The present invention relates to a management system comprising objects each provided with a unique

identification and with objects that can be activated for the transmission of the identification, a programmable central processing unit, and identification reading means provided with one or more ports on which the transmitted identification becomes available and connected to said unit, and the ports and transmission organ being connected to sequential switching organs that activate the

transmission organs on command of the processing unit in order to transmit the identification of the objects to the processing unit,

wherein the system comprises modules mounted between the sequential switching organs and the transmission organ, each module being assigned to a group of one or more objects, wherein the modules and the transmission organs are each provided with pair wise connected antennas .

The present invention also relates to a method of identifying, taking stock of, managing and storing the respective identification data.

A management system of the type described above is known from the American patent US 7.701.340 B2 , that discloses a device for the detection and identification of an object provided with identification means and wireless transmission means, wherein the object is present near to one reception module of a number of reception modules, wherein the device comprises:

- a number of fixed antennas each belonging to one of the reception modules;

- analogue switching means for the selectively electrically connecting of one of the antennas to a common secondary antenna ,- a primary fixed antenna electromagnetically coupled to a secondary fixed antenna; and

a common reading module arranged for reading identification data originating from the identification means, wherein the reading module is connected to the primary fixed antenna.

In an embodiment, each reception module also has individually controllable locking means for the

corresponding object.

A disadvantage of the known management systems is that such systems are relatively costly.

Therefore, it is a goal of the present invention to provide a management system that is suited for a wide range of objects that is improved, in particular in that it can be implemented at reduced costs and/or provides an

improved, in terms of safety, management without adding costs.

Therefore, the management system is provided with the features of claim 1.

Because the antennas are integrated with other components of the management system, it becomes possible to save on components and as a result to keep the costs of the system low.

Furthermore, due to the integration of the other antenna with the label, tag or sticker it becomes

relatively simple to make the system tamperproof .

An embodiment of the management system according to the invention is characterized in that the modules are realized as stowing, hanging or carrier body for the objects, and provided with mechanical locking means for the objects that are connected to the processing unit.

In that case, at the collection of several objects, only those objects can be removed from or out of the respective body that are indeed intended to be picked and taken away. For objects this is called obj ect -picking and for keys this is called key-picking.

If in an embodiment the modules are also provided with a light source, possible emitting several colours, that is connected to the processing unit, it becomes on the basis thereof immediately clear which keys for example a guard on a guard-round should and is allowed to take.

Further detailed possible embodiments as described in the claims are mentioned together with the corresponding advantages in the description below.

The method according to claim 9 also offers an improved management of objects, because due to the

comparison of weights it becomes possible to judge with an increase success rate whether returned objects are the same as the previously issued objects.

The management system and the corresponding method according to the present invention will now be clarified on the basis of the Figure below, in which a combination of several principally possible embodiments is given.

The Figure shows a management system for objects 2. The objects 2 are provided with a designation, such as a label, tag, sticker or hanger in which a readable memory is comprised in which general data, in particular unique identification data, relating to the object are stored. The object may for instance comprise a single key or a group of mutually related keys. In the designation often an antenna is housed with the aid of which transmission organs 3 are actionable in order to transmit data and/or identification data ID stored in the memory eventually to a programmable central processing unit PC. Application software 4 is processed on the PC in order to issue the necessary

commands, to manage several data and for example to makes choices relating to certain objects that are to be made available to a user of the system 1.

The management system 1 further comprises

identification reading means 5 with one or more ports 6. Often, the reading means 5 are realized as ID readers, in particular RFID readers provided with one or more antenna ports 6. Sequential switching organs 7 are connected to the ports 6, which switching organs 7 activate by command of the processing unit PC the transmission organs 3 in order to transmit the identification TD(s) of the objects 2 to the processing unit.

Examples of such organs 7 are controllable switches with multiple positions or multiplexing units. Preferably, as shown, at each port a sequence of serially connected modules is connected to a sequential switching organ 7. In that configuration an antenna signal is transmitted to an antenna 8 on a module 9 selected by the switching organs 7. Such modules 9 may for example be housed in a display, layer, or carrier frame 10 in which the antenna 8 may be integrated.

Via the other antenna in the designation at the object 2, the transmission organs are then activated wirelessly via antenna line 11, after which the ID of the object 2 present at the selected module 9 is stored in the management system 1 in decoded or demodulated form via data line 12 by the ID reader 5. Instead of the wireless contact between the pair wise coupled antennas of the object 2 and the modules 9, as shown in the figure, a physical

connection may be possible too, such as a wired connection by a connector. After that, the switching organs 7 select a different module 9 in the series of serially connected mutually connected modules, after which the read ID is transmitted to the PC processed by the reader 5 via the same port 6. In an embodiment in practice 122 serial modules are connected to the same port 6. If for example the four shown parallel ports 6 are concerned, 488

different modules with their respective object IDs can advantageously be processed by one and the same ID reader 5 in more than fourfold parallel and at one port serially executed cycles. It is further advantageous that the modules can be coupled mutually, as a result of which an extension of the system 1 can be realized easily. In a manner not specified into details the modules 9 can also be identified by means of a unique code. At each moment it is known, after passing through all cycles of all modules 9, which objects 2 are present at which module.

In practice, if the modules 9 are arranged as stowing body, or schematically shown hang or carrier body for the objects, these may be provided with the mechanical locking means 13 connected to the processing unit PC. The objects 2 can be removed from one of more modules 9 on the display 10 only when those means 13 are unlocked/released by the PC via the application software 4. This is useful in cases of collecting only predetermined and selectable objects by the user. In the case of keys, the software on the PC releases only those keys by the locking means 13 that a guard can and should use on a certain route.

Although the locking means 13 themselves may be provided with visually visible colored catches or bolts in order to simplify the selection of the released objects, it is also possible to use a light source 14, such as a LED illumination, that is controlled parallel or separately by the PC.

In a reliable variant, the keys identified by the system are weighed at issuance and later at collection in a weighing device 15 connected to the PC. By comparison of the weights, it becomes known whether probably the same intact keys are returned. After that these may be hung to arbitrary selectable modules 9, after which the system 1 identifies these again.