose radio wave radiation output level has been adjusted by the transmission level adjustment unit 45 is mounted on a carrier wave and transmitted via the combiner 41 and antennas 30a to 30d, thereby executing the process of reading information from the RFID tags 60 in item reading mode (step S3). In this way, the output of the radio waves radiated from antennas 30a to 30d is set to a value that allows information to be read from all RFID tags 20, 60 present in the box body 10 via antennas 30a to 30d, and the process of reading information from the RFID tags 60 is executed, so that information can be read from all RFID tags 60 attached to the items 70 stored in the storage unit 11 without any omissions.

[0093] When the signal transmitted from the RF transmitter 46 via the sharer 41 and antennas 30a to 30d is received by the RFID tags 20 and 60, a unique ID is transmitted from the RFID tags 20 and 60 as a response signal to the RFID reader 40. In this case, as described above, if the RFID tag 20 is encoded with an ID starting with the code "FFFF" and the RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70 is encoded with an ID starting with the code "AAAA", then if the command transmitted from the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51 to the RFID reader 40 to read information from the RFID tag 60 includes a command to transmit only IDs starting with the code "AAAA", then filtering by ID can be applied, causing only the RFID tag 60 to transmit an ID.

[0094] When the unique ID of the RFID tag 60, transmitted as a response signal from the RFID tag 60 to the RFID reader 40, is received by the RF receiver 47 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, it is converted into a digital signal by the digital signal conversion unit 43. Subsequently, the unique ID of the RFID tag 60 converted into a digital signal is transmitted to the management PC 50 via the communication unit 44 by the tag data reception processing unit 48.

[0095] When the unique ID of the RFID tag 60 transmitted from the RFID reader 40 is received by the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51 of the management PC 50, the item management unit 54 compares the information registered in the database with the information received by the reading control unit 56 via the communication unit 51, thereby managing the item 70 contained in the box 10. The management status of the item 70 can be displayed and output by the item management unit 54 via the output unit 55.

[0096] In the management PC 50, after processing in item reading mode has started and the time set for one reading process for the items 70 contained in the box 10 has elapsed (step S4), it switches back to the open / close detection mode and performs the same open / close detection mode reading process as described above (step S5).

[0097] Then, if the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is not received by the RF receiver 47 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, and therefore is not received by the reading control unit 56 of the management PC 50 (step S6), the open / closed state determination unit 53 of the management PC 50 determines that the opening 14 is not blocked by the cover 15, and an error that triggers an alarm is output via the output unit 55 (step S7). The alarm output via the output unit 55 may include a buzzer sound, a lamp lighting up, or an error message displayed on the screen.

[0098] On the other hand, if the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is received by the RF receiver 47 via antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, and if the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is further transmitted from the RFID reader 40 and received by the read control unit 56 of the management PC 50, after a certain waiting time has elapsed (step S8), the open / closed state determination unit 53 again determines whether the opening 14 is closed by the lid 15 based on whether the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is received by the RF receiver 47 via antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, and if the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is further transmitted from the RFID reader 40 and received by the read control unit 56 of the management PC 50 (step S9). If the opening 14 is not closed by the lid 15, the reading process for the article 70 contained in the box 10 is completed, and the reading process for the next article is performed. This is a process to determine that the lid 15 has been opened and the item 70 has been removed from the opening 14 after the ID has been read from the RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70. Therefore, the waiting time in step S8 is set to the time required to open the lid 15 and remove the item 70 from the opening 14.

[0099] In this way, a detection RFID tag 20 is attached to the box 10 that contains an item 70 to which a management RFID tag 60 is attached. The output of radio waves emitted from the antennas 30a to 30d of the RFID reader 40, which reads information from the management RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70 to be managed, can be switched to a value that allows information to be read from the detection RFID tag 20 via the antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 is covered by the lid 15. The box 10 is opened by detecting whether information can be read from the detection RFID tag 20 when the output of radio waves emitted from the antennas 30a to 30d is at that value. Thus, when managing an item 70 by storing it in a box 10 and reading information from the RFID tag 60, it is possible to detect whether the box 10 has been opened using the mechanism that reads information from the RFID tag.

