JPS61206705A - Article retrieval system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To retrieve an article more reliably by providing a receiving antenna comprising three receiving coils disposed in such a manner that the axes thereof meet at right angles to each other, whereby even if an article is placed in any direction, an electric wave from a retrieval master device is reliably received. CONSTITUTION:A retrieval master device is provided with number input means for inputting an article number which is master side article number data, carrier wave generating means for generating a carrier wave of the input master side article number data, and output means for outputting the master side article number data put on the carrier wave as an electric wave. Retrieval daughter devices 7 mounted on a plurality of articles to be retrieved individually are provided with three electric wave receiving coils 31X-31Z disposed in such a manner that the axes of winding meet at right angles to each other, discrimination means for discriminating whether the above master side article number data input from the receiving coil by an electric wave is matched with preset daughter side article number data, and means for displaying according to an output of the discrimination means when both article number data of the master device and the daughter device match each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an article search system for searching for a desired item among a plurality of articles (for example, files) stored in an article storage shelf or the like (for example, a file storage shelf).

[Conventional technology and problems]

Conventional article searches, for example, in the case of file searches, have been carried out by recording a code number on the back of the file, or by pasting a label with the code number on it, which is visually recognized by humans. For this reason, files had to be arranged on shelves so that the code numbers etc. on the back could be easily recognized, and they had to be arranged, for example, in the order of the code numbers, so that they could be searched quickly.

Therefore, with the conventional method, as the number of files increases, a great deal of effort is required to organize the files, and in order to arrange the files in a way that is easy for humans to recognize and search, special shelves are required. There were some inconveniences such as the need for Please note that this situation is not limited to file searches;
The same applies to searches for the order of cardboard boxes, etc., searches for cassettes, searches for stored items in a warehouse, etc.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art as described above, and allows for easily and quickly searching for desired items without the need for specially structured shelves for storing items such as files. The purpose is to provide an article retrieval system that allows users to search for items.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a search device that inputs the article number of the article to be searched and outputs this parent article number data as a carrier wave, and a search device that is attached to each article. Parent item number data and own item number data (child item number data) transmitted by radio waves from the device
The system is equipped with a search device that compares the results and displays a message to that effect on an LCD or the like if they match. The present invention provides an article retrieval system that uses three receiving coils arranged in the same place. Furthermore, the present invention provides an article search method in which a transmitting coil is three-dimensionally arranged outside the storage space for storing articles, and the parent article number data from the search device is outputted as radio waves via the transmitting coil. system.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. )'s article search system will be briefly explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. In addition, in the following description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a system including a search master and a search slave according to Japanese Patent Application No. 59-228357. A 10 key 2 for inputting a file number and a display 3 for displaying the input file number as a 4-digit, 7-segment number are provided on the front surface of the search slave device main body 1. Further, a high frequency power amplifier 4 is connected to the search slave device main body 1.

A high frequency coil 5 connected to a high frequency power amplifier 4 is attached to the inner wall of a file storage shelf 8.

On the other hand, a search slave main body 7 is provided on the back side of the file 6 stored in the file storage shelf 8.

The search slave main body 7 is equipped with a clock signal receiving coil and a data signal receiving coil (not shown in FIG. 2), and is configured to receive and receive clock signals and data signals sent as radio waves from the search parent domain. This search slave main body 7 is attached to each file 6 one by one.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the search engine and high frequency power amplifier shown in FIG. 2. 10 key 2 as a number input method
Both the parent side file number data inputted from the shift register 12 and the clock pulse outputted from the clock pulse generation circuit 11 are inputted to the shift register 12. shift register 12
inputs data in parallel and outputs the data serially in synchronization with clock pulses, and the output is AND gate 1-G1 . G2 and the latch decoder driver 13
given to. The latch decoder driver 13 drives the display 3 to display the file number input using the 10 key 2.

The output from the clock carrier generation circuit 14 is given to the other terminal of the AND gate G1.
The output from the data carrier generation circuit 16 is given to the other terminal of the data carrier wave generation circuit 16. These AND gates G1. The output of G2 is given to the high frequency power amplifier 4, amplified by the broadband carrier amplifier 21, and output as a radio wave from the high frequency coil (transmission coil) 5. A clock/data switching inverter G3 is provided to invert the input to G1, and an AND gate G1. Since the clock/data switching OR gate G4 is provided on the output side of G2, the high frequency coil 5 outputs the clock signal and the data signal while being alternately switched.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the search child device shown in FIG. 2. The clock signal component of the radio wave generated from the high-frequency coil 5 used for both the clock signal and data signal shown in FIG. Further, the data signal component is received by the data signal receiving coil 23, passes through the data detection circuit 75, and passes through the shift 1 register 7.
3 is input serially.

