RFID reader and communications apparatus, and delivery article sorting method and system using RFID reader and communications apparatus

• US 6,523,752 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2001
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Shuji, Kon, Toshinori, Nishitani, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Application Number:
  US09/792,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20010052544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/383, 235/385, 235/381, 235/382.5, 235/426.01, 235/472-1-4, 235/492, 235/493, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 340/505, 705/28
• US Class Current: 235/462.44
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• 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
• 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 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil

Abstract

Information such as the delivery request registration number and the address and the name of a receiver registered to the RFID label affixed on a delivery article is read via RFID reader/radio communications apparatus (400) attached to an arm of a sorting worker (31). The information is sent via radio communications apparatus, and a guidance instruction on the carrying palette for sorting where the delivery article is to be put away is given on radio incoming information display apparatus (500) attached to a carrying palette for sorting (700) via blinking of a guidance lamp (600).

Claims

1. RFID reader/communications apparatus comprising:

a power feeding section attached to a waist belt for feeding power;

a flexible antenna provided on an arm belt;

a power supply section provided on the arm belt for receiving power from the power feeding section; and

a control circuit provided on the arm belt for controlling the RFID reader/communications apparatus.

2. RFID reader/communications apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the flexible antenna includes a flexible substrate and an antenna circuit pattern printed on the flexible substrate,

wherein the flexible substrate is glued to an arm belt via flexible adhesive.

3. RFID reader/communications apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising a connection cable connecting the control circuit with the antenna circuit pattern.

4. A delivery article handling method comprising steps of:

reading information registered to an RFID label affixed on a delivery article;

determining a carrying palette in which the delivery article is to be put away based on the information registered to the RFID label;

sending the determination result to a radio incoming information display apparatus attached to the carrying palette via a radio communications apparatus; and

notifying a worker of the carrying palette where the delivery article is to be put away.

5. A delivery article handling system comprising:

an RFID reader/radio communications apparatus including an RFID communication antenna in a flexible belt that can be attached to an arm of a delivery article sorting worker;

an RFID label affixed on a delivery article where information is registered;

a plurality of carrying palettes that accommodate the delivery article by sorting and carrying a plurality of delivery articles; and

a plurality of radio incoming information display apparatuses, each radio incoming information display apparatus being attached to a corresponding carrying palette, each radio information display apparatus having a guidance lamp;

wherein the RFID reader/radio communications apparatus reads information registered to the RFID label, determines a specific carrying palette in which the delivery article is to be put away based on the information registered to the RFID label, and further wherein the RFID reader/radio communications apparatus sends the determination result to a corresponding radio incoming information display apparatus attached to the specific carrying palette via the radio communications apparatus,

wherein the radio incoming information display apparatus receives the determination result, causes the guidance lamp to blink, and thereby notifies the worker of the specific carrying palette where the delivery article is to be put away.

6. RFID reader/communications apparatus comprising:

a power feeding section attached to a waist belt for feeding power;

a flexible antenna whose flexible substrate having a printed antenna circuit pattern thereon is glued to a first arm belt via flexible adhesive;

a control circuit provided on a second arm belt for controlling the RFID reader/communications apparatus main unit;

a connection cable for connecting the control circuit with the flexible antenna, and;

a power supply section provided on at least one of the first and second arm belt for receiving power from the power feeding section.

7. A delivery article handling method comprising the steps of:

reading information registered to an RFID label affixed on a delivery article;

determining a carrying palette in which the delivery article is to be put away based on the information registered to the RFID label; and

giving a sorting guidance via voice on the carrying palette where the delivery article is to be put away.

8. A delivery article handling system comprising:

an RFID reader/voice communications apparatus including an RFID communication antenna in a flexible belt that can be attached to an arm of a delivery article sorting worker;

a plurality of RFID labels, each for registering information; and

a plurality of carrying palettes that accommodate a plurality of delivery articles by sorting and carrying the delivery articles, each delivery article having an RFID label affixed;

wherein the RFID reader/voice communications apparatus reads the information registered to the RFID label on a specific delivery article chosen from the plurality of delivery articles, determines a particular carrying palette from the plurality of carrying palettes in which the specific delivery article is to be put away by using the information, and giving a sorting guidance via voice on the particular carrying palette for sorting where the delivery article is to be put away.

9. A delivery article handling method comprising steps of:

reading information registered to an RFID label affixed on a delivery article;

determining a carrying palette in which the delivery article is to be put away by using the information;

giving a sorting guidance via a voice communications apparatus on the carrying palette where the delivery article is to be put away;

sending the determination result to a radio incoming information display apparatus attached to the carrying palette via a radio communications apparatus; and

giving a guidance via blinking of a guidance lamp on the radio incoming information display apparatus.

10. A delivery article handling system comprising:

an RFID reader/communications apparatus including an RFID communication antenna in a flexible belt that can be attached to an arm of a delivery article sorting worker;

an RFID label affixed on a delivery article where information is registered;

a carrying palette that accommodates the delivery article by sorting and carrying the delivery article; and

a radio incoming information display apparatus attached to the carrying palette, the radio incoming information display apparatus having a guidance lamp;

wherein the RFID reader/communications apparatus reads various information registered to the RFID label, determines in which carrying palette the delivery article is to be put away by using this information, gives a sorting guidance via voice communications apparatus on the carrying palette where the delivery article is to be put away, and sends the determination result to the radio incoming information display apparatus attached to the carrying palette via a radio communications apparatus,

wherein the radio incoming information display apparatus receives the determination result to cause the guidance lamp to blink, and

wherein the worker puts away a delivery article in the carrying palette according to the sorting guidance via voice and the sorting guidance via a lamp.

12. The RFID reader/communications apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the flexible antenna includes a flexible substrate and an antenna circuit pattern printed on the flexible substrate,

wherein the flexible substrate is glued to an arm belt via flexible adhesive.

13. The RFID reader/communications apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a connection cable connecting the control circuit with the antenna circuit pattern.

11. An RFID reader/communications apparatus comprising:

a power feeding section attached to a waist belt for feeding power;

a flexible antenna provided on an arm belt, said flexible antenna for radio frequency communication with an RFID label on a delivery article, said flexible antenna also for radio frequency communication with an incoming information display apparatus on a palette;

a power supply section provided on the arm belt for receiving power from the power feeding section; and

a control circuit provided on the arm belt for controlling the RFID reader/communications apparatus.