Wireless RFID-based hand sensory apparatus with contextual antenna selection

• US 10,019,613 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: DeBates, Scott P., Shah, Jagatkumar V., Hor-Lao, Mary Khun, Lautner, Douglas Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US15/403,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20180196978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 235451, 235375, 23546244, 23547202, 3405721, 3405727, 340 101
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10396 the interrogation device being wearable, e.g. as a glove, bracelet, or ring wearable aerials in general H01Q1/27

Abstract

In aspects of a wireless RFID-based hand sensory apparatus with contextual antenna selection, a wearable article is worn by a user who moves items that each have an RFID tag. A tracking system implemented in the wearable article includes a RFID reader designed to interrogate the RFID tags and receive an identification response from each of the RFID tags associated with the respective items. The tracking system also includes an omnidirectional antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tags of a group of the items, and includes a narrow beam antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tag of a selected item. The wearable article can be a glove of a pair of gloves with the narrow beam antenna implemented in the index finger of the glove, and the narrow beam antenna is directional based on where the user points the index finger.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a wearable article worn by a user who moves items, each of the items having a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, and the wearable article is a glove;

a tracking system implemented in the wearable article, the tracking system comprising;

a RFID reader designed to interrogate the RFID tags and receive an identification response from each of the RFID tags associated with the respective items;

an omnidirectional antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tags of a group of the items;

a narrow beam antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tag of a selected one of the items; and

a circuit to switch between the omnidirectional antenna and the narrow beam antenna usable by the RFID reader, the circuit activated by contact between two contact regions of the glove.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the wearable article is the glove of a pair of gloves and the circuit is activated by contact of a thumb of the glove to an index finger of the glove as the two contact regions of the glove.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the narrow beam antenna is implemented in the index finger of the glove, and the narrow beam antenna is directional based on where the user points the index finger of the glove.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the selected one of the items is a package for delivery; and

the tracking system includes a processing system to execute tracking logic that verifies the selected one of the items corresponds to an order for the item based on the identification response to the RFID reader from the RFID tag of the item.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the tracking logic generates user feedback as verification that the selected one of the items corresponds to the order for the item, the user feedback including at least one of a visible verification, an audio verification, or a haptic feedback verification that the item corresponds to the order for the item.

6. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the group of items are packages for delivery; and

the tracking logic verifies that the group of the items corresponds to an order for the group of the items based on the identification responses to the RFID reader from the respective RFID tags of the items.

7. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the tracking logic initiates a switch of the RFID reader from using the omnidirectional antenna to using the narrow beam antenna.

8. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the tracking logic turns off the RFID reader and initiates an alternate RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tags and receive an identification response from each of the RFID tags associated with the respective items, the alternate RFID reader implemented external to the tracking system and the wearable article.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the tracking system that is implemented in the wearable article includes a force sensor to register a force on the selected one of the items; and

the RFID reader switches from use of the omnidirectional antenna to the narrow beam antenna based on the force on the selected one of the items.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein:

the tracking system that is implemented in the wearable article includes a motion sensor to sense motion of the glove; and

the RFID reader switches from use of the omnidirectional antenna to the narrow beam antenna based on the force on the selected one of the items and the motion of the wearable article.

11. A method, comprising:

initiating a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader in a wearable article to interrogate RFID tags associated with items that are moved by a user, each of the items having a RFID tag and movable with the wearable article worn by the user who moves the items, the wearable article being a glove;

switching between an omnidirectional antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tags of a group of the items and a narrow beam antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tag of a selected one of the items, said switching between the omnidirectional antenna and the narrow beam antenna with a circuit that is activated by contact between two contact regions of the glove; and

receiving an identification response from each of the RFID tags associated with the respective items responsive to the RFID reader interrogation using one of the omnidirectional antenna or the narrow beam antenna.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the wearable article is the glove of a pair of gloves and the circuit that is activated by contact of a thumb of the glove to an index finger of the glove as the two contact regions of the glove.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the narrow beam antenna is implemented in the index finger of the glove, and the narrow beam antenna is directional based on where the user points the index finger of the glove.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the selected one of the items is a package for delivery, and the method further comprising:

verifying that the selected one of the items corresponds to an order for the item based on the identification response to the RFID reader from the RFID tag of the item.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

generating user feedback as verification that the selected one of the items corresponds to the order for the item, the user feedback including at least one of a visible verification, an audio verification, or a haptic feedback verification that the item corresponds to the order for the item.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

turning off the RFID reader; and

initiating an alternate RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tags and receive an identification response from each of the RFID tags associated with the respective items, the alternate RFID reader implemented external to the wearable article.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

registering a force on the selected one of the items with a force sensor of a tracking system implemented in the wearable article worn by the user;

sensing motion of the wearable article with a motion sensor of the tracking system; and

switching the RFID reader from using the omnidirectional antenna to using the narrow beam antenna based on the force on the selected one of the items and the motion of the wearable article.

18. A system, comprising:

a wearable article worn by a user who moves items, each of the items having a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag;

a RFID reader designed to interrogate the RFID tags and receive an identification response from each of the RFID tags associated with the respective items;

a tracking system implemented in the wearable article, the tracking system comprising;

a force sensor to register a force on the selected one of the items; and

an antenna system usable by a RFID reader, the antenna system including an omnidirectional antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tags of a group of the items, and the antenna system including a narrow beam antenna usable by the RFID reader to interrogate the RFID tag of a selected one of the items, the RFID reader switching from use of the omnidirectional antenna to the narrow beam antenna based on the force on the selected one of the items.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the wearable article is a glove of a pair of gloves and the tracking system implemented in the glove comprises a circuit to switch from the omnidirectional antenna to the narrow beam antenna usable by the RFID reader, the circuit activated by contact of a thumb of the glove to an index finger of the glove.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the narrow beam antenna is implemented in the index finger of the glove, and the narrow beam antenna is directional based on where the user points the index finger of the glove.