JP7500936B2 - Storage unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage unit having a storage section with an opening and a lid that covers the opening, and in particular to a technology for detecting when the storage unit has been opened.

With the recent development of the distribution industry, various goods are transported by land and air. The transportation of goods is not limited to so-called home delivery, but is also used within companies to exchange documents and goods between business offices. In such cases, documents and goods are likely to be transported in pre-designated boxes, such as returnable boxes.

When documents or items are stored in a box and transported in this way, after the documents or items are placed in the container that makes up the box, the opening of the container is closed with a lid, thereby preventing the items or documents stored in the box from falling out during transport.

Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a non-contact IC tagged storage box that has a storage section and a lid and uses an IC chip to determine whether the lid is open or closed. In this non-contact IC tagged storage box, antennas configured with patterns having approximately the same area are formed on the wall of the storage section and on the lid, an IC chip is fixed to the wall of the storage section and the connection terminal of the IC chip is electrically connected to the antenna formed on the wall of the storage section, while an antenna connection circuit is formed on the flap of the lid and this antenna connection circuit is electrically connected to the antenna formed on the lid, and further, a connection circuit that is electrically conductive with the antenna connection circuit is formed on the wall of the storage section that faces the antenna connection circuit formed on the flap when the lid is closed.

When the lid is open, the IC chip is connected only to the antenna and connection circuit formed on the wall of the storage section, whereas when the flap is inserted into the storage section and the lid is closed, the IC chip is connected to the antenna formed on the lid via the connection circuit formed on the wall of the storage section and the antenna connection circuit formed on the flap section, in addition to the antenna formed on the wall of the storage section. As a result, the area of the conductive area that functions as an antenna differs between when the lid is closed and when it is open, changing the communication distance, and it is possible to determine whether the lid is open or closed based on that communication distance.

Japanese Patent No. 4580568

However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines whether the lid is open or closed based on changes in communication distance, so there is a risk that it may be affected by the surrounding environment and may not be able to accurately determine whether the lid is open, and even if communication is not possible due to a damaged IC chip, it may be determined that the lid is open because communication is not possible at a specified distance. In addition, because communication is not possible at a specified distance when the lid is open, when determining whether the lid is open or closed, an ID for identifying the box is written in the IC chip, and if the box is identified by transmitting that ID, the ID written in the IC chip of a box with an open lid will not be received by an external device, which creates the problem that it is not possible to identify which box has an open lid without referring to a database or the like.

In addition, when the lid is closed, the flap is simply inserted into the storage section, so the closed state of the lid is not stable. As a result, it is not possible to reliably determine whether the lid is open or closed. In addition, if the boxes collapse from the stacked state after it is determined that the lid is closed, there is a risk that the lid will inadvertently open. In that case, it is not possible to recognize that the lid is open, and the current open/closed state cannot be accurately determined.

The present invention was made in consideration of the problems inherent in the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a storage unit that can identify the storage unit's sealed or open state without referring to a database or the like, and can stably and repeatedly determine whether the storage unit is sealed or open without being affected by the surrounding environment.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides
A container having a storage section with an opening and a lid for closing the opening,
the storage section and the lid each have an opposing portion that faces each other when the opening is closed by the lid and the storage body is sealed in a closed state, and that is separated from each other when the storage body is opened from the closed state,
moreover,
A first detection means attached to the opposing portion of one of the storage section and the lid;
a second detection means attached to the other of the opposing portions of the storage portion and the lid so as to face the first detection means in the closed state;
The first detection means includes:
A communication antenna formed on a substrate;
Two sensor wirings formed on the substrate;
a detection means connected to the communication antenna and to one end of each of the two sensor wires, for detecting a state of conduction between the two sensor wires, and for contactlessly transmitting the detection result via the communication antenna together with identification information for identifying the container to which the first detection means is attached ;
and two conducting means made of a conductive material and electrically connected to the other ends of the two sensor wires,
the second detection means is made of a conductive material and is provided to face the two conductive means across the two conductive means in the closed state;
the conductive means and the second detection means are configured to be capable of repeatedly engaging with and separating from each other, or capable of repeatedly attracting and separating from each other , and the closed state is fixed by the conductive means and the second detection means engaging with each other or attracting each other,
The two sensor wirings are not conductive when the conductive means and the second detection means are not engaged or adsorbed, and are conductive to each other via the conductive means and the second detection means when the conductive means and the second detection means are engaged or adsorbed.

