JP5076582B2 - Data communication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a data communication device and a data communication method, and a test body classification device and a test body classification method, and in particular, a data communication device and a data communication method for performing data communication with a portable data storage medium, The present invention also relates to a specimen classification apparatus and a specimen classification method for classifying a plurality of specimens into categories.

  There has been proposed a method of performing a water flow test for verifying the soundness of a flow path through which a fluid such as water is used using a test specimen (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this water flow test method, a predetermined test specimen is supplied to the water flowing in the flow path such as a building drainage pipe, and it is verified whether the test specimen is lost due to fluid retention or flow path branching. Or, the time required for the test body to reach the target goal position from the start position for introducing the test body into the flow path is measured as the water passing time.

  The test body is composed of, for example, a data carrier (data storage medium) that can perform wireless data communication with a reader / writer. The reader / writer performs data communication to write data to the data carrier and read data stored in the data carrier.

Therefore, in the measurement of the water flow time in the water flow test, first, information on the start time when the test body is put into the flow path at the start position is written in the test body, and then the goal position is reached after reaching the goal position. It can be easily performed by calculating from the goal arrival time that has reached 1 and the start time read from the specimen. In addition, when there are a large number of specimens, the start time and goal arrival time for calculating the water flow time can be easily converted into data by writing the goal arrival time information to the specimen at the goal position. Can do.
JP 2006-257745 A

  However, in the reader / writer, when reading data written on the data carrier, data reading failure (reading error) may occur. Causes of the read error include the reason that the data itself written on the data carrier in the flow path is damaged (first reason), the horizontal direction of the data writing surface on which the data is written on the data carrier, There may be a reason (second reason) that the incident direction with respect to the wireless data writing surface used when reading data is parallel. Therefore, it is required to improve the reading rate by reducing the reading error of the reader / writer. Similarly, it is also required to improve the writing rate when writing data to the data carrier.

  When a reading error occurs, the reader / writer cannot identify the cause of the reading error as one type of reason. For this reason, when classifying a large number of test bodies that have reached the goal position into predetermined categories, it is very difficult to quickly extract data carriers (test bodies) with damaged data. Therefore, the conventional test specimen classification method cannot reliably classify a plurality of test specimens.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and provides a data communication apparatus capable of improving the success rate of establishment of data communication.

In order to achieve the above object, the data communication device of the present invention provides:
A data communication device for performing data communication with a spherical test body,
A data communication unit that performs wireless data communication with the test body;
A housing having a hollow cylindrical shape and having a top plate, side walls, and a bottom plate;
A turntable arranged to be rotatable in the housing;
With
The top plate has a supply pipe through which the specimen supplied from above passes.
The rotary table has an upper plate, a lower plate, and a plurality of holding tubes erected between the upper plate and the lower plate,
The upper plate is formed with a hole communicating with each holding tube,
The lower plate is formed with a hole communicating with each holding tube,
The test body supplied from above via the supply pipe is restricted from entering the holding pipe by the upper surface of the upper plate,
When the turntable turns, the entry restriction is released, and the test body enters one of the plurality of holding tubes through a hole formed in the upper plate. Free fall towards the bottom plate,
The test body is configured so that the rotary table continues to swivel during a period from the time when it enters the holding tube through the hole formed in the upper plate to the time when it comes out of the hole formed in the lower plate. Swiveling with the holding tube while receiving pressure from the inner surface of
The test body which has been free-falled to the bottom plate through the hole formed in the lower plate moves along the trajectory on the bottom plate by receiving the pressure,
The data communication unit performs data communication with the test body moving on the movement locus.

The bottom plate has a first gate and a second gate in the movement locus on the downstream side of the data communication unit in the moving direction of the specimen.
When the data communication unit fails to establish data communication with the test body, the test body passes through the first gate,
When the data communication unit successfully establishes data communication with the test body, the test body may pass through the second gate.

A sensor for detecting that the holding tube has passed above;
The sensor is provided in the movement locus on the downstream side of the data communication unit in the movement direction of the specimen.
When the sensor detects that the holding tube has reached the upper side, if the data communication unit has not established data communication with the specimen, a flag indicating that the data communication has failed is displayed. It may be set.

  According to the present invention, the success rate of establishment of data communication can be improved.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a specimen classification apparatus including a data communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A specimen classification apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus for classifying a plurality of specimens 10 into categories, and is made of, for example, a highly rigid plastic.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the test body classification apparatus 100 includes a housing having a hollow cylindrical shape, and a turntable 130 that is rotatably disposed in the housing. The housing includes a top plate 110, side walls 120, and a bottom plate 140. In FIG. 1, the test body 10 is supplied into the housing from the upper side of the test body classification apparatus 100 (in the direction of arrow A) and discharged to the lower side of the test body classification apparatus 100 (in the directions of arrows B and C).

  The test body 10 is, for example, a rolling body having a spherical shape with a radius of 13 mm, and includes an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag 11 having a plate shape (see a cross-sectional view in FIG. 3). The RFID tag 11 is an IC chip (IC tag) with a wireless antenna. Specifically, a wireless antenna formed of a coil wound in a substantially rectangular loop shape, and data writing / recording using wireless communication. And a data holding unit configured to be readable. The wireless antenna performs wireless transmission and reception with a frequency of 13.56 MHz, for example. In the data holding part of the RFID tag 11, at least identification information (ID) capable of specifying the test body 10 is written in advance. Therefore, since the test body 10 can be transported in a state where data is held by the RFID tag 11, it functions as a data carrier (data storage medium) having portability.

