JP4939081B2 - Management method of article using ID tag - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for managing a hollow metal article using an ID tag and a coil lifter for carrying the article.

  The ID tag has various names such as “RF-ID”, “non-contact IC chip”, “IC tag”, “wireless tag”, “non-contact tag”. Is used as an “ID tag”.

  As a method for managing a hollow metal article such as a thin coil, bar code, label attachment or marking on the article is generally used. However, these may be difficult to use depending on the shape of the article, and may be hidden by packing or stacking of the article.

  Therefore, management of articles is performed using ID tags instead of barcodes or labels. An ID tag is an integrated IC chip that enables information recording by mounting elements such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors on a substrate, and an antenna for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly. .

  ID tags are very small in size and are not subject to physical restrictions with respect to mounting location. Therefore, attachment is possible even on a surface other than the stacked surface, such as a surface with a narrow side, such as an end surface. Further, an ID tag can store a larger amount of information than a barcode. For example, an ID tag can store information of several tens of digits while a barcode stores information of several tens of digits. Furthermore, the ID tag can transmit and receive information in a non-contact manner by a wireless method, and the radio wave from the wireless reader / writer is received by the antenna unit of the ID tag, and generated by a mechanism such as electromagnetic induction in the ID tag by the radio wave. A radio wave is transmitted from the ID tag using the generated current, and the radio reader / writer receives the radio wave, whereby information is transmitted / received via the radio wave.

  Utilizing such characteristics suitable for management of ID tag articles, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose an article management method and management system using ID tags. However, when the object to be managed is a metal, if the ID tag comes close to the metal, the radio wave emitted from the wireless reader / writer enters the metal instead of the antenna of the ID tag. Therefore, it is difficult to use the ID tag at a position close to a metal article.

  In order to solve this problem, in Patent Document 3, a guide member is provided between the ID tag and the management object, and in Patent Document 4, a foam layer is provided between the ID tag and the management object, so that radio waves or lines of magnetic force are managed. It prevents it from flowing into the object.

JP 2003-296679 A JP 2003-312736 A JP 2000-276565 A JP 2005-63350 A

  However, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose, as an embodiment, a method for managing an article by attaching an ID tag to the surface of a metal article. No information is disclosed regarding the management of the article by applying.

  In addition, since the ID tag transmission / reception distance is 1.5 m at the maximum for the product name S-label manufactured by Japan Information Systems Co., Ltd., in the management method, the worker can use the ID tag near the article by a wireless reader / writer. The information must be transmitted and received, which is inefficient, and when the worker cannot access the article for safety reasons, there is a problem that transmission and reception are impossible.

  Patent Documents 3 and 4 disclose a substance between an ID tag and a management target for preventing radio interference caused by metal, but do not disclose a positional relationship between the metal and the ID tag.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention can be applied to an article having a special shape, enables an efficient work by facilitating the work, and uses an ID tag that is attached to a metal article and functions properly. It is an object to provide a management method and a coil lifter.

  The present invention will be described below. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are appended in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the step of attaching the ID tag (12) to the inner surface of the hollow metal article (11 ) and the transmission / reception of information with the ID tag (12) are attached to the coil lifter (13). And a step performed by one or a plurality of wireless reader / writers (25), opposite to the end surface (34a) of the article gripped by the claw portion (31) or the arm portion (32) to which the wireless reader / writer (25) is attached. A reflection plate (33a) is provided at a position where the radio wave from the wireless reader / writer is reflected so as to face the end face (34b), and information transmission / reception between the ID tag and the radio reader / writer is performed by reflection of radio waves on the inner surface of the article. The problem is solved by providing a method for managing the article, characterized in that it is made.

  Here, the “hollow metal article” is not only a hollow metal article such as a steel pipe such as a large-diameter pipe or a seamless pipe or a cast steel pipe but also a hollow like a thin coil. Also includes metal articles. “Attachment” is not only directly attaching an ID tag to an object to be managed, but also indirectly through other substances such as a substance that blocks radio waves and a substance that can be attached to and detached from the inner surface of a metal article. Including mounting. Further, “management” means a wide range of management from materials such as quality management, standard management, physical distribution management, inventory management, and maintenance management to after commercialization.

