Tag reading apparatus

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-317610, filed Oct. 31, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tag reading apparatus used for, e.g., managing the positions of articles.

2. Description of the Related Art

In retail outlets such as department stores, supermarkets and convenience stores, display racks for products are installed on sales floors. Then, items of merchandise are displayed on the product display shelves and sold to customers.

In the stores, for example, tags are used when a large amount of merchandise is managed. That is, a tag is attached to each item of merchandise, and tags are also attached to the display shelves for merchandise, so that data printed or electronically recorded on the tags is used to manage which item of merchandise is located on which display shelf.

For example, a technique is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-180812, wherein wireless tags are attached to display shelves and articles displayed on these shelves to manage them. That is, the tags in which shelf numbers given to the product display shelves are recorded in IC chips in the form of electronic data are attached to the corresponding display shelves. Further, the tags in which identification numbers enabling the identification of the articles are recorded in IC chips in the form of electronic data are attached to the individual articles.

Then, a handheld reader/writer apparatus is brought into proximity with the tag attached to the display shelf to read the shelf number from the tag. Further, this reader/writer apparatus is brought into proximity with the tag attached to the article to record the read shelf number into the tag.

Thus, the identification number of the article and the shelf number are recorded on the tag attached to the article, thereby managing which article is displayed on which shelf.

However, when the identification number of the article and the shelf number are recorded on the tag of the article, the tags of the individual articles have to be read in order to know the correspondence between the articles and the display shelves. Therefore, when there is a plurality of display shelves and a large number of articles are displayed on the individual display shelves, the task of knowing the correspondence between the articles and the display shelves is complicated and troublesome.

The present invention comprises a first reader reading article information regarding an article, a second reader reading position information regarding a position, and a controller which associates the article information read by the first reader with the position information read by the second reader to process article information and position information as a set of information.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a tag reading apparatus in the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing tag reading control performed by a control unit of the tag reading apparatus in the first embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing how the tag reading apparatus reads a shelf tag of a display shelf in the first embodiment;

FIG. 4B . is a diagram showing how the tag reading apparatus reads an article tag of an article in the first embodiment;

FIG. 4C is a diagram showing how the article is displayed in a corresponding shelf area of the display shelf in the first embodiment;

FIG. 4D is a diagram showing how all the articles are displayed in the corresponding shelf areas of the display shelf in the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a record data example in which a set is made up of an article code and a shelf code created by the tag reading apparatus in the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a record data example in which identification codes are used to make sets of the article and shelf codes created by the tag reading apparatus in the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing tag reading control performed by a control unit of a tag reading apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing tag reading control performed by a control unit of a tag reading apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing how the tag reading apparatus reads a shelf tag of a display shelf in the third embodiment;

FIG. 9B is a diagram showing how the tag reading apparatus reads article tags of articles in the third embodiment;

FIG. 9C is a diagram showing how a plurality of articles are displayed in a corresponding shelf area of the display shelf in the third embodiment;

FIG. 9D is a diagram showing how all the articles are displayed in the corresponding shelf areas of the display shelf in the third embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a record data example in which a set is made of an article code and a shelf code created by the tag reading apparatus in the third embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a record data example in which a set is made of a shelf code and a plurality of article codes created by the tag reading apparatus in the third embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a record data example in which identification codes are used to make sets of the article and shelf codes created by the tag reading apparatus in the third embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a tag reading apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a tag reading apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing tag reading control performed by a control unit of the tag reading apparatus in the fifth embodiment.

First Embodiment

In FIG. 1 , 1 denotes a handheld tag reading apparatus, 2 denotes a merchandise display shelf for displaying a plurality of articles 3 , 4 denotes a personal computer for managing information.

The merchandise display shelf 2 is divided into a plurality of shelf areas A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , A 8 and A 9 . Shelf tags TA which are position tags, that is, shelf tags TA 1 , TA 2 , TA 3 , TA 4 , TA 5 , TA 6 , TA 7 , TA 8 and TA 9 are attached to front frames of shelf areas A 1 to A 9 .

