JP7844892B2 - Management system, writing device, reading device, writing method, reading method, and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a management system, a writing device, a reading device, a writing method, a reading method, and a program.

In recent years, the amount of data transmitted over networks has increased due to the rise in smartphones and IoT (Internet of Things) devices. Furthermore, to transmit large amounts of data, a large number of communication cables are sometimes laid between communication devices. In such cases, tags or other identifiers are sometimes attached to both ends of the communication cables to manage the cables connected to the communication devices.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method of attaching an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) tag, on which wiring information is written, to the connector of a cable, and managing the wiring information of the RFID tag using a database. Administrators input the wiring information into a terminal and, by holding the terminal near the RFID tag, cause the RFID tag to emit light, allowing them to locate the RFID tag attached to the cable.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-114247

However, the cable search method disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the problem of requiring administrators to manually input wiring information into a terminal after checking the wiring information managed in a database.

One of the purposes of this disclosure is to provide a management system, a writing device, a reading device, a writing method, a reading method, and a program that enable easy cable locating.

A management system according to a first aspect of this disclosure comprises: detection means for detecting a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag; generation means for generating first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag and generating second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule; writing means for writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag and writing the second identification information to the second RFID tag; reading means for reading either the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag, identifying the identification information of the read RFID tag, and identifying the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rule; and transmitting means for transmitting the paired identification information to an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag.

A writing device according to a second aspect of this disclosure comprises: detection means for detecting a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag; generation means for generating first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag and generating second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule; and writing means for writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag and writing the second identification information to the second RFID tag.

A third aspect of this disclosure describes a reader device comprising: a reading means for reading either a first RFID tag or a second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag; identifying the identification information of the read RFID tag; and identifying the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rules applied when the identification information of the second RFID tag was generated; and a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag to the RFID tag different from the read RFID tag.

A writing method according to a fourth aspect of this disclosure involves detecting a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag, generating first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag, generating second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule, writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag, and writing the second identification information to the second RFID tag.

A reading method according to a fifth aspect of this disclosure reads either a first RFID tag or a second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag, identifies the identification information of the read RFID tag, identifies the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rule applied when the identification information of the second RFID tag was generated, and transmits the identification information of the RFID tag different from the read RFID tag to the RFID tag different from the read RFID tag.

A program according to a sixth aspect of this disclosure detects a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag,
The computer is instructed to generate first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag, generate second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule, write the first identification information to the first RFID tag, and write the second identification information to the second RFID tag.

A program according to a seventh aspect of this disclosure reads either a first RFID tag or a second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag, identifies the identification information of the read RFID tag, identifies the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rules applied when the identification information of the second RFID tag was generated, and causes a computer to perform the following actions: transmit the identification information of the RFID tag different from the read RFID tag to the RFID tag different from the read RFID tag.

This disclosure provides a management system, a writing device, a reading device, a writing method, a reading method, and a program that enable easy cable locating.

This is a configuration diagram of the management system according to Embodiment 1. This diagram shows the processing flow of the writing method according to Embodiment 1. This diagram shows the processing flow of the reading method according to Embodiment 1. This is a diagram showing the configuration of the operating terminal according to Embodiment 2. This is a diagram showing the configuration of the operation input unit according to Embodiment 2. This diagram shows the flow of the writing process according to Embodiment 2. This diagram shows the flow of the writing process according to Embodiment 2. This diagram shows the flow of the reading process according to Embodiment 2. This diagram shows the flow of the light emission process according to Embodiment 2. This diagram shows the flow of the reading process according to Embodiment 3. These are configuration diagrams of the operating terminals according to each embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. An example of the configuration of a management system according to Embodiment 1 will be described using Figure 1. The management system in Figure 1 includes an RFID tag 1, an RFID tag 2, a detection means 11, a generation means 12, a writing means 13, a reading means 14, and a transmission means 15.

RFID tags 1 and 2 each have, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip and an antenna for wireless communication. RFID tags 1 and 2 accept information written to their IC chips by an RFID writer and retain the written information. Furthermore, an RFID reader reads the information retained by RFID tags 1 and 2 through wireless communication. "Retaining" can also be rephrased as "storing," "remembering," or "recording."

The detection means 11, generation means 12, writing means 13, reading means 14, and transmission means 15 may be software or modules whose processing is performed by the processor executing a program stored in memory. Alternatively, the detection means 11, generation means 12, writing means 13, reading means 14, and transmission means 15 may be hardware such as circuits or chips.

