UPRIGHT TYPE APPARATUS FOR CHARGING WIRELESS IC TAGS

• US 20120274453A1
• Filed: 05/09/2011
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Corporation
• Inventors: Kaga, Kikuo, Ashizawa, Shigeo
• Granted Patent: US 8,797,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 23/0031 with product identification means, e.g. labels on test products or integrated circuit tags inside products RFID

Abstract

An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags, which requires a less grounding area, may be set at a free position away from a mixing vessel used for mixing/kneading wireless IC tags with the object to be charged, and can charge a number of wireless IC tags to the mixing vessel securely and within a short time is provided.

The apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to the present invention comprises; a vibration alignment unit 40 for aligning wireless IC tags by applying vibrating force thereto, a separating unit 15 for separating the wireless IC tags fed in an aligned state into one by one and dropping them to a vertically-dropping passage 11, a plurality of IC tag processing units (1, 2, 3) disposed at the upper and lower positions relative to each other along the vertically-dropping passage 11, IC tag pressure feeding sections 31, 32, 33 respectively disposed to the lateral side of each of said units, a defective wireless IC tag reception section 30 provided to the lower section of the apparatus, and a control unit for controlling the operation of each of said units,

wherein said IC tag processing unit includes; a stopper section 16 for opening/blocking said vertically-dropping passage, a distribution section 70 disposed beneath the stopper section and adapted to distribute wireless IC tags so that they are either received on the vertically-dropping passage and then pushed to the IC tag pressure feeding section locating at the lateral side or dropped to the area beneath the vertically-dropping passage, a data writing section 36 provided to the position of said stopper section for writing data to the wireless IC tags received on said stopper by means of a radio communication means, and a data reading-out section 37 provided to the position of said distribution section for reading out data from the wireless IC tags with written data having been received by the distribution section by means of a radio communication means.

Claims

1. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags comprising;

a vibration alignment unit for aligning wireless IC tags by applying vibrating force thereto,

a separating unit for separating the wireless IC tags fed in a aligned state into one by one and dropping them to a vertically-dropping passage,

a plurality of IC tag processing units disposed at the upper and lower positions relative to each other along the vertically-dropping passage,

IC tag pressure feeding sections respectively disposed to the lateral side of each of said units,

a defective wireless IC tag reception section provided to the lower section of the apparatus, and

a control unit for controlling the operation of each of said units,

characterized in that said IC tag processing unit includes;

a stopper section for opening/blocking said vertically-dropping passage,

a distribution section disposed beneath the stopper section and adapted to distribute wireless IC tags so that they are either received on the vertically-dropping passage and then pushed to the IC tag pressure feeding section locating at the lateral side or dropped to the area beneath the vertically-dropping passage,

a data writing section provided to the position of said stopper section for writing data to the wireless IC tags received on said stopper by means of a radio communication means, and

a data reading-out section provided to the position of said distribution section for reading out data from the wireless IC tags with written data having been received by the distribution section by means of a radio communication means.

2. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that, among a plurality of IC tag processing units disposed at the upper and lower positions relative to each other, the units other than those units which are in the state of processing wireless IC tags are kept in an opened state.

3. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the apparatus is controlled so that the processing operations of wireless IC tags are carried out in order of proceeding from the unit at the upper stage to the unit at the lower stage in turn.

4. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the data reading-out section can accomplish the defective IC tag detection function for detecting errors in data writing to wireless IC tags as well.

5. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the defective IC tag reception section disposed in the lower section of the apparatus is provided beneath the vertically-dropping passage, and the defective IC tags for those which an error has been detected are caused to drop from the distribution section to the vertically-dropping passage and then received in the defective IC tag reception section.

6. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the object to which wireless IC tags are charged is any of liquid, viscous or semisolid material having been received in a mixing vessel.

7. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the object to which wireless IC tags are charged is unhardened concrete, which is prepared by mixing/kneading cement, water and aggregate and has been received in a mixing vessel.

8. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the vibration alignment unit includes a concave disc for receiving wireless IC tags, a round feeding path formed at the outer periphery of said disc, and a vibration driving member,

wherein said round feeding path has an IC tag inlet connected to said disc at on end and an outlet connected to an IC tag dropping chute at the other end.

9. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the vibration alignment unit includes an opening to which a cartridge adapted to contain wireless IC tags is detachably mounted.

10. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that a counting means for counting the numbers of wireless IC tags which had passed the IC tag dropping chute is provided to said IC tag dropping chute.

11. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that a hose used for releasing wireless IC tags is connected to the pressure feeding section.

12. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 11, characterized in that a sensor unit comprising a sensor mechanism for detecting said feeding of wireless IC tags is provided to the distal end of said hose connected to an air blowing outlet of the IC tag pressure feeding section.

13. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that the apparatus includes a power source capable of remotely actuating the apparatus and the operational condition of the apparatus can be monitored via Internet.

14. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that said power source for actuating the apparatus is remotely operated by inputting ID on the touch panel board.

15. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that said radio communication means is a non-contact type radio communication means, which is electrically connected to a database either by cable or wirelessly and outputs radio electric waves at a preset frequency to an antenna section of the wireless IC tag to establish radio communication, thereby writing product information data stored in said database to the wireless IC tag.

16. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 1, characterized in that said wireless IC tag is capable of performing data writing/reading-out to/from the radio communication means via radio communication, a ferroelectric memory using a ferroelectric comprising a power source section for receiving radio electric waves from said radio communication means and resonating with those electric waves to thereby generate current and an antenna section for carrying out radio communication at a preset frequency band is mounted to the substrate in the wireless IC tag, wherein said data are stored in said ferroelectric memory, and said radio communication means is a radio communication unit outputting radio electric waves at a preset frequency band used for the wireless IC tags.

17. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 2, characterized in that the data reading-out section can accomplish the defective IC tag detection function for detecting errors in data writing to wireless IC tags as well.

18. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 3, characterized in that the data reading-out section can accomplish the defective IC tag detection function for detecting errors in data writing to wireless IC tags as well.

19. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 2, characterized in that the defective IC tag reception section disposed in the lower section of the apparatus is provided beneath the vertically-dropping passage, and the defective IC tags for those which an error has been detected are caused to drop from the distribution section to the vertically-dropping passage and then received in the defective IC tag reception section.

20. An upright type apparatus for charging wireless IC tags according to claim 3, characterized in that the defective IC tag reception section disposed in the lower section of the apparatus is provided beneath the vertically-dropping passage, and the defective IC tags for those which an error has been detected are caused to drop from the distribution section to the vertically-dropping passage and then received in the defective IC tag reception section.