RFID reading system, RFID reading method, RFID reader, RFID read controlling apparatus, RFID reader control program, computer-readable information recording medium having recorded the same, control program for RFID read control apparatus, and computer-readable information recording medium having recorded the same

• US 7,839,300 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Satou, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Vernal U
• Application Number:
  US11/336,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/10.1, 340/10.34, 340/10.33, 340/572.1, 340/505
• US Class Current: 340/10.2
• 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 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

An RFID reading system includes at least two readers and at least one RF tag. Each reader includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a CPU section to control transmission of the transmitter and reception of the receiver. Both readers receive a reply signal sent from an RF tag in response to a query wave sent from either one of the readers to the RF tag. The readers obtain tag information from the RF tag based on the received signals. To prevent interference therebetween, when one of the readers sends a query wave, transmission of a query wave from the other one thereof is stopped for a predetermined period of time. The information can be read without causing interference between the readers. There are obtained an RFID reading system, an RFID reading method, and RFID reader and a control program thereof, an RFID read control device and a control program thereof, and a computer-readable information recording medium storing the control programs.

Claims

1. An RFID reading method, comprising:

emitting, from a first RFID reader to an RFID tag, a query wave signal for requesting transmission of information in the RFID tag;

a second RFID reader receiving the query wave signal while in a standby state, in which a reply wave signal from the RFID tag can not be received;

the second RFID reader entering a reply wave wait state to wait for the reply wave signal from the RFID tag for a predetermined period of time;

the second RFID reader receiving, while in the reply wave wait state, a reply wave signal including the information stored in the RFID tag in response to the query wave signal; and

the second RFID reader returning to the standby state after the predetermined period of time expires.

2. The RFID reading method of claim 1, further comprising the second RFID reader entering the reply wave wait state by receiving a tag read instruction that is input by an operator, or received from an external device communicating with the second RFID reader.

3. The RFID reading method of claim 2, further comprising the second RFID reader checking, at expiration of the predetermined period of time, whether the reply wave signal was received while in the reply wave wait state, then emitting the another query wave signal that requests that the RFID tag transmit the reply wave signal if the reply wave signal having not been received during the reply wave wait state, and returning back to the standby state.

4. The RFID reading method of claim 3, further comprising the second RFID reader emitting the another query wave signal for requesting the RFID tag to transmit the reply wave signal if a predetermined receiving condition of the reply wave signal during the reply wave wait state is not satisfied.

5. An RFID system comprising:

at least one first RFID reader comprising a transmitter that emits a query wave signal to an RFID tag to request information stored in the RFID tag, and a receiver that receives a reply wave signal, which including the information from the RFID tag, in response to the query wave signal; and

at least one second RFID reader that receives the query wave signal, which triggers the at least one second RFID reader to be ready to receive the replay wave signal from the RFID tag in response to the query wave signal,

wherein the second RFID reader comprises a control section that places the RFID reader in;

a) a reply wave wait state, in which the reply wave signal can be received, after receiving the query wave signal, wherein entry to the reply wave wait state begins a predetermined period of time, and

b) a standby state, in which the reply wave signal can not be received, after expiration of the predetermined period of time.

6. The RFID system of claim 5, the second RFID reader further comprising:

an input section for receiving a tag read instruction input by an operator, or an external device of the second RFID reader,

wherein the control section puts the second RFID reader in the reply wave wait state for a predetermined period of time after the input section having receives the tag read instruction.

7. The RFID system of claim 6, wherein the second RFID reader further comprises:

a transmitting section for emitting another query wave signal for requesting the RFID tag to transmit the reply wave signal,

wherein the control section checks whether the reply wave signal having been received during the reply wave wait state after the predetermined period of time has expired and the control section controls the transmitting section to emit the another query wave signal if the reply wave signal has not been received during the reply wave wait state and the control section puts the RFID reader in the standby state.

8. The RFID system of claim 7, wherein the control section controls the transmitting section to emit the another query wave signal if a predetermined receiving condition of the reply wave signal during the reply wave wait state is not satisfied.

9. An RFID reader comprising:

a query wave receiving section for receiving a query wave signal emitted from another RFID reader for that requests transmission of information in an RFID tag from an RFID tag;

a reply wave receiving section for receiving a reply wave signal transmitted from the RFID tag in response to the query wave signal emitted from another RFID reader; and

a control section for controlling a reply wave receiving process in the RFID reader, wherein the control section puts the RFID reader in;

a) a reply wave wait state for a predetermined period of time after receiving the query wave signal, wherein the reply wave receiving section can receive the reply wave signal only during the predetermined period of time and

b) a standby state, in which the reply wave receiving section can not receive the reply wave signal, upon expiration of the predetermined period of time.

10. The RFID reader of claim 9, further comprising:

an input section for receiving a tag read instruction inputted by an operator, or an external device of the RFID reader,

wherein the control section puts the RFID reader in the replay wave wait state for a predetermined period of time after the input section receives the tag read instruction.

11. The RFID reader of claim 10, further comprising:

a transmitting section for emitting another query wave signal for requesting the RFID tag to transmit the reply wave signal;

wherein the control section checks whether the reply wave signal having been received during the reply wave wait state after the predetermined period of time has passed, and the control section controls the transmitting section to emit another query wave signal if the reply wave signal was not received while in the reply wave wait state and then the control section puts the RFID reader into the standby state.

12. The RFID reader of claim 11, wherein the control section controls the transmitting section to emit another query wave signal if a predetermined receiving condition of the reply wave signal while in the reply wave wait state is not satisfied.