AUTOMATIC OUTPUT-VALUE ADJUSTMENT METHOD FOR READER/WRITER

• US 20080191848A1
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: FUCHIDA, Hidehiko, SATO, Kazuo, MAEDA, Tomohiko, MURAOKA, Yoshitaka, SAITO, Shuko
• Application Number:
  US11/967,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20080191848A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10217 parameter settings controlling the transmission power of the interrogator

Abstract

When a detector sensor such as an infrared sensor or the like detects a palette or cart mounting a product, the output of the radio wave from the antenna of the reader/writer is set to a minimum value. Then, the radio wave output value is gradually increased from the minimum value until an RFID tag can be read/written. After the RFID tag can be read/written, a target process such as the reading/writing of the RFID tag or the like is performed and the process is terminated. After the process is terminated, the radio wave output is returned to the minimum value.

Claims

1. An automatic output-value adjustment method of a reader/writer in a production system for managing production by the reader/writer reading a tag, comprising:

setting an output value of a radio wave from an antenna of the reader/writer;

increasing the output of the radio wave from a prescribed value and reading/writing a tag attached to a product; and

returning the output of the radio wave to the prescribed value after reading/writing.

2. The automatic output-value adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein

the production system comprises a palette/cart detector sensor for detecting a palette or a cart mounting a product, wherein

the prescribed value is a minimum output value of the radio wave, and

the output value of the radio wave from the antenna of the reader/writer is gradually increased after detecting the palette or cart and is returned to the minimum value after the reading/writing of the tag.

3. The automatic output-value adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein

a radio wave with a low output value sufficient to read an ID of the tag is output from the antenna of the reader/writer as the prescribed value, and

the tag is read/written while gradually increasing the output value of the radio wave and the output value of the radio wave is returned to the minimum value after reading/writing.

4. The automatic output-value adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein

the production system comprises a detector sensor for detecting whether a cart mounting a product enters a prescribed range, wherein

the output value of the antenna is usually at a minimum level,

when the cart enters a prescribed detection range of the detector sensor, the radio wave from the antenna is output at a maximum level and the tag is read/written and

the output value is returned to the minimum after the reading/writing.

5. The automatic output-value adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein

the output value of the radio wave is increased up to a minimum readable/writable level of the tag.

6. An automatic output-value adjustment method of a tag reader/writer, comprising:

maximizing the output of a radio wave from an antenna of the reader/writer;

reading/writing a tag when the tag enters a readable range of the reader/writer;

reducing the radio wave output when detecting a tag attached to a user; and

returning the radio wave output to a maximum after a prescribed time after detecting the tag attached to the user.

7. A reader/writer which reads a tag, comprising:

an output-value setting unit for setting an output value of a radio wave from an antenna of the reader/writer;

a reading/writing unit for increasing the output value of the radio wave from a prescribed value and reading/writing a tag attached to a product; and

a returning unit for returning the output value of the radio wave after reading/writing the tag.