System for determining a relative location of a plurality of items upon a plurality of platforms

• US 10,181,112 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2014
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Krener, Olivier, Feinbier, Loic J., Schittko, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrington, Michael P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singh, Rupangini
• Application Number:
  US14/509,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system is described for determining a relative location of a plurality of items upon a plurality of platforms. The system may include a memory, an interface, and a processor. The memory may store a first item, a second item, a first period of time and a second period of time. The interface may be operative to communicate with a user and an antenna. The antenna may be able to detect an item for a period of time. The processor may be operative to receive from the antenna, via the interface, the first item, the first period of time, the second item and the second period of time. The processor may determine whether the periods of time overlap. If the periods of time overlap the processor may communicate to the user that the items are upon the same platform, otherwise that the items are on consecutive platforms.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

attaching an identification indicium to each of a plurality of items upon a plurality of platforms, wherein the identification indicium includes a microchip, and the microchip stores therein an item identification code corresponding to an item the identification indicium is attached to;

providing an antenna for scanning the identification indicium, wherein the antenna is located by an in-bound track, an out-bound track, or a roller that transports the plurality of platforms;

positioning an unloading device a determined distance from the antenna for automatically unloading the plurality of items;

scanning, by the antenna, a first identification indicium on a first item of the plurality of items;

sending, by the first identification indicium, a first identification code corresponding to the first item to the antenna;

transmitting, by the antenna, the first identification code to a reader;

determining, by the reader, the first item is located on a first platform based on the first identification code;

communicating, by the reader, location information of the first item to a server and the unloading device, wherein the location information of the first item includes the first identification code and information that the first item is located on the first platform;

scanning, by the antenna, a second identification indicium on a second item of the plurality of items, wherein the second item is scanned immediately after the first item;

sending, by the second identification indicium, a second identification code corresponding to the second item to the antenna;

transmitting, by the antenna, the second identification code to the reader;

determining, by the reader, a location of the second item by determining a relative position of the second item with respect to the first item, wherein determining the relative position of the second item with respect to the first item comprises;

presetting a time interval threshold corresponding to a maximum time that may elapse between scanning two items located on a same platform based on length of the platform;

calculating a time interval between the scanning of the first identification indicium on the first item and the second identification indicium on the second item;

comparing the calculated time interval with the preset time interval threshold;

determining the second item is located on the same platform as the first item when the calculated time interval is less than the preset time interval threshold;

determining the second item is located on a consecutive platform when the calculated time interval is more than the preset time interval threshold;

communicating, by the reader, location information of the second item to the server and the unloading device, wherein the location information of the second item includes the second identification code and information that the second item is located on the first platform or the consecutive platform based on the determined relative position of the second item with respect to the first item; and

instructing the unloading device to automatically unload the first and second items based on the location information of the first and second items.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining the relative position comprises determining an initial average time duration between scanning the first identification indicium and scanning the second identification indicium.

3. The method of claim 1, where determining the relative position comprises determining whether the antenna is still scanning the first item while the antenna starts to scan the second item.

4. The method of claim 1, where determining the relative position comprises determining a velocity of the first and second items with respect to the antenna.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether all items of the plurality of items upon the plurality of platforms have been scanned.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

scanning the first identification indicium and scanning the second identification indicium comprises scanning first and second wireless identification tags; and

the method further comprises scanning the first and second wireless identification tags when the first and second wireless identification tags are concurrently located within a signal reception range of the antenna.