Shelf tags TA 1 to TA 9 comprise RFID tags, in which information associated with positions, that is, shelf codes indicating the positions of the shelf areas, is recorded in internal memories.

The articles 3 are displayed in shelf areas A 1 to A 9 of the display shelf 2 . Article tags TB are attached to the plurality of articles 3 displayed on the display shelf 2 . The article tags TB record article codes which are information associated with the articles, for example, in the form of a barcode. It should be noted that the article codes may be recorded in the form of two-dimensional codes.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the tag reading apparatus 1 is provided with a barcode reader 11 as a first reader for reading the article codes from the article tags TB, and an RFID tag reader 12 as a second reader for reading the shelf codes from the shelf tags TA in a non-contact wireless manner. The barcode reader 11 is an optical reader for optically reading the article codes in the barcode form.

The tag reading apparatus 1 stores the article codes read by the barcode reader 11 in an article code memory 13 , and stores the shelf codes read by the RFID tag reader 12 in a shelf code memory 14 .

The tag reading apparatus 1 is further provided with an information processing unit 15 , a transmission unit 16 and a control unit 17 . The information processing unit 15 associates the article code stored in the article code memory 13 with the shelf code stored in the shelf code memory 14 to process these codes as one set of information for article management, and outputs this processed one set of information to the transmission unit 16 . The transmission unit 16 wirelessly transmits the input one set of information to the personal computer 4 .

The control unit 17 controls the barcode reader 11 , the RFID tag reader 12 , the article code memory 13 , the shelf code memory 14 , the information processing unit 15 , and the transmission unit 16 . The information processing unit 15 and the control unit 17 are implemented with microprocessors.

The control unit 17 of the tag reading apparatus 1 performs tag reading processing compliant with a flowchart shown in FIG. 3 .

That is, in step S 1 , the tag reading apparatus 1 activates the barcode reader 11 and the RFID tag reader 12 . For example, they are activated by the operation of a start switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 . Then, in step S 2 , the article code memory 13 and the shelf code memory 14 are cleared.

A case will be described where, for example, an article B 1 which is one of the articles 3 is displayed in shelf area A 2 . As shown in FIG. 4A , the tag reading apparatus 1 is placed in proximity to the shelf tag TA 2 of shelf area A 2 . Then, in step S 3 , the tag reading apparatus 1 reads a shelf code a 2 from the shelf tag TA 2 by the RFID tag reader 12 . In step S 4 , the tag reading apparatus 1 stores the read shelf code a 2 in the shelf code memory 14 .

Subsequently, in step S 5 , the tag reading apparatus 1 reads an article code b 1 from the article tag TB of the article B 1 . As shown in FIG. 4B , this reading is achieved by bringing the barcode reader 11 of the tag reading apparatus 1 into contact with the article tag TB of the article B 1 to scan a barcode thereon. Then, in step S 6 , the tag reading apparatus 1 stores the article code b 1 read by the barcode reader 11 in the article code memory 13 .

Upon termination of the storage of the shelf code a 2 read from the shelf tag TA 2 into the shelf code memory 14 and the storage of the article code b 1 read from the article tag TB into the article code memory 13 , the tag reading apparatus 1 , in step S 7 , deactivates the barcode reader 11 and the RFID tag reader 12 . It is to be noted that the termination of the storage of the shelf code a 2 and the article code b 1 in the memories may be notified by a lamp or a buzzer.

Subsequently, in step S 8 , in the tag reading apparatus 1 , the information processing unit 15 is controlled by the control unit 17 to create one set of data out of the article code and the shelf code. When the task of reading the shelf code a 2 and the article code b 1 by the tag reading apparatus 1 is finished, the article B 1 is disposed and displayed in shelf area A 2 by an operator, as shown in FIG. 4C .

Thus, the tag reading apparatus 1 repeats the tasks from step S 1 to step S 8 . The plurality of articles 3 are displayed on the product display shelf 2 by the tag reading apparatus 1 and the operator. That is, as shown in FIG. 4D , an article B 2 is displayed in shelf area A 3 , an article B 3 is displayed in shelf area A 4 , and an article B 4 is displayed in shelf area A 9 .

