Wireless tag communication device and wireless tag communication program

• US 9,842,232 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sano, Kouichi, Yaginuma, Jun, Tsuchida, Sunao, Sasaki, Yasutsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Syed, Nabil
• Application Number:
  US14/160,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20140203916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10089 the interrogation device using at least one directional antenna or directional interrogation field to resolve the collision direction or location finding, such as triangulation techniques, G01S13/00

Abstract

A wireless tag communication device for communicating with a wireless tag through a directional antenna includes a wireless tag communication section configured to communicate with the wireless tag, a calculation section configured to estimate a direction range for communicating with the wireless tag based on transmission output power of the wireless tag communication device and an estimated reading distance to the wireless tag, and a display section configured to display the estimated direction range.

Claims

1. A wireless tag communication device for communicating with a passive and designated wireless tag through a directional antenna, the wireless tag communication device having an input section and a memory, the device comprising:

a wireless tag communication section configured to communicate with the passive and designated wireless tag, the wireless tag being designated based on identification information received from the input section;

a calculation section configured to estimate a direction angle for communicating with the wireless tag based on a relation among transmission output power of the wireless tag communication device, an attenuation amount corresponding to an estimated reading distance between the antenna surface and the wireless tag, and sensitivity information for the wireless tag, the estimated reading distance being selected from a first distance received as input from the input section and a second distance previously stored in the memory;

a display section configured to display the estimated direction angle; and

a communication control section configured to detect the quality of a communication state of the wireless tag communication section and the wireless tag and control the wireless tag communication section to transmit a signal at the estimated direction angle to the wireless tag based on the detected quality of the communication state.

2. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation section is configured to estimate the direction angle based also on directivity information of the antenna.

3. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation section is configured to generate an image depicting the estimated direction angle for display on the display section.

4. The device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a direction of the wireless tag communication device,

wherein the calculation section is configured to generate the image based on an output from the sensor.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the image is changed to depict the estimated direction angle as being rotated when the sensor detects a change in the direction of the wireless tag communication device.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory section that stores sensitivity information of the wireless tag; and

a correction section that corrects the estimated direction angle based on the sensitivity information.

7. A wireless tag communication device for communicating with a passive and designated wireless tag through a directional antenna, the device comprising:

a wireless tag communication section configured to communicate with the passive and designated wireless tag, the wireless tag being designated based on identification information for the wireless tag;

a communication condition detection section configured to detect a communication condition between the wireless tag communication section and the wireless tag;

a calculation section configured to generate an image that depicts a position of the wireless tag in relation to an estimate of a direction angle for communicating with the wireless tag, such that the depicted position of the wireless tag changes according a value representing the communication condition, the calculation section determining the estimate of the direction angle based on a relation among transmission output power of the wireless tag communication device, an attenuation amount corresponding to an estimated reading distance between the antenna surface and the wireless tag, and sensitivity information for the wireless tag;

a display section configured to display the image; and

a communication control section configured to control the wireless tag communication section to transmit a signal at the estimated direction angle to the wireless tag based on the detected communication condition by the communication condition detection section.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the image depicts the wireless tag in relation to the estimated direction angle.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein if the value is larger than a predetermined threshold, the estimated direction angle is narrowed and a position of the wireless tag depicted in the image is changed.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein if the value is larger than a predetermined threshold, the transmission output power of the wireless tag communication device is decreased.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein if the value is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the transmission output power of the wireless tag communication device is increased.

12. The device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a direction of the wireless tag communication device,

wherein the image is changed to depict the estimated direction angle as being rotated when the sensor detects a change in the direction of the wireless tag communication device.

13. The device according to claim 8, further comprising:

an image capturing section configured to capture an image in a direction parallel to a maximum transmission direction of the antenna,

wherein the image captured by the image capturing section is displayed with the image depicting the estimated direction angle and a position of the wireless tag.

14. The device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a direction of the wireless tag communication device,

wherein the image depicting the estimated direction angle and the position of the wireless tag is rotated with respect to the image captured by the image capturing section when the sensor detects a change in the direction of the wireless tag communication device.

15. A wireless tag communication program stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium and executable in a device to cause the device to communicate with a passive and designated wireless tag through a directional antenna and carry out the steps of:

designating the wireless tag based on identification information received from an input section of the device;

estimating a direction angle for communicating with the wireless tag based on a relation among transmission output power of the device, an attenuation amount corresponding to an estimated reading distance between the antenna surface and the wireless tag, and sensitivity information for the wireless tag, the estimated reading distance being selected from a first distance received from then input section of the device and a second distance previously stored in a memory of the device;

displaying the estimated direction angle on a display;

detecting the quality of a communication state of the wireless tag communication section and the wireless tag and transmit a signal at the estimated direction angle to the wireless tag based on the detected quality of the communication state.

16. The program according to claim 15, wherein the direction angle is estimated based also on directivity information of the antenna.

17. The program according to claim 15, wherein the steps further include:

generating an image depicting the estimated direction angle for display on the display.

18. The program according to claim 17, wherein the image is generated based on an output from a sensor configured to detect a direction of the device.

19. The program according to claim 18, wherein the image is changed to depict the estimated direction angle as being rotated when the sensor detects a change in the direction of the device.

20. The program according to claim 15, wherein the steps further include:

correcting the estimated direction angle based on sensitivity information of the wireless tag.

21. A method of communicating with a passive and designated wireless tag through a directional antenna, comprising:

receiving identification information to designate the wireless tag;

estimating a direction angle for communicating with the wireless tag based on a relation among transmission output power, an attenuation amount corresponding to an estimated reading distance between a surface of the antenna and the wireless tag, and sensitivity information for the wireless tag;

displaying the estimated direction angle;

detecting quality of communication with the wireless tag; and

controlling transmission of a signal at the estimated direction angle to the wireless tag based on the detected quality of the communication with the wireless tag.