The detection means 11, generation means 12, writing means 13, reading means 14, and transmission means 15 are provided in a computer device. The detection means 11, generation means 12, writing means 13, reading means 14, and transmission means 15 may be provided in different computer devices, or they may be provided in the same computer device. Alternatively, two or more elements of the detection means 11, generation means 12, writing means 13, reading means 14, and transmission means 15 may be provided in a single computer device. A computer device is a device that operates by a processor executing a program stored in memory.

The detection means 11 detects RFID tags 1 and 2. For example, the detection means 11 may determine that RFID tags 1 and 2 have been detected if it is able to communicate wirelessly with them. Successful wireless communication could, for example, mean that messages or signals were transmitted and received between the detection means 11 and RFID tags 1 and 2. Alternatively, the detection means 11 may determine that RFID tags 1 and 2 have been detected if the radio wave intensity during wireless communication with each of them exceeds a predetermined threshold.

The generation means 12 generates first identification information that uniquely identifies the RFID tag 1. The identification information may be referred to as, for example, an ID (IDentification). The identification information may be a combination of, for example, decimal or hexadecimal numerical information that can be written to the RFID tag. The hexadecimal numerical information may include the letters a through f. The first uniquely identifying identification information is identification information that has not been assigned to any other RFID tag.

The generation means 12 further generates a second identification information to be paired with the first identification information, according to a predetermined naming rule. The naming rule is a rule for generating the second identification information associated with the first identification information. For example, the second identification information generated according to the naming rule is identification information that can be recognized as being associated with the first identification information, or as being paired with the first identification information.

The writing means 13 writes the first identification information to RFID tag 1 and the second identification information to RFID tag 2. Specifically, the writing means 13 may transmit a message containing the first identification information to RFID tag 1 and a message containing the second identification information to RFID tag 2 via wireless communication. RFID tag 1 holds the first identification information, and RFID tag 2 holds the second identification information. RFID tag 2, on which the second identification information has been written, is treated as a pair with RFID tag 1. For example, RFID tags 1 and 2 may be attached to both ends of a single cable.

The reading means 14 reads either RFID tag 1 or RFID tag 2. Reading an RFID tag by the reading means 14 may also mean obtaining the information held by the RFID tag. For example, the reading means 14 may send a request message to either RFID tag 1 or RFID tag 2 requesting the reading of identification information, and receive a response message containing the identification information. The reading means 14 identifies the obtained identification information as the identification information of the read RFID tag. The read RFID tag may be rephrased as the RFID tag with which communication took place. Furthermore, the reading means 14 identifies the identification information paired with the read RFID tag's identification information according to a naming rule.

The transmitting means 15 transmits the paired identification information to an RFID tag different from the one read by the reading means 14. For example, if the reading means 14 reads RFID tag 1 and identifies the identification information of RFID tag 1, the transmitting means 15 transmits the identification information paired with the identification information of RFID tag 1 to RFID tag 2.

Next, the flow of the writing process according to Embodiment 1 will be explained using Figure 2. First, the detection means 11 detects RFID tags 1 and 2 (S11). Next, the generation means 12 generates first identification information that uniquely identifies RFID tag 1 (S12). Next, the generation means 12 generates second identification information to be paired with the first identification information, according to a predetermined naming rule (S13). Next, the writing means 13 writes the first identification information to RFID tag 1 and the second identification information to RFID tag 2 (S14).

Next, the flow of the reading process according to Embodiment 2 will be explained using Figure 3. First, the reading means 14 reads either RFID tag 1 or RFID tag 2 (S21). Next, the reading means 14 identifies the identification information of the read RFID tag (S22). Next, the reading means 14 identifies the identification information of the RFID tag that is paired with the read RFID tag (S23). Finally, the transmitting means 15 transmits the paired identification information to an RFID tag different from the one read by the reading means 14 (S24).

As explained above, the management system in Figure 1 generates a second identification information paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule. Furthermore, the reading means 14 can read the identification information from the RFID tag by wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag. The reading means 14 can identify the identification information paired with the read identification information by using the naming rule used when generating the paired identification information. Furthermore, the transmitting means 15 transmits the paired identification information.