When the plurality of articles 3 have been placed on display on the product display shelf 2 , an end switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 is operated by the operator. Thus, in step S 9 , the control unit 17 judges that the reading operation is finished for all the articles to be displayed, and terminates this tag reading processing.

By this tag reading processing, the information processing unit 15 combines the article code b 1 of the article tag TB of the article B 1 with the shelf code a 2 of the shelf tag TA 2 to create one set of record data RE 1 , and combines an article code b 2 of the article tag TB of the article B 2 with a shelf code a 3 of the shelf tag TA 3 to create one set of record data RE 2 , as shown in FIG. 5 . Moreover, the information processing unit 15 combines an article code b 3 of the article tag TB of the article B 3 with a shelf code a 4 of the shelf tag TA 4 to create one set of record data RE 3 , and combines an article code b 4 of the article tag TB of the article B 4 with a shelf code a 9 the shelf tag TA 9 to create one set of record data RE 4 .

Furthermore, the tag reading apparatus 1 passes the record data RE 1 to RE 4 from the information processing unit 15 to the transmission unit 16 , and transmits them from the transmission unit 16 to the external personal computer 4 . On receipt of the record data RE 1 to RE 4 , the personal computer 4 stores the record data RE 1 to RE 4 in a database and manages them.

Thus, the tag reading apparatus 1 reads and combines the article code recorded on the article tag TB and the shelf code recorded on the shelf tag TA to create one set of record data, such that the personal computer 4 can integrally manage shelf areas A 1 to A 9 of the product display shelf 2 and the articles 3 (B 1 to B 4 ) to be displayed.

Furthermore, the tag reading apparatus 1 reads the shelf code from the shelf tag TA, deactivates the RFID tag reader 12 and the barcode reader 11 whenever the tag reading apparatus 1 reads the article code from the article tag TB to be displayed, and reactivates the RFID tag reader 12 and the barcode reader 11 when activating next reading. The tag reading apparatus 1 can thus achieve sufficient power saving. Therefore, the present invention is effective in the handheld small tag reading apparatus 1 .

It is to be noted that the article code and the shelf code are managed so that they are directly matched one to one in this embodiment, but this is not a limitation. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , a common identification code may be used, and the article code and the shelf code may be managed so that they are matched via this common identification code. That is, a common identification code c 1 is used to match the article code b 1 to the shelf code a 2 , a common identification code c 2 is used to match the article code b 2 to the shelf code a 3 , a common identification code c 3 is used to match the article code b 3 to the shelf code a 4 , and a common identification code c 4 is used to match the article code b 4 to the shelf code a 9 .

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in how a control unit 17 controls the activating and deactivating of a barcode reader 11 and an RFID tag reader 12 , but the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above in a hardware configuration of a tag reading apparatus 1 .

In this embodiment, the control unit 17 of the tag reading apparatus 1 performs tag reading processing compliant with a flowchart shown in FIG. 7 .

In step S 11 , the tag reading apparatus 1 activates the RFID tag reader 12 . For example, the RFID tag reader 12 is activated by the operation of a first start switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 . Then, in step S 12 , the tag reading apparatus 1 clears a shelf code memory 14 .

Subsequently, in step S 13 , the tag reading apparatus 1 reads a shelf code by the RFID tag reader 12 . In step S 14 , the tag reading apparatus 1 stores the read shelf code in the shelf code memory 14 . Upon termination of the storage of the shelf code in the shelf code memory 14 , the tag reading apparatus 1 , in step S 15 , deactivates the RFID tag reader 12 .

Next, in step S 16 , the tag reading apparatus 1 activates the barcode reader 11 . For example, the barcode reader 11 is activated by the operation of a second start switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 . Then, in step S 17 , the tag reading apparatus 1 clears an article code memory 13 .

Then, in step S 18 , the tag reading apparatus 1 scans a barcode with the barcode reader 11 to read an article code. In step S 19 , the tag reading apparatus 1 stores the read article code in the article code memory 13 . In step S 20 , the tag reading apparatus 1 deactivates the barcode reader 11 .