In the present invention configured as described above, in the closed state in which the opening of the storage section is blocked by the lid and the storage body is sealed, the first detection means and the second detection means attached to the opposing parts of the storage section and the lid face each other. In this case, the second detection means faces across the two conductive means of the first detection means and they engage or adhere to each other, so that the two sensor wirings of the first detection means are conductive through the conductive means and the second detection means, and this is detected by the detection means and transmitted non-contact via the communication antenna. At this time, the detection means transmits an ID or the like for identifying the storage body in a non-contact manner, thereby identifying the storage body. Also, in this state, the conductive means and the second detection means are engaged or adhered to fix the closed state of the storage body, so that the closed state is stable and the storage body will not be opened inadvertently. When the storage body is opened from this state, the opposing parts of the storage section and the lid move away from each other. Then, the conduction means of the first detection means and the second detection means are separated, which results in a state in which there is no conduction between the two sensor wires, which is detected by the detection means and transmitted non-contact via the communication antenna. In this case, the detection means also transmits an ID or the like for identifying the container in a non-contact manner, thereby identifying the container. When the two sensor wires are in a conduction state, the container is determined to be in a sealed closed state, and when the two sensor wires are not in a conduction state, the container is determined to be in an opened state.

According to the present invention, when the opening of the storage section is blocked by a lid and the storage body is sealed, the second detection means faces the first detection means across the two conductive means, and they are engaged or attracted to each other, so that the two sensor wires of the first detection means are conductive through the conductive means and the second detection means. On the other hand, when the storage body is opened, the conductive state is not established, and the sealed state or the opened state of the storage body is determined by transmitting this information in a non-contact manner. Therefore, whether the storage body is in a sealed state or an opened state, the conductive state between the two sensor wires is transmitted in a non-contact manner, and the sealed state or the opened state of the storage body is determined based on the conductive state, so that the sealed state or the opened state of the storage body can be repeatedly determined without being affected by the surrounding environment. In addition, whether the storage body is in a sealed state or an opened state, the conductive state between the two sensor wires and an ID or the like for identifying the storage body can be transmitted in a non-contact manner, so that the storage body can be identified without referring to a database or the like. Furthermore, when the container is sealed and closed, the conductive means and the second detection means engage or adhere to each other, fixing the closed state of the box, preventing the container from being inadvertently opened and allowing a stable determination of whether the container is sealed or open.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing a first embodiment of a storage body of the present invention, in which (a) is an external perspective view showing a sealed state, (b) is an external perspective view showing an opened state, and (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of an IC label. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the shipping box shown in FIG. 1 . 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the function of the shipping box shown in FIG. 1 when in use, in which (a) shows the state of the IC label when the shipping box is sealed and closed, and (b) shows the state of the IC label when the shipping box is opened. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a second embodiment of a storage body of the present invention, in which (a) is an external perspective view showing a sealed state, (b) is an external perspective view showing an opened state, and (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of an IC label. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a third embodiment of a storage body of the present invention, in which (a) is an external perspective view showing a sealed state, (b) is an external perspective view showing an opened state, and (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of an IC label.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a container according to the present invention, in which (a) is a perspective view showing the container in a sealed state, (b) is a perspective view showing the container in an opened state, and (c) is a diagram showing the structure of an IC label 10. Fig. 2 is a development view of the shipping box 1 shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, this embodiment is a shipping box 1 that is constructed by connecting a container 3 and a lid 2.

The container 3 is a storage section in the present invention, and has four side walls 3a to 3d and a bottom surface 4. The side walls 3a to 3d stand upright on the four edges of the bottom surface 4 to form a storage space in which items can be stored. As shown in FIG. 2, the four side walls 3a to 3d are connected in this order so as to be foldable. Auxiliary parts 3g and 3i are connected to the side adjacent to the connecting edge of side wall 3a with side wall 3b, the bottom surface 4 is connected to one side of side wall 3b adjacent to the connecting edge of side wall 3a with side wall 3a, and auxiliary parts 3h and 3j are connected to the side adjacent to the connecting edge of side wall 3c with side wall 3b. In addition, the lid 2 is connected to one side of the side adjacent to the connecting edge of side wall 3d with side wall 3c, the bottom surface reinforcing part 4a is connected to the other side, and the auxiliary part 3f is connected to the side opposite the connecting edge of side wall 3d with side wall 3c. Furthermore, the flap portion 2a, which is the opposing part on the lid 2 side, is connected to the edge opposite the connecting edge with the side wall 3d of the lid 2, and the auxiliary portion 4b is connected to the edge opposite the connecting edge with the side wall 3d of the bottom reinforcement portion 4a.