The invention according to claim 2 is the method for managing an article (11) according to claim 1, wherein the hollow metal article is a metal article having a cylindrical hollow portion and is surrounded by the inner surface of the article. A step of disposing a wireless reader / writer at a position where the wireless reader / writer is disposed, and a position where the wireless reader / writer is disposed in the step and an attachment position of the ID tag are always shifted in the tube length direction of the cylindrical hollow portion. It is characterized by.
The invention according to claim 3 is the method of managing an article (11) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the antenna portion of the ID tag (12) is attached at a distance of 5 mm or more from the inner surface of the article. And

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for managing an article (11) according to any one of the first to third aspects, a substance (22) that blocks radio waves on the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag (12). ) And a removable substance (23) on the inner surface of the article in this order.

The invention according to claim 5 is the method of managing an article (11) according to claim 4 , wherein the substance (22) for blocking radio waves is polyethylene, the article is steel, and is attached to and detached from the inner surface of the article. A possible substance (23) is a permanent magnet.

The invention according to claim 6 is the method of managing an article (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reflector (33b) is attached to the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the wireless reader / writer (25). It is characterized by that.

The coil lifter provided in this invention is a coil lifter (13) used for the management method of the articles | goods (11) which attached ID tag (12) as described in any one of Claims 1-6. The wireless reader / writer (25) is attached to a position surrounded by the inner surface of the article in the claw part (31) or the arm part (32) of the coil lifter when the article is gripped. To do.

One form of the coil lifter provided in the present invention is characterized in that, in the coil lifter (13), a reflector (33b) is attached to the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the wireless reader / writer (25).

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the ID tag from being damaged by attaching the ID tag to the inner surface of the hollow metal article. In addition, normally, it is difficult to transmit and receive information between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer unless the antenna portion of the ID tag is attached to the wireless reader / writer. Transmission / reception is possible without attaching the antenna unit to the wireless reader / writer. At the same time, since the transmission / reception distance between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer also becomes longer, the degree of freedom of the ID tag mounting direction and mounting position is increased, and the ID tag is mounted at a position and direction suitable for the shape of the article. The article can be managed. Furthermore, since it is not necessary for the wireless reader / writer to approach the ID tag due to the increase in the transmission / reception distance, the management burden of the article can be reduced by reducing the work. In addition, since the information can be transmitted to and received from the ID tag when the article is transported by the coil lifter, the process of transmitting and receiving information to and from the ID tag near the article is omitted. It is possible to reduce the management burden on the article and to quickly manage it. Even if the worker cannot access the article for safety reasons, the article can be managed because it can be transmitted to and received from the ID tag. In addition, since the radio wave that normally exits from the inner surface of the article is returned to the inner surface again by reflection on the reflector and received by the ID tag or the wireless reader / writer, the radio wave state between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer And the transmission / reception accuracy is improved, so that the article can be properly managed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the interference between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer is prevented by separating the distance between the ID tag and the metal to prevent radio wave interference when the ID tag is attached to the inner surface of the article. Since information can be transmitted and received, management of the article using an ID tag becomes easy.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the distance between the ID tag and the metal can be maintained and the radio wave interference can be prevented by providing the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag with a substance that blocks radio waves. Further, by providing a removable material on the inner surface of the article, the ID tag can be reused, which is economical.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the material that blocks the radio waves is made of polyethylene, so that the work of processing the substance that blocks the radio waves according to the shape of the ID tag and the article is facilitated. In addition, by using a permanent magnet as the material that can be attached to and detached from the inner surface of the article, the ID tag can be easily attached to and detached from the steel article that is the management target.

According to the invention described in claim 6 , by attaching a reflector to the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the wireless reader / writer, after passing normally near the wireless reader / writer and reflected by the inner surface or the claw portion of the article. Since the radio wave that moves away can be returned to the wireless reader / writer again by reflecting it with the reflecting plate, the radio wave state between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer is improved, and the transmission / reception accuracy is improved. Appropriate management is possible.

According to the coil lifter provided in the present invention, information can be transmitted to and received from the ID tag when the article is transported by the coil lifter, so that it is not necessary for an operator to perform transmission and reception work near the article. Therefore, the work load is reduced and a quick work is possible. Further, even when the worker cannot access the article for safety reasons, transmission / reception with the ID tag is possible.