[0100] In the series of processes described above, the open / close detection mode is not executed from the start to the end of the item reading mode. Therefore, if the lid 15 is opened and the opening 14 is not closed during the period from the start to the end of the item reading mode, it is not possible to notify the system of this fact.

[0101] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the process when the open / close detection mode is executed while the item reading mode is active in the item management system shown in Figure 1.

[0102] In this process, during the period in which information is read from the RFID tag 60 in the item reading mode described in step S3 above, the process of reading information from the RFID tag 20 in the open / close detection mode described in step S5 above is executed at predetermined intervals. For example, if the execution time of the item reading mode determined in step S4 above is 1 second, then during the period in which information is read from the RFID tag 60 in the item reading mode described in step S3, the process of reading information from the RFID tag 20 in the open / close detection mode described in step S5 above is executed at intervals of, for example, 0.1 seconds.

[0103] In that case, while reading information from the RFID tag 60 in item reading mode in step S3 (step S11), when the timing reaches a 0.1-second interval (step S12), similar to step 5 above, the transmission level adjustment unit 45 of the RFID reader 40 adjusts the output of radio waves radiated from antennas 30a to 30d in accordance with the command regarding the output level from antennas 30a to 30d included in the command output from the transmission level switching unit 52 of the management PC 50 and transmitted from the reading control unit 56, so that information can be read from the RFID tag 20 via antennas 30a to 30d only when the opening 14 of the box body 10 is closed by the lid 15.

[0104] As a result, the RFID reader 40 switches from the item reading mode to the open / close detection mode, and the information from RFID tag 20 is read (step S13). At that time, as described above, filtering using an ID may be applied to the RFID reader 40 to read information only from RFID tag 20 via antennas 30a to 30d.

[0105] Then, similar to the process in step S6 described above, if the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is not received by the RF receiver 47 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, and therefore is not received by the reading control unit 56 of the management PC 50 (step S14), the open / closed state determination unit 53 of the management PC 50 determines that the opening 14 is not blocked by the cover 15, and an error that triggers an alarm is output via the output unit 55 (step S15).

[0106] On the other hand, if the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is received by the RF receiver 47 via the antennas 30a to 30d and the sharer 41, and the unique ID of the RFID tag 20 is further transmitted from the RFID reader 40 and received by the read control unit 56 of the management PC 50, the open / closed state determination unit 53 of the management PC 50 determines that the opening 14 is closed by the lid 15, and the process returns to step S11. The transmission level switching unit 52 of the management PC 50 outputs a command regarding the output level from the antennas 30a to 30d included in the command transmitted from the read control unit 56, and the transmission level adjustment unit 45 of the RFID reader 40 sets the output of the radio waves radiated from the antennas 30a to 30d to a value that allows information to be read from all RFID tags 20, 60 inside the box 10 via the antennas 30a to 30d, and the reading of information from the RFID tag 60 continues in item reading mode.

[0107] In this way, during the period when information is read from the RFID tag 60 in item reading mode, the transmission level switching unit 52 switches the output of the radio waves emitted from antennas 30a to 30d to open / close detection mode. If information is read from the detection RFID tag 20, the output of the radio waves emitted from antennas 30a to 30d is returned to a value that allows information to be read from all RFID tags 20 and 60 inside the box 10 via antennas 30a to 30d, and the reading of information from the RFID tag 60 continues in item reading mode. If information is not read from the detection RFID tag 20 in open / close detection mode, the open / close status determination unit 53 outputs an error from the output unit 55, so that even if the box 10 is opened and not closed during the period when information is read from the RFID tag 60 attached to the item 70, this fact can be notified.

[0108] (Other embodiments) Figure 10 shows another embodiment of the box used in the article management system of the present invention.

[0109] As shown in Figure 10, this configuration is a box-shaped body 110 composed of a drawer 111 and a drawer housing 115.