Then, by folding each connecting edge, the transport box 1 becomes the shape shown in FIG. 1. At that time, the auxiliary part 3f overlaps a part of the side wall 3a and is fixed to the side wall 3a, the auxiliary parts 3i and 3j overlap a part of the bottom surface 4 and are fixed to the bottom surface 4, the auxiliary part 4b overlaps a part of the side wall 3b and is fixed to the side wall 3b, and the bottom surface reinforcing part 4a overlaps the bottom surface 4 and is fixed to the bottom surface 4. As a result, the surface of the container 3 facing the bottom surface 4 becomes the opening 5, the container 3 and the lid 2 are connected at the connecting edge between the side wall 3d and the lid 2, and the opening 5 is closed by the lid 2 to form the transport box 1.

An IC label 10, which serves as the first detection means of the present invention, is attached to the outer surface of the side wall 3b by pasting it thereon. As shown in FIG. 1(c), the IC label 10 is configured by forming an antenna 13 for non-contact communication and two sensor wires 14 on one surface of a label substrate 11, and mounting an IC chip 12 connected to the sensor wires 14 and the antenna 13.

The antenna 13 is composed of two conductive regions with power supply points connected to the IC chip 11 facing each other with a gap therebetween. One end of each of the two sensor wires 14 is connected to the IC chip 12, and from there, it extends in a direction away from the IC chip 12 and terminates. A hook-and-loop fastener 15 serving as a conductive means is attached to the other end of each of the two sensor wires 14. The hook-and-loop fastener 15 is made of a conductive material or has conductivity due to being coated with a paint made of a conductive material, and is electrically connected to the sensor wire 14 by being attached to the other end of the sensor wire 14 with a conductive adhesive. At least the hook-and-loop fastener 15 of the IC label 10 is disposed in the facing portion 3e facing the flap portion 2a in the closed state in which the opening 5 is closed by the lid 2 and the transport box 1 is sealed as shown in FIG. 1(a).

For ease of understanding, in Figs. 1 and 2, an example is shown in which the antenna 13, sensor wiring 14, hook-and-loop fastener 15, and IC chip 12 are provided on the surface of the label base material 11 opposite to the surface that is attached to the side wall 3b. However, the antenna 13, sensor wiring 14, and IC chip 12 may be provided on the surface of the label base material 11 that is attached to the side wall 3b as long as the sensor wiring 14 is electrically connected to the hook-and-loop fastener 15.

The IC chip 12 is the detection means in the present invention. The IC chip 12 is provided with two antenna terminals (not shown) and two terminals for opening detection (not shown), and the surface on which these antenna terminals and the terminals for opening detection are provided is the mounting surface, and is mounted on the label base material 11. The antenna terminals of the IC chip 12 are each connected to the power supply point of the antenna 13, and the terminals for opening detection of the IC chip 12 are connected to one end of each of the two sensor wires 14. The IC chip 12 detects the conduction state between the two sensor wires 14 and is configured to be able to communicate with an external device via the antenna 13, and transmits the detection result via the antenna 13 in a non-contact manner. The conduction state between the two sensor wires 14 can be detected, for example, by detecting the resistance value between the two sensor wires 14 by passing a current through the sensor wire 14 using the electromotive force obtained via the antenna 13. As the IC chip 12, for example, UCODE G2iM+ or UCODE G2iL+ manufactured by NXP semiconductors can be considered.

A hook-and-loop fastener 20 that serves as a second detection means and can engage with the hook-and-loop fastener 15 is attached to the flap portion 2a. The hook-and-loop fastener 20 is made of a conductive material or is made conductive by being coated with a paint made of a conductive material, and is arranged so as to face across the two hook-and-loop fasteners 15 of the IC label 10 on the surface facing the side wall 3b of the container 3 when the opening 5 is covered by the lid 2 and the transport box 1 is in a closed state in which it is sealed as shown in FIG. 1(a) , and is affixed to the flap portion 2a with an adhesive.

The following describes the operation of the transport box 1 configured as above when in use.

Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the function of the transport box 1 shown in Figure 1 when it is in use, where (a) is a diagram showing the state of the IC label 10 when the transport box 1 is in a sealed, closed state, and (b) is a diagram showing the state of the IC label 10 when the transport box 1 is in an opened state.