Subsequently, in step S 21 , in the tag reading apparatus 1 , an information processing unit 15 is controlled by the control unit 17 to create one set of data out of the article code and the shelf code. When the task of reading the shelf code and the article code by the tag reading apparatus 1 is finished, an article is disposed and displayed in a shelf area by an operator. Moreover, if there still remain articles to be displayed, the tasks from step S 11 to step S 21 are repeated in accordance with an instruction based on the re-operation of the first start switch by the operator.

When a plurality of articles 3 have been placed on display on a product display shelf 2 , an end switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 is operated by the operator. In step S 22 , the control unit 17 judges that the reading operation is finished for all the articles to be displayed, and terminates this tag reading processing.

This tag reading apparatus 1 deactivates the barcode reader 11 when the RFID tag reader 12 is in operation, and deactivates the RFID tag reader 12 when the barcode reader 11 is in operation.

Therefore, the article code is not erroneously read from an article tag during the reading of a shelf tag, or the shelf code is not erroneously read from the shelf tag during the reading of the article tag.

It is to be noted that functions and effects similar to those in the first embodiment described above can be obtained in other respects.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the article code is recorded in the article tag in a barcode form, the shelf code is recorded in the shelf tag comprising an RFID tag, the article code is read from the article tag by the barcode reader, and the shelf code is read from the shelf tag by the RFID tag reader.

However, the relation between the article tag and the shelf tag may be converse. That is, an RFID tag recording the article tag may be used as the article tag, and a tag recording the shelf code in the barcode form may be used as the shelf tag, so that the article code is read from the article tag by the RFID tag reader, and the shelf code is read from the shelf tag by the barcode reader.

Furthermore, the article code is read from the article tag after the shelf code is read from the shelf tag in the first and second embodiments described above, but the order of reading may be reverse. That is, the shelf code may be read from the shelf tag after the article code is read from the article tag.

Third Embodiment

In a third embodiment, a case will be described where a plurality of articles are displayed in a shelf area of a product display shelf 2 . It is to be noted that the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in the processing of a control unit 17 , but the same as the first embodiment described above in a hardware configuration of a tag reading apparatus 1 .

In this embodiment, the control unit 17 of the tag reading apparatus 1 performs tag reading processing compliant with a flowchart shown in FIG. 8 .

In step S 31 , a barcode reader 11 and an RFID tag reader 12 are activated. For example, they are activated by the operation of a start switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 . Then, in step S 32 , an article code memory 13 and a shelf code memory 14 are cleared.

A case will be described where, for example, four articles B 1 , B 2 , B 3 and B 4 are displayed in a shelf area A 1 , and four articles B 5 , B 6 , B 7 and B 8 are displayed in a shelf area A 5 . First, as shown in FIG. 9A , the tag reading apparatus 1 is placed in proximity to a shelf tag TA 1 of shelf area A 1 . In step S 33 , the tag reading apparatus 1 reads a shelf code a 1 from the shelf tag TA 1 by the RFID tag reader 12 . In step S 34 , the tag reading apparatus 1 stores the read shelf code a 1 in the shelf code memory 14 .

In step S 35 and S 36 , the tag reading apparatus 1 reads article codes b 1 , b 2 , b 3 and b 4 from article tags TB 1 , TB 2 , TB 3 and TB 4 of the articles B 1 , B 2 , B 3 and B 4 , as shown in FIG. 9B . That is, the article code b 2 is read from the article tag TB 2 of the article B 2 by the barcode reader 11 and then stored in the article code memory 13 . Moreover, the article code b 3 is read from the article tag TB 3 of the article B 3 by the barcode reader 11 and then stored in the article code memory 13 . Further, the article code b 4 is read from the article tag TB 4 of the article B 4 by the barcode reader 11 and then stored in the article code memory 13 .

Subsequently, in step S 37 , the tag reading apparatus 1 judges that the reading of the article codes from the article tags TB has been finished. When the tag reading apparatus 1 judges in step S 37 that the article tags to be read have not been finished, the tag reading apparatus 1 repeats the processing in S 35 and S 36 .