For example, when an RFID tag receives identification information that matches the identification information it holds, it can perform actions such as emitting light, vibrating, or making a sound, allowing administrators to easily identify a pair of RFID tags.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, an example of the configuration of the operation terminal 30 according to Embodiment 2 will be described using Figure 4. The operation terminal 30 writes data to the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22, and also reads data from the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22. The light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22 have a light-emitting part. The light-emitting part may be, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22 emit light from the LED when certain conditions are met. For example, the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22 may emit light from the LED when the written ID matches the ID included in the received signal.

The operating terminal 30 may be a computer device that operates by executing a program stored in memory via a processor. The operating terminal 30 may be a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, or an RFID reader that writes data to and reads data from RFID tags. An RFID reader may also be called an RFID reader/writer.

The operating terminal 30 includes an operation input unit 31, an information display unit 32, a radio wave emission unit 33, an arithmetic processing unit 34, a storage unit 35, and a clock unit 36. The operation input unit 31, information display unit 32, radio wave emission unit 33, and arithmetic processing unit 34 may be software or modules whose processing is executed by a processor running a program stored in memory. Alternatively, the operation input unit 31, information display unit 32, radio wave emission unit 33, and arithmetic processing unit 34 may be hardware such as circuits or chips. The clock unit 36 may be software, a module, or hardware that operates to increment a count at a predetermined timing or outputs a clock signal at a predetermined timing.

The operation input unit 31 receives operation information for the light-emitting RFID tag from the user of the operation terminal 30. Here, a detailed configuration example of the operation input unit 31 will be explained using Figure 5. The operation input unit 31 has a write button 41, a read button 42, a light-emitting button 43, and a time setting button 44. The write button 41, read button 42, light-emitting button 43, and time setting button 44 may be physical buttons provided on the operation terminal 30 that the user can press, or they may be buttons on a touch panel. For example, the information display unit 32 may be used as a touch panel to display the buttons.

When the user presses or touches the write button 41, the operation terminal 30 writes data to the light-emitting RFID tag. The operation input unit 31 may also have an input interface for inputting the data to be written. This input interface may be a touch panel, a keyboard, or a voice input interface such as a microphone.

When the user presses or touches the read button 42, the operating terminal 30 reads data from the luminescent RFID tag. The read data is displayed on the information display unit 32. When the user presses or touches the light-emitting button 43, a light-emitting instruction signal is sent to the luminescent RFID tag. When the user presses or touches the time setting button 44, the time information is set on the operating terminal 30.

The information display unit 32 displays data indicating the read light-emitting RFID tag, data to be written to the light-emitting RFID tag, or data read from the light-emitting RFID tag. Furthermore, the information display unit 32 may also indicate the light-emitting RFID tag communicating via the radio wave emission unit 33.

The radio wave emission unit 33 emits radio waves for wireless communication with the light-emitting RFID tags 21 and 22. "Emitting" can also be rephrased as "outputting." Emitting radio waves may also mean transmitting a signal to notify the light-emitting RFID tags 21 and 22 of the instructions received by the operation input unit 31. The signal may be, for example, a write signal, a read signal, or a light emission instruction signal. Furthermore, the radio wave emission unit 33 may receive signals transmitted from other communication devices. The radio wave emission unit 33 may also receive signals transmitted from other communication devices as response signals to signals transmitted from the radio wave emission unit 33.

Furthermore, the radio wave emission unit 33 may detect light-emitting RFID tags within the communication area when the operation terminal 30 is powered on, i.e., when the operation terminal 30 is activated. Alternatively, the radio wave emission unit 33 may detect light-emitting RFID tags within the communication area when any button on the operation input unit 31 is pressed or touched. The radio wave emission unit 33 may detect multiple light-emitting RFID tags. For example, the radio wave emission unit 33 may detect light-emitting RFID tags by receiving radio waves emitted from them.

The arithmetic processing unit 34 generates an ID that uniquely identifies the detected light-emitting RFID tags 21 and 22 using the clock unit 36. The clock unit 36 may also be referred to as the internal clock for the operation terminal 30. The storage unit 35 stores information about the light-emitting RFID tags 21 or 22 read by the operation terminal 30.

Next, using Figure 6, the flow of the RFID tag writing process according to Embodiment 2, which is performed on the operating terminal 30, will be explained. The writing process in Figure 6 is performed, for example, to write an ID to a pair of light-emitting RFID tags. The writing process in Figure 6 is executed when the writing button 41 on the operating terminal 30, which is brought close to the light-emitting RFID tags 21 and 22, is pressed or touched.