When the transport box 1 shown in FIG. 1 is in a closed state in which the opening 5 of the container 3 is blocked by the lid 2 and sealed as shown in FIG. 1(a), the flap portion 2a of the lid 2 faces the facing portion 3e of the side wall 3b of the container 3, so that the IC label 10 attached to the side wall 3b of the container 3 faces the flap portion 2a of the lid 2 at a part thereof, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the hook-and-loop fastener 20 attached to the flap portion 2a engages across and faces the two hook-and-loop fasteners 15 provided on the IC label 10. Note that in FIG. 3(a), the hook-and-loop fastener 20 faces the hook-and-loop fastener 15 in a slightly upward shift in the figure in order to make it easier to understand the state in which the hook-and-loop fastener 20 faces across and faces the two hook-and-loop fasteners 15, but it is preferable that the hook-and-loop fastener 20 faces the entire surface of the hook-and-loop fastener 15.

Then, since the hook-and-loop fasteners 15 and 20 are made of a conductive material and the hook-and-loop fastener 15 is electrically connected to the two sensor wires 14, the two sensor wires 14 become conductive via the hook-and-loop fasteners 15 and 20.

In this state, when power is supplied to the IC label 10 in a non-contact manner from an external device such as a handheld terminal, a current flows between the two sensor wires 14, and as a result, the resistance value between the two opening detection terminals in the IC chip 12 is detected as being smaller than a predetermined value (approximately the sum of the resistance values of the two sensor wires 14 and the hook-and-loop fastener 20). Then, in the IC chip 12, for example, flag information is set to "1", and this flag information is transmitted in a non-contact manner via the antenna 13 to the external device as the detection result of the electrical continuity state between the two sensor wires 14.

When the received flag information is "1", the external device determines that the transport box 1 is sealed and closed. At that time, if identification information such as an ID for identifying the transport box 1 is written in the IC chip 12, the identification information is transmitted contactlessly to the external device together with the above-mentioned flag information, and the transport box 1 can be identified without referring to a database, etc.

When opening the shipping box 1 from this state, the hook-and-loop fastener 20 is peeled off from the hook-and-loop fastener 15 and the flap portion 2a is lifted to separate the flap portion 2a from the opposing portion 3e of the side wall 3b, thereby opening the opening 5 of the container 3. In this state, the IC label 10 is separated from the hook-and-loop fastener 20 as shown in FIG. 1(b), and therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(b), there is no electrical continuity between the two sensor wires 14.

In this state, even if power is supplied to the IC label 10 in a non-contact manner from an external device such as a handheld terminal, no current flows between the two sensor wires 14, and as a result, the resistance between the two sensor wires 14 is detected by the IC chip 12 as being greater than a predetermined value (almost infinite).

In this case, for example, "0" is set as flag information in the IC chip 12, and this flag information is contactlessly transmitted to an external device via the antenna 13 as a detection result of the electrical continuity state between the two sensor wirings 14.

In the external device, if the received flag information is "0", it is determined that the transport box 1 has been opened. In this case, if identification information such as an ID for identifying the transport box 1 is written in the IC chip 12 as described above, the identification information is transmitted contactlessly to the external device together with the above-mentioned flag information, and the transport box 1 can be identified without referring to a database or the like.

In this manner, in this embodiment, when the opening 5 of the container 3 is closed by the lid 2 and the transport box 1 is sealed, the hook-and-loop fastener 20 attached to the flap portion 2a of the lid 2 faces across the two hook-and-loop fasteners 15 of the IC label 10 and engages with each other, so that the two sensor wires 14 of the IC label 10 are electrically connected via the hook-and-loop fasteners 15, 20. On the other hand, when the transport box 1 is opened, the hook-and-loop fasteners 15, 20 are separated from each other and are not electrically connected. The state of the transport box 1 is determined to be sealed or opened by transmitting this information non-contact via the antenna 13. Therefore, whether the transport box 1 is sealed or opened, the electrical connection state between the two sensor wires 14 is transmitted non-contact, and the sealed or opened state of the transport box 1 is determined based on the electrical connection state. This allows the sealed or opened state of the transport box 1 to be repeatedly determined without being affected by the surrounding environment.