In accordance with the operation of an article end switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 by the operator, the tag reading apparatus 1 judges in step S 37 that the reading of the article codes from the article tags TB has been finished. In step S 38 , the tag reading apparatus 1 deactivates the barcode reader 11 and the RFID tag reader 12 . It is to be noted that the termination of the reading may be notified by a lamp or a buzzer.

In step S 39 , in the tag reading apparatus 1 , an information processing unit 15 is controlled by the control unit 17 to create one set of data out of the four article codes b 1 , b 2 , b 3 and b 4 and a shelf code a 1 . When the task of reading the shelf code a 1 and the article codes b 1 , b 2 , b 3 and b 4 by the tag reading apparatus 1 is finished, the articles B 1 , B 2 , B 3 and B 4 are displayed in shelf area A 1 by the operator, as shown in FIG. 9C .

When there still remain articles B 5 , B 6 , B 7 and B 8 to be displayed in shelf area A 5 , the tag reading apparatus 1 repeats the processing from step S 31 to step S 39 in accordance with the re-operation of the start switch by the operator.

By this repeated processing, the articles B 5 , B 6 , B 7 and B 8 are displayed in shelf area A 5 , as shown in FIG. 9D . When the displaying of the articles is finished, the control unit 17 in step S 40 judges, in accordance with the operation of the end switch (not shown) provided in the tag reading apparatus 1 by the operator, that the reading operation is finished for all the articles to be displayed, and terminates this tag reading processing.

By such tag reading processing, the information processing unit 15 combines the article code b 1 of the article tag TB 1 of the article B 1 with the shelf code a 1 the shelf tag TA 1 to create one set of record data RE 11 , and combines the article code b 2 of the article tag TB 2 of the article B 2 with the same shelf code a 1 to create one set of record data RE 12 , as shown in FIG. 10 . Moreover, record data RE 13 to record data RE 18 are created to correspond to the article code b 3 to the article code b 8 of the article B 3 to the article B 8 .

Then, the record data RE 11 to RE 18 are sequentially transmitted from a transmission unit 16 to a personal computer 4 . The personal computer 4 stores the record data RE 11 to RE 18 in a database and manage them.

Thus, in the case where the plurality of articles are displayed in the individual shelf areas as well, the article code recorded on the article tag and the shelf code recorded on the shelf tag are read and combined to create one set of record data, such that the personal computer 4 can integrally manage shelf areas A 1 to A 9 of the merchandise display shelf 2 and the articles 3 (B 1 to B 8 ) to be displayed.

In addition, the article tags are individually read for the plurality of articles to be displayed in the shelf area, but the shelf tag has only to be read one time, so that the reading operation can be easier, and operating time can be reduced.

Furthermore, the tag reading apparatus 1 reads the shelf code from the shelf tag in the shelf area, and deactivates the RFID tag reader 12 and the barcode reader 11 whenever the tag reading apparatus 1 reads the article code from the article tag of the article to be displayed in that shelf area. Then, the tag reading apparatus 1 reactivates the RFID tag reader 12 and the barcode reader 11 when starting the reading of the shelf code from the shelf tag of the next shelf area. The tag reading apparatus 1 can thus achieve sufficient power saving. Therefore, the present invention is extremely effective in the handheld small tag reading apparatus 1 .

It is to be noted that the article code and the shelf code are managed so that they are directly matched one to one in this embodiment, but this is not a limitation. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , one common shelf code a 1 and the four article codes b 1 , b 2 , b 3 and b 4 to be displayed may make one set to create record data RE 21 , and one common shelf code a 5 and the four article codes b 5 , b 6 , b 7 and b 8 to be displayed may make one set to create record data RE 22 , thereby achieving management.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12 , a common identification code may be used, and the article code and the shelf code may be managed so that they are matched via this common identification code. That is, a common identification code c 1 is matched to the article code b 1 and the shelf code a 1 , a common identification code c 2 is matched to the article code b 2 and the shelf code a 1 , a common identification code c 3 is matched to the article code b 3 and the shelf code a 1 , and a common identification code c 4 is matched to the article code b 4 and a shelf code a 9 . Further, a common identification code c 5 is matched to the article code b 5 and the shelf code a 5 , a common identification code c 6 is matched to the article code b 6 and the shelf code a 5 , a common identification code c 7 is matched to the article code b 7 and the shelf code a 5 , and a common identification code c 8 is matched to the article code b 8 and a shelf code a 5 .