  In FIG. 1, the top plate 110 of the specimen classification apparatus 100 includes a plate 111 that functions as a lid of a housing, and a supply pipe 112 in which a hole 112 a that communicates with a hole formed in the plate 111 is formed. The specimen 10 is supplied into the housing of the specimen classification apparatus 100 through the hole 112a. The inner diameter (diameter) of the hole 112a is, for example, 30 mm, but may be set so that the two test bodies 10 do not enter in the inner diameter direction.

  The side wall 120 is a wall body having a hollow cylindrical shape with an inner diameter (diameter) of 160 mm, for example, and is disposed between the top plate 110 and the bottom plate 140 in order to increase the rigidity of the housing. Further, the side wall 120 is disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the turntable 130, thereby improving the safety of the specimen classification apparatus 100.

  The rotary table 130 includes an upper plate 131, a lower plate 132, and holding tubes 133, 134, and 135 having a hollow cylindrical shape, and is driven by a motor (not shown) to rotate at a constant speed in the direction of arrow W in FIG. To do.

  The holding pipes 133, 134, and 135 are erected between the upper plate 131 and the lower plate 132, so that the upper plate 131 and the lower plate 132 are separated by a distance d, for example, 30 mm, as shown in FIG. Separate. This distance d is larger than the diameter of the test body 10. The upper limit value of the distance d is maintained when two or more test specimens do not enter the holding pipe at the same time and the second test specimen tries to enter the holding pipe due to the turning of the rotary table 130. It only has to be set so as not to get caught between the tube and the top plate.

  Further, the three holding tubes 133, 134, 135 are arranged on the upper surface of the lower plate 132 so as to be equally spaced on one circumference. Although not limited to an equal interval, the two or more holding tubes are arranged so as not to enter the reading region 146a at the same time. Thereby, a reading operation by a reader / writer 146 described later is performed on one test body 10.

  In addition, the holding pipes 133, 134, 135 are formed with holes 133a, 134a, 135a having the same diameter as the hole 112a, and the upper plate 131 and the lower plate are connected to the holes 133a, 134a, 135a. A hole is also formed in 132. The holes 133 a, 134 a, and 135 a communicate with the hole 112 a of the supply pipe 112 by turning the rotary table 130. Therefore, the test body 10 supplied through the hole 112a of the supply pipe 112 enters each hole 133a, 134a, 135a. Accordingly, the holding tubes 133, 134, and 135 function as holding members that hold the test body 10.

  Here, a clearance (space) of a maximum of 4 mm is generated between the inner surface of the holding tube 133 (inner diameter 30 mm) and the outer surface of the test body 10 (diameter 26 mm). The size of the clearance is such that the test body 10 can roll within the holding tube 133, and two or more test bodies do not enter the holding tube at the same time. It is sufficient that the body is set so as not to be caught between the holding tube and the top plate when the body tries to enter the holding tube. The inner diameters of the holding pipes 133, 134, and 135 are set so as to satisfy this condition, and in the present embodiment, the holding pipes 133, 134, and 135 have the same inner diameter.

  When the radius of the test body 10 is r, the above conditions when the height of the holding tube is d substantially equal to the distance d and the diameter (inner diameter) of the holding tube is S will be described in detail.

The height d of the holding tube satisfies a condition that the height d is larger than the diameter 2r of the test body and smaller than 1.5 times the diameter (that is, 2r <d <3r). The height d is higher than the value of d satisfying the equation (2r) ² = (S−2r) ² + (d−r) ² obtained when the shortest distance between the centers of two adjacent specimens 10 is considered. Satisfy the condition of a small value.

Further, the inner diameter S of the holding tube satisfies the condition that it is larger than the diameter 2r of the specimen (that is, 2r <), and the above equation (2r) ² = (S−2r) ² + (dr). The condition that the inner diameter S of the holding tube is smaller than the value of S satisfying ² is satisfied. Here, when the height d of the holding tube is equal to the minimum value 2r (d = 2r), the maximum value of the inner diameter S is (2 + √3), and therefore the range of possible values of the value of the inner diameter S of the holding tube. Is 2r <S <(2 + √3) r.

  The bottom plate 140 includes a base plate 141 that forms the bottom of the housing, a first sensor 145 and a second sensor 147 embedded in the base plate 141, a reader / writer (R / W) 146, and a slide bar 150.

  A step portion having an upper surface 141b that abuts on the lower surface of the side wall 120 is formed on the peripheral edge of the base plate 141, whereby the side wall 120 is supported.

  A first discharge pipe 142 and a second discharge pipe 143 stand on the lower surface of the base plate 141. A hole 142a having the same diameter as the hole 112a is formed in the first discharge pipe 142, and the base plate 141 is an inner surface (hereinafter referred to as “first gate”) that defines a hole formed so as to communicate with the hole 142a. ). Similarly, a hole 143a having the same diameter as the hole 112a is formed in the second discharge pipe 143, and the base plate 141 is an inner surface (hereinafter referred to as “second”) that defines a hole formed so as to communicate with the hole 143a. Gate)).

