Article Position Management System, Article Position Management Method, Terminal Device, Server, and Article Position Management Program

• US 20080278324A1
• Filed: 06/20/2005
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Murayama, Hiroki, Uchimura, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,605,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

There is provided an article position management system which can determine where an article is present with high accuracy and manage the position of the article such that no article is left unchecked. Illumination sections (11-14) optically transmit pieces of positional information only to specific regions (lighting ranges (401-404)). A terminal device (31) receives the pieces of positional information transmitted from the illumination sections (11-14) and reads out article IDs from RFID tags (201-206) put on articles (101-106). The terminal device (31) sends the pieces of positional information and article IDs to a server (51) through a wireless LAN base station (41). The server (51) stores the pieces of positional information and article IDs sent from the terminal device (31) such that the pieces of positional information and article IDs are associated with each other.

Claims

1. An article position management system that manages a position of an article on the basis of identification information read out from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and further on the basis of positional information of the position where the article is present, characterized by comprising:

optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting positional information only to a specific region;

positional information reception means for receiving the positional information transmitted from said optical signal transmission means;

identification information readout means for reading out the identification information from the identification tag;

storage means for storing information indicating a position where an article is present; and

article position management means for storing in said storage means the positional information received by said positional information reception means in the specific region and the identification information read out by said identification information readout means such that the positional information and identification information are associated with each other.

5. The article position management system according to claim 1, wherein

the identification tag is a wireless tag which transmits the identification information using a received radio wave as power.

6. The article position management system according to claim 1, wherein

the optical signal transmission means comprises a transmission section which includes an infrared LED and transmits the positional information by varying intensity of light emitted from the infrared LED.

7. The article position management system according to claim 1, wherein

the optical signal transmission means comprises a transmission section which includes a white LED and transmits the positional information by varying intensity of light emitted from the white LED.

8. The article position management system according to claim 7, wherein the optical signal transmission means also serves as lighting.

9. The article position management system according to claim 1, wherein

the optical signal transmission means transmits position identification information or coordinate values as the positional information.

2. An article position management system that manages a position of an article on the basis of identification information read out from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and further on the basis of positional information of the position where the article is present, characterized by comprising:

a terminal device for article position management having

optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting positional information only to a specific region,

positional information reception means for receiving the positional information transmitted from the optical signal transmission means, and

identification information readout means for reading out the identification information from the identification tag; and

a server having storage means for storing information indicating a position where an article is present,

wherein said terminal device for article position management includes sending means for sending the positional information received by the positional information reception means in the specific region and the identification information read out by the identification information readout means to said server through a wireless communication medium, and

said server includes the storage means for storing information indicating a position where an article is present and article position management means for storing, in the storage means, the positional information and identification information received from said terminal device for article position management through the wireless communication medium such that the positional information and identification information are associated with each other.

3. The article position management system according to claim 2, wherein

said terminal device for article position management includes alarm means for issuing an alarm if the positional information reception means fails to receive the positional information within a predetermined period of time after the identification information readout means reads out the identification information.

4. The article position management system according to claim 2, wherein

said terminal device for article position management includes positional information input means for accepting input of positional information from an operation section if the positional information reception means fails to receive the positional information within the predetermined period of time after the identification information readout means reads out the identification information.

17. The article position management system according to claim 2, wherein the identification tag is a wireless tag which transmits the identification information using a received radio wave as power.

18. The article position management system according to claim 2, wherein the optical signal transmission means comprises a transmission section which includes an infrared LED and transmits the positional information by varying intensity of light emitted from the infrared LED.

19. The article position management system according to claim 2, wherein the optical signal transmission means comprises a transmission section which includes a white LED and transmits the positional information by varying intensity of light emitted from the white LED.

20. The article position management system according to claim 2, wherein the optical signal transmission means transmits position identification information or coordinate values as the positional information.

10. An article position management method for managing a position of an article on the basis of identification information read out from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify the article, and further on the basis of positional information of the position where the article is present,

characterized in that positional information is optically transmitted only to a specific region,

the transmitted positional information is received,

the identification information is read out from the identification tag, and

the positional information received in the specific region and the read-out identification information are stored in storage means for storing information indicating a position where an article is present such that the positional information and identification information are associated with each other.

11. A terminal device for article position management that reads out identification information from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and receives positional information from optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting the positional information only to a specific region in order to manage a position where the article is present, characterized by comprising:

positional information reception means for receiving the positional information transmitted from the optical signal transmission means;

identification information readout means for reading out the identification information from the identification tag;

storage means for storing information indicating a position where an article is present; and

article position management means for storing, in said storage means, the positional information received by said positional information reception means in the specific region and the identification information read out by said identification information readout means such that the positional information and identification information are associated with each other.

12. A terminal device for article position management that reads out identification information from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and receives positional information from optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting the positional information only to a specific region in order to manage a position where the article is present, characterized by comprising:

light-receiving means for receiving light from the optical signal transmission means;

positional information extraction means for extracting positional information from the light received by said light-receiving means;

identification information readout means for reading out the identification information from the identification tag; and

sending means for sending the positional information extracted by said positional information extraction means and the identification information read out by said identification information readout means to a server which manages information indicating a position where an article is present through a wireless communication medium.

13. An article position management server that receives positional information and identification information sent from a terminal device for article position management reading out the identification information from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and receives the positional information from optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting the positional information only to a specific region in order to manage a position where the article is present, characterized by comprising:

storage means for storing information indicating a position where an article is present and article position management means for storing, in said storage means, the positional information and identification information received from the terminal device for article position management through the wireless communication medium such that the positional information and identification information are associated with each other.

14. An article position management program for causing a computer mounted in a terminal device for article position management which reads out identification information from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and receives positional information from optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting the positional information only to a specific region in order to manage a position where the article is present to execute:

extracting positional information from light received from the optical signal transmission means by light-receiving means,

reading out the identification information from the identification tag; and

storing the extracted positional information and read-out identification information in storage means such that the positional information and identification information are associated with each other.

15. An article position management program for causing a computer mounted in a terminal device for article position management which reads out identification information from an identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and receives positional information from optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting the positional information only to a specific region in order to manage a position where the article is present to execute:

extracting positional information from light received from the optical signal transmission means by light-receiving means,

reading out the identification information from the identification tag; and

sending the extracted positional information and the read-out identification information to a server which manages information indicating a position where an article is present.

16. An article position management program for causing a computer mounted in an article position management server which receives from a terminal device positional information received from optical signal transmission means, and identification information read out from an identification tag, the terminal device being used for article position management, reading out identification information from the identification tag that is affixed to the article and stores the identification information used to identify an article, and receiving positional information from the optical signal transmission means for optically transmitting the positional information only to a specific region in order to manage a position where the article is present to execute:

storing the positional information and identification information received from the terminal device for article position management in storage means for storing information indicating a position where an article is present such that the positional information and identification information are associated with each other.