[0110] Drawer 111 serves as the storage section in the present invention. Drawer 111 has a rectangular base 113 and four side surfaces 112a to 112b that are erect on each of the four sides of the base 113. The portion enclosed by the sides 112a to 112d that are opposite to the base 113, that is, the side opposite to the base 113, has an opening 114 for storing articles in drawer 111. Of the sides 112a to 112d, an antenna 130 is attached to the inner surface of side surface 112a, which is the side that faces forward when drawer 111 is pulled out from the drawer storage body 115.

[0111] The drawer housing 115 is the covering part in the present invention. The drawer housing 115 has a rectangular bottom surface 117, side surfaces 118a to 118c that are erect on three sides of the bottom surface 117, and a top surface 116 that is opposite to the bottom surface 117 and abuts the side of the side surfaces 118a to 118c that is opposite to the side surface 117 that abuts the bottom surface 117, with the side without side surfaces 118a to 118c being open. The drawer housing 115 is configured to accommodate the drawer 111 from the open surface, and by accommodating the drawer 111, the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is closed in an openable and closable manner. An RFID tag 120 is attached to the drawer housing 115 in the area of ​​the top surface 116 on the side where the drawer 111 is accommodated, near the open surface. As a result, the RFID tag 120 is attached to an area inside the box 110.

[0112] The drawer 111 and the drawer housing 115 are made of a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves, for example, metal. Alternatively, the drawer 111 and the drawer housing 115 may be surrounded by a material that reflects or absorbs radio waves. The RFID tag 120 has the same configuration as the RFID tag 20 shown in Figure 2 and is attached to the top surface 116 by an adhesive layer 27b.

[0113] Here, we will explain the distance between the RFID tag 120 attached to the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115 and the antenna 130 attached to the side surface 112a of the drawer 111.

[0114] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the distance between the RFID tag 120 attached to the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115 and the antenna 130 attached to the side surface 112a of the drawer 111 in the box body 110 shown in Figure 10.

[0115] In the box body 110 shown in Figure 10, since the drawer 111 is housed in the drawer housing 115, when the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is blocked by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115, the distance between the RFID tag 120 attached to the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115 and the antenna 130 attached to the side surface 112a of the drawer 111 is the first distance D1, as shown in Figure 11(a).

[0116] On the other hand, when the drawer 111 is pulled out from the drawer housing 115, and the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is not blocked, as shown in Figure 11(b), the distance between the RFID tag 120 attached to the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115 and the antenna 130 attached to the side surface 112a of the drawer 111 becomes a second distance D2, which is longer than the first distance D1.

[0117] Thus, the RFID tag 120 is attached to the side of the drawer 111 that faces the drawer 111 when the drawer 111 is housed in the drawer housing 115 and the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is closed by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115. In other words, it is attached to an area within the box body 110 where the distance to the antenna 130 when the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is not closed by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115 is longer than the distance to the antenna 130 when the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is closed by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115.

[0118] Therefore, in this configuration as well, if the output of the radio waves radiated from the antenna 130 attached to the side 112a of the drawer 111 is set to a value such that information can be read from the RFID tag 120 via the antenna 130 only when the drawer 111 is housed in the drawer housing 115 and the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is blocked by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115, then the RFID reader 40 can determine whether the drawer 111 is housed in the drawer housing 115 and the opening 114 of the drawer 111 is blocked by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115 by whether or not information is read from the RFID tag 120 via the antenna 130.

[0119] In the above-described embodiment, we explained using as an example a configuration in which detection RFID tags 20 and 120 are attached to the lid 15 of the box body 10 or the drawer housing 115 of the box body 110, and antennas 30a to 30d and 130 are attached to the housing section 11 of the box body 10 or the drawer 111 of the box body 110. However, the reverse configuration is also possible, where the antennas are attached to the lid 15 of the box body 10 or the drawer housing 115 of the box body 110, and detection RFID tags are attached to the housing section 11 of the box body 10 or the drawer 111 of the box body 110.

