Tag access control system, tag access control method and tag access control program

Abstract

A tag access control system capable of setting an appropriate parameter for controlling a reader/writer can be provided. The tag access control system includes a control portion that controls data communication between an IC tag and a reader/writer by sending a command to the reader/writer in accordance with a parameter and receiving an execution result; and a parameter adjustment portion that adjusts the parameter to an appropriate value. The parameter adjustment portion includes a parameter change portion that changes the parameter a plurality of times, a result storage portion that records execution results of commands based on a plurality of parameters that are changed and a calculation portion that calculates an appropriate parameter based on the execution results stored in the result storage portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of a system including a tag access control system according to Embodiment 1.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the process in which a tag access control system 1 makes a R/W 26 execute a command.

FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of a positional relationship among the moving path of an article, a sensor and an antenna.

FIG. 4 shows one example of the data recorded in a parameter recording portion 13.

FIG. 5A shows an example of a command to read data from an IC tag, and FIG. 5B shows an example of a command to write data to an IC tag.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing one example of the process for determining an appropriate value while adjusting a parameter.

FIG. 7A shows one example of data indicating execution results and FIG. 7B shows one example of a table where IDs and parameters are associated with each other and recorded.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing one example of the process for comparing execution results.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing one example of the process for calculating a candidate parameter.

FIG. 10 is a graph representing the normal distribution with the average of t_s and the standard deviation s.

FIG. 11 is a functional diagram showing the overall configuration of a system including a tag access control system of Embodiment 2.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the process since a tag access control system 1a accepts a command and processes it until it returns the result of the processing.

FIG. 13 schematically shows an example of the data contained in the R/W information.

FIG. 14 schematically shows examples of the times T₁, T₂ and T₃ and the time periods T_a1, T_a2 and T_a3.

FIG. 15 shows an exemplary table showing parameters recorded in a parameter recording portion 13a.

FIG. 16A illustrates an example of a job list, FIG. 16B illustrates an example of a job list newly generated by the command division process and FIG. 16C illustrates an example of a job list obtained by deleting the successful divided commands.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of data representing the results of processing the divided commands.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of data representing the result of processing for each tag group.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the process for dividing a command in a job list.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an exemplary operation for determining an appropriate value while adjusting a parameter.

FIG. 21A shows one example of data indicating execution results and FIG. 21B shows one example of a table where IDs and execution results are associated with each other and recorded.

Claims

1. A tag access control system that controls data communication between a reader/writer having an antenna and an IC tag provided in an article moving within a communication range of the antenna, comprising: a parameter recording portion that records a parameter for controlling the data communication;a control portion that controls the data communication between the IC tag and the reader/writer by sending a command for making the reader/writer access the IC tag based on the parameter and receiving an execution result of the command from the reader/writer; anda parameter adjustment portion that adjusts the parameter to an appropriate value,wherein the parameter adjustment portion comprises:a parameter change portion that changes the parameter a plurality of times;a result storage portion that records a plurality of execution results of commands that the control portion sends based on a plurality of parameters that are changed by the parameter change portion, the execution results respectively being associated with the parameters on which the commands are based; anda calculation portion that calculates an appropriate parameter based on the parameters and the execution results of the commands stored in the result storage portion.

2. The tag access control system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation portion calculates the appropriate parameter by selecting, among the parameters stored in the result storage portion, a parameter with the highest probability that the corresponding command is successfully executed.

3. The tag access control system according claim 1, wherein the parameter change portion selects a parameter with a higher probability that a command corresponding to the parameter is successfully executed based on parameters and execution results of commands that have been already stored in the result storage portion, and sets the selected parameter as a parameter after change.

4. The tag access control system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the reader/writers each having an antenna are provided, and the antennas are disposed along a moving path of the article,wherein the tag access control system further comprises:a command accepting portion that accepts, from an upper system, a command indicating an instruction to write data in the IC tag or an instruction to read data from the IC tag; anda returning portion that returns a result of processing the accepted command to the upper system,whereinthe parameter recording portion records a parameter for controlling data communication by each of the plurality of reader/writers,the control portion comprises a division portion that generates a plurality of divided commands for executing an instruction indicated by the command, and the control portion controls data communication between the plurality of reader/writers and the IC tag by sending the plurality of divided commands to the plurality of reader/writers successively based on the parameter and receiving an execution result of each of the plurality of divided commands from each of the plurality of reader/writers, andin the parameter adjustment portion, the parameter change portion changes the parameter concerning the plurality of reader/writers a plurality of times, the result storage portion records execution results of the plurality of divided commands that the control portion sends to the plurality of reader/writers based on each of a plurality of parameters that are changed by the parameter change portion, the execution results respectively being associated with the parameters on which the divided commands are based; and the calculation portion calculates an appropriate parameter for the plurality of reader/writers based on the parameters and the execution results of the divided commands stored in the result storage portion.

5. A tag access control method that controls data communication between a reader/writer having an antenna and an IC tag provided in an article moving within a communication range of the antenna using a computer, comprising the steps of: a step in which a parameter change portion provided in the computer changes a parameter for controlling the data communication a plurality of times, the parameter being recorded in a parameter recording portion provided in the computer;a step in which a control portion provided in the computer sends a plurality of commands that make the reader/writer access the IC tag based on a plurality of parameters changed by the parameter change portion and receives a plurality of execution results of the commands;a step in which the control portion records the plurality of execution results associated with the parameters on which the commands are based, in a result storage portion provided in the computer; anda step in which a calculation portion provided in the computer calculates an appropriate parameter based on the parameters and the execution results of the commands stored in the result storage portion.

6. A recording medium storing a tag access control program that makes a computer execute the following processes that control data communication between a reader/writer having an antenna and an IC tag provided in an article moving within a communication range of the antenna: a parameter change process in which a parameter for controlling the data communication is changed a plurality of times, the parameter being recorded in a parameter recording portion provided in the computer;a process in which a plurality of commands that make the reader/writer access the IC tag are generated based on a plurality of parameters changed by the parameter change process and are sent to the reader/writer, and a plurality of execution results of the commands are received;a process in which the plurality of execution results associated with the parameters on which the commands are based are recorded in a result storage portion provided in the computer; anda process in which an appropriate parameter is calculated based on the parameters and the execution results of the commands stored in the result storage portion.