In addition, by determining whether the transport box 1 is sealed or open using the engagement state of the hook-and-loop fasteners 15, 20, the configuration for determining whether the transport box 1 is sealed or open fixes the closed state, which is the sealed state, when the transport box 1 is sealed, thereby fixing and stabilizing the closed state of the transport box 1 and preventing the transport box 1 from being inadvertently opened.

The attachment positions of the IC label 10 and the hook-and-loop fastener 20 may be interchanged, with the IC label 10 attached to the flap portion 2a and the hook-and-loop fastener 20 attached to the opposing portion 3e of the side wall 3b.

Second Embodiment
4A and 4B are diagrams showing a second embodiment of a storage body of the present invention, in which (a) is an external perspective view showing the sealed state, (b) is an external perspective view showing the opened state, and (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of an IC label 10.

As shown in Fig. 4, this embodiment is a shipping box 101 that differs from that shown in Fig. 1 in that it has a lid 102 to which a stopper 102a is attached instead of a flap portion 2a as an opposing portion. A portion of the stopper 102a is attached by a means such as gluing so that it faces the lid 102, and in the area that does not face the lid 102, a hook-and-loop fastener 120 that serves as a second detection means and is made of a conductive material is attached to the surface that faces the side wall 3b when the container opening 5 is closed by the lid 102 and the lid 102 is folded at the boundary between the lid 102 and the side wall 3b.

In the transport box 101 configured as described above, when the opening 5 of the container 3 is blocked by the lid 102 and is in a sealed closed state as shown in FIG. 4(a), the stopper band 102a attached to the lid 102 faces the opposing portion 103e of the side wall 3b of the container 3, so that the IC label 10 attached to the side wall 3b of the container 3 faces the stopper band 102a at one part thereof, and thus the hook-and-loop fastener 120 attached to the stopper band 102a engages across and faces the two hook-and-loop fasteners 15 provided on the IC label 10.

Then, since the hook-and-loop fasteners 15 and 120 are made of a conductive material and the hook-and-loop fasteners 15 are electrically connected to the two sensor wires 14, the two sensor wires 14 become conductive via the hook-and-loop fasteners 15 and 120.

In this state, when power is supplied to the IC label 10 in a non-contact manner from an external device such as a handheld terminal, a current flows between the two sensor wires 14, and as a result, the resistance value between the two opening detection terminals in the IC chip 12 is detected as being smaller than a predetermined value (approximately the sum of the resistance values of the two sensor wires 14 and the hook-and-loop fastener 120). Then, in the IC chip 12, for example, "1" is set as flag information, and this flag information is non-contact-transmitted to the external device via the antenna 13 as the detection result of the electrical continuity state between the two sensor wires 14.

When the received flag information is "1", the external device determines that the transport box 101 is sealed and closed. At that time, if identification information such as an ID for identifying the transport box 101 is written in the IC chip 12, the identification information is transmitted contactlessly to the external device together with the above-mentioned flag information, and the transport box 101 can be identified without referring to a database or the like.

When opening the shipping box 101 from this state, the hook-and-loop fastener 120 is peeled off from the hook-and-loop fastener 15 and the retaining band 102a is rolled up to separate the retaining band 102a from the opposing portion 103e of the side wall 3b, thereby opening the opening 5 of the container 3. In this state, the IC label 10 is separated from the hook-and-loop fastener 120 as shown in FIG. 4(b), so that there is no electrical continuity between the two sensor wires 14.

In this state, even if power is supplied to the IC label 10 in a non-contact manner from an external device such as a handheld terminal, no current flows between the two sensor wires 14, and as a result, the resistance between the two sensor wires 14 is detected by the IC chip 12 as being greater than a predetermined value (almost infinite).

In this case, for example, "0" is set as flag information in the IC chip 12, and this flag information is contactlessly transmitted to an external device via the antenna 13 as a detection result of the electrical continuity state between the two sensor wirings 14.

When the received flag information is "0", the external device determines that the transport box 101 has been opened. In this case, if identification information such as an ID for identifying the transport box 101 is written in the IC chip 12 as described above, the identification information is transmitted contactlessly to the external device together with the above-mentioned flag information, and the transport box 101 can be identified without referring to a database or the like.