  The first gate causes one of the holes 133 a, 134 a, 135 a of the holding pipes 133, 134, 135 of the rotary table 130 to communicate with the hole 142 a of the first discharge pipe 142 by turning the rotary table 130. The second gate causes one of the holes 133 a, 134 a, and 135 a of the holding pipes 133, 134, and 135 of the rotary table 130 to communicate with the hole 143 a of the second discharge pipe 143 by turning the rotary table 130.

  Further, a vent pipe 148 is erected on the lower surface of the base plate 141. The hole formed in the vent pipe 148 communicates with the vent hole 160 formed of nine holes formed so as to penetrate the base plate 141 in the vertical direction.

  The first sensor 145 and the second sensor 147 are position sensors that detect that any of the holding tubes 133, 134, and 135 has passed above the first sensor 145. As the position sensor, a non-contact type magnetic sensor is preferably used, but a contact type sensor may be used.

  The reader / writer (R / W) 146 is a data communication unit of the specimen classification apparatus 100 and includes a wireless antenna formed of a coil wound in a substantially rectangular loop shape. The wireless antenna performs wireless transmission and reception with a frequency of 13.56 MHz, for example. Data communication between the reader / writer 146 and the RFID tag 11 of the test body 10 is started when the reader / writer 146 transmits radio waves to the RFID tag 11, and then the RFID tag 11 that has received radio waves from the reader / writer 146 reads the reader / writer 146. Data communication is established by sending a reply to the writer 146 using wireless communication. Thereafter, the reader / writer 146 can read data from the test body 10 that is a data carrier using radio waves and write data to the RFID tag 11 of the test body 10 using radio waves. If there is no reply from the RFID tag 11, the reader / writer 146 fails to establish data communication with the RFID tag 11, and data cannot be read or written.

  2 and 3 show the reading area 146a of the reader / writer 146. FIG. The reading area 146a indicates a data readable range on the upper surface 141a of the base plate 141 when data in the test body 10 is read. A setting method for setting the reading area 146a on the upper surface 141a will be described later.

  The slide bar 150 is embedded in the base plate 141 in the vicinity of the hole 142a of the first discharge pipe 142 and the first gate, and is driven by a motor (not shown). The slide bar 150 is composed of a plate-like member that is slidable in the horizontal direction of the base plate 141. The slide bar 150 has a position shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as “storage position”) and a position shown in FIG. ”). The motor for the slide bar 150 performs control to switch the moving position of the slide bar 150 between the storage position and the protruding position according to the detection results of the first sensor 145 and the second sensor 147 and the reading result of the reader / writer 146. Do.

  The slide bar 150 maintains the first gate in an open state when in the retracted position (FIG. 1), while maintaining the first gate in a closed state when in the protruding position (FIG. 2). Therefore, the slide bar 150 functions as a switching member for switching the open / closed state of the first gate.

  According to the configuration of FIG. 1, by arranging the bottom plate 140, the rotary table 130, the side wall 120, and the top plate 110 in this order, it is possible to easily assemble the specimen classification apparatus 100 and in the reverse order. Therefore, the specimen classification apparatus 100 can be easily disassembled. Accordingly, the user can easily perform maintenance such as cleaning and design change of the specimen classification device 100, and can facilitate the transportation of the specimen classification device 100.

  In addition, it is preferable to comprise the component containing the channel | path which the test body 10 passes among the components of the test body classification | category apparatus 100 with a transparent material. Examples of such components include the supply pipe 112, the side wall 120, the holding pipes 133, 134, and 135, the first discharge pipe 142, and the second discharge pipe 143. Thereby, the user can visually recognize the test body 10 passing through the inside of the housing from the outside of the test body classification apparatus 100.

  Next, the movement trajectory of the test body 10 and the operation of the test body classification apparatus 100 when the test body 10 is supplied from above the test body classification apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bottom plate 140 along the line II-II in FIG. Note that the slide bar 150 in FIG. 2 is in a protruding position different from the storage position in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom plate 140 taken along line III-III in FIG. In FIG. 3, the test body 10 when it is located at the point C in FIG. 2 is indicated by a virtual line as a test body 10 ′, and the test body 10 when it is located at the point D is shown. It is shown with a solid line.

  First, in FIG. 1, the test body 10 is supplied from above the test body classification apparatus 100 (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1). In addition, supply of the test body 10 may be performed by input by a user.

  At this time, the test body 10 attempts to enter the inside of the housing, but is subject to entry restriction by the upper surface of the upper plate 131 of the turntable 130. The restriction on the entry of the test body 10 is released when the turntable 130 continues to turn in the direction of arrow W in FIG.

  Specifically, as a result of the turntable 130 turning, the restriction on entry of the test body 10 is released by, for example, the hole 133a of the holding tube 133 communicating with the hole 112a above the point A shown in FIG. . Thereby, the test body 10 falls freely toward the upper surface 141a of the base plate 141, and is thereafter supported by the inner surface and the upper surface 141a of the holding tube 133. Since the rotation of the rotating plate 130 continues during this time, the test body 10 receives pressure in the moving direction of the holding tube 133 by the inner surface of the holding tube 133, and as a result, rolls on the upper surface 141. Therefore, the upper surface 141a includes a raceway surface on which the test body 10 can roll.