According to one embodiment of the coil lifter provided in the present invention, a reflector is attached to the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the wireless reader / writer, so that it normally passes near the wireless reader / writer and passes through the inner surface or claw portion of the article. The reflected radio wave can be returned to the wireless reader / writer again by reflecting it with the reflector, so that the radio wave condition between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer can be improved, enabling proper transmission / reception work. It is.

  Such an operation and gain of the present invention will be made clear from the best mode for carrying out the invention described below.

  Hereinafter, based on the embodiment shown in the drawings, a case of a steel thin plate coil as an example of a hollow metal article according to the present invention and a case of a coil lifter having arm portions at both ends as an example of a coil lifter will be described. What is described below is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following description unless it exceeds the gist.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating distribution management of a thin coil 11 having an ID tag 12 attached to the inner surface of the present invention according to one embodiment. The thin coil 11 is manufactured at the factory 110 and then transported to the delivery destination 160 via the warehouse 120, the port 130, the ship 140 and the port 150.

  In the factory 110, an ID tag 12 is attached to the thin plate coil 11 on the inner surface of the thin plate coil 11. In the ID tag 12, information necessary for management such as a management number, a manufacturing date, and a delivery destination is written. The information is transmitted to and received from the ID tag 12 at the time of unloading from the factory 110 by a wireless reader / writer attached to the coil lifter 13a. Write information such as.

  At the time of loading into the warehouse 120, transmission / reception of information to / from the ID tag 12 is performed by a wireless reader / writer attached to the coil lifter 13b. Write in information such as the date of delivery. Similarly, transmission / reception of information with the ID tag 12 is performed by a wireless reader / writer attached to the coil lifters 13c to 13f during beach departure from the warehouse 120, loading at the ports 130 and 150, draining water, and land transportation.

  When the thin coil 11 is delivered at the delivery destination 160, the portable wireless reader / writer 14 confirms the information input to the ID tag 12 and writes information such as the receipt date. The ID tag 12 can be used for managing the thin coil 11 and the articles manufactured from the thin coil 11 at the delivery destination.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the ID tag 12 attached to the inner surface of the thin coil 11 used in the management method of the present invention according to one embodiment. A polyethylene plate 22 is attached to the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag 12 with an adhesive 21a. With this configuration, the distance between the inner surface and the ID tag 12 is maintained at 5 mm or more. A permanent magnet 23 is attached to the polyethylene plate 22 by an adhesive 21b. With this configuration, the ID tag 12 can be easily attached to the inner surface. In addition, in order to protect the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag 12, it is possible to attach a protective material 24 that does not completely block radio waves with the adhesive 21 c to protect the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag 12.

  The polyethylene plate 22 may be a structure having an appropriate porosity such as cardboard. Further, the attachment position and the attachment direction of the ID tag 12 can be arbitrarily determined because transmission / reception with the wireless card reader is possible regardless of the position and direction of the ID tag 12 by reflection of radio waves on the inner surface of the hollow metal article. good.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the coil lifter 13 that holds the thin coil 11 to which the ID tag 12 of the present invention according to one embodiment is attached. The coil lifter 13 has a C-shaped hook attached to the crane and hung it on the inner surface of the hollow metal article, and an arm attached to a transport device such as a forklift. Although there is a thing provided with an arm only on one side, such as a cantilever lifter that is inserted into the inner surface of the sheet and conveyed, FIG. 3 shows a coil lifter having arm portions at both ends as an example. Therefore, hereinafter, the operation of the coil lifter 13 having arm portions at both ends will be described. The coil lifter 13 is suspended from the upper part of a building such as a factory or a warehouse, and is moved by a horizontal movement along the rails on the upper part of the building, a vertical movement by a wire or the like and an arm unit 32 driven by a hydraulic or electric motor. It can be opened and closed. The coil lifter 13 is moved horizontally to the upper part of the thin plate coil 11, moved vertically downward with the arm part 32 spread, and stopped at a position where the claw part 31 can be inserted into the inner surface to narrow the arm part 32. Grip. Thereafter, the thin coil 11 is transported by moving the coil lifter 13 vertically upward and horizontally moving to the destination.