The number designation switch 76 is used to designate its own file number, and the designated number data (child side file number data) is sent to the exclusive OR (EXOR) gate G3. G4
．． 15J: Discrimination circuit 7 consisting of AND'7''-g5
7 is given. The determination circuit 77 compares the parent file number data provided from the shift register 73 and the child file number data provided from the number designation switch 76, and sets the RS flip-flop 78 when the two match. Note that the RS flip-flop 78 can be reset by operating a reset switch 79.

An LCD (liquid crystal display) decoder 80 is supplied with a signal for driving the LCD from an LCD bias oscillation circuit 81, and is also supplied with an output signal of an RS flip-flop 78. LCD decoder 80 operates LCD 82 when RS flip-flop 78 is set. Note that power from the solar cell 83 is supplied to the above circuit.

On the other hand, the output of the RS flip 70 knob 78 is the electronic buzzer 2.
It is also given to the buzzer driver 25 that drives the 4. Therefore, the electronic buzzer 24 generates a buzzer sound when the RS flip-flop 78 is set. Note that this electronic buzzer is also driven by power from the solar cell 83.

Further, the output of the RS flip 70 knob 78 is also given to the take-out lever driver 26. Therefore, RS flip 7
When the zero knob 78 is set, current is applied to the solenoid 27, and the take-out lever 28 projects in the direction of arrow a. In addition,
This take-out lever is also driven by the solar cell 85.

Next, patent application No. 59-228357 shown in Figures 2 to 4
This section explains how to search for files using the No. 1 system. First, before storing the files 6 on the shelf, the user operates the number designation switch 76 on the search child device main body 7 to assign a unique file number (child side file number data) to each file 6. Next, when the file number of the file 6 to be searched is entered by operating the 10 key 2 on the search device main body 1, that number is displayed on the display 3, and is transmitted by radio waves from the high frequency coil 5 and output as rule file number data. Ru. Clock signal receiving coil 22 and data signal receiving coil 2
The rule file number data received in No. 3 is sent to the discrimination circuit 77.
The data is compared with the child file number data, and the LCD 82 of the matching file 6 is operated and a buzzer sound is generated.

This allows the searcher to easily find the desired file 6. Furthermore, since a take-out lever 28 protrudes from the corresponding file 6, it can be hooked on with a take-out device or the like and taken out automatically.

According to the article search system as described above, it is possible to search for articles easily and quickly.

However, when one coil is used as the receiving antenna attached to the search slave main body 7, there is a drawback that the article cannot be searched depending on the direction in which the article is placed. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the situation.

As shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that files 6A, 6B, and 6G placed in the file storage space are oriented in different directions by 45 degrees. Then, each search child device body 7
Coil winding shafts 3a of receiving coils 31a, 31b, and 31c, which are attached to terminals A, 7B, and 7C and are used for both clock and data signals.

It is assumed that Sb and Sc form O', 45°, and 90° with respect to the coil winding axis So of the high-frequency coil 5 for transmission. Assuming this, the maximum receiving sensitivity can be obtained with the receiving coil 31a, but the sensitivity with the receiving coil 31b is only about 50% compared to the receiving coil 31a, and the sensitivity with the receiving coil 31c is almost zero. Put it away. The relationship between the angle that the axis of the transmitting coil 5 makes with the axes of the receiving coils 31a to 31C and the sensitivity of the receiving coils 31a to 31c is as shown in the characteristic diagram of FIG. 6.

In this way, in the article search system of Japanese Patent Application No. 59-228357, the closer the angle of the axis of the receiving coil to the axis of the transmitting coil is to 90'', the worse the reception sensitivity becomes, and therefore the more difficult it becomes to search for articles. The present invention has been made to solve this problem.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a search slave device according to an embodiment. The slave device case 32 includes a search slave body 7 and three receiving coils 3.
1X, 31V, and 31Z are stored. The winding axes Sx, Sy, and Sx of the receiving coils 31X to 31z are orthogonal to each other.