It is to be noted that the management of the article and shelf codes has been described above in the third embodiment in connection with the case where a plurality of articles are displayed in one shelf area. On the contrary, it is also possible to display a plurality of articles of the same kind in a plurality of shelf areas.

In this case, a plurality of shelf codes are matched to the same article code, but for management, the article code can be combined one to one with the shelf code to create one set of record data, as in FIG. 10 . Moreover, it is also possible to combine one article code with a plurality of shelf codes to create one set of record data. Further, as in FIG. 12 , a common identification code can be used, and the article code and the shelf code can be managed so that they are matched via this common identification code.

Fourth Embodiment

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 13 , a tag reading apparatus 1 has a first wireless tag reader 111 as a first reader for reading an article code from an article tag TB- 1 in a non-contact wireless manner, and a second wireless tag reader 121 as a second reader for reading a shelf code from a shelf tag TA- 1 . The fourth embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in other respects, which will not be described.

The first wireless tag reader 111 and the second wireless tag reader 121 are set to have output frequencies different from each other. That is, the first wireless tag reader 111 communicates with the article tag TB- 1 using a frequency band of 2.54 MHz, while. the second wireless tag reader 121 communicates with the shelf tag TA- 1 using a frequency band of 950 MHz.

Therefore, the article tag TB- 1 is configured by an antenna-shaped wireless tag which can respond at a band of 2.54 MHz, and the shelf tag TA- 1 configured by an antenna-shaped wireless tag which can respond at a band of 950 MHz. The configurations of other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

In the tag reading apparatus 1 having such a configuration, the frequency at which the first wireless tag reader 111 wirelessly communicates with the article tag TB- 1 is different from the frequency at which the second wireless tag reader 121 wirelessly communicates with the shelf tag TA- 1 , so that the communication radio waves do not interfere with each other. This ensures that the first wireless tag reader 111 can read the article code from the article tag TB- 1 , and also ensures that the second wireless tag reader 121 can read the shelf code from the shelf tag TA- 1 .

It is to be noted that functions and effects similar to those in the first embodiment described above can also be obtained in other respects in this embodiment.

It is to be noted that the frequency at which the first wireless tag reader 111 wirelessly communicates with the article tag TB- 1 is different from the frequency at which the second wireless tag reader 121 wirelessly communicates with the shelf tag TA- 1 in this embodiment, but this is not a limitation. For example, the same communication frequency may be used on two sides, and the intensities of output on the two sides may be different instead.

For example, lower output is used when the first wireless tag reader 111 reads the article code from the article tag TB- 1 , while higher output is used when the second wireless tag reader 121 reads the shelf code from the shelf tag TA- 1 .

In this manner, each of the RFID tag reader 111 and 121 can selectively read the article tag TB- 1 or the shelf tag TA- 1 in accordance with the output. This ensures that the first wireless tag reader 111 can read the article code from the article tag TB- 1 , and also ensures that the second wireless tag reader 121 can read the shelf code from the shelf tag TA- 1 .

Fifth Embodiment

Next, a fifth embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 14 , an article tag TB- 2 is used as an article tag in which an identifier Buppin and an article code are recorded as information in an RFID tag. Further, a shelf tag TA- 2 is used as a shelf tag in which an identifier Tana and a shelf code are recorded as information in an RFID tag.

A tag reading apparatus 1 has a control unit 17 which is a controller for controlling the entire apparatus. The tag reading apparatus 1 has one wireless tag reader 18 which is a common reader for reading information from the article tag TB- 2 and information from the shelf tag TA- 2 . There are provided a common memory 19 for temporarily storing the information from the article tag TB- 2 and the information from the shelf tag TA- 2 that are read by the RFID tag reader 18 , an article code memory 13 for storing information when the information stored in the common memory 19 is the identifier of an article, and a shelf code memory 14 for storing information when the information stored in the common memory 19 is the identifier of a shelf. In addition, the common memory 19 connects the control unit 17 , the RFID tag reader 18 , the article code memory 13 and the shelf code memory 14 . The configurations of other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment and are not described.

