Tag communication device, tag moving direction detecting system and tag moving direction detecting method

• US 20070273530A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Koezuka, Yahiro, Iida, Kisho
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.700
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The invention provides a tag communication device, a tag moving direction detecting system and a tag moving direction detecting method able to detect the moving direction of a moving body attaching a RFID tag thereto by simple processing, and able to easily detect the moving direction even when its moving speed is increased. A scan antenna scans a beam of a transmitted radio wave toward a belt conveyer for conveying baggage with a RFID tag. ID is read from the RFID tag, and reading NO. and a scan angle are related and recorded to a measuring data table, and plot data are generated. These plot data are plotted in an XY coordinate system, and a plot graph is generated. Further, a linear approximate straight line is calculated from this plot graph, and a moving direction of the baggage is detected from an inclination value of the linear approximate straight line.

Claims

1. A tag communication device for performing wireless communication with a RFID tag attached to a moving body through a radio wave, and comprising:

a scan antenna having plural antenna elements and scanning a beam of the transmitted radio wave toward a space on a moving path of said moving body;

data generating means for relating signal receiving information from said RFID tag to time passage information, and generating plural sets of a scan angle of said scan antenna and said time passage information in receiving this signal receiving information; and

moving direction detecting means for calculating a linear approximate straight line showing the relation between said scan angle and said time passage information by using data generated by said data generating means, and detecting a moving direction of the moving body attaching said RFID tag from an inclination of this linear approximate straight line.

4. The tag communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said plural antenna elements are constructed by a patch antenna.

5. A tag moving direction detecting system comprising:

the tag communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and at least one RFID tag for performing wireless communication with said tag communication device.

8. A tag moving direction detecting system comprising:

the tag communication device according to claim 4 and at least one RFID tag for performing wireless communication with said tag communication device.

2. A tag communication device for performing wireless communication with a RFID tag attached to a moving body through a radio wave, and comprising:

a scan antenna having plural antenna elements and scanning a beam of the transmitted radio wave toward a space on a moving path of said moving body;

data generating means for relating signal receiving information from said RFID tag to time passage information, and generating plural sets of a scan angle of said scan antenna and said time passage information in receiving this signal receiving information; and

moving direction detecting means for detecting a moving direction of the moving body attaching said RFID tag by calculating a moving locus of said moving body using data generated by said data generating means.

3. The tag communication device according to claim 2, wherein said plural antenna elements are two-dimensionally arrayed, and said scan antenna performs two-dimensional scan with respect to the moving path of said moving body.

6. A tag moving direction detecting method comprising the steps of:

scanning the beam of a radio wave transmitted from a scan antenna of a tag communication device for performing wireless communication with a RFID tag attached to a moving body through the radio wave, toward a space on a moving path of said moving body;

relating signal receiving information from said RFID tag to time passage information, and generating plural sets of a scan angle of said scan antenna and said time passage information in receiving this signal receiving information; and

calculating a linear approximate straight line showing the relation between said scan angle and said time passage information by using said generated data, and detecting a moving direction of the moving body attaching said RFID tag from an inclination of this linear approximate straight line.

7. A tag moving direction detecting method comprising the steps of:

scanning the beam of a radio wave transmitted from a scan antenna of a tag communication device for performing wireless communication with a RFID tag attached to a moving body through the radio wave, toward a space on a moving path of said moving body;

relating signal receiving information from said RFID tag to time passage information, and generating plural sets of a scan angle of said scan antenna and said time passage information in receiving this signal receiving information; and

detecting a moving direction of the moving body attaching said RFID tag by calculating a moving locus of said moving body using said generated data.