In this way, the three receiving coils 31x to 31Z are orthogonal to each other and are combined to form one receiving antenna, so no matter what direction the file is facing in the storage space, it will not be transmitted. Radio waves from the reliable high-frequency coil 5 can be appropriately received.

FIG. 7 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the receiving antenna shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a receiving characteristic diagram thereof. As shown in FIG. 7, the equivalent circuit of the receiving coils 31X to 31Z can be expressed as a parallel circuit of capacitance and inductance. The receiving characteristics are shown in Figure 8, and even if the receiving antenna is oriented three-dimensionally, the difference between the minimum output voltage and the maximum output voltage from the receiving antenna is 1Z.
It can be kept within 2.

According to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 7, and 8 above, no matter what direction the searched article is placed (for example, file 6A in FIG. 5).

68.6G), it can be searched easily and reliably. However, even with this first embodiment, the following problems (1) to (4) cannot be solved.

(2) The sensitivity characteristic of the transmitting coil increases along the winding surface of the coil, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 9, and suddenly decreases away from the winding surface. Therefore, if the item to be searched enters the inner part of the storage space and the receiving coil moves away from the transmitting coil, it becomes impossible to receive the signal from the main search unit. Furthermore, if the output of the high-frequency transmitting coil is increased in order to increase the receiving sensitivity, there is a drawback that the clock signal and the data signal will interfere with each other when the receiving coil approaches.

(2) In the first embodiment, three receiving coils (six receiving coils when receiving the clock and data separately) are attached to each search child device, which increases the cost.

(2) In the first embodiment, three or six coils must be arranged three-dimensionally, which increases the thickness of the retrieval unit and makes it inconvenient to handle.

The second embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 is based on the above
This was done in order to solve the problem in ①.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a transmitting antenna according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, three pairs of transmitting coils 5x, 5y, and 5z are three-dimensionally arranged outside a storage space (for example, a storage shelf) 34 for storing articles (files). That is, the transmitting coil 5x shown by the solid line in the figure is placed in the storage space 34.
The transmitter coil 5y indicated by a dashed line is wound along two planes that are perpendicular to these two planes, and the transmitter coil 5z indicated by a broken line is wound along two planes that are orthogonal to both of these planes. Wind it along. Although the storage space 34 is shown as a rectangular parallelepiped in FIG. 10, it is not limited to this, and may be any shape such as a cube or a cylinder.

FIG. 11 shows the sensitivity characteristics of the transmitting coil 5x shown in FIG. 10. As shown by the broken line in the figure, the sensitivity is high near the coil and low at the center, that is, the center of the storage space 34. This sensitivity characteristic appears similarly for the other two transmitting coils 5V and 5Z. Therefore, when the coils are arranged three-dimensionally as shown in Figure 10,
These three transmitting coils 5x are located within the storage space 34.

The sensitivities of 5V and 5Z are multiplied, and as a result, the sensitivity of the entire interior of the storage space 34 becomes uniformly high.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the file 6 to which only one receiving coil is attached can be oriented in any direction and placed in any position, and the file 6 can be searched easily and quickly.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the output signal and the data signal are transmitted separately on radio waves (synchronous type), but
Application by the present inventors (filed on February 28, 1985)
Even if a clock signal and a data signal are combined before being output on a radio wave, and the combined signal is received by a search slave device and the data signal is separated (asynchronous type), as in the item search system related to good.

Further, in the above embodiment, the number input means is 10 keys, but it is not limited to this, and keys for inputting alphabetic characters etc. may also be used (in this case, the file is indicated by an alphabetic code). . Further, the display is not limited to a 7-segment, 4-digit display, but may be any display, such as a 6-digit or 8-digit display.

Furthermore, the display means to display that the numbers match is the LCD.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any device such as an LED (light emitting diode) or an audio output device may be used. Furthermore, the power source of the search slave device is not limited to a solar battery, but may be any type such as a mercury battery or a lithium battery.