  Here, the movement trajectory formed by the center line in the longitudinal direction of the holding tube 133 on the upper surface 141a is an arc having a radius R [m] centered on the center point O of the upper surface 141a shown in FIG. This radius R is, for example, 60 mm. Further, the movement trajectory T (FIG. 2) of the test body 10 is also along the movement trajectory of the holding tube 133. The movement trajectory T shown in FIG. 2 is represented by a set of contact points between the test body 10 and the upper surface 141a, and a thick arrow indicates the direction of the movement trajectory T. Actually, since the clearance is set between the outer surface of the test body 10 and the inner surface of the holding tube 133, the movement locus formed by the center line of the holding tube 133 and the movement locus 10 of the test body 10 are completely set. However, at least the movement locus (region) formed by the entire bottom surface of the holding tube 133 includes the movement locus T of the specimen 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the movement trajectory T of the test body 10 includes the point A, and further includes points B, C, D, E, F, and G on the upper surface 141a. The movement trajectory T of the test body 10 includes a point H when the slide bar 150 is at the protruding position shown in FIG.

  While the test body 10 is rolling in the section from the point B to the point F, the reading operation for the reader / writer 146 to read data from the RFID tag 11 and the related operation are performed. This data reading operation and related operations will be described later.

  Thereafter, the specimen 10 reaches a point G shown in FIG. At this time, the hole 133 a of the holding pipe 133 communicates with the hole 142 a of the first discharge pipe 142. However, since the slide bar 150 is in the protruding position as shown in FIG. 2, the first gate above the hole 142a is in a closed state. As a result, the test body 10 cannot pass through the first gate and cannot enter (free fall) into the hole 142a. Therefore, the test body 10 passes over the slide bar 150.

  Subsequently, the test body 10 reaches a point H shown in FIG. At this time, the hole 133 a of the holding pipe 133 communicates with the hole 143 a of the second discharge pipe 143. Since the second gate above the hole 142a is not provided with something like the slide bar 150, the second gate is always open. As a result, the test body 10 passes through the second gate, enters the hole 143a, and freely falls below the second discharge pipe 143 (in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 1). A main recovery box (not shown) is disposed below the second discharge pipe 143, so that the test body 10 can be stored in the main recovery box.

  When the slide bar 150 is in the storage position as shown in FIG. 1 at the point G shown in FIG. 2, the first gate is in the open state, so that the specimen 10 passes through the first gate. Then, it enters the hole 142a and freely falls below the first discharge pipe 142 (in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1). A recovery box (hereinafter referred to as “sub-recovery box”) separate from the main recovery box is also provided below the first discharge pipe 142, whereby the specimen 10 is placed in the sub-recovery box. Can be stored.

  As described in detail above, the specimen classification apparatus 100 can classify one specimen 10 into one of two types of collection boxes by switching the position of the slide bar 150 between the protruding position and the storage position. it can.

  Note that a large number of test bodies 10 can be supplied to the test body classification apparatus 100 in a lump. In this case, some of the test bodies 10 are subjected to the same entry restriction by the upper surface of the upper plate 131, but the holes 133a, 135a, and 134a of the holding tubes 133, 135, and 134 are intermittently communicated with the hole 112a. Therefore, the entry restriction is released.

  Here, as described above, the distance d and the clearance are set such that two or more specimens 10 do not enter the holding tube at the same time, and the two or more holding tubes. Since it is arranged so as not to enter the reading area 146a at the same time, the number of the test bodies 10 reaching the reading area 146a above the reader / writer 146 can be limited to one, and the reader / writer 146 includes a plurality of reader / writers 146. There is no need to read data from the RFID tag 11. As a result, the reading rate can be improved.

  Next, the reading operation and related operations executed in the specimen classification apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, at the point B shown in FIG. 2, the first sensor 145 of the specimen classification device 100 detects that the holding tube 133 has reached above the first sensor 145. At this time, the specimen classification apparatus 100 starts preparation for starting reading of data from the specimen 10 by the reader / writer 146, determines whether or not the slide bar 150 is in the protruding position, and the slide bar 150 is If it is not in the protruding position, the slide bar 150 is moved to the protruding position.

  At subsequent point C, the radio transmitted from the reader / writer 146 reaches the RFID tag 11 of the test body 10, and the reader / writer 146 starts data communication with the RFID tag 11. This point C corresponds to a position when the test body 10 enters the reading area 146a of the reader / writer 146 set as described later.

  Thereafter, the specimen 10 reaches the point E via the point D. At this point E, the radio transmitted from the reader / writer 146 does not reach the RFID tag 11 of the test body 10, and the data communication between the reader / writer 146 and the RFID tag 11 ends. This point E corresponds to the position when the test body 10 moves out of the reading area 146a.

  Accordingly, when the reader / writer 146 fails to establish data communication with the RFID tag 11 in the reading area 146a including the reading section from the point C to the point E via the point D, data reading is performed. Will not be able to do.

  However, since the reader / writer 146 cannot determine whether or not the test body 10 has moved out of the reading area 146a, the reader / writer 146 determines whether or not the establishment of communication with the RFID tag 11 has failed. Or there is no time standard. In order to set this reference, the detection result of the second sensor 147 disposed below the point F outside the reading area 146a is used.