First, the radio wave emission unit 33 communicates with the RFID tag to obtain the radio wave intensity of the RFID tag (S31). Obtaining the radio wave intensity can also be rephrased as measuring the radio wave intensity. Furthermore, obtaining the radio wave intensity may also mean that the radio wave emission unit 33 measures the radio wave intensity and identifies a value for the radio wave intensity. Here, the radio wave emission unit 33 obtains the radio wave intensity of at least one of the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22. For example, the radio wave intensity of the light-emitting RFID tag 21 is the intensity at which the radio wave emitted by the light-emitting RFID tag 21 is received by the radio wave emission unit 33. The radio wave intensity may be expressed in units of dBm.

Here, the radio wave emission unit 33 may receive the ID that is stored by default in the light-emitting RFID tag when acquiring radio wave intensity. The ID stored by default will be referred to as the default ID below. The default ID may be information set during the manufacturing of the light-emitting RFID tag, such as a serial number or MAC (Media Access Control address) address. The default ID of the light-emitting RFID tag is different from the ID generated by the operation terminal 30 for writing to the light-emitting RFID tag, the ID written to the light-emitting RFID tag, and the ID read from the light-emitting RFID tag. In the following description, "ID" refers to the ID generated by the operation terminal 30 for writing to the light-emitting RFID tag, the ID written to the light-emitting RFID tag, or the ID read from the light-emitting RFID tag.

Next, the radio wave emission unit 33 determines whether or not it has acquired radio wave strength from two or more light-emitting RFID tags (S32). If the radio wave emission unit 33 has acquired radio wave strength from two or more light-emitting RFID tags, it indicates that the radio wave emission unit 33 is capable of communicating with two or more light-emitting RFID tags.

When the radio wave emission unit 33 acquires two or more radio wave intensities, that is, when it acquires the radio wave intensities of both the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22, the arithmetic processing unit 34 generates IDs for the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22 (S33). Specifically, the arithmetic processing unit 34 generates ID-a, which uniquely identifies the light-emitting RFID tag 21, and ID-b, which uniquely identifies the light-emitting RFID tag 22.

Here, the generation process for ID-a and ID-b in the arithmetic processing unit 34 will be described. The arithmetic processing unit 34 obtains the current time from the clock unit 36. The current time may be the time at which the arithmetic processing unit 34 obtained the time information from the clock unit 36. Alternatively, the current time may be the time at which the radio wave emission unit 33 detected the light-emitting RFID tag, or the time at which the radio wave emission unit 33 obtained the radio wave intensity of the light-emitting RFID tag. The arithmetic processing unit 34 may use a number obtained by adding a zero to the end of the Unix time of the current time as ID-a. The Unix time is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 AM. Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 34 may use a number obtained by adding a one to the end of the Unix time of the current time as ID-b.

The arithmetic processing unit 34 may, instead of Unixtime, use a common identifier, for example, if the current time is YYYY/MM/DD/AA/BB/CC, assign ID-a to YYYYMMDDAABBCC0 and ID-b to YYYYMMDDAABBCC1. YYYY represents the year, MM represents a number from 1 to 12, AA represents a number from 0 to 23, and BB and CC represent numbers from 0 to 59. The numerical value representing the current time common to ID-a and ID-b is used as common identification information, and the 0 or 1 appended to the end of ID-a and ID-b is used as individual identification information. In other words, a pair of ID-a and ID-b have the same numerical common identification information.

Furthermore, in addition to using time information as common identification information, for example, the numerical value of the ID to be initially assigned to the light-emitting RFID tag may be determined, and this value may be incremented each time new common identification information is generated. In this case, the arithmetic processing unit 34 needs to store how many pieces of common identification information have been generated, or the numerical value of the previously generated common identification information.

Next, the arithmetic processing unit 34 writes ID-a and ID-b to the light-emitting RFID tags 21 and 22 (S34). For example, the arithmetic processing unit 34 may write ID-a to the light-emitting RFID tag with the higher radio wave intensity and ID-b to the light-emitting RFID tag with the lower radio wave intensity via the radio wave emission unit 33. Here, we assume that the radio wave intensity of light-emitting RFID tag 21 is greater than that of light-emitting RFID tag 22, and that ID-a is written to light-emitting RFID tag 21 and ID-b is written to light-emitting RFID tag 22.