In the fifth embodiment, an operator of the RFID tag reader does not particularly need to be conscious of which of the shelf tag TA- 2 and the article tag TB- 2 to be read first. That is, whether the operator causes the shelf tag TA- 2 to be read first and the article tag TB- 2 to be read next or the operator causes the article tag TB- 2 to be read first and the shelf tag TA- 2 to be read next, the shelf code and the article code can be correctly processed as one set of data.

In this embodiment, the control unit 17 of the tag reading apparatus 1 performs tag reading processing compliant with a flowchart shown in FIG. 15 .

In step S 41 , the control unit 17 of the tag reading apparatus 1 judges whether or not a switch (not shown) has been turned on. When judging that the switch has been turned on, the control unit 17 activates the RFID tag reader 18 in step S 42 . In step S 43 , the control unit 17 clears the article code memory 13 and the shelf code memory 14 .

In step S 44 , the control unit 17 of the tag reading apparatus 1 stores the read information in the common memory 19 .

Then, in step S 45 , the control unit 17 judges whether the identifier contained in the information stored in the common memory 19 is Buppin or Tana. When the identifier is judged to be Buppin, the article code is taken from the common memory 19 and then stored in the article code memory 13 , in step S 46 . Then, the information on the article stored in the common memory 19 is cleared.

In step S 48 , the control unit 17 then stores, in the common memory 19 , the information on the tag read by the RFID tag reader 18 . In step S 49 , the control unit 17 judges whether the identifier contained in the information stored in the common memory 19 is Tana. If the identifier is not Tana, the control unit 17 judges that the article tag has been read twice in a row, and clears the information stored in the common memory 19 , and then returns to step S 48 .

Furthermore, in step S 49 , if the identifier contained in the information stored in the common memory 19 is Tana, the shelf code is taken from the common memory 19 and then stored in the shelf code memory 14 , in step S 50 .

Moreover, when both the article code and the shelf code have been read, the operation of the RFID tag reader 18 is deactivated in step S 51 . Then, in step S 52 , an information processing unit 15 is controlled by the control unit 17 to create one set of data out of the article code and the shelf code.

On the other hand, in step S 45 , if the identifier contained in the information stored in the common memory 19 is judged to be Tana, the shelf code is taken from the common memory 19 and then stored in the shelf code memory 14 , in step S 47 . Then, the information on the article stored in the common memory 19 is cleared. In step S 53 , the control unit 17 then stores, in the common memory 19 , the information on the tag read by the RFID tag reader 18 . In step S 54 , it is judged whether or not the identifier contained in the information stored in the common memory 19 is Buppin. If the identifier is not Buppin, the control unit 17 judges that the shelf tag has been read twice in a row, and clears the information stored in the common memory 19 , and then returns to step S 53 .

Furthermore, in step S 54 , if the identifier contained in the information stored in the common memory 19 is Buppin, the article code is taken from the common memory 19 and then stored in the article code memory 13 , in step S 55 . This is followed by the processing in step S 51 .

Finally, in step S 56 , it is judged whether there is an instruction to terminate the reading operation in accordance with the operation of a switch (not shown) by the operator. When judging that there is the termination instruction, the control unit 17 terminates this tag reading processing. When judging in step S 56 that there is no termination instruction, the control unit 17 returns to the processing in step S 41 .

In this manner, even if one wireless tag reader 18 is used, the use of the identifiers enables the tag reading apparatus 1 to recognize whether the read tag is the shelf tag or the article tag even when there is no arrangement for the order of reading the shelf tag and the article tag. This ensures that the article code can be read from the article tag, and also ensures that the shelf code can be read from the shelf tag. Moreover, one wireless tag reader can be used, so that the configuration can be simplified.

Next data is stored in the common memory 19 after the data therein has been cleared in the processing of the fifth embodiment described above, but the data may be overwritten.

It is to be noted that functions and effects similar to those in the first embodiment described above can be obtained in other respects.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general invention concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.