[0120] Furthermore, the number of antennas attached to the box bodies 10 and 110 is set appropriately according to the form of the box bodies 10 and 110 and the articles 70 contained therein. Also, even if detection RFID tags 20 and 120 are attached to the lid 15 and the drawer housing 115, if the distance to the RFID tags 20 and 120 is longer than the antennas 30a and 130 for reading information from the RFID tags 20 and 120 when the opening 14 of the storage section 11 of the box body 10 is covered by the lid 15, or when the opening 114 of the drawer 111 of the box body 110 is covered by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115, then antennas for reading information from RFID tags 60 attached to articles 70 may be attached to the lid 15 and the drawer housing 115 for reading information from the top surface of the articles 70 contained in the box bodies 10 and 110.

[0121] Furthermore, it is also conceivable to install multiple detection RFID tags 20, 120 in parallel, for example, so that the distance to the antennas 30a, 130 is the distance D1 shown in Figures 5 and 11. In that case, if information is read from at least one of the multiple RFID tags 20, 120 via the antennas 30a, 130, it may be determined that the opening 14 of the housing section 11 of the box body 10 is blocked by the lid 15, or that the opening 114 of the drawer 111 of the box body 110 is blocked by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115. Alternatively, if information is not read from all of the multiple RFID tags 20, 120 via the antennas 30a, 130, it may be determined that the opening 14 of the housing section 11 of the box body 10 is blocked by the lid 15, or that the opening 114 of the drawer 111 of the box body 110 is blocked by the top surface 116 of the drawer housing 115. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0122] 10,110 box body 11. Storage Unit 12a~12d,112a~112d,118a~118c Side 13,113,117 Base 14,114 openings 15 Lid 20,60,120 RFID tags 21,61 IC chips 22, 30a~30d, 62, 130 Antenna 23,63 Base material 24,64 Inlet 25,65 Surface sheet 26 metal layer 27a,27b,67a,67b Adhesive layer 40 RFID readers 41 Shared device 42 Tag data transmission processing unit 43 Digital signal conversion section 44, 51 Communications Department 45 Transmission level adjustment section 46 RF Transmitter 47 RF Receiver 48 Tag data receiving processing unit 50 management computers 52 Transmission level switching section 53 Open / Close State Determination Unit 54 Materials Management Department 55 Output section 56 Reading control unit 70 Goods 80 Foldable Containers 111 drawers 115 Drawer storage unit 116 Top surface

Claims

1. An item management system for managing items to which management RFID tags are attached, A box having a storage section capable of accommodating an article to which the aforementioned management RFID tag is attached, and having an opening for accommodating the article, and a covering section that can open and close the opening, and being made of or surrounded by a material that reflects radio waves or absorbs radio waves, A reading means that reads information from an RFID tag present inside the box by emitting radio waves from an antenna installed inside the box, The device includes a detection RFID tag attached to a region inside the box, such that the distance from the antenna when the opening is not covered by the covering is greater than the distance from the antenna when the opening is covered by the covering. The reading means is configured such that the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna can be switched between a first value that enables information to be read from all RFID tags present inside the box via the antenna, and a second value that enables information to be read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna only when the opening is covered by the covering. moreover, A switching means for switching the output of radio waves radiated from the antenna between the first value and the second value, An item management system comprising: a determination means for determining that the opening is not blocked by the covering when the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna by the reading means is the second value and no information is read from the detection RFID tag via the antenna.

2. In the article management system according to claim 1, The switching means sets the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna to the first value and switches the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna to the second value during the period of reading information from the management RFID tag, and when information is read from the detection RFID tag, it returns the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna to the first value and continues to read information from the management RFID tag. The aforementioned determination means outputs an alarm if information is not read from the detection RFID tag when the output of the radio waves emitted from the antenna is switched to the second value, in an item management system.

3. In the article management system according to claim 1 or claim 2, The information read from the aforementioned RFID tag for detection includes a code that is distinguishable from the information read from the aforementioned RFID tag for management. The reading means is an item management system that, when the output of the radio waves radiated from the antenna is switched to the second value, identifies only information containing a code that is included only in the information read from the detection RFID tag.

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