Next, when the arithmetic processing unit 34 completes writing ID-a and ID-b, the information display unit 32 displays information indicating that writing to the light-emitting RFID tags 21 and 22 is complete (S35).

In step S32, if the radio wave emission unit 33 does not acquire two or more radio wave strengths, the process terminates. This means that the radio wave emission unit 33 either acquires no radio wave strengths or only one. In this case, the radio wave emission unit 33 cannot write the ID to the pair of light-emitting RFID tags, and therefore terminates the process.

The user writes IDs to the luminescent RFID tags 21 and 22 using the operating terminal 30. Then, the user attaches the luminescent RFID tag 21 to one end of the cable and the luminescent RFID tag 22 to the other end. The user then uses the cable with the luminescent RFID tags 21 and 22 attached to connect to communication devices, etc.

Next, using Figure 7, the flow of the RFID tag writing process according to Embodiment 2 between the operating terminal 30, the light-emitting RFID tag 21, and the light-emitting RFID tag 22 will be explained. First, the operating terminal 30 measures the radio wave intensity of the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22 (S41, S42). Based on the results of the radio wave intensity measurement, the operating terminal 30 identifies the radio wave intensity of the light-emitting RFID tag 21 and the light-emitting RFID tag 22.

Next, the operating terminal 30 generates ID-a and ID-b, and transmits a write signal including ID-a to the light-emitting RFID tag 21 (S43). The write signal including ID-a may also include the default ID of the light-emitting RFID tag 21. Upon receiving the write signal and retaining ID-a, the light-emitting RFID tag 21 transmits a write completion signal to the operating terminal 30 (S44).

The operating terminal 30 transmits a write signal including ID-b to the light-emitting RFID tag 22, similar to the light-emitting RFID tag 21 (S45), and the light-emitting RFID tag 22 transmits a write completion signal to the operating terminal 30 (S46). The write signal including ID-b may also include the default ID of the light-emitting RFID tag 22.

Next, the flow of the RFID tag reading process according to Embodiment 2 will be explained using Figure 8. The reading process in Figure 8 is performed to read the ID held in the light-emitting RFID tag attached to one end of the cable. The reading process in Figure 8 is executed when the reading button 42 of the operation terminal 30, which is brought close to the light-emitting RFID tag 21 or 22 attached to one end of the cable, is pressed or touched.

First, the radio wave emission unit 33 communicates with the light-emitting RFID tag and obtains the radio wave strength (S51). The radio wave emission unit 33 may also receive a default ID from the light-emitting RFID tag when obtaining the radio wave strength.

Next, the radio wave emission unit 33 determines whether or not it has acquired a radio wave intensity of 1 or more (S52). If it has acquired a radio wave intensity of 1 or more, the radio wave emission unit 33 reads the ID held by the light-emitting RFID tag with the highest output radio wave intensity and stores the read ID in the storage unit 35 (S53). For example, the radio wave emission unit 33 may transmit a read signal containing the default ID of the light-emitting RFID tag with the highest output radio wave intensity to the light-emitting RFID tag and acquire the ID included in the response signal to the read signal. Alternatively, if the radio wave emission unit 33 has acquired a single radio wave intensity, it may transmit a read signal containing the default ID of the light-emitting RFID tag emitting radio waves to the light-emitting RFID tag.

Next, when the processing unit 34 completes reading the ID, the information display unit 32 displays information indicating that reading from the light-emitting RFID tag 21 or 22 has been completed (S54).

In step S52, if the radio wave emission unit 33 determines that it has not acquired a radio wave strength of 1 or more, that is, that it was unable to acquire a radio wave strength, the information display unit 32 displays information indicating that it was unable to communicate with the light-emitting RFID tag 21 (S55).

Next, the flow of the light emission process for the light-emitting RFID tag according to Embodiment 2 will be explained using Figure 9. The light emission process in Figure 9 is performed to detect a light-emitting RFID tag attached to the other end of the cable to which the light-emitting RFID tag read during the reading process is attached. The light emission process in Figure 9 is executed when the light emission button 43 on the operation terminal 30 is pressed or touched.

First, the radio wave emission unit 33 determines whether or not an ID is stored in the storage unit 35 (S61). The ID stored in the storage unit 35 is the ID obtained from the light-emitting RFID tag read during the reading process. For example, the ID stored in the storage unit 35 is the ID obtained from the light-emitting RFID tag with the strongest emitted radio wave intensity among the multiple light-emitting RFID tags read by the operation terminal 30.

