Information providing system and image forming apparatus

• US 7,920,051 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masao, Kusano, Nobumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nam V
• Application Number:
  US11/213,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20060214775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.41, 340/10.3, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/5.86, 340/825.72, 340/572.9, 340/825.37, 340/572.1, 375/347, 342/457
• US Class Current: 340/10.41
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides information providing system including: a wireless sheet attached to an article; and an information notifying apparatus which notifies information on the article in response to a radio signal sent from the wireless sheet, wherein, the wireless sheet includes a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving a radio signal, generates and sends a radio signal having identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet, and the information notifying apparatus includes: a transmitter/receiver which exchanges radio signals with the wireless sheet; a storage unit which stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other; and a notifying unit which extracts from the received radio signal, the identification data and the physical quantity data, and reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the article information and the physical quantity data.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article; and

an information notifying apparatus that sends a first request signal and a second request signal having a different frequency from the first request signal, the second request signal being sent based on a response signal sent from the wireless sheet in response to the first request signal, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving the request signal, generates and sends the response signal by using the received request signal as an energy source, the response signal including identification data when the request signal is the second request signal and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet when the request signal is the first request signal, the wireless measuring unit comprising;

an exciter that receives the request signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is generated by a mechanical vibration that is generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes due to a distortion of the vibration medium by a physical quantity; and

a transmitter that converts a surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends the electrical signal as the response signal; and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a radio unit that exchanges request and response signals with the wireless sheet and that transmits the first request signal to the wireless sheet;

a storage unit that stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other;

a notifying unit that extracts from the response signal at least one of the identification data and the measured data of physical quantity data, and

under the condition that the measured data is extracted and the extracted measured data indicates that the physical quantity is being applied, the radio unit transmits the second request to the wireless sheet, and

under the condition that the identification information is extracted, the notifying unit reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the article information and the measured data of physical quantity; and

a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of the response signal, wherein

the physical quantity is pressure.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of a strength of the response signal.

3. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the first request signal is transmitted at a first frequency and the second request signal is transmitted at a second frequency different from the first frequency, and

when the physical quantity is not being applied, the response signal is transmitted at substantially the first frequency, and when the physical quantity is being applied, the response signal is transmitted at a third frequency different from the first frequency.

4. An information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the notifying unit determines whether the physical quantity is being applied by computing a difference between a frequency of the response signal and the first frequency, and comparing the difference to a predetermined value.

5. An information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the first frequency is approximately 300 MHz and the second frequency is approximately 125 kHz or approximately 2.45 GHz.

6. An information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless sheet is positioned on the article so that the physical quantity data is altered when an area for handling the article is contacted by a person.

7. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article;

an information notifying apparatus that sends a first request signal and a second request signal having a different frequency from the first request signal, the second request signal being sent based on a response signal sent from the wireless sheet in response to the first request signal; and

a database connected to the information notifying apparatus via a network, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving the request signal, generates and sends the response signal by using the request signal as an energy source, the response signal including identification data when the request signal is the second request signal and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet when the request signal is the first request signal, the wireless measuring unit comprising;

an exciter that receives the request signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on that a surface acoustic wave is generated by a mechanical vibration that is generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes due to a distortion of the vibration medium by a physical quantity; and

a transmitter that converts a surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends the electrical signal as the response signal;

the database stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other, and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a radio unit that exchanges the request and response signals with the wireless sheet and that transmits an initial request signal being a first request signal to the wireless sheet;

a notifying unit that extracts from the response signal received by the radio unit at least one of the identification data and the measured data of physical quantity, and

under the condition that the measured data is extracted and the extracted measured data indicates that the physical quantity is being applied, the radio unit transmits the second request, and

under the condition that the identification information is extracted, the notifying unit reads from the database the article information stored in association with the identification data, and notifies the article information and the measured data of physical quantity; and

a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of the response signal, wherein

the physical quantity is pressure.

8. The information providing system according to claim 7, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of a strength of the response signal.

9. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article; and

an information notifying apparatus that sends a first request signal and a second request signal having a different frequency from the first request signal, the second request signal being sent based on a first response signal sent from the wireless sheet in response to the first request signal, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises;

an identification data transmitter which, when receiving the second request signal, sends a second response signal having identification data of the wireless sheet or the article; and

a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving the first request signal, generates and sends the first response signal by using the first request signal as an energy source, the first response signal including identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet, the wireless measuring unit comprising;

an exciter that receives the first request signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is generated by a mechanical vibration that is generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes due to a distortion of the vibration medium by a physical quantity; and

a transmitter that converts a surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends the electrical signal as the first response signal; and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a radio unit that exchanges the first and second request signals and the first and second response signals with the wireless sheet and that transmits an initial request signal being a first request signal to the wireless sheet;

a storage unit which stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other;

a notifying unit that extracts from the first and second at least one of the response signals received by the radio unit the identification data and the measured data of physical quantity, and

under the condition that the measured data is extracted and the extracted measured data indicates that the physical quantity is being applied, the radio unit transmits the second request to the wireless sheet, and

under the condition that the identification information is extracted, the notifying unit reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the article information and the measured data of physical quantity; and

a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of the response signal, wherein

the physical quantity is pressure.

10. The information providing system according to claim 9, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of a strength of the response signal.

11. An information providing system comprising:

a wireless sheet attached to an article;

an information notifying apparatus that sends a first request signal and a second request signal having a different frequency from the first request signal, the second request signal being sent based on a first response signal sent from the wireless sheet in response to the first request signal; and

a database connected to the information notifying apparatus via a network, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises;

an identification data transmitter which, when receiving the second request signal, sends a second response signal having identification data of the wireless sheet or the article; and

a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving the first request signal, generates and sends the first response signal by using the first request signal as an energy source, the first response signal including identification data and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet, the wireless measuring unit comprising;

an exciter that receives the first request signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is generated by a mechanical vibration that is generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes due to a distortion of the vibration medium by a physical quantity; and

a transmitter that converts a surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends the electrical signal as the first response signal;

the database stores the identification data and the article information in association with each other, and

the information notifying apparatus comprises;

a radio unit that exchanges the first and second request signals and the first and second response signals with the wireless sheet and that transmits the first request signal to the wireless sheet;

a notifying unit that extracts from the first and second response signals received by the radio unit the identification data and the measured data of physical quantity, and

under the condition that the measured data is extracted and the extracted measured data indicates that the physical quantity is being applied, the radio unit transmits the second request to the wireless sheet, and

under the condition that the identification information is extracted, the notifying unit reads from the database the article information stored in association with the identification data, and notifies the article information and the measured data of physical quantity; and

a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of the response signal, wherein

the physical quantity is pressure.

12. The information providing system according to claim 11, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of a strength of the response signal.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit which generates a toner image on the basis of image data, transfers and fixes the toner image on a sheet, and thereby forms an image on the sheet; and

an information providing system, the information providing system comprising;

a wireless sheet attached to a component of the image forming apparatus; and

an information notifying apparatus that sends a first request signal and a second request signal having a different frequency from the first request signal, the second request signal being sent based on a response signal sent from the wireless sheet in response to the first request signal, wherein,

the wireless sheet comprises a wireless measuring unit which, when receiving the request signal, generates and sends the response signal by using the request signal as an energy source, the response signal including identification data when the request signal is the second request signal and data of physical quantity measured in the wireless sheet when the request signal is the first request signal, the wireless measuring unit comprising;

an exciter that receives the request signal and generates a mechanical vibration;

a vibration medium on which a surface acoustic wave is generated by a mechanical vibration that is generated by the exciter, and on which an attribute of the surface acoustic wave changes due to a distortion of the vibration medium by a physical quantity; and

a transmitter that converts a surface acoustic wave generated on the vibration medium to an electrical signal and sends the electrical signal as the response signal; and

the information notifying apparatus comprising;

a radio unit that exchanges the request and response signals with the wireless sheet and that transmits the first request signal to the wireless sheet;

a storage unit that stores the identification data and the component information in association with each other;

a notifying unit that extracts from the response signal received by the radio unit at least one of the identification data and the measured data of physical quantity and

under the condition that the measured data is extracted and the extracted measured data indicates that the physical quantity is being applied, the radio unit transmits the second request to the wireless sheet, and

under the condition that the identification information is extracted, the notifying unit reads the article information stored in association with the identification data in the storage unit, and notifies the component information and the measured data of physical quantity; and

a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of the response signal, wherein

the physical quantity is pressure.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the distance calculation unit calculates a distance between the information notifying apparatus and the wireless sheet on the basis of a strength of the response signal.