7. A system, comprising:

an antenna, a reader, a server, an unloading device, which are configured to;

scan, by the antenna, a first identification indicium on a first item of a plurality of items upon a plurality of platforms, wherein the first identification indicium includes a first microchip, and the first microchip stores therein a first identification code corresponding to the first item;

send, by the first identification indicium, the first identification code to the antenna;

transmit, by the antenna, the first identification code to the reader;

determine, by the reader, the first item is located on a first platform based on the first identification code;

communicate, by the reader, location information of the first item to the server and the unloading device, wherein the location information of the first item includes the first identification code and information that the first item is located on the first platform;

scan, by the antenna, a second identification indicium on a second item of the plurality of items, wherein the second item is scanned immediately after the first item;

send, by the second identification indicium, a second identification code corresponding to the second item to the antenna;

transmit, by the antenna, the second identification code to the reader;

determine, by the reader, a location of the second item by determining a relative position of the second item with respect to the first item, wherein determining the relative position of the second item with respect to the first item comprises;

presetting a time interval threshold corresponding to a maximum time that may elapse between scanning two items located on a same platform based on length of the platform;

calculating a time interval between the scanning of the first identification indicium on the first item and the second identification indicium on the second item;

comparing the calculated time interval with the preset time interval threshold;

determining the second item is located on the same platform as the first item when the calculated time interval is less than the preset time interval threshold;

determining the second item is located on a consecutive platform when the calculated time interval is more than the preset time interval threshold;

communicate, by the reader, location information of the second item to the server and the unloading device, wherein the location information of the second item includes the second identification code and information that the second item is located on the first platform or the consecutive platform based on the determined relative position of the second item with respect to the first item; and

instruct the unloading device to automatically unload the first and second items based on the location information of the first and second items.

8. The system of claim 7, where the reader is configured to determine an initial average time duration between scanning the first identification indicium and scanning the second identification indicium to determine the relative position.

9. The system of claim 7, where the reader is configured to determine whether the antenna is still scanning the first item while the antenna starts to scan the second item.

10. The system of claim 7, where the reader is configured to determine a velocity of the first and second items with respect to the antenna to determine the relative position.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the first and second identification indicia comprise first and second wireless identification tags; and

the antenna is configured to scan the first and second wireless identification tags when the first and second wireless identification indicia are concurrently located within a signal reception range of the antenna.

12. A product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium other than a transitory signal; and

instructions stored on the computer-readable medium, the instructions configured to, when executed;

cause an antenna to scan a first identification indicium on a first item of a plurality of items upon a plurality of platforms, wherein the first identification indicium includes a first microchip, and the first microchip stores therein a first identification code corresponding to the first item;

cause the antenna to receive the first identification code sent by the first identification indicium;

cause the antenna to transmit the first identification code to a reader;

cause the reader to determine the first item is located on a first platform based on the first identification code;

cause the reader to communicate location information of the first item to a server and an unloading device, wherein the location information of the first item includes the first identification code and information that the first item is located on the first platform;

cause the antenna to scan a second identification indicium on a second item of the plurality of items, wherein the second identification indicium includes a second microchip, the second microchip stores therein a second identification code corresponding to the second item, and the second item is scanned immediately after the first item;

cause the antenna to receive the second identification code sent by the second identification indicium;

cause the antenna to transmit the second identification code to the reader;

cause the reader to determine a location of the second item by determining a relative position of the second item with respect to the first item, wherein determining the relative position of the second item with respect to the first item comprises;

presetting a time interval threshold corresponding to a maximum time that may elapse between scanning two items located on a same platform based on length of the platform;

calculating a time interval between the scanning of the first identification indicium on the first item and the second identification indicium on the second item;

comparing the calculated time interval with the preset time interval threshold;

determining the second item is located on the same platform as the first item when the calculated time interval is less than the preset time interval threshold;

determining the second item is located on a consecutive platform when the calculated time interval is more than the preset time interval threshold;

cause the reader to communicate location information of the second item to the server and the unloading device, wherein the location information of the second item includes the second identification code and information that the second item is located on the first platform or the consecutive platform based on the determined relative position of the second item with respect to the first item; and

instruct the unloading device to automatically unload the first and second items based on the location information of the first and second items.

13. The product of claim 12, where the instructions are further configured to determine an initial time duration between scanning the first identification indicium and scanning the second identification indicium to determine the relative position.

14. The product of claim 12, where the instructions are further configured to cause the reader to determine whether the antenna is still scanning the first item while the antenna starts to scan the second item.

15. The product of claim 12, where the instructions are further configured to determine whether all items of the plurality of items upon the plurality of platforms have been scanned.