  At point F, the second sensor 147 detects that the holding tube 133 has reached above the second sensor 147. When it is detected that the holding tube 133 has reached the second sensor 147, if the data communication cannot be established between the reader / writer 146 and the RFID tag 11, the specimen classification device 100 reads the reader. A failure flag is set to ON to indicate that the data read by the writer 146 has failed. On the other hand, when data communication is established, the specimen classification device 100 turns off the failure flag, and the reader / writer 146 analyzes the read data. In this data analysis, the specimen 10 is specified based on at least the identification information (ID information) of the specimen 10.

  At this time, the specimen classification apparatus 100 determines whether or not the failure flag is set to ON. When the failure flag is ON, the slide bar 150 at the protruding position is retracted to the storage position and the first gate is set. On the other hand, when the failure flag is not ON, the slide bar 150 is moved to the protruding position to close the first gate. The failure flag set to ON is reset and turned OFF before the next holding tube 135 reaches the point F.

  According to the specimen classification apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, when the data communication between the reader / writer 146 and the RFID tag 11 is successfully established, the first gate is closed, while the data communication is established. If this fails, the first gate is opened. As a result, the specimen 10 belonging to the category that the reading of data by the reader / writer 146 has failed passes through the first gate, is collected in the sub collection box, and belongs to the category that the data has been successfully read. The test body 10 passes through the second gate and is collected in the main collection box.

  In other words, the test specimen classification apparatus 100 can classify a large number of test specimens 10 into test specimens belonging to the category of successful data reading and test specimens belonging to the category of unsuccessful reading.

  Next, a method for setting the reading area 146a of the reader / writer 146 will be described.

  The reading area 146a shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates the data readable range of the reader / writer 146 as described above, and the outer edge of the reading area 146a is substantially the same as the rectangle formed by the wireless antenna of the reader / writer 146. Make a rectangle. Note that since data communication between the reader / writer 146 and the RFID tag is started by wireless transmission from the reader / writer 146, the area of the reading area 146 a is the direction of wireless diffusion from the wireless antenna built in the reader / writer 146 ( 3 is slightly wider than the area of the upper surface of the reader / writer 146 (wireless antenna) as shown in FIG.

  Here, a condition necessary for the reader / writer 146 to establish data communication with the RFID tag 11 (hereinafter referred to as “communication establishment condition”) is considered.

  When the plane of the RFID tag 11 is substantially parallel to the radio emission direction of the reader / writer 146, as shown in the test body 10 'in FIG. 3, the radio from the reader / writer 146 has reached the RFID tag 11. However, since the radio antenna of the RFID tag 11 cannot receive it, establishment of data communication between the reader / writer 146 and the RFID tag 11 fails.

On the other hand, as shown in the test body 10 of FIG. 3, the rotation angle θ ₂ [radians] in which the plane of the RFID tag 11 is not parallel to the radio radiation direction of the reader / writer 146, for example, π / 6 radians (that is, 30 )), The radio antenna of the RFID tag 11 can receive radio from the reader / writer 146, and data communication is successfully established.

Therefore, as a condition for establishing communication, while a test body such as the test body 10 ′ rolls on the reading area 146a, the rotation angle θ ₂ exceeds a certain lower limit θ _A (that is, θ ₂ > θ _A ) _A scene should be generated even once. However, no matter how many times the test body such as the test body 10 ′ rotates in the direction perpendicular to the lateral direction (x direction) in FIG. 3, a scene in which the rotation angle θ ₂ exceeds the lower limit value θ _A may occur. Absent.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the test body 10 is moved along an arc that is the movement locus of the holding tube 133 in order to apply a rotational force in the x direction to the test body such as the test body 10 ′. Yes. It is not limited to an arc but may be a curve. As a result, even if the test body enters the reading area 146a in the state of the test body 10 ', if the area of the reading area 146a is sufficiently large, it rolls on the reading area 146a. In the meantime, a scene in which the rotation angle θ ₂ exceeds the lower limit value θ _A occurs at least once.

  Accordingly, the setting of the area (width) of the reading area 146a is important for improving the success rate of establishment of data communication by the reader / writer 146, and hence the data reading rate.

  In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the start point C, the intermediate point D, and the end point E of the reading section described above is determined in advance, and the reading area 146a is set so as to include these points. Here, it is assumed that the start point C, the intermediate point D, and the end point E are arranged on a single arc (movement trajectory T). The intermediate point D of the reading section is a midpoint on the movement trajectory T of the start point C and the end point E, as shown in FIG.

First, in order to determine the start point C and the end point E of the reading section, consider an arc CE centered on the center point O of the upper surface 141a in FIG. The angle of the center angle COE of the arc CE is defined as θ ₁ [radian].

  Secondly, the lateral direction necessary for the test body 10 to roll on the curved path via the intermediate point D without rolling linearly along the path from point C to point E in FIG. Consider movement in the (x direction in FIG. 3).

Therefore, first, the distance x on the cross section from the point C to the point D shown in FIG. This distance x corresponds to the shortest distance from the chord CE of the arc CE to the intermediate point D (see FIG. 2). Here, the radius of the arc including the movement trajectory T is R [m]. The distance x is a center angle theta ₁ of the function f (theta _1), represented by the following formula 1.
x = f (θ ₁ ) = R−R cos α (1)

In the equation 2, the angle α [rad] is equal to the central angle theta ₁ half (theta _1/2), it corresponds to the angular COD or angular DOE in FIG.