In this manner, even in this embodiment, when the opening 5 of the container 3 is closed by the lid 2 and the transport box 101 is sealed, the hook-and-loop fastener 120 attached to the stopper band 102a engages with the two hook-and-loop fasteners 15 of the IC label 10 across the two hook-and-loop fasteners 15, 120, so that the two sensor wires 14 of the IC label 10 are electrically connected through the hook-and-loop fasteners 15, 120. On the other hand, when the transport box 101 is opened, the hook-and-loop fasteners 15, 120 are separated from each other, so that no electrical connection is established. This information is transmitted non-contact via the antenna 13 to determine whether the transport box 101 is sealed or opened. Therefore, whether the transport box 101 is sealed or opened is determined based on the electrical connection, and the sealed or opened state of the transport box 101 can be repeatedly determined without being affected by the surrounding environment.

In addition, by determining whether the transport box 101 is in a sealed or open state using the engagement state of the hook-and-loop fasteners 15, 120, the configuration for determining whether the transport box 101 is in a sealed or open state fixes the closed state, which is the sealed state, when the transport box 101 is in a sealed state, thereby fixing and stabilizing the closed state of the transport box 101 and preventing the transport box 101 from being inadvertently opened.

The attachment positions of the IC label 10 and the hook-and-loop fastener 120 may be interchanged, with the IC label 10 affixed to the stopper band 102a and the hook-and-loop fastener 120 affixed to the opposing portion 103e of the side wall 3b.

Third Embodiment
5A and 5B are diagrams showing a third embodiment of a storage body of the present invention, in which (a) is an external perspective view showing a sealed state, (b) is an external perspective view showing an opened state, and (c) is a diagram showing the configuration of an IC label 210.

As shown in FIG. 5, this embodiment is a shipping box 201 that differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that an alloy magnet 220 is attached to the flap portion 2a as a second detection means instead of the hook-and-loop fastener 20, and an IC label 210 to which an alloy magnet 215 is attached as a conductive means instead of the hook-and-loop fastener 15 is affixed to the side wall 3b.

In the transport box 201 configured as described above, when the opening 5 of the container 3 is blocked by the lid 2 and is in a sealed closed state as shown in FIG. 5(a), the flap portion 2a of the lid 2 faces the opposing portion 3e of the side wall 3b of the container 3, so that a part of the IC label 210 attached to the side wall 3b of the container 3 faces the flap portion 2a of the lid 2, and as a result, the alloy magnet 220 attached to the flap portion 2a is attracted to face across the two alloy magnets 215 provided on the IC label 10.

Then, since the alloy magnet 215 is electrically connected to the two sensor wires 14, the two sensor wires 14 become conductive via the alloy magnets 215 and 220.

In this state, when power is supplied to the IC label 210 in a non-contact manner from an external device such as a handheld terminal, a current flows between the two sensor wires 14, and as a result, the resistance value between the two opening detection terminals is detected in the IC chip 12 as being smaller than a predetermined value (approximately the sum of the resistance values of the two sensor wires 14 and the alloy magnet 220). Then, for example, "1" is set as flag information in the IC chip 12, and this flag information is transmitted in a non-contact manner via the antenna 13 to the external device as the detection result of the electrical continuity state between the two sensor wires 14.

When the received flag information is "1", the external device determines that the transport box 201 is sealed and closed. At that time, if identification information such as an ID for identifying the transport box 201 is written in the IC chip 12, the identification information is transmitted contactlessly to the external device together with the above-mentioned flag information, and the transport box 201 can be identified without referring to a database or the like.

When opening the transport box 201 from this state, the alloy magnets 215, 220 are detached from each other and the flap portion 2a is lifted to separate the flap portion 2a from the opposing portion 3e of the side wall 3b, thereby opening the opening 5 of the container 3. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the IC label 210 is separated from the alloy magnet 220, and therefore there is no electrical continuity between the two sensor wirings 14.

In this state, even if power is supplied to the IC label 210 in a non-contact manner from an external device such as a handheld terminal, no current flows between the two sensor wires 14, and as a result, the resistance between the two sensor wires 14 is detected by the IC chip 12 as being greater than a predetermined value (almost infinite).

In this case, for example, "0" is set as flag information in the IC chip 12, and this flag information is contactlessly transmitted to an external device via the antenna 13 as a detection result of the electrical continuity state between the two sensor wirings 14.

When the received flag information is "0", the external device determines that the transport box 201 has been opened. In this case, if identification information such as an ID for identifying the transport box 201 is written in the IC chip 12 as described above, the identification information is transmitted contactlessly to the external device together with the above-mentioned flag information, and the transport box 201 can be identified without referring to a database or the like.

