JP4644501B2 - A fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixture including a drawer capable of reading information of an RFID tag in which article information is recorded.

  In recent years, in order to manage the storage state of articles stored in furniture, an RFID tag in which article information is recorded is attached to each article, information on the RFID tag is read by a reading device, and each article is based on the read information. Various devices have been developed that manage the storage state of the storage. The RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag includes an IC chip having a storage unit and a wireless antenna capable of transmitting and receiving information stored in the storage unit.

  As an example of this, the article information recorded on the RFID tag of the article stored in the fixture can be read by a reading device arranged on the shelf board of the fixture, and the article can be managed based on the read article information. There is such a fixture (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-7-182357 (paragraphs 0011-0022, FIGS. 1 to 3)

  However, when the article information is read on the fixture side as in the above-mentioned document 1, for example, when a part of the fixture is made of an electromagnetic shielding material (EMS material) such as metal, the vicinity of this electromagnetic shielding material When a reading device is provided, the electromagnetic shielding material generates a magnetic field in a direction opposite to the direction of the magnetic field of the electromagnetic wave generated from the magnetic antenna of the reading device. Was affected by electromagnetic shielding.

  In particular, in a fixture equipped with a drawer made of electromagnetic shielding material, it is difficult to find the optimal mounting location due to the difficulty in mounting the reading device, and even if the reading device is provided in the drawer, the drawer Electromagnetic waves from the reading device are affected by the electromagnetic shielding material due to the electromagnetic shielding material constituting the EMF, so that an electromotive force is unlikely to be generated in an RFID tag attached to an article such as a binder or a file case accommodated in the drawer housing portion. Thus, there may be a problem in reading electromagnetic waves including article information recorded on the RFID tag.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and allows the reading device to receive electromagnetic waves including article information of the RFID tag attached to the article without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fixture having a drawer from which article information can be read.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a fixture including a drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a drawer in which an article to which an RFID tag is attached can be stored. Is a fixture provided with a reading device for reading information of the RFID tag in which article information is recorded, wherein the drawer is constituted by an electromagnetic shielding material, and the reading device is arranged in a direction along the rear plate of the drawer. And a side made of a non-electromagnetic shielding material so as to be spaced apart from the rear plate, the bottom plate, and both side plates of the drawer by a predetermined interval or more, and to separate the RFID tag from the both side plates to a predetermined interval or more. It is characterized in that each part spacer is provided .
According to this feature, the reading device is always separated from the rear plate, bottom plate, and both side plates of the electromagnetic shielding material constituting the drawer by a predetermined distance or more, so that the electromagnetic wave from the reading device is not affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. The RFID tag attached to the article housed in the drawer can receive the signal, and the reading device can normally receive the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. Even when the article is housed in the drawer close to both side plates that are electromagnetic shielding materials, the distance between the RFID tag and the side plate is always more than a predetermined distance by the side spacer, Without affecting the transmission / reception of electromagnetic waves of the reading device, it is possible to more reliably receive the article information of the RFID tag by the reading device.

A fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 2 of the present invention is a fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 1, and is spaced apart from the rear plate by a predetermined distance or more. Thus, the reading device is attached to a rear spacer made of a non-electromagnetic shielding material.
According to this feature, the reading device and the rear plate can always be stably separated by a predetermined distance or more simply by attaching the reading device to the rear spacer.

A fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 3 of the present invention is a fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the readout device and the rear plate It is characterized in that a magnetic material is inserted between the two.
According to this feature, since the magnetic body is inserted between the reading device and the rear plate, the width of the predetermined interval between the reading device and the rear plate can be reduced, so that the drawer storage portion Is widely secured.

A fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 4 of the present invention is a fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein When the article is stored in the drawer, the attachment position is set to a position close to the reading device side.
According to this feature, when the article is stored in the drawer, the distance between the RFID tag and the reading device is reduced, so that the reading accuracy of the RFID tag information by the reading device can be further increased.

A fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 5 of the present invention is a fixture provided with a drawer capable of reading article information according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the side portion is provided with the drawer. A magnetic material is inserted between the spacer and the both side plates, respectively.
According to this feature, since the magnetic body is inserted between the side spacer and the side plates, the width of the predetermined interval between the side spacer and the side plates can be reduced. The storage part can be secured more widely.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an article management system to which a fixture is applied and a perspective view of a fixture group, and FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view showing a drawer pulled out from the fixture. 2 (b) is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the main part of the rear spacer in which the reading device is arranged, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the drawer after the assembly is completed and the articles stored in the drawer. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the drawer of FIG. 1 on the drawer side, and FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of the drawer showing the AA line of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of fixtures 1 in which articles are stored are installed (three in this embodiment), and a signal cable for transmitting and receiving various signals and power are supplied from these fixtures 1 side. The relay device 11 is connected to the furniture antenna 10 via the communication cable 2 via a communication cable 2 including a power supply cable.