Next, the test body 10 rotates in various directions while rolling the distance from the point C to the point D (arc CD), but only the rotation angle θ _{2 in the} x direction is considered. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation angle θ ₂ corresponds to a component related to the x direction of the angle formed by the longitudinal direction of the RFID tag 11 and the direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the upper surface 141 a of the base plate 141. When the radius of the test body 10 is r [m], the length l of the arc having the rotation angle θ ₂ as the central angle is equal to rθ ₂ . Here, assuming that the maximum value of the rotation angle θ ₂ is β [radians], the maximum length L of the arc is expressed by the following equation 2.
L = rβ (2)
Here, since the maximum length L of the arc is related to the x direction, and is equal to the distance x, the following expressions 3 and 4 are satisfied.
L = x = rβ (3)
β = f (θ ₁ ) / r (4)
Therefore, the maximum value β of the rotation angle θ ₂ can be represented by the center angle θ ₁ .

Here, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the communication establishment condition is that the rotation angle θ ₂ and its maximum value β exceed the lower limit value θ _A as a result of the test body 10 rolling on the reading area 146a. There is (β> θ _A ). In the present embodiment, the following relational expression 5 is set as the communication establishment condition.
β> 2θ _A (5)
When the above formulas 1 and 4 are applied to β of this relational expression 5, the following relational expression 6 showing the relation between θ ₁ and θ _A is obtained.
_{(1-cos (θ 1/} 2)) R / r> 2θ A ... (6)
In Equation 6, when π / 12 radians (15 °) is used as θ _A , the value on the right side becomes a constant (about 0.523).

Therefore, if the value of the radius R of the moving trajectory of the center line of the holding tubes 133, 134, 135 and the value of the radius r of the test body 10 are determined in Equation 6, the value of the center angle θ ₁ can be determined. Based on the determined value of the central angle θ ₁ , the positions of the start point C and the end point E are determined, the position of the intermediate point D or the arc CE is determined, and the start point C, the intermediate point D, and the end point E (arc) The reading area 146a is set to include (CE). Then, the reader / writer 146 (wireless antenna) is embedded in the base plate 141 so as to include the reading area 146a set as described above.

When the shape of the reader / writer 146 used in the specimen classification apparatus 100 and the wireless transmission range of the wireless antenna are determined in advance, the center angle θ ₁ is calculated from the points C and E determined by the wireless transmission range. What is necessary is just to verify whether or not the calculated center angle θ ₁ satisfies the communication establishment condition shown in the relational expression 6 above. In the present embodiment, π / 6 radians (60 °) is set as the value of the central angle θ ₁ .

According to the present embodiment, since the reading area 146a and the size thereof are set as described above, the test body 10 rolls in the reading section from the point C to the point E via the point D. In the meantime, a scene in which the rotation angle θ ₂ exceeds the lower limit value θ _A occurs with a probability of almost 100%. This is realized by allowing the test body 10 capable of rolling (spinning) to pass through a point D arranged on the outer edge side (x direction) of the base plate 141 with respect to the string CE. In other words, this is realized by making the trajectory T of the test body 10 capable of rolling (spinning) form a curve instead of a straight line.

  As a result, the horizontal direction of the data writing surface (wireless antenna) on which data is written in the data carrier is parallel to the incident direction with respect to the wireless data writing surface used when the data reading unit reads data. The reading error is resolved. Therefore, according to the specimen classification apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the reading rate of the reader / writer 146 can be greatly improved to almost 100%. Note that this is not the case when the data stored in the RFID tag 11 is damaged.

  Further, since the reading rate of the reader / writer 146 is almost 100%, the cause of the reading failure can be handled as data corruption in the RFID tag 11. That is, it can be said that there is a very high possibility that the data of the RFID tag 11 is damaged in the test body classified in the reading failure category as described above (the test body in the sub collection box). Therefore, according to the present embodiment, whether or not the data of the RFID tag 11 is damaged is determined more quickly and easily than a user manually using a reader / writer similar to the reader / writer 146. be able to.

In the above-described embodiment, data reading is mainly described. However, data writing is also described in the same manner.
In the above embodiment, the three holding tubes 133, 134, 135 are arranged at equal intervals. However, the number of holding tubes may be any number as long as it is one or more. In this case, The test body 10 is held in at least one holding tube. When there are a plurality of holding tubes, the interval between the holding tubes is set so that two or more holding tubes do not enter the reading region 146a at the same time.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a large number of test bodies 10 are classified into two categories according to the data reading result (success / failure), but instead of this, the attributes of the data read from the test body 10 and the like You may classify | categorize into two types of categories according to the content. At this time, the category is determined by analyzing data received from the RFID tag 11 by the reader / writer 146. In this case, the specimen 10 that has failed to read the data is collected in the main collection box on the second discharge pipe 143 (second gate) side where the slide bar 150 is not provided. The test body 10 that has failed to read data can be extracted by performing the classification according to the data reading result again on the test body 10 collected in the above. Thereby, classification according to the contents of data can be performed quickly.

  Further, the classification according to the data content and the classification according to the data reading result may be combined. For this purpose, three discharge pipes are provided, and a slide bar similar to the slide bar 150 is installed in two of the discharge pipes on the front side in the moving direction of the test body 10. As a result, the classification of the specimen 10 that has failed to read data can also be classified at the same time.

