Article management system

• US 20080297319A1
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ohtani, Hisashi, Koyama, Jun, Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Application Number:
  US12/153,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20080297319A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

An article management system which can efficiently search for the whereabouts of an article. The article management system for managing the whereabouts of an article existing in any of a plurality of sections includes radio communication devices provided in the respective sections, and an RFID tag and a portable device that are communicable with the radio communication device by radio. The RFID tag is attached to the article. The article is detected through communication between the RFID tag and one of the radio communication devices provided in the respective sections. Further, in which of the plurality of sections the article exists is specified through communication between the portable device and the radio communication devices provided in the respective sections.

Claims

1. An article management system for managing the whereabouts of an article existing in any of a plurality of sections, comprising:

a radio communication device provided in each section;

an RFID tag communicable with the radio communication device provided in each section by radio; and

a portable device communicable with the radio communication device provided in each section by radio,

wherein the RFID tag is attached to the article,

wherein the article is detected through communication between the RFID tag and one of the radio communication device provided in each section, and

wherein in which of the plurality of sections the article exists is specified through communication between the portable device and the radio communication device provided in each section.

2. The article management system according to claim 1,

wherein the radio communication device includes a first antenna and a second antenna,

wherein the radio communication device communicates with the RFID tag via the first antenna, and

wherein the radio communication device communicates with the portable device via the second antenna.

3. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein Bluetooth®

is utilized as a communication method between the radio communication device and the portable device.

4. An article management system for managing the whereabouts of a plurality of articles existing in any of a plurality of sections, comprising:

a radio communication device provided in each section;

RFID tags communicable with the radio communication device provided in each section by radio; and

a portable device communicable with the radio communication device provided in each section by radio,

wherein the RFID tags are attached to the articles, respectively,

wherein the articles existing in each section are detected through communication between the RFID tags and the radio communication device provided in each section, and

wherein in which of the plurality of sections each of the plurality of articles exists is specified through communication between the portable device and the radio communication device provided in each section.

5. The article management system according to claim 4,

wherein the radio communication device includes a first antenna and a second antenna,

wherein the radio communication device communicates with the RFID tags via the first antenna, and

wherein the radio communication device communicates with the portable device via the second antenna.

6. An article management system for managing the whereabouts of an article existing in any of a plurality of sections, comprising:

a radio communication device provided in each section;

a plurality of readers/writers provided in each section;

an RFID tag communicable with the plurality of readers/writers by radio; and

a portable device communicable with the radio communication device provided in each section by radio,

wherein the plurality of readers/writers provided in each section are operationally connected to the radio communication device provided in said section,

wherein the RFID tag is attached to the article,

wherein the article and position of the article are detected through communication between the RFID tag and the plurality of readers/writers, and

wherein in which of the plurality of sections the article exists and position of the article within said section are specified through communication between the portable device and the radio communication device provided in each section.

7. The article management system according to claim 6, wherein at least three readers/writers are provided in each section.

8. The article management system according to claim 6, wherein Bluetooth®

is utilized as a communication method between the radio communication device and the portable device.

9. An article management system for managing the whereabouts of an article existing in a first section or a second section, comprising:

a first radio communication device provided in the first section;

a second radio communication device provided in the second section;

an RFID tag communicable with the first and second radio communication devices by radio; and

a portable device communicable with the first and second radio communication devices by radio,

wherein the RFID tag is attached to the article,

wherein the article is detected through communication between the RFID tag and one of the first radio communication device provided in the first section and the second radio communication device provided in the second section, and

wherein in which of the first section and the second section the article exists is specified through communication between the portable device and the first radio communication device provided in the first section, and between the portable device and the second radio communication device provided in the second section.

10. The article management system according to claim 9,

wherein each of the first and second radio communication devices includes a first antenna and a second antenna,

wherein each of the first radio communication device and the second radio communication device communicates with the RFID tag via the first antenna, and

wherein each of the first radio communication device and the second radio communication device communicates with the portable device via the second antenna.

11. The article management system according to claim 9, wherein Bluetooth®

is utilized as a communication method between the first and second radio communication devices and the portable device.