  A management computer 3 that manages and operates the article management system and an input terminal 4 that performs data input / output and data display of the management computer 3 are mutually connected via a LAN cable 8 (in this embodiment, via a LAN). In addition to being connected, the communication antenna 2 is connected to the management antenna 9.

  On the other hand, the input terminal 4 is connected via a communication cable 2 to an RFID reader / writer 5 that can receive electromagnetic waves from an RFID tag attached to an article 7 or built in a user authentication card 6. The furniture antenna 10 and the management antenna 9 are connected to each other wirelessly so that various data can be transmitted and received.

  The fixture 1 has a configuration in which a library 100 is placed on top of a conventionally known lateral fixture 200. The library 100 includes an upper shelf storage unit 101 and a lower shelf storage unit 102 partitioned by shelf plates 25 and 26. The furniture 200 is provided with drawers 201, 202, 203, and 204, and a file case for storing documents such as files and medical records and an article 7 such as a book are stored in these storage units. As will be described in detail later, RFID tags are individually attached to articles such as file cases and books stored in the fixture 1.

  Inside the drawers 201, 202, 203, and 204 of the fixture 200, an RFID antenna as a reading device, which will be described later, is disposed, and can receive electromagnetic waves including article information from the RFID tag. The RFID antenna is connected to the communication cable 2 and connected to the management computer 3 via the relay device 11, the fixture antenna 10, and the management antenna 9, and the RFID tags stored in these drawers 201, 202, 203, 204 are connected to the management computer 3. By transmitting the article information data to the management computer 3, the management computer 3 can centrally manage the articles stored in the plurality of drawers 201, 202, 203, and 204.

  Further, the fixture 200 is provided with an unlocking lamp 215, an unlocking device 217, and a speaker 216, and a storage unit is provided at the center position of the handle 220 corresponding to a storage unit to be described later of each drawer 201, 202, 203, 204. Instruction lamps 211, 212, 213, and 214 are provided, connected to the communication cable 2 in the same manner as the RFID antenna described above, and connected to the management computer 3 through the relay device 11, the fixture antenna 10, and the management antenna 9. The management computer 3 can control the lighting, extinguishing or blinking of the storage unit instruction lamps (211 to 214) in a centralized manner.

  In other words, the lighting and extinguishing of these lamps are controlled based on the control data from the management computer 3, and the user can be notified of the location of the drawer 202 based on the lighting of the storage unit instruction lamp 212, for example. Yes. Note that a binder, a file case, and the like, which will be described later, are stored in the storage units of the drawers 201, 202, 203, and 204, so that various documents can be stored. Each of these articles is individually attached with an RFID tag.

  Note that each of the RFID antenna of this embodiment and the RFID tag on which article information is recorded uses an annular coil antenna, and uses magnetic flux generated by induction between the RFID antenna and the RFID tag coil. Communication is performed by the electromagnetic induction method.

  The reading frequency of the RFID antenna uses an electromagnetic induction long wave band (up to 135 kHz) (125 kHz in the present embodiment). The present invention, for example, uses an electromagnetic induction short wave band (13.56 MHz). ), A microwave type radio wave band (2.45 GHz) using a radio wave of the microwave band, a UHF band (950 MHz to 956 MHz), and the like, and the shape and communication of the article placed on the shelf According to the distance, an RFID antenna having an optimum method and frequency suitable for a more ideal environment and an RFID tag capable of communicating with the RFID antenna may be appropriately used.

  Next, the structure of the drawer 202 provided with the RFID antenna and the relationship between the RFID antenna and the RFID tag will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. Since the structures of the drawers 201, 203, and 204 are the same as those of the drawer 202, a part of the description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the drawer 202 has a front front plate 202d (electromagnetic shielding material) provided with a handle 220 and a storage unit instruction lamp 212, a rear rear plate 202a (electromagnetic shielding material), left and right The side plate 202b, 202c (electromagnetic shielding material) and the bottom plate 202e (electromagnetic shielding material) are formed in a rectangular body with an upper portion opened, and a storage portion 210 that can store a binder and the like described later is formed. A fitting rail 227 extends in the front-rear direction at positions on the lower outer surface of the left side plate 202b and the right side plate 202c.

