RFID tag reading rate

Abstract

An RFID system of the present invention has a plurality of antennas for reading data from an RFID tag; an antenna configuration storage unit for prestoring a position of each of the plurality of antennas; a position detection unit for detecting a position of the RFID tag; and an antenna control unit for selecting one or more of the antennas that read the RFID tag, based on the position of the RFID tag detected by the position detection unit and on the position of each of the plurality of antennas stored in the antenna configuration storage unit, and for preferentially activating the selected one or more of the antennas.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an RFID system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an RFID reader illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of an RFID system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the RFID reader illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of an RFID system according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of an RFID system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. An RFID system, comprising: a plurality of antennas for reading data from an RFID tag;an antenna configuration storage unit for prestoring the position of each of the plurality of antennas;a position detection unit for detecting the position of the RFID tag; andan antenna control unit for selecting one or more of the antennas that read the RFID tag, based on the position of the RFID tag detected by the position detection unit and the position of each of the plurality of antennas stored in the antenna configuration storage unit, and for preferentially activating the selected one or more of the antennas.

2. The RFID system according to claim 1, wherein the antenna configuration storage unit also prestores an inclination angle of each of the plurality of antennas;the position detection unit also detects an inclination angle of the RFID tag; andthe antenna control unit selects one or more of the antennas that read the RFID tag, based on the position and inclination angle of the RFID tag detected by the position detection unit and on the position and inclination angle of each of the plurality of antennas stored in the antenna configuration storage unit, and preferentially activates the selected one or more of the antennas.

3. The RFID system according to claim 1, wherein the position detection unit is a distance sensor that detects the distance to the position of the RFID tag.

4. The RFID system according to claim 1, wherein the position detection unit consists of: an image taking unit for taking an image of the RFID tag; andan image recognition unit for performing image recognition of an image of the RFID tag taken by the image taking unit to thereby measure the distance to the position of the RFID tag and the inclination angle of the RFID tag.

5. An RFID reading method for an RFID system that reads data from an RFID tag by means of a plurality of antennas, the method comprising: a storage step of prestoring a position of each of the plurality of antennas;a position detection step of detecting a position of the RFID tag; anda control step of selecting one or more of the antennas that read the RFID tag, based on the position of the RFID tag detected at the position detection step and on the position of each of the plurality of antennas that is stored at the storage step, and of preferentially activating the selected one or more of the antennas.

6. The RFID reading method according to claim 5, wherein the storage step also prestores an inclination angle of each of the plurality of antennas;the position detection step also detects an inclination angle of the RFID tag; andthe control step selects one or more of the antennas that read the RFID tag, based on the position, on the inclination angle of the RFID tag detected at the position detection step and on the position and inclination angle of each of the plurality of antennas stored at the storage step, and preferentially activates the selected one or more of the antennas.