RF TAG READER AND WRITER

• US 20110063092A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sano, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,576,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles

Abstract

The present invention relates to an RF tag reader and writer including: a communication unit which communicates with an RF tag as a target from which information is obtained and obtains the information held in the RF tag; and a communication stability determination unit which determines that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established when the same information is obtained over a predetermined plural number of times from the RF tag communicating with the communication unit.

Claims

1. An RF tag reader and writer comprising:

a communication unit configured to communicate with an RF tag as a target from which information is obtained and obtains the information held in the RF tag; and

a communication stability determination unit configured to determine that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established when the same information is obtained over a predetermined plural number of times from the RF tag communicating with the communication unit.

2. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit includes:

a response requesting unit configured to send a response request command to the RF tag over a plural number of times;

a response obtaining unit configured to obtain the response sent from the RF tag in accordance with the obtaining of the response request command;

a tag information requesting unit configured to send a tag information request command, which requests the sending of the information held in the RF tag, to the RF tag which sent the response to be obtained, when the response requesting unit obtains the response within a predetermined time after the response requesting unit sent the response request command; and

a tag information obtaining unit configured to obtain the information, which is sent from the RF tag which sent the response in accordance with the obtaining of the tag information request command, and which is held in the RF tag.

3. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 2,

wherein the RF tag reader and writer communicates with the RF tag in a slot ALOHA method, and

wherein the RF tag reader writer further includes a slot number setting unit capable of changing the setting of the slot number in the slot ALOHA method based on a user'"'"'s operation input.

4. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output changing unit configured to change a transmission output of radio waves based on output information, which is set in advance, regarding the transmission output of the radio waves for the communication between the communication unit and the RF tag,

wherein the communication stability determination unit determines whether or not stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established every time when the output changing unit changes the transmission output of the radio waves for the communication between the communication unit and the RF tag.

5. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 4, further comprising:

an output setting unit configured to set the transmission output of the radio waves for a writing process to the RF tag from which the information held therein was obtained through the communication with the communication unit, in accordance with a determination result by the communication stability determination unit.

6. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a tag writing unit configured to write data to the RF tag from which the information held therein was obtained, when the communication stability determination unit determines that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established.

7. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 2, further comprising:

a tag writing unit configured to write data to the RF tag from which the information held therein was obtained, when the communication stability determination unit determines that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established; and

an output adjusting unit configured to set the transmission output of the radio waves for the data writing to the RF tag by the tag writing unit to be greater than the transmission output of the radio waves for the response request command by the response requesting unit with respect to the RF tag.

8. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 6,

wherein the communication unit communicates with a writing-completed RF tag, to which data was written, in accordance with the data writing by the tag writing unit and obtains information held in the writing-completed RF tag, and

wherein the RF tag reader and writer further includes a successful writing determination unit which determines that the writing process to the writing-completed RF tag succeeded, when the communication unit obtains the information held in the writing-completed RF tag over a predetermined plural number of times.

18. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 2, further comprising:

an output changing unit configured to change a transmission output of radio waves based on output information, which is set in advance, regarding the transmission output of the radio waves for the communication between the communication unit and the RF tag,

wherein the communication stability determination unit determines whether or not stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established every time when the output changing unit changes the transmission output of the radio waves for the communication between the communication unit and the RF tag.

19. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 2, further comprising:

a tag writing unit configured to write data to the RF tag from which the information held therein was obtained, when the communication stability determination unit determines that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established.

20. The RF tag reader and writer according to claim 7,

wherein the communication unit communicates with a writing-completed RF tag, to which data was written, in accordance with the data writing by the tag writing unit and obtains information held in the writing-completed RF tag, and

wherein the RF tag reader and writer further includes a successful writing determination unit which determines that the writing process to the writing-completed RF tag succeeded, when the communication unit obtains the information held in the writing-completed RF tag over a predetermined plural number of times.

9. An RF tag reader and writer comprising:

a communication unit configured to include a response requesting unit configured to send a response request command to the RF tag, a response obtaining unit configured to obtain a response sent from the RF tag in accordance with the obtaining of the response request command, a tag information requesting unit configured to send a tag information request command, which requests the sending of the information held in the RF tag, to the RF tag which sent the response to be obtained, when the response requesting unit obtains the response within a predetermined time after the response requesting unit sent the response request command, and a tag information obtaining unit configured to obtain the information, which is sent from the RF tag which sent the response in accordance with the obtaining of the tag information request command, and which is held in the RF tag, the communication unit communicating with the RF tag in a slot ALOHA method;

a communication stability determination unit configured to determine that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established when the tag information obtaining unit obtains information held in the RF tag from the RF tag which sent the response;

a tag writing unit configured to perform data writing on the RF tag, from which the response and the information held therein were obtained, when the communication stability determination unit determines that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established; and

an output adjusting unit configured to change the transmission output of the radio waves for the data writing by the tag writing unit with respect to the RF tag to be greater than the transmission output of the radio waves for the response request command by the response requesting unit with respect to the RF tag.

10. An RF tag communication stability determination method comprising:

communicating with an RF tag as a target from which information is obtained and thereby obtaining the information held in the RF tag; and

determining that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established when identical information is obtained from the RF tag, with which the communication was made, over a predetermined plural number of times.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

sending a response request command to the RF tag over a plural number of times;

obtaining response sent from the RF tag in accordance with the response request command;

sending a tag information request command, which requests the sending of the information held in the RF tag, to the RF tag which sent the response to be obtained, when the response is obtained within a predetermined time after the sending of the response request command, and

obtaining the information which is sent from the RF tag, which sent the response in accordance with the obtaining of the tag information request command, and which is held in the RF tag.

12. The method according to claim 11,

wherein the communication with the RF tag is performed in a slot ALOHA method, and

wherein the setting of the number of slots in the slot ALOHA method is changed based on a user'"'"'s operation input.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

changing a transmission output of a radio waves based on output information, which is set in advance, regarding the transmission output of the radio waves for the communication with the RF tag; and

determining whether or not stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established every time when the transmission output of the radio waves for the communication with the RF tag is changed.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

setting the transmission output of the radio waves for the writing process to the RF tag from which the information held therein was obtained through the communication, in accordance with a determination result.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

performing data writing to the RF tag, from which the information held therein was obtained, when it is determined that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

setting a transmission output of a radio waves for the data writing with respect to the RF tag to be greater than a transmission output of a radio waves for the response request command with respect to the RF tag; and

performing the data writing to the RF tag, from which the information held therein was obtained, when it is determined that stable communication with a specific RF tag is being established.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

communicating with a writing-completed RF tag, to which data was written, in accordance with the execution of the data writing and thereby obtaining information held in the writing-completed RF tag, and

determining that the writing process to the writing-completed RF tag succeeded when the information held in the writing-completed RF tag was obtained over a predetermined plural number of times.