Information management system, method, program and recording medium

• US 20070222591A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kimata, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.260
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

An RF tag includes a sensor for detecting a change in an environment near the RF tag, a storage section for storing identifier information uniquely assigned to each RF tag to identify the RF tag, and a controller for controlling the sensor and the storage section. A reader-writer includes a sensor value requesting section for requesting, with respect to the identifier information, a sensor value detected by the sensor. When the environmental information changes, the reader-writer identifies an object according to the sensor value sent from the RF tag including the identifier information as a response to the reader-writer. It is therefore possible, using an information management system, an information management method, a program, and a recording medium, to recognize an object including a particular tag.

Claims

1. An information management system comprising

one or a plurality of radio frequency (RF) tags and a reader-writer, the RF tags and the reader-writer communicating with each other, wherein

each RF tag comprises:

a sensor that detects a change in an environment around the RF tag;

a storage section that stores identifier information identifying the RF tag, the information being uniquely assigned to the RF tag; and

a first control section that controls the sensor and the storage section and

the reader-writer comprises a sensor value requesting section that requests, with respect to the identifier information, a sensor value detected by the sensor,

the reader-writer determining, when environmental information changes, an object according to the sensor value sent from an RF tag including the identifier information to the reader-writer.

2. The information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the reader-writer further comprises a sensor reference value transmitting section that transmits, in response to a request from the sensor value requesting section, a sensor reference value;

the RF tag comprises a first sensor value comparing section that compares the sensor value detected by the sensor with the sensor reference value; and

the first control means decides, according to a result of the comparison, whether to reply to the reader-writer.

3. The information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reader-writer issues, when the request includes the sensor reference value, the request for the sensor value to all RF tags.

4. The information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reader-writer comprises

a communicating section that communicates information with an external device other than the RF tags, and

a second control section that controls the communicating section, the sensor value request section, and the sensor reference value transmitting section;

and

an object is recognized according to the sensor value for which a request is issued from the external device via the reader-writer with respect to the identifier information, and which is sent from the RF tag including the identifier information to the reader-writer.

5. The information management system in accordance with claim 4, wherein:

the reader-writer comprises a second sensor value comparing section that compares the sensor value with the sensor reference value; and

the second control section decides, according to a result of the comparison, whether to reply to the external device.

6. The information management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the RF tag further comprises;

a sensor value storage section that stores the sensor value therein,

a difference calculating section that calculates a difference value between the sensor value stored in the sensor value storage section before the environment is changed and the sensor value detected by the sensor after the environment is changed, and

a third sensor value comparing section that compares the difference value with the sensor reference value sent from the reader-writer; and

the first control means decides, according to a result of the comparison, whether to reply to the reader-writer.

7. An information management method for a system comprising one or a plurality of RF tags and a reader-writer, the RF tags and the reader-writer communicating with each other, the method comprising the steps of:

changing an environment around at least one of the RF tags;

detecting a change in the environment by a sensor disposed in an RF tag;

requesting by the reader-writer for sensor values detected by sensors in RF tags that are designated with identifier information items; and

transmitting, in response to a request from the reader-writer, a sensor value from an RF tag possessing the identifier information item.

8. The information management method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting from the reader-writer a sensor reference value with the request for a sensor value; and

comparing, when an RF tag receives the sensor reference value, the sensor value detected by the sensor with the sensor reference value,

deciding whether to reply to the read-writer based on the a result of the comparison.

9. An information management method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising the step of sending the request for the sensor value with the sensor reference value to all RF tags.

10. An information management method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

communicating with an external device other than the RF tags, and

controlling by the reader-writer communication between the reader-writer and the external device, a procedure of requesting the sensor value, and a procedure of sending the sensor reference value, wherein

an object is identified according to the sensor value.

11. The information management method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising:

comparing the sensor value thus replied with the sensor reference value; and

deciding, according to a result of the comparison, whether to a reply to the external device.

12. The information management method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

storing the sensor value in the RF tag;

calculating, by the RF tag, a difference value between the sensor value before the environment is changed and the sensor value after the environment is changed, and

comparing, by the RF tag, the difference value with the sensor reference value sent from the reader-writer; and

deciding, according to a result of the comparison in the third sensor value comparison step, whether to reply to the reader-writer.

13. A computer program for use with an information system comprising one or a plurality of RF tags and a reader-writer, the RF tags and the reader-writer communicating with each other, the program causing a computer to perform the following:

detecting a change in an environment around at least one of the RF tags by a sensor disposed in an RF tag;

requesting by the reader-writer for a sensor value detected by the sensor in RF tags that are designated with identifier information items;

transmitting, in response to a request from the reader-writer, the sensor value from an RF tag; and

identifying an object according to an identifier information item and the sensor value.

14. The computer program in accordance with claim 13, further causing a computer to perform the following:

transmitting from the reader-writer a sensor reference value with the request for a sensor value;

comparing, when the RF tag receives the sensor reference value, the sensor value detected by the sensor with the sensor reference value; and

deciding, according to a result of the comparison, whether to reply to the reader-writer.

15. The computer program in accordance with claim 13, further causing a computer to send the request for the sensor value with the sensor reference value to all RF tags.

16. The computer program in accordance with claim 13, further causing a computer to perform the following:

communicating with an external device other than the RF tags;

controlling by the reader-writer communication between the reader-writer and the external device, a procedure of requesting the sensor value, and a procedure of sending the sensor reference value, wherein

an object is identified according to the sensor value.

17. The computer program in accordance with claim 16, further causing a computer to perform the following:

comparing the sensor value thus replied with the sensor reference value; and

deciding, according to a result of the comparison, whether to a reply to the external device.

18. The computer program in accordance with claim 13, further causing a computer to perform the following:

storing the sensor value in the RF tag;

calculating, by the RF tag, a difference value between the sensor value before the environment is changed and the sensor value after the environment is changed;

comparing, by the RF tag, the difference value with the sensor reference value sent from the reader-writer; and

deciding, according to a result of the comparison, whether to reply to the reader-writer.

19. A computer-readable recording medium having stored a computer program in accordance with one of claims 13 to 18.