Moving object management system and moving object apparatus

• US 20070085682A1
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yasuo, Sano, Kouichi, Kiji, Yasuhito, Murofushi, Nobuo, Shimura, Takahiro
• Application Number:
  US11/581,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20070085682A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 10/02 for self-service type systems, e.g. supermarkets A47F10/06 takes precedence; hand-carts B62B; baskets B65D
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1424 Electronic display devices
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0096 Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A moving object apparatus includes a shopping cart to be moved along an aisle which is provided together with wireless tags arranged near the aisle, an antenna which is attached to the shopping cart and has directivity toward a direction predetermined for communication with the wireless tags, and a transmission and reception units which capture positional identification data held by each of the wireless tags which are accessible by the antenna. The moving object apparatus includes a control panel section which processes a capture result based on antenna position data of the antenna which has been used for capturing the positional identification data.

Claims

1. A moving object apparatus comprising:

a moving object to be moved along an aisle which is provided together with a plurality of wireless tags arranged near said aisle;

an antenna unit which is mounted on said moving object and has directivity toward a direction predetermined for communication with said wireless tags;

capturing means for capturing positional identification data held by each of said wireless tags which are accessible by said antenna unit; and

processing means for processing a capture result of said capturing means based on antenna position data of said antenna unit which has been used for capturing the positional identification data.

2. The moving object apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing means is configured to specify a location of said moving object based on the positional identification data which is the capture result, and to specify an orientation of said moving object based on the positional identification data and the antenna position data.

3. The moving object apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said processing means is configured to further specify a traveled route of said moving object based on a change in the positional identification data which is the capture result.

4. The moving object apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said processing means is configured to further obtain a time for which the positional identification data is repeatedly captured after the location of said moving object has been specified based on the positional identification data, as a time length of stay at the location of said moving object.

5. The moving object apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said processing means includes display means for displaying the location and the orientation of said moving object.

6. The moving object apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said processing means includes display means for displaying a map of the aisle showing a place where said moving object is guided, along with the location and the orientation of said moving object.

7. The moving object apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said processing means is configured to receive position coordinates of the wireless tag corresponding to positional identification data from an external server to specify the location and the orientation of said moving object.

8. The moving object apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said processing means includes a database holding position coordinates of said wireless tags to be associated with the positional identification data held by said wireless tags.

9. The moving object apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said antenna unit includes a first antenna having directivity toward left of said moving object and a second antenna having directivity toward right of said moving object, and the antenna position data represents one of the first and second antennas which has been used for capturing the positional identification data.

10. The moving object apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said antenna unit includes a first antenna which is mounted on a front portion of said moving object and has directivity toward at least one of right and left of said moving object, and a second antenna which is mounted on a rear portion of said moving object and has directivity toward at least one of right and left of said moving object, and the antenna position data represents one of said first and second antennas which has been used for capturing the positional identification data.

11. The moving object apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said capturing means includes a transmission unit which performs transmission to said wireless tags, a reception unit which performs reception from said wireless tags, and a circulator which causes said transmission unit and said reception unit to be commonly connected to said antenna unit.

12. A moving object apparatus comprising:

a moving object to be moved along an aisle which is provided together with a plurality of wireless tags arranged near the aisle;

an antenna unit which is mounted on said moving object and has directivity toward a direction predetermined for communication with said wireless tags;

a control panel section which captures positional identification data held by each of said wireless tags which are accessible by said antenna unit, and processes a capture result based on antenna position data of said antenna unit which has been used for capturing the positional identification data.