If the radio wave emission unit 33 determines that an ID is stored in the storage unit 35, it inverts the last digit of the stored ID from 0 to 1, or inverts the last digit of the stored ID from 1 to 0, thereby generating a new ID (S62). The ID stored in the storage unit 35 is designated as ID-c, and the ID generated by inverting the last digit is designated as ID-d. ID-c and ID-d may also be ID-a and ID-b, and may be ID-c and ID-d generated in a write process at a different timing than the write process for ID-a and ID-b.

Next, the radio wave emission unit 33 transmits a light emission instruction signal including ID-d (S63). The radio wave emission unit 33 may also transmit a light emission instruction signal including ID-c along with the light emission instruction signal including ID-d. Among the light-emitting RFID tags that have received the light emission instruction signal, if a light-emitting RFID tag that has received ID-d included in the light emission instruction signal holds ID-d, it illuminates its LED. Furthermore, among the light-emitting RFID tags that have received the light emission instruction signal, if a light-emitting RFID tag that has received ID-c included in the light emission instruction signal holds ID-c, it illuminates its LED.

As described above, the operating terminal 30 according to Embodiment 2 can generate an ID that uniquely identifies a light-emitting RFID tag using time information and a numerical value appended to the end. Furthermore, the operating terminal 30 generates a pair of IDs by appending a 0 or 1, which is individual identification information, to the end of the common identification information, which represents the time information numerically. As a result, when the operating terminal 30 reads one of the IDs constituting the pair, it can identify the other ID by reversing the numerical value at the end. Therefore, the operating terminal 30 can identify two paired IDs without maintaining or managing a database that associates the two IDs. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the data capacity of the data held by the operating terminal 30 compared to the case where the operating terminal 30 maintains a database, and furthermore, the processing load for generating or updating the database can be reduced.

Furthermore, there are cases where the operating terminal 30 is unsure which of the multiple light-emitting RFID tags its ID has been read during the reading process. In such cases, the operating terminal 30 can cause two light-emitting RFID tags to illuminate by transmitting both the read ID and its corresponding ID. As a result, the user of the operating terminal 30 can visually identify the light-emitting RFID tag holding the read ID and the light-emitting RFID tag holding its corresponding ID.

In this embodiment 2, the explanation mainly used light-emitting RFID tags, but instead of light-emitting RFID tags that emit LEDs, RFID tags that emit sound may be used. Alternatively, instead of light-emitting RFID tags, vibrating RFID tags may be used. When sound-emitting RFID tags or vibrating RFID tags are used, it becomes easier to find RFID tags located in places where direct visual inspection is difficult.

Furthermore, while Embodiment 2 primarily describes the generation of two IDs to be assigned to two light-emitting RFID tags, it is also possible to generate three or more IDs to be assigned to three or more light-emitting RFID tags. In this case, three or more IDs can be generated by adding numerical values such as 0, 1, or 2 to the end of the individual identification information. For example, by attaching three light-emitting RFID tags to a bifurcated cable, all three tags can be made to emit light simultaneously.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, the flow of the reading process according to Embodiment 3 will be explained using Figure 10. The processes in steps S71, S72, and S75 are the same as the processes in steps S51 and S52 in Figure 8, so their explanation will be omitted.

In step S72, if the radio wave emission unit 33 determines that it has acquired one or more radio wave intensities, it stores the multiple IDs it has read in the storage unit 35 (S73).

Next, when the arithmetic processing unit 34 finishes reading the ID, the information display unit 32 displays information indicating that the reading is complete (S74).

In this way, the operating terminal 30 stores the multiple IDs it has read in the storage unit 35, allowing it to generate or identify pairs of IDs for each ID stored in the storage unit 35 during the light emission process. In other words, the operating terminal 30 can generate multiple ID pairs. As a result, by transmitting multiple ID pairs, the operating terminal 30 can discover multiple pairs of light-emitting RFID tags at once.

Figure 11 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the operating terminal 30 described in the above-described embodiment. Referring to Figure 11, the operating terminal 30 includes a network interface 1201, a processor 1202, and memory 1203. The network interface 1201 may be used for communication with a network node. The network interface 1201 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC) compliant with the IEEE 802.3 series. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The processor 1202 reads and executes software (computer programs) from the memory 1203 to perform the processing of the operation terminal 30 as described using the flowchart in the above embodiment. The processor 1202 may be, for example, a microprocessor, MPU, or CPU. The processor 1202 may include multiple processors.

