RFID SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20140285323A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: KOEZUKA, Yahiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,727,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10445 the record carriers being fixed to further objects, e.g. RFIDs fixed to packages, luggage, mail-pieces or work-pieces transported on a conveyor belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices

Abstract

An RFID system capable of freely installing a plurality of communication devices and designing a desirable communication area, and a communication device configured to implement the system. In the RFID system, a first communication device configured to communicate with a control device includes a command receiver configured to receive a command from the control device, a first communication processing unit configured to perform communication with an IC tag in order to read/write tag information of the IC tag based on the received command, an instruction output unit configured to output a communication instruction to another communication device in response to a first communication result obtained by the first communication processing unit, and a response processing unit configured to generate response information to the control device based on the first communication result and a second communication result obtained by a second communication device.

Claims

1. A communication device configured to perform non-contact communication with an IC tag, the communication device comprising:

a command receiver configured to receive a command from a control device configured to totally control reading/writing of information from/to the IC tag;

a first communication processing unit configured to perform communication with the IC tag in order to read/write tag information of the IC tag based on the command received by the command receiver;

an instruction output unit configured to output a communication instruction to another communication device in response to a first communication result obtained by the first communication processing unit; and

a response processing unit configured to generate response information to the control device based on the first communication result and a second communication result in said another communication device responsive to the communication instruction.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein said another communication device comprises a second communication processing unit configured to perform communication with the IC tag in order to read/write the tag information of the IC tag based on the communication instruction, and a result returning unit configured to return, as the second communication result, a processing result obtained by the second communication processing unit,

the communication device further comprising a result receiver configured to receive the second communication result from the result returning unit.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the instruction output unit outputs the communication instruction in a case where the reading/writing of the tag information through the first communication processing unit fails, and

the response processing unit generates the response information based on only the first communication result in a case where the reading/writing of the tag information through the first communication processing unit is completed within a predetermined time.

4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the response processing unit generates the response information based on only the second communication result in a case where the reading/writing of the tag information through the second communication processing unit succeeds.

5. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the first communication processing unit reads/writes information in a first segment of the tag information,

the instruction output unit outputs the communication instruction to said another communication device so as to read/write information in a second segment of the tag information, and

the response processing unit merges the information in the first segment and the information in the second segment to generate the response information.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the first communication processing unit and the second communication processing unit execute detection processing for detecting presence of the IC tag, and

in a case where the presence of the IC tag is detected, the first communication processing unit and the second communication processing unit read/write the information in the first segment and the information in the second segment, respectively.

7. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the instruction output unit outputs the communication instruction to said another communication device in a case where the information in the first segment is read/written by the first communication processing unit.

8. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein said another communication device comprises a plurality of slave devices each comprising the second communication processing unit and the result returning unit, and

the instruction output unit outputs the communication instruction to at least one of the plurality of slave devices in response to the first communication result obtained by the first communication processing unit.

9. The communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a storage unit configured to store IP addresses and installation position information of the plurality of slave devices,

wherein the instruction output unit outputs the communication instruction to each of the slave devices specified by the IP addresses and the installation position information.

10. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the communication device is connected to the control device and each of the plurality of slave devices through a line concentrator and communicates with the control device and the plurality of slave devices via the line concentrator.

11. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set an operation mode,

wherein the operation mode has a first mode for functioning as the communication device and a second mode for functioning as said another communication device, and

the communication device is operated based on the operation mode set to the setting unit.

12. An RFID system comprising:

an IC tag;

a control device configured to totally control reading/writing of information from/to the IC tag; and

first and second communication devices connected to the control device and configured to perform non-contact communication with the IC tag,

wherein the control device comprises a transmitter/receiver configured to transmit a command to the first communication device,

the first communication device comprises;

a command receiver configured to receive the command from the control device;

a first communication processing unit configured to perform communication with the IC tag in order to read/write tag information of the IC tag based on the command received by the command receiver;

an instruction output unit configured to output a communication instruction to the second communication device in response to a first communication result obtained by the first communication processing unit; and

a response processing unit configured to generate response information to the control device based on the first communication result and a second communication result in the second communication device responsive to the communication instruction, and

the transmitter/receiver receives the response information generated by the response processing unit.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform non-contact communication with an IC tag, the computer executing the steps of:

receiving a command from a control device configured to totally control reading/writing of information from/to the IC tag;

performing communication with the IC tag in order to read/write tag information of the IC tag based on the received command;

outputting a communication instruction to another communication device in response to a first communication result obtained by the communicating step; and

generating response information to the control device based on the first communication result and a second communication result in said another communication device relative to the communication instruction.