Article management method and article management system

• US 20080074237A1
• Filed: 09/25/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kurokawa, Yoshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,319,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide an article management method by which detecting the location of an object is performed easily and introduction costs for detecting the location of an object are suppressed. The article management method includes a first RF chip attached to an article, a first reader/writer into which a shared memory portion and a second RF chip are incorporated, and a second reader/writer. The first reader/writer obtains information stored in the first RF chip, the shared memory portion retains the obtained information about the first RF chip, the second RF chip reads out that information about the first RF chip stored in the shared memory portion, the second reader/writer, by the second RF chip, obtains the information about the first RF chip and information stored in the second RF chip and information about the location of the second RF chip.

Claims

1. An article management method comprising steps of:

attaching a first RF chip to an article;

retrieving information stored in the first RF chip by a first reader/writer, wherein the first reader/writer further comprises a shared memory portion and a second RF chip;

retaining information about the first RF chip retrieved by the first reader/writer in the shared memory portion;

reading out the information about the first RF chip from the shared memory portion by the second RF chip; and

retrieving the information about the first RF chip and information stored in the second RF chip and obtaining information about a location of the second RF chip by a second reader/writer.

2. The article management method according to claim 1, wherein the first RF chip is a passive RF chip.

3. The article management method according to claim 1, wherein the second RF chip is an active RF chip.

4. The article management method according to claim 1, wherein the information about the location of the second RF chip is obtained by provision of a plurality of the second reader/writers.

5. An article management method comprising steps of:

attaching a first RF chip to an article;

moving a moveable object equipped with a first reader/writer close to the first RF chip and obtaining information stored in the first RF chip by a first reader/writer, wherein the first reader/writer further comprises a shared memory portion and a second RF chip;

retaining information about the first RF chip retrieved by the first reader/writer in the shared memory portion;

reading out the information about the first RF chip from the shared memory portion by the second RF chip; and

retrieving the information about the first RF chip and information stored in the second RF chip and obtaining information about a location of the second RF chip by a second reader/writer.

6. The article management method according to claim 5, wherein the moveable object is an automated transportation device for an object.

7. The article management method according to claim 5, wherein the first RF chip is a passive RF chip.

8. The article management method according to claim 5, wherein the second RF chip is an active RF chip.

9. The article management method according to claim 5, wherein the information about the location of the second RF chip is obtained by provision of a plurality of the second reader/writers.

10. An article management method comprising steps of:

attaching a first RF chip to an article;

disposing the article on an article management shelf;

retrieving information stored in the first RF chip by a first reader/writer attached to the article management shelf, wherein the first reader/writer further comprises a shared memory portion and a second RF chip;

retaining information about the first RF chip retrieved by the first reader/writer in the shared memory portion;

reading out the information about the first RF chip from the shared memory portion by the second RF chip; and

retrieving the information about the first RF chip and information stored in the second RF chip and obtaining information about a location of the second RF chip by a second reader/writer.

11. The article management method according to claim 10, wherein the first RF chip includes a battery and charging of the battery is performed by use of a wireless signal from a feeder.

12. The article management method according to claim 11, wherein the feeder is attached to the article management shelf.

13. The article management method according to claim 10, wherein the first RF chip is a passive RF chip.

14. The article management method according to claim 10, wherein the second RF chip is an active RF chip.

15. The article management method according to claim 10, wherein the information about the location of the second RF chip is obtained by provision of a plurality of the second reader/writers.

16. An article management system comprising:

a first RF chip attached to an article;

a first reader/writer performing transmission and reception of a signal with the first RF chip, wherein a first reader/write comprises a reader/writer portion, a shared memory portion, and a second RF chip; and

a second reader/writer performing transmission and reception of a signal with the second RF chip.

17. The article management system according to claim 16, wherein the first reader/writer is attached to a moveable object equipped and moved close to the first RF chip.

18. The article management system according to claim 16, wherein the first reader/writer is attached to the article management shelf.

19. The article management system according to claim 16, wherein the first RF chip is a passive RF chip.

20. The article management system according to claim 16, wherein the second RF chip is an active RF chip.

21. An article management system comprising:

a first RF chip attached to an article;

a first reader/writer retrieving information stored in the first RF chip,

a shared memory portion retaining the information stored in the first RF chip that is retrieved by the first reader/writer; and

a second RF chip reading out the information stored in the first RF chip that is retained in the shared memory portion; and

a second reader/writer retrieving the information stored in the first RF chip and information stored in the second RF chip and obtaining information about the location of the second RF chip,

wherein the shared memory portion and the second RF chip are incorporated into the first reader/writer.

22. The article management system according to claim 21, wherein the first reader/writer is attached to a moveable object equipped and moved close to the first RF chip.

23. The article management system according to claim 21, wherein the first reader/writer is attached to the article management shelf.

24. The article management system according to claim 21, wherein the first RF chip is a passive RF chip.

25. The article management system according to claim 21, wherein the second RF chip is an active RF chip.