In this manner, even in this embodiment, when the opening 5 of the container 3 is closed by the lid 2 and the transport box 201 is sealed, the alloy magnet 220 attached to the flap portion 2a of the lid 2 faces the two alloy magnets 115 of the IC label 210 and attracts each other, so that the two sensor wires 14 of the IC label 210 are electrically connected through the alloy magnets 215, 220. On the other hand, when the transport box 201 is opened, the alloy magnets 215, 220 are detached and separated from each other, so that the electrical connection is not established. The electrical connection is transmitted in a non-contact manner via the antenna 13 to determine whether the transport box 201 is sealed or opened. Therefore, whether the transport box 201 is sealed or opened is determined based on the electrical connection, and the sealed or opened state of the transport box 201 can be repeatedly determined without being affected by the surrounding environment.

In addition, by using the attraction state of the alloy magnets 215, 220 to determine whether the transport box 201 is sealed or open, the configuration for determining whether the transport box 201 is sealed or open fixes the closed state of the transport box 201 when it is sealed, thereby fixing and stabilizing the closed state of the transport box 201 and preventing the transport box 201 from being inadvertently opened.

The attachment positions of the IC label 210 and the alloy magnet 220 may be interchanged, with the IC label 210 affixed to the flap portion 2a and the alloy magnet 220 attached to the opposing portion 3e of the side wall 3b.

In this embodiment, an alloy magnet 220 is attached to the flap portion 2a of the lid 2, and the alloy magnet 220 is also attached to the IC label 210 attached to the side wall 3b of the container, electrically connected to the sensor wiring 14, but one of these alloy magnets 215, 220 may be a metal plate. The closed state of the transport box 201 can also be fixed by using a ferrite magnet instead of the alloy magnet, but in that case, it is necessary to electrically connect to the sensor wiring 14 by attracting a metal plate to the ferrite magnet, and to configure the two sensor wirings 14 so that they are conductive when the transport box 201 is closed.

In addition, when the transport box 1, 101, 201 is in the closed state, the means for fixing the closed state and establishing electrical continuity between the two sensor wires 14 is not limited to the hook-and-loop fastener or magnet described above, but may also be a latch-type or plug-in type key. Even when such a key is used, the conductive means attached to the end of the sensor wire 14 opposite the IC chip 12 must be electrically connected to the sensor wire 14 and must have electrical conductivity to establish electrical continuity between the two sensor wires when the transport box is in the closed state.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the transport box 1, 101, 201 consisting of the container 3 and the lid 2, 102 was used as an example of the storage body, but the present invention is not limited to transport boxes and can be applied to boxes used for other purposes, and further to envelopes, bags, bags, etc., as long as they have a lid.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 101, 201 Shipping box 2, 102 Lid 2a Flap portion 3 Container 3a to 3d Side wall 3e, 103e Facing portion 3f to 3j Auxiliary portion 4 Bottom surface 4a Bottom surface reinforcement portion 5 Opening 10, 210 IC label 11 Label substrate 12 IC chip 13 Antenna 14 Sensor wiring 15, 20, 120 Hook-and-loop fastener 102a Fastening band 215, 220 Alloy magnet

Claims (1)

A container having a storage section with an opening and a lid for closing the opening,
the storage section and the lid each have an opposing portion that faces each other when the opening is closed by the lid and the storage body is sealed in a closed state, and that is separated from each other when the storage body is opened from the closed state,
moreover,
A first detection means attached to the opposing portion of one of the storage section and the lid;
a second detection means attached to the other of the opposing portions of the storage portion and the lid so as to face the first detection means in the closed state;
The first detection means includes:
A communication antenna formed on a substrate;
Two sensor wirings formed on the substrate;
a detection means connected to the communication antenna and to one end of each of the two sensor wires, for detecting a state of conduction between the two sensor wires, and for contactlessly transmitting the detection result via the communication antenna together with identification information for identifying the container to which the first detection means is attached ;
and two conducting means made of a conductive material and electrically connected to the other ends of the two sensor wires,
the second detection means is made of a conductive material and is provided to face the two conductive means across the two conductive means in the closed state;
the conductive means and the second detection means are configured to be capable of repeatedly engaging with and separating from each other, or capable of repeatedly attracting and separating from each other , and the closed state is fixed by the conductive means and the second detection means engaging with each other or attracting each other,
The two sensor wirings are not conductive when the conductive means and the second detection means are not engaged or adsorbed, and are conductive to each other via the conductive means and the second detection means when the conductive means and the second detection means are engaged or adsorbed.

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