Wireless tag, wireless tag communication system, wireless tag access device, method of detecting corresponding wireless tags and computer readable medium

• US 20090002174A1
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Consulting Solutions Company LT, OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Consulting Solutions Company LT, OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Kukita, Shigezou, Nishijima, Masaru, Muratani, Masayuki, Nagata, Shirou, Sakanashi, Koichi, Kawakami, Takahide, Deguchi, Fujio, Yoshikawa, Motoatsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,334,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• 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

Abstract

A wireless tag includes at least one of a signal radiation unit that radiates a first linking signal based on an instruction from a wireless tag access device, and a signal detection unit that detects a second linking signal that has been radiated and provides the second linking signal to the wireless tag access device.

Claims

1. A wireless tag comprising a signal radiation unit that radiates a first linking signal based on an instruction from a wireless tag access device, and a signal detection unit that detects a second linking signal that has been radiated and provides the second linking signal to the wireless tag access device.

2. A wireless tag communication system comprising one or more wireless tags and a wireless tag access device capable of accessing the one or more wireless tags present in the vicinity of the wireless tag access device, wherein:

each wireless tag comprises at least one of a signal radiation unit that radiates a first linking signal based on an instruction from the wireless tag access device, and a signal detection unit that detects a second linking signal that has been radiated and provides the second linking signal to the wireless tag access device; and

the wireless tag access device comprises;

a vicinity tag managing unit that manages the identification data of the one or more wireless tags present in the vicinity of the wireless tag access device;

a radiation operation initiation unit that initiates radiation of the first linking signal from the signal radiation unit of any of the wireless tags that is waiting for correspondence;

a signal detection tag search unit that searches for the wireless tag comprising the signal detection unit that has detected the first linking signal; and

a correspondence detection unit that detects a correspondence between the wireless tag that has radiated the first linking signal and is waiting for correspondence, and another wireless tag, based on a search result of the signal detection tag search unit.

3. A wireless tag access device capable of accessing wireless tags present in the vicinity of the wireless tag access device, wherein:

each wireless tag comprises at least one of a signal radiation unit that radiates a first linking signal based on an instruction from the wireless tag access device, and a signal detection unit that detects a second linking signal that has been radiated and provides the second linking signal to the wireless tag access device; and

the wireless tag access device comprises;

a vicinity tag managing unit that manages the identification data of the one or more wireless tags present in the vicinity of the wireless tag access device;

a radiation operation initiation unit that initiates radiation of the first linking signal from the signal radiation unit of any of the wireless tags that is waiting for correspondence;

a signal detection tag search unit that searches for the wireless tag comprising the signal detection unit that has detected the radiated linking signal; and

a correspondence detection unit that detects a correspondence between the wireless tag that has radiated the first linking signal and that is waiting for correspondence, and another wireless tag, based on a search result of the signal detection tag search unit.

4. A method of detecting corresponding wireless tags that detects a correspondence between wireless tags present in the vicinity of a wireless tag access device which is capable of accessing the wireless tags present in the vicinity thereof, wherein:

each wireless tag comprises at least one of a signal radiation unit that radiates a first linking signal based on an instruction from the wireless tag access device, and a signal detection unit that detects a second linking signal that has been radiated and provides the second linking signal to the wireless tag access device; and

the wireless tag access device comprises a vicinity tag managing unit, a radiation operation initiation unit, a signal detection tag search unit and a correspondence detection unit, wherein;

the vicinity tag managing unit manages the identification data of the one or more wireless tags present in the vicinity of the wireless tag access device;

the radiation operation initiation unit initiates radiation of the first linking signal from the signal radiation unit of any of the wireless tags that is waiting for correspondence;

the signal detection tag search unit searches for a wireless tag comprising a signal detection unit that has detected the first radiated linking signal; and

the correspondence detection unit detects a correspondence between the wireless tag that has radiated the first linking signal and that is waiting for correspondence, and another wireless tag, based on search results of the signal detection tag search unit.

5. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for detecting corresponding wireless tags mounted at a wireless tag access device that detects a correspondence between the wireless tags present in the vicinity of the wireless tag access device, each wireless tag comprising at least one of a signal radiation unit that radiates a first linking signal based on an instruction from the wireless tag access device, and a signal detection unit that detects a second linking signal that has been radiated and provides the second linking signal to the wireless tag access device, the process comprising:

managing the identification data of the one or more wireless tags present in the vicinity of the wireless tag access unit;

radiating the first linking signal from the signal radiation unit of any of the wireless tags that is waiting for correspondence;

searching for the wireless tag comprising the signal detection unit that has detected the first linking signal; and

detecting the correspondence between the wireless tag that has radiated the first linking signal and that is waiting for correspondence, and another wireless tag, based on a search result of the signal detection tag search unit.