  One ID tag 12 is attached to the inner surface of the thin coil 11. The wireless reader / writer 25 is attached to the lower surface of the claw portion 31 of the coil lifter 13 via the reflection plate 33b on the back surface of the transmission / reception surface. A broken line represents a radio wave transmitted / received between the ID tag 12 and the wireless reader / writer 25, and can be transmitted / received while the coil lifter 13 holds the thin coil 11. The reflecting plate 33a faces the end surface 34b opposite to the end surface 34a of the article held by the arm portion of the claw portion 31 to which the wireless reader / writer 25 is attached, and reflects the radio wave from the wireless reader / writer 25. Is attached. By reflecting the radio wave by the reflecting plate 33a, the radio wave condition between the ID tag 12 and the wireless reader / writer 25 is improved.

  The attachment position of the wireless reader / writer 25 is another position such as the arm portion 32 of the coil lifter 13 as long as the coil lifter 13 is surrounded by the inner surface of the thin coil 11 in a state where the coil lifter 13 holds the thin coil 11. Also good. Further, by attaching a plurality of wireless reader / writers 25 at the above positions such as the claws 31 of the coil lifter 13, the transmission / reception range between the ID tag 12 and the wireless reader / writer 25 can be widened, so that the transmission / reception accuracy is improved. It is possible.

  The present invention will be more specifically disclosed in the following examples.

Example 1
FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a method for investigating the effect of attaching an ID tag to the inner surface of a thin coil. The thin coil 11 has a length of 1250 mm and an inner diameter of 740 mm, is 600 mm from the end face facing the wireless reader / writer 25a, the inner surface faces the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag 12a, and the outer surface has an ID tag. The ID tags 12a and 12b were attached to the thin coil 11 with a permanent magnet through a polyethylene plate with the transmission / reception surface of 12b facing outward. Next, the wireless reader / writer 25a was directed toward the ID tag 12a from the end face direction of the thin coil 11 with the transmission / reception surface facing, and the transmission / reception possible distance Ra, which is the maximum distance for receiving the information of the ID tag 12a, was measured. Further, the wireless reader / writer 25b was brought close to the ID tag 12b with the transmission / reception surface facing from the outside of the thin coil 11, and the transmission / reception possible distance Rb which was the maximum distance for receiving the information of the ID tag 12b was measured. In addition, the product name S label (2.45 GHz, iron non-correspondence) made by Nippon Information System Co., Ltd. was used in the following examples for the ID tag. Table 1 shows the results. The conditions other than those in Table 1 were all the same.

  As shown in Table 1, when the ID tag is attached to the inner surface, the transmission / reception distance R is longer than when the ID tag is attached to the outer surface, and the ID tag 12a does not have the antenna portion directed toward the wireless reader / writer 25a. Was also able to send and receive.

(Example 2)
In the investigation method of FIG. 4, instead of the thin plate coil 11, a hollow article other than metal is used, and only the ID tag 12a is attached to the inner surface of the article, and the gap between the ID tag 12a and the wireless reader / writer 25a. A survey was conducted on the transmission / reception possible distance Ra. The transmission / reception possible distance Ra was measured up to 600 mm where transmission / reception with the thin plate coil 11 was possible. Table 2 shows the results. The conditions other than those in Table 2 were all the same.

※１ 木屑を圧縮したボードを使用した。
※２ 梱包用のＯＳボードを使用した。
※３ 内面を含む表面がプラスチックで薄く表面処理されたものである。

* 1 A board with compressed wood chips was used.
* 2 An OS board for packing was used.
* 3 The surface including the inner surface is thin and surface-treated with plastic.

  As shown in Table 2, since it was impossible to transmit and receive with all materials, it can be seen that when the material is metal, the effect of extending the transmission and reception distance due to the reflection of radio waves on the inner surface can be obtained.

(Example 3)
FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a method of investigating a distance necessary for preventing radio interference due to metal of the ID tag. The ID tag 12 is attached to the steel plate 26 via the polyethylene plate 22, and by changing the thickness of the polyethylene plate 22 in units of 2.5mm within a range of 2.5mm to 10.0mm, the ID tag 12 The distance d from the surface of the steel plate 26 was changed. On the other hand, with respect to each distance d, the wireless reader / writer 25 is separated from the ID tag 12 with the transmission / reception surface thereof facing perpendicularly to the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag 12, and is the maximum distance at which the information of the ID tag 12 is received. A certain transmittable / receiveable distance R was measured. Table 3 shows the results. The conditions other than those in Table 3 were all the same.