  Furthermore, when performing classification according to the content of data, the number of categories that can be classified is not limited to two, and may be three or more. For this purpose, discharge pipes and slide bars 150 are installed according to the number of categories.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the rotary table 130 is used so that the movement trajectory T of the test body 10 rolling on the raceway is curved, but instead, a curved surface is formed on the upper surface 141a of the base plate 141. A guide path for the specimen 10 constituted by a slit (groove) or a pair of rails may be provided, or these may be combined.

Next, a usage example of the specimen classification apparatus 100 in FIG. 1 will be described.
In this usage example, the test body classification apparatus 100 is used to classify the test bodies 10 used in the water flow test into categories.

  FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a specimen collection apparatus to which the specimen classification apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 is connected.

  4 is an apparatus for collecting the test body 10 put into the drainage pipe disposed in a building such as a commercial building or a condominium from the drainage pipe during the water flow test. is there. Since water flows in the drainage pipe, the specimen collection device 200 is configured to be able to separate the water collected at the same time when the specimen 10 is collected.

  During the water flow test, the RFID tag 11 of the test body 10 is written with information about the start point before the test body 10 is put into the drain pipe, and after being collected from the drain pipe, information about the goal point is recorded. Written. For example, by writing information related to time in the RFID tag 11, it is possible to measure the water passing time required to reach the goal point from the start point. Further, the information regarding the start point includes an ID for identifying the reader / writer carried by the person in charge who puts in the test body 10 and an ID for identifying the target goal point. The information regarding the goal point includes an ID for identifying the goal point where the specimen 10 is actually collected. As a result, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the target goal point and the goal point where the specimen 10 has been collected match.

  The specimen recovery device 200 includes a recovery hose 210, a liquid recovery tube 220, a gas-liquid separator 230 that separates gas and liquid, a suction device 240 including a vacuum pump (not shown), and a suction tube 250. Arrows A, B, C, D, E, and F shown in FIG. 4 indicate suction paths by the suction machine 240.

  The recovery hose 210 is a hose whose one end 210a is inserted into a drainage pipe 2m underground through, for example, a drainage hole (manhole), and through which the test body 10 recovered from the one end 210a passes, and is a highly flexible resin. Consists of materials. The recovery hose 210 is airtightly connected to the supply pipe 112 provided on the upper part of the specimen classification apparatus 100 at the other end 210b. In addition, a vane body 300 described later is rotatably fitted to the other end 210b side of the recovery hose 210 so as to maintain airtightness. The recovery hose 210 is not limited to a hose, and may be a pipe made of vinyl chloride resin or the like.

  In order to branch from the recovery hose 210, the liquid recovery pipe 220 is airtightly connected to the recovery hose 210 at one end 220a and is airtightly connected to the gas-liquid separator 230 at the other end 220b.

  A filter 215 that covers the opening of the one end 220 a is disposed at a branch point between the one end 220 a of the liquid recovery pipe 220 and the recovery hose 210. The filter 215 has a large number of holes having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the test body 10, whereby the test body 10 and the water collected along with the test body 10 are separated. The water separated by the filter 215 passes through the liquid recovery pipe 220. The filter 215 may be any filter as long as it can separate the test body 10 and the water collected along with the test body 10, for example, a pair of rails separated by a distance smaller than the diameter of the test body 10. May be.

  The gas-liquid separator 230 has an intake port 231 for taking in gas or liquid, an exhaust port 232 for discharging gas, and a drain port 233 for discharging liquid. The intake port 231 is airtightly connected to the other end 220 b of the liquid recovery pipe 220, and the exhaust port 232 is airtightly connected to the suction machine 240.

  Further, the gas-liquid separator 230 is provided with a valve 235 above the drain port 233. In the space above the plate-like member 235a of the valve 235, the liquid taken in via the take-in port 231 is accumulated. When the accumulated liquid exceeds a predetermined amount, the shaft 235a of the valve 235 is actuated and the liquid is discharged through the drain port 233.

  The suction tube 250 is airtightly connected to a vent tube 148 provided at a lower portion of the specimen classification apparatus 100 at one end 250a, and is airtightly connected to the liquid recovery tube 220 at the other end 250b.

  The suction machine 240 includes an exhaust port 241 for exhausting in the direction of arrow G, and by performing exhaust using a vacuum pump, suction specified by arrows A, B, D, E, and F shown in FIG. The suction through the path and the suction through the suction path specified by the arrows A, C, E, and F are performed.

  The blade body 300 includes a rotating shaft 310 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and a plurality of blades 320 fixed to the rotating shaft 310. A plurality of test bodies 10 collected from one end 210a of the collection hose 210 are individually stored in a space between a pair of adjacent blades 320. The plurality of individually stored test bodies 10 are free-falling sequentially toward the other end 210 b of the recovery hose 210 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft 310. Thereby, the test bodies 10 are supplied to the supply pipe 112 of the test body classification apparatus 100 one by one.

The operation in FIG. 4 will be described.
First, the specimen collection device 200 starts suction by the suction device 240 in a state where the one end 210a of the collection hose 210 is inserted into the drain pipe, thereby removing the specimen 10 from the drain pipe via the collection hose 210. to recover. At this time, the water collected with the test body 10 is collected in the gas-liquid separator 230 through the liquid collection tube 220. The specimen 10 collected from the drainage pipe is supplied to the specimen classification apparatus 100.