Memory 1203 is composed of a combination of volatile and non-volatile memory. Memory 1203 may include storage located separately from the processor 1202. In this case, the processor 1202 may access memory 1203 via an I/O (Input/Output) interface (not shown).

In the example shown in Figure 11, memory 1203 is used to store a group of software modules. The processor 1202 can read these software modules from memory 1203 and execute them, thereby enabling the processing of the operation terminal 30 as described in the above embodiment.

As explained using Figure 11, each processor in the operating terminal 30 of the above-described embodiment executes one or more programs that include a set of instructions for causing the computer to perform the algorithm described in the diagram.

In the examples described above, the program, when loaded into a computer, includes a set of instructions (or software code) for causing the computer to perform one or more of the functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable medium or a physical storage medium. Examples, but not limited to, include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD), or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc, or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted over a temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium. Examples, but not limited to, include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagating signals.

Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from its intent.

Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:
(Note 1)
A detection means for detecting a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag,
A generation means that generates first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag, and generates second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule,
A writing means for writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag and the second identification information to the second RFID tag,
A reading means that reads either the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag, identifies the identification information of the read RFID tag, and identifies the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rule,
A management system comprising a transmission means for transmitting the paired identification information to an RFID tag different from the RFID tag that was read.
(Note 2)
The first identification information and the second identification information are,
The management system described in Appendix 1, comprising common identification information common to the first identification information and the second identification information, and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the first identification information and the second identification information, respectively.
(Note 3)
The aforementioned common identification information is,
The management system described in Appendix 2, which is time information indicating the timing at which the first RFID tag was detected or the timing at which the first identification information was generated.
(Note 4)
The detection means is
A management system as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 3, wherein the radio wave strength of each RFID tag during communication is acquired, the RFID tag with the stronger radio wave strength is designated as the first RFID tag, and the light-emitting RFID tag with the weaker radio wave strength is designated as the second RFID tag.
(Note 5)
The reading means is
A management system described in any one of the appendices 1 to 4, which communicates with multiple RFID tags and, upon obtaining multiple radio wave strengths, reads the identification information of the RFID tag that is the recipient of the communication with the strongest radio wave strength.
(Note 6)
The aforementioned transmission means is
The management system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, which transmits a light emission instruction signal containing the identification information of the read RFID tag and the RFID tag paired with the read RFID tag.
(Note 7)
The reading means is
A management system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 6, which displays the identification information of RFID tags that have been able to communicate on a display device.
(Note 8)
A detection means for detecting a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag,
A generation means that generates first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag, and generates second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule,
A writing device comprising: writing means for writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag and writing the second identification information to the second RFID tag.
(Note 9)
The first identification information and the second identification information are,
The writing device according to Appendix 8, comprising common identification information common to the first identification information and the second identification information, and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the first identification information and the second identification information, respectively.
(Note 10)
The aforementioned common identification information is,
The writing device described in Appendix 9, which is time information indicating the timing at which the first RFID tag was detected or the timing at which the first identification information was generated.
(Note 11)
A reading means that reads either a first RFID tag or a second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag, identifies the identification information of the read RFID tag, and identifies the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rule applied when the identification information of the second RFID tag was generated.
A reading device comprising: a transmitting means for transmitting identification information of an RFID tag different from the RFID tag that was read;
(Note 12)
The reading means is
A reader as described in Appendix 11, which displays the identification information of an RFID tag that has been able to communicate on a display device.
(Note 13)
The reading means is
A reader according to Appendix 11 or 12, which, if it is possible to communicate with multiple RFID tags, reads the identification information of the RFID tag that is the communication destination of the communication with the strongest radio signal strength.
(Note 14)
The first RFID tag and the second RFID tag are detected.
A first identification information is generated that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag.
A second identification information, which is paired with the first identification information, is generated according to a predetermined naming rule.
A writing method comprising writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag and the second identification information to the second RFID tag.
(Note 15)
Read either the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag.
Identify the identification information of the read RFID tag,
Identification information for an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag is identified according to the naming rule applied when generating the identification information for the second RFID tag.
A reading method that transmits the identification information of an RFID tag different from the one read to an RFID tag different from the one read.
(Note 16)
The first RFID tag and the second RFID tag are detected.
A first identification information is generated that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag.
A second identification information, which is paired with the first identification information, is generated according to a predetermined naming rule.
A program that causes a computer to write the first identification information to the first RFID tag and the second identification information to the second RFID tag.
(Note 17)
Read either the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag.
Identify the identification information of the read RFID tag,
Identification information for an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag is identified according to the naming rule applied when generating the identification information for the second RFID tag.
A program that causes a computer to transmit the identification information of an RFID tag different from the one that was read to an RFID tag different from the one that was read.