  As shown in Table 3, the distance d between the antenna portion of the ID tag 12 and the surface of the steel plate 26 was required to be 5.0 mm or more. Therefore, the distance between the antenna portion of the ID tag 12 and the inner surface of the hollow metal article needs to be 5.0 mm or more.

Example 4
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a method for investigating the effect of attaching the reflecting plate. Four ID tags 12a to 12d were attached to the inner surface of the thin coil 11 with the transmitting / receiving surface facing inward, on the same circumference and at equal intervals, and attached with a permanent magnet via a polyethylene plate. Further, the reflection plate 33 was attached so as to close the end surface of the thin plate coil 11 on the opposite side to the wireless reader / writer 25. Next, the wireless reader / writer 25 was placed close to the ID tag 12 from the end face direction of the thin coil 11 with the transmission / reception surface facing, and the transmission / reception possible distance R that was the maximum distance for receiving the information of the ID tag 12 was measured. Further, the wireless reader / writer was approached a plurality of times to the same transmission / reception possible distance R as in the previous measurement, and the transmission / reception accuracy was investigated based on the rate at which the ID tag information could be transmitted within the transmission / reception possible distance R. Table 4 shows the results. The conditions other than those in Table 4 were all the same.

  As shown in Table 4, it is preferable to attach a reflector to improve the transmission / reception accuracy between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer and to increase the transmission / reception distance.

  While the present invention has been described in connection with embodiments that are presently the most practical and preferred, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. However, the present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and a management method and a coil lifter accompanying such changes are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Must be understood.

It is a figure which shows the physical distribution management of the thin coil which attached the ID tag to the inner surface. It is sectional drawing of the ID tag attached to the inner surface of a thin-plate coil. It is a figure which shows the coil lifter which hold | gripped the thin plate coil which attached ID tag. It is a figure which shows the investigation method of the effect by attaching ID tag to the inner surface of a thin-plate coil. It is a figure which shows the investigation method of the distance required in order to prevent the radio wave interference by the metal of an ID tag. It is a figure which shows the investigation method of the effect by attaching a reflecting plate.

Explanation of symbols

d Distance between ID tag antenna and steel plate surface R Transmittable / receiveable distance between ID tag and wireless reader / writer 11 Thin coil 12 ID tag 13 Coil lifter 14 Portable wireless reader / writer 21 Adhesive 22 Polyethylene plate 23 Permanent magnet 24 Protective material 25 Wireless reader / writer 26 Steel plate 31 Coil lifter claw part 32 Coil lifter arm part 33 Reflector 34 End face of thin coil 110 Factory 120 Warehouse 130 Port 140 Ship 150 Port 160 Delivery destination

Claims (6)

Attaching an ID tag to the inner surface of a hollow metal article ;
Performing transmission and reception of information with the ID tag with one or more wireless reader / writers attached to the claw or arm of the coil lifter ,
Facing the end surface opposite to the end surface of the article gripped by the claw or arm portion to which the wireless reader / writer is attached, a reflecting plate is provided at a position that reflects radio waves from the wireless reader / writer,
A method for managing an article, wherein transmission / reception of information between the ID tag and the wireless reader / writer is performed by reflection of radio waves on the inner surface of the article. The hollow metal article is a metal article having a cylindrical hollow portion with an open end,
Further including the step of arranging the wireless reader / writer in a region surrounded by the inner surface of the article,
The position at which the wireless reader / writer is arranged in the step and the attachment position of the ID tag are always shifted in the cylinder length direction of the cylindrical hollow portion. Management method of goods. The article management method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the antenna part of the ID tag is attached at a distance of 5 mm or more from the inner surface of the article. 4. The ID tag comprising a substance that blocks radio waves on the back surface of the transmission / reception surface of the ID tag and a substance that can be attached to and detached from the inner surface of the article in this order is attached. 5. The management method of the article | item as described in. 5. The article management method according to claim 4, wherein the substance that blocks radio waves is polyethylene, the article is steel, and the substance that can be attached to and detached from the inner surface of the article is a permanent magnet. Management method article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that to attach the reflector to the rear surface of the receiving plane of the wireless reader-writer.

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