  Next, the test body classification apparatus 100 classifies the supplied test body 10 as described with reference to FIGS. The category for classifying the test body 10 corresponds to the result of the water flow test. For example, the test body classification apparatus 100 includes a plurality of test bodies 10 collected by the test body collection apparatus 200, a test body belonging to a category in which the water flow time exceeds a preset set time, and a water flow time within the set time. It classifies into the test body which belongs to the category of being.

  The water that has entered the specimen classification device 100 is collected by the gas-liquid separation device 230 via the vent hole 160 formed in the specimen classification device 100 and the suction pipe 250.

  According to the configuration of FIG. 4, a series of operations from collection of the test body 10 from the drain pipe to classification by category can be automatically performed without manpower.

  Further, according to the configuration of FIG. 4, since each connection part is airtightly connected to the specimen collection device 200, the internal pressure can be maintained in a low state, and continuous suction can be performed. it can. Moreover, since the test body classification device 100 is provided with the vent hole 160, the pressure inside the housing of the test body classification device 100 can be maintained in a low state. As a result, the test body 10 can be reliably recovered from the drain pipe, and the collected test body 10 can be prevented from flowing back to the drain pipe.

  In addition, although the test body collection | recovery apparatus 200 was provided with the gas-liquid separation apparatus 230, it does not need to be provided. In this case, a suction device 240 having a drainage function is used. Thereby, the structure of the test body collection | recovery apparatus 200 can be simplified.

  Moreover, although the test body collection | recovery apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 4 was provided with the blade body 300 fitted in the collection | recovery hose 210, when using the test body classification | category apparatus 100 like this use example, airtightness is. Since it is sufficiently high, it is not necessary to provide the blade body 300.

  In the above-described embodiment, the RFID tag 11 having a plate shape includes a tag of a label type, a card type, or a stick type, and any of them may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the slide bar 150 was used as a switching member, it is not restricted to this, You may use a slide-type lid | cover and an openable / closable door.

  Furthermore, although the test body 10 in the present embodiment is substantially spherical, the shape of the test body 10 may be any shape as long as the test body 10 can roll, for example, a polyhedron. It may be. Further, when the test body has a shape that is difficult to roll, it is preferable to form the test body into a shape that is easy to roll, such as a substantially spherical shape.

  In the present embodiment, the test body 10 rolls on the raceway surface included in the upper surface 141a of the base plate 141, but the place where the test body 10 rolls is not limited to the surface. For example, when the test body 10 floats in a fluid such as liquid or gas, the test body 10 can roll (rotate) regardless of its shape. It can be anywhere on the line. In this case, a flow path (for example, a water channel or an exhaust channel) that defines the trajectory line of the fluid is formed to be a curve.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the test body classification | category apparatus containing the data communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the baseplate in alignment with line II-II in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the baseplate in alignment with line III-III in FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows schematic structure of the test body collection | recovery apparatus with which the test body classification | category apparatus of FIG. 1 was connected.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Test body 11 RFID tag 100 Test body classification | category apparatus 110 Top plate 112 Supply pipe 130 Rotary table 133,134,135 Holding pipe 140 Bottom plate 142 1st discharge pipe 143 2nd discharge pipe 146 Reader / writer 148 Vent pipe 150 Slide bar 200 Test Body recovery device

Claims (3)

A data communication device for performing data communication with a spherical test body,
A data communication unit that performs wireless data communication with the test body;
A housing having a hollow cylindrical shape and having a top plate, side walls, and a bottom plate;
A turntable arranged to be rotatable in the housing;
With
The top plate has a supply pipe through which the specimen supplied from above passes.
The rotary table has an upper plate, a lower plate, and a plurality of holding tubes erected between the upper plate and the lower plate,
The upper plate is formed with a hole communicating with each holding tube,
The lower plate is formed with a hole communicating with each holding tube,
The test body supplied from above via the supply pipe is restricted from entering the holding pipe by the upper surface of the upper plate,
When the turntable turns, the entry restriction is released, and the test body enters one of the plurality of holding tubes through a hole formed in the upper plate. Free fall towards the bottom plate,
The test body is configured so that the rotary table continues to swivel during a period from the time when it enters the holding tube through the hole formed in the upper plate to the time when it comes out of the hole formed in the lower plate. Swiveling with the holding tube while receiving pressure from the inner surface of
The test body which has been free-falled to the bottom plate through the hole formed in the lower plate moves along the trajectory on the bottom plate by receiving the pressure,
The data communication unit performs data communication with the test body moving on the movement locus. The data communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The bottom plate has a first gate and a second gate in the movement locus on the downstream side of the data communication unit in the moving direction of the specimen.
When the data communication unit fails to establish data communication with the test body, the test body passes through the first gate,
When the data communication unit has successfully established data communication with the test body, the test body passes through the second gate. The data communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
A sensor for detecting that the holding tube has passed above;
The sensor is provided in the movement locus on the downstream side of the data communication unit in the movement direction of the specimen.
When the sensor detects that the holding tube has reached the upper side, if the data communication unit has not established data communication with the specimen, a flag indicating that the data communication has failed is displayed. A data communication device characterized by being set.

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