On the other hand, high-frequency coils for transmission may be provided separately, one dedicated to clock signals and one dedicated to data signals (in this case, OR gate G4 etc. are not required), or a coil for reception may be used also. Furthermore, it goes without saying that it is not essential to provide all of the LCD, electronic buzzer, and take-out lever, and they can be selected as necessary. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to searching for files.
It can be applied to searching for all kinds of items, such as searching for cardboard boxes and the like, searching for cassette tapes, searching for stored items in warehouses, etc.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention does not require a specially structured shelf or the like for storing items such as files, and not only allows a desired item to be easily and quickly searched for, but also allows receiving antennas to be aligned with each other. The device is constructed with three receiving coils arranged so that they are orthogonal to each other, so that no matter what direction the item is placed, the radio waves from the main search device will be reliably received.
Therefore, it is possible to obtain an article search system that can perform searches more reliably. In addition, by arranging the transmitting coil three-dimensionally outside the storage space, we have created an item search system that can reliably search for items no matter where they are placed in the storage space, and can make the search slave device compact. can get.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a search child device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external appearance of a system including a search parent device and a search child device according to an example of an article search system provided for explanation of the present invention. Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of the search parent unit and high frequency power amplifier shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of the search slave unit shown in Figure 2. 6 is a characteristic diagram illustrating the problem, FIG. 7 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the receiving coil according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram thereof, FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating other problems of the system shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, and FIG. 10 is an arrangement of transmitting coils according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the sensitivity characteristics of the transmitting coil shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a file used in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. 1...Search sub unit body, 2...10 keys, 4...High frequency power amplifier, 5, 5x, 5y, 5Z...High frequency coil (transmission coil), 6...File, 7...・Search slave unit body, 22...Clock signal receiving coil, 23・
...Data signal receiving coil, 24...Electronic buzzer, 2
8... Ejection lever, 31.31a, 31b, 31c. 31x, 31V, 312-... receiving coil, 34-...
Storage space, 76...Number designation switch, 77...
-Discrimination circuit, 79...reset switch. Applicant's agent Kiyo Inomata Figure 5, 6, Oni, 7, Fan, 8, Figure 9

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A search parent device and a plurality of search slave devices attached to a plurality of searched articles individually, the search parent device having a number for inputting an article number serving as the parent side article number data. The search slave device has an input means, a carrier wave generation means for generating a carrier wave of the input parent article number data, and an output means for outputting the parent article number data on the carrier wave as a radio wave. The three radio wave receiving coils are arranged such that their winding axes are perpendicular to each other, and the child product number is preset with the parent product number data inputted from the receiving coil by the radio waves. a determining means for determining whether the data matches the data;
and display means for displaying a match based on the output of the determining means when the parent side and child side article number data match each other. 2. The article search system according to claim 1, wherein the number input means has 10 keys. 3. Claim 1, wherein the display means includes an LCD.
Item retrieval system according to item or item 2. 4. The display means includes an LCD and a lever that operates based on the output of the discrimination means when the parent side and child side article number data match.
Item retrieval system according to item or item 2. 5. The article search system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the power source of the search slave device is a solar battery. 6. The search device comprises a search parent device, a transmitting means disposed in a predetermined storage space, and a plurality of search slave devices individually attached to a plurality of searched items stored in the predetermined storage space, The parent device includes a number input means for inputting an article number serving as the parent article number data, a carrier wave generating means for generating a carrier wave of the inputted parent article number data, and a carrier wave generating means for placing the parent article number data on the carrier wave. and an output means for outputting radio waves as radio waves, the transmitting means being wound coaxially with each other along each of two parallel first planes on both sides of the storage space and connected to the output means. one transmitting coil pair and a second pair of transmitting coils wound coaxially with each other along each of two mutually parallel second planes on both sides of the storage space perpendicular to the first two planes, and connected to the output means. a second transmitting coil pair and a third pair of transmitting coils wound coaxially with each other along each of two mutually parallel third planes on both sides of the storage space that are orthogonal to each of the first and second two planes, and the output means; a third pair of transmitting coils connected to the search slave device, and the search slave device has an input means for inputting the radio waves, and a slave article number in which the parent article number data inputted by the radio waves is set in advance. Article retrieval comprising: a determining means for determining whether the data match; and a display means for displaying a match based on the output of the determining means when the parent side and child side article number data match each other. system. 7. The article search system according to claim 6, wherein the number input means has a 10 key. 8. Claim 6, wherein the display means includes an LCD.
Item retrieval system according to item or item 7. 9. The display means includes an LCD and a lever that operates based on the output of the discrimination means when the parent side and child side article number data match.
Item retrieval system according to item or item 7. 10. The article search system according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the power source of the search slave device is a solar battery.