1 RFID tag 2 RFID tag 11 Detection means 12 Generation means 13 Writing means 14 Reading means 15 Transmission means 21 Light-emitting RFID tag 22 Light-emitting RFID tag 30 Operation terminal 31 Operation input unit 32 Information display unit 33 Radio wave emission unit 34 Calculation processing unit 35 Storage unit 36 Clock unit 41 Write button 42 Read button 43 Light-emitting button 44 Time setting button

Claims (9)

A detection means for detecting a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag,
A generation means that generates first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag, and generates second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule,
A writing means for writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag and the second identification information to the second RFID tag,
A reading means that reads either the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag, identifies the identification information of the read RFID tag, and identifies the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rule,
The system includes a transmission means for transmitting the paired identification information to an RFID tag different from the RFID tag that was read,
The first identification information and the second identification information are,
A management system comprising common identification information common to the first identification information and the second identification information, and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the first identification information and the second identification information, respectively . The aforementioned common identification information is,
The management system according to claim 1 , wherein the time information indicates the timing at which the first RFID tag was detected or the timing at which the first identification information was generated. The detection means is
The management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the radio wave strength of each RFID tag during communication with two RFID tags is obtained, the RFID tag with the stronger radio wave strength is designated as the first RFID tag, and the light-emitting RFID tag with the weaker radio wave strength is designated as the second RFID tag. The reading means is
A management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which communicates with multiple RFID tags and, when multiple radio wave strengths are obtained, reads the identification information of the RFID tag that is the communication destination of the communication with the strongest radio wave strength. A detection means for detecting a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag,
A generation means that generates first identification information that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag, and generates second identification information to be paired with the first identification information according to a predetermined naming rule,
The system includes a writing means for writing the first identification information to the first RFID tag and the second identification information to the second RFID tag,
The first identification information and the second identification information are,
A writing device having common identification information common to the first identification information and the second identification information, and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the first identification information and the second identification information, respectively . A reading means that reads either a first RFID tag or a second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag, identifies the identification information of the read RFID tag, and identifies the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag according to the naming rule applied when the identification information of the second RFID tag was generated.
The system includes a transmission means that transmits identification information of an RFID tag different from the one read, to an RFID tag different from the one read.
The identification information of the RFID tag read and the identification information of an RFID tag different from the RFID tag read are as follows:
A reader comprising: a common identification information that is common to the identification information of the read RFID tag and the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag; and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the identification information of the read RFID tag and the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag. The first RFID tag and the second RFID tag are detected.
A first identification information is generated that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag.
A second identification information, which is paired with the first identification information, is generated according to a predetermined naming rule.
The first identification information is written to the first RFID tag, and the second identification information is written to the second RFID tag.
The first identification information and the second identification information are,
A writing method comprising: common identification information common to the first identification information and the second identification information; and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the first identification information and the second identification information, respectively . Read either the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag paired with the first RFID tag.
Identify the identification information of the read RFID tag,
Identification information for an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag is identified according to the naming rule applied when generating the identification information for the second RFID tag.
The identification information of the RFID tag different from the RFID tag that was read is transmitted to the RFID tag that was read.
The identification information of the RFID tag read and the identification information of an RFID tag different from the RFID tag read are as follows:
A reading method comprising: a common identification information that is common to the identification information of the read RFID tag and the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag; and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the identification information of the read RFID tag and the identification information of an RFID tag different from the read RFID tag. The first RFID tag and the second RFID tag are detected.
A first identification information is generated that uniquely identifies the first RFID tag.
A second identification information, which is paired with the first identification information, is generated according to a predetermined naming rule.
The computer is instructed to write the first identification information to the first RFID tag and the second identification information to the second RFID tag .
The first identification information and the second identification information are,
A program having common identification information that is common to the first identification information and the second identification information, and individual identification information to which different values are assigned to the first identification information and the second identification information, respectively .