  A rear spacer 50 formed of a plastic resin material, which is a non-electromagnetic shielding material, is placed in the storage portion 210 along the inner peripheral surface of the rear plate 202a on the bottom plate 202e in the direction indicated by the arrow. Similarly, the left side spacer 60 which is a non-electromagnetic shielding material along the inner side surface of the left side plate 202b and the non-electromagnetic shielding material along the inner side surface of the right side plate 202c. The right side spacer 70 can be attached in the direction indicated by the arrow.

  The side facing the rear plate 202a of the rear spacer 50 is opened, and an antenna housing space 52 in which the RFID antenna 46 as a reading device is housed and the communication cable 2 can be wired is formed. The side facing the side plates 202b and 202c of the part spacer 60 and the right part spacer 70 are also opened, and wiring spaces 62 and 72 for communication cables are formed.

  The rear spacer 50 is formed with a wiring groove 53 for drawing the communication cable 2 connected to the RFID antenna 46 and other communication cables upward, and wiring for inserting the communication cable 2 at the left and right end positions. A hole 51 is formed. Similarly, wiring holes 61 and 71 for inserting a communication cable are also formed in front and rear end positions of the left side spacer 60 and the right side spacer 70, respectively.

  The rear spacer 50 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2B, a connection portion 47 connected to the communication cable 2 is fixed to the center position of the back surface of the RFID antenna 46, and the rear spacer 50 is connected via the communication cable 2. Are connected to the relay device 11 (see FIG. 1). The RFID antenna 46 is attached by fixing the front surface side of the RFID antenna 46 to the front rear surface of the rear spacer 50 with an adhesive or the like while moving the RFID antenna 46 into the antenna storage space 52 in the direction indicated by the arrow. Yes.

  In this way, by attaching the RFID antenna 46 as a reading device to the rear spacer 50, the RFID antenna 46 can be easily disposed in the drawer 202 simply by installing the rear spacer 50 on the rear plate 202a. ing.

  FIG. 3 shows a completed drawing in which the rear spacer 50, the left side spacer 60, and the right side spacer 70 are attached to the drawer 202. The front plate 202d and the bottom plate 202e, the rear spacer 50, the left side spacer 60, and the right side spacer are shown. Articles such as the binder 14 can be stored in the storage unit 210 surrounded by 70. The communication cable 2 is connected to the storage unit instruction lamp 212. The communication cable 2 is wired along the back surface of the front plate 202d, and is connected to the wiring space 62 [FIG. 2A] via the wiring hole 61 of the left side spacer 60. 2] and further into the antenna housing space 52 [see FIG. 2 (a)] via the wiring hole 51 of the rear spacer 50, and is extended from the wiring groove 53 to the outside so that the relay device 11 ( 1).

  An RFID tag 30 is attached to one side of the side surface of the binder 14, and the attachment position of the RFID tag 30 is separated from the bottom surface of the binder 14 upward by a predetermined distance (L0) or more and closer to the rear. It is attached. Therefore, when the binder 14 is stored in the storage unit 210, it is preferable to store the binder 14 so that the position of the RFID tag 30 is always directed toward the rear spacer 50 while moving in the direction indicated by the arrow.

  That is, when the mounting position of the RFID tag 30 is stored in the storage unit 210 of the drawer 202, the distance between the RFID tag 30 and the RFID antenna 46 is set to be in the vicinity of the RFID antenna 46 that is a reading device. Therefore, the reading accuracy of the article information of the RFID tag 30 by the RFID antenna 46 can be further improved.

  Furthermore, when the mounting position of the RFID tag 30 is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the binder 14 by a predetermined distance (L0) or more, if the binder 14 is stored in the storage unit 210, the influence from the bottom plate 202e that is an electromagnetic shielding material is affected. Without receiving, the RFID tag 30 and the RFID antenna 46 are more accurately transmitted and received.

  As for the distance between the RFID tag and the electromagnetic shielding material, the electromagnetic wave from the RFID antenna is received by the RFID tag without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material, and the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag is not affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. It has been experimentally verified that at least the distance between the RFID tag and the electromagnetic shielding material is preferably 40 mm or more in order to be received by the RFID antenna. Therefore, in this embodiment, the distance (L0) between the RFID tag 30 disposed on the binder 14 and the bottom plate 202e is set to 50 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fixture body 1a of the fixture 200 in which the drawer 202 and other drawers 201, 203, and 204 described above are housed is a back plate 17, which is an electromagnetic shielding material (steel material in this embodiment). A drawer storage 200a is formed from the side plate 19 and the bottom plate 18 so that the front is open. The side plate 19 is provided with four guide rails 226. A fitting rail 227 formed on the side surface of the drawer 202 is slidably fitted to the guide rail 226 so that the drawer 202 can be slidably mounted on the fixture body 1a. Are stored in or pulled out of the drawer storage 200a.

  The communication cable 2 is wired from the top plate 16 to the back plate 17, and the unlocking lamp 215 provided on the front portion of the top plate 16 and the speaker 216 and the unlocking device 217 shown in FIG. These communication cables 2 are connected to each other, are bundled and wired outside, and are connected to the relay device 11.

  The communication cable 2 wired from the back plate 17 side to the inside of the fixture body 1a is wired from the rear plate 202a side of the drawer 202, and the storage unit instruction outside the RFID antenna 46 inside the rear spacer 50 and the front plate 202d is designated. Each of the lamps 212 is connected and wired.

  As shown in the drawer 202 and the drawer 203 in a partially broken view, the RFID antenna 46 is disposed at a predetermined position on the rear spacer 50 provided on the rear plate 202a. The predetermined disposition position is arranged such that it is separated from the front plate 202d in front of the drawer 202 by a predetermined distance (L1) or more and is also separated from the rear rear plate 202a by a predetermined interval (L2). It is also a position that is arranged so as to be separated from 202e by a predetermined interval (L3).

  As for the distance between the RFID antenna and the electromagnetic shielding material, the electromagnetic wave from the RFID antenna is received by the RFID tag without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material, and the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag is not affected by the electromagnetic shielding material. It has been experimentally verified that at least the distance between the RFID antenna and the electromagnetic shielding material is preferably 40 mm or more so that the RFID antenna can receive the signal.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the interval (L1) between the RFID antenna 46 and the front plate 202d is 50 mm, the interval (L2) between the RFID antenna 46 and the rear plate 202a is 50 mm, and the RFID antenna 46 and the bottom plate 203e are separated from each other. The interval (L3) was 50 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of binders are stored in the storage unit 210 of the drawer 202 in the left-right direction, and the RFID tags 30 of these binders 14 are stored so as to be positioned in the vicinity of the RFID antenna 46. Thus, even when reading the article information of the plurality of RFID tags 30 at the same time by the RFID antenna 46, it is possible to prevent occurrence of a reading error and to read the article information accurately.

  Further, the RFID tag 30 is always separated from the rear plate 202a, which is an electromagnetic shielding material, by a predetermined distance (L2) or more by the rear spacer 50, even when the binder 14 is stored in any position of the storage unit 210. Furthermore, the RFID tag 30 is configured to be separated from the left and right side plates 202b and 202c, which are electromagnetic shielding materials, by a left and right side spacers 60 and 70 by a predetermined distance (L4) or more.

  Specifically, in this embodiment, the front-rear width of the rear spacer 50 is formed such that the distance (L2) between the RFID antenna 46 and the rear plate 202a is 50 mm or more, and the left-right width of the left and right side spacers 60, 70 Are formed such that the distance (L4) between the left and right side plates 202b, 202c is 50 mm or more. Note that the left and right end portions of the RFID antenna 46 are also disposed in the rear spacer 50 at positions spaced apart from the left and right side plates 202b and 202c by a predetermined distance (L4) or more.

  Therefore, even when the binder 14 is stored in the storage unit 210 in the vicinity of the rear plate 202a and the left and right side plates 202b, 202c, the rear spacer 50 and the left and right side spacers 60, 70 Since the distance between the RFID tag 30 and the RFID tag 30 is always greater than or equal to a predetermined interval, the product information of the RFID tag 30 is more reliably received by the RFID antenna 46 without affecting the transmission / reception of electromagnetic waves between the RFID tag 30 and the RFID antenna 46. It becomes possible.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the RFID antenna 46 and the RFID tag 30 as the reading device are always connected from the rear plate 202a, the bottom plate 202e, the side plates 202b and 202c, and the front plate 202d, which are electromagnetic shielding materials constituting the drawer 202. Since the electromagnetic waves from the RFID antenna 46 are not affected by these electromagnetic shielding materials, they are received by the RFID tag 30 attached to the binder 46, which is an article stored in the storage unit 210 of the drawer 202, because the electromagnetic waves from the RFID antenna 46 are not affected by these electromagnetic shielding materials. Thus, the electromagnetic wave from the RFID tag 30 can be normally received by the RFID antenna 46 without being affected by the electromagnetic shielding material.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view of the drawer. In the following second embodiment, the same structural parts as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the rear spacer 50 'disposed on the rear plate 202a is formed so that the front-rear width is shorter than the front-rear width of the rear spacer 50 in the first embodiment, and the rear plate 202a and the RFID antenna The magnetic body 21 is interposed between the 46. The magnetic body 21 has a characteristic that prevents the magnetic field generated from the rear plate 202a, which is an electromagnetic shielding material, from affecting the electromagnetic waves generated from the RFID antenna 46. Therefore, the front-rear width of the rear plate 202a and the RFID antenna 46 is set to a predetermined interval (L5) shorter than the predetermined interval (L2) of the first embodiment.

  Similarly, the left and right side spacers 60 'and 70' disposed on the left and right side plates 202b and 202c are formed so that the left and right widths are shorter than the left and right widths of the left and right side spacers 60 in the first embodiment. A magnetic body 21 'is interposed between the left and right side plates 202b, 202c and the left and right side spacers 60', 70 '. The magnetic body 21 ′ has a characteristic that prevents the magnetic field generated from the left and right side plates 202 b and 202 c that are electromagnetic shielding materials from affecting the electromagnetic waves transmitted and received between the RFID antenna 46 and the RFID tag 30. Therefore, the left and right widths of the left and right side plates 202b and 202c and the left and right side spacers 60 'and 70' are set to a predetermined interval (L6) shorter than the predetermined interval (L4) of the first embodiment.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, by inserting the magnetic body 21 between the rear plate 202a that is an electromagnetic shielding material and the RFID antenna 46 that is a reading device, the predetermined interval width in the front and back can be narrowed. Since the magnetic body 21 'is inserted between the left and right side plates 202b, 202c, which are electromagnetic shielding materials, and the side spacers 60', 70 ', the left and right predetermined interval widths can be narrowed. The storage section 210 can be secured widely, and more articles of the binder 14 can be stored.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the attachment position of the RFID tag 30 is set on the side surface side of the binder 14, but the present invention is not limited to this.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the article | item management system to which the fixture in Example 1 of this invention was applied, and the perspective view of a fixture group. (A) is an assembly exploded perspective view showing the drawer pulled out from the fixture, and (b) is an enlarged assembly exploded perspective view of the main part of the rear spacer provided with the reading device. It is a perspective view which shows the drawer | drawer after completion of an assembly, and the articles | goods accommodated in a drawer | drawer. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view by the side of the drawer of the fixture of FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of the drawer showing the AA line of FIG. 4. It is a plane sectional view of a drawer in Example 2 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 fixture 1a fixture body 2 communication cable (including signal cable and power supply cable)
11 Relay device 14 Binder (article)
16 Top plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
17 Back plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
18 Bottom plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
19 Side plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
21, 21 'Magnetic body (electromagnetic wave interference prevention member)
25 Shelves 26 of the upper shelf storage unit 26 Shelves 30 of the lower shelf storage unit RFID tag 46 RFID antenna (reading device)
47 Connection 50, 50 'Rear spacer 51 Wiring hole 52 Antenna storage space 53 Wiring groove 60, 60' Left spacer 61 Wiring hole 62 Wiring space 70, 70 'Right spacer 71 Wiring hole 72 Wiring space 100 Library 101 Upper shelf storage Unit 102 Lower shelf storage unit 200 Lateral fixture 200a Drawer storage 201-204 Drawers 201a-204a Rear plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
201b to 204b Left side plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
201c to 204c Right side plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
201d to 204d Front plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
201e-204e Bottom plate (electromagnetic shielding material)
202 ′ Drawer 210 Article storage unit (storage unit)
211-214 Storage unit instruction lamp 215 Unlocking lamp 216 Speaker 217 Locking / unlocking device

Claims (5)

The drawer includes a drawer in which an article to which an RFID tag is attached can be stored, and the drawer includes a reading device that reads information of the RFID tag in which article information is recorded. And the reading device is disposed in a direction along the rear plate of the drawer and at a predetermined distance or more from the rear plate of the drawer, the bottom plate, and the both side plates , A fixture comprising a drawer capable of reading article information, characterized in that side spacers made of a non-electromagnetic shielding material are provided so as to separate the RFID tag from both side plates by a predetermined distance or more .   The fixture provided with the drawer which can read the article information according to claim 1, wherein the reading device is attached to a rear spacer made of a non-electromagnetic shielding material so as to be separated from the rear plate by a predetermined distance or more.   The fixture provided with the drawer | drawer which can read the article information of Claim 1 or 2 which inserted the magnetic body between the said reading apparatus and the said back surface board.   4. A drawer capable of reading article information according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is attached at a position near the reading device when the article is stored in the drawer. A fixture. The fixture provided with the drawer | drawer which can read the article information in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4 which inserted the magnetic body between the said side part spacer and the said both-sides board respectively.

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