Variably spaced multi-point RFID tag reader systems and methods

• US 10,328,329 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Timing Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovative Timing Systems LLC
• Inventors: Hansen, Kurt S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afrifa-Kyei, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US15/985,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20180296899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/15 with identification means that can be read by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/54 Transponders, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0616 Means for conducting or scheduling competition, league, tournaments or rankings
• 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 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/24 Race time-recorders

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining a time of a passing at a reference line of an RFID tag traveling along a route and a time of lapsing of the tracked RFID tag on the route, the system have a plurality of spaced apart tag reader systems for wirelessly obtaining tag reads, wherein at least one of the tag reader systems is space apart from the reference line. The timing system receives a plurality of tag reads and determines the time of passing of the RFID at the reference line responsive to the plurality of received tag read messages received from the plurality of tag reader systems.

Claims

1. A system for determining a time of a passing at a timing point reference line of an RFID tag traveling along a route, said system comprising:

a first RFID tag reader system having a processor, a memory, a clock, a communication interface, and a first radio frequency transceiver configured for wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag, and having one or more first antennas coupled to the first radio frequency transceiver configured for positioning at a first monitoring position relative to the timing point reference line, the first RFID tag reader system configured for transmitting via the one or more first antennas first tag read requests and receiving via the one or more first antennas one or more first tag reads from the RFID tag,

a second RFID tag reader system that includes a processor, a memory, a clock, a communication interface, and a second radio frequency transceiver configured for wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag, and having one or more second antennas coupled to the second radio frequency transceiver configured for positioning at a second monitoring position relative to the timing point reference line and spaced apart from the first monitoring position, the second RFID tag reader system configured for transmitting via the one or more second antennas second tag read requests and receiving via the one or more second antennas one or more second tag reads from the RFID tag, the one or more second antennas configured for positioning at an offset distance along the route from the timing point reference line, and

a timing system configured for storing in a timing system memory a tag reader normalization parameter associated with the timing point reference line and further configured for determining a time of passing of the RFID tag at the timing point reference line responsive to the received first and second tag reads and the stored tag reader normalization.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first one or more antennas are configured for positioning at a first offset distance along the route from the timing point reference line and wherein the second one or more antennas are configured for positioning at a second offset distance along the route from the timing point reference line.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the first offset distance is zero and the first monitoring position is coincidental with the timing point reference line and the second offset distance is not zero.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein neither the first nor second offset distances are zero and neither the first nor second monitoring positions is coincidental with the timing point reference line.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the timing system is configured for computing an average delta time for each of the received one or more first tag reads and for each of the one or more second tag reads and wherein the timing system is configured for determining the time of passing of the RFID tag at the timing point reference line responsive to the computed average delta times.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein one or both of the first and second RFID tag reader systems transmit a plurality of first and second tag reads, respectively, and wherein each average delta time is computed on each of the plurality of first and second tag reads from the first and second RFID tag reader systems.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is a passive RFID tag and wherein each of the wireless radio frequency transceivers of the first and second RFID tag reader systems are configured to transmit a powering activation message and a read request message to the RFID tag and wherein the first and second tag read requests are continuously transmitted as pulses.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein each first and second tag read includes a data packet having a tag reader system identifier, a tag read time, and a tag serial number, wherein the timing system determines the time of passing of the RFID tag at the timing point reference line in response to the tag read times.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein each first and second tag read includes a data packet having a tag reader system identifier, and a tag serial number.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second tag reader systems includes a plurality of antennas and wherein each first and second tag read includes a data packet having an antenna identifier that is unique to each antenna of the plurality of antennas and wherein the timing system is configured for determining the time of passing of the RFID tag at the timing point reference line responsive to the antenna identifiers received with two or more of the first and second tag reads.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of antenna are spaced apart from one another, and wherein a location of each of the plurality of antenna relative to the monitoring point at which the tag reader is located is configured to be stored in a timing system memory, and wherein the time of passing is determined as a function of a comparison of the stored location for the plurality of antenna from which the tag reads are received.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second RFID tag readers is configured to receive a plurality of the first and second tag reads from the RFID tag, and wherein each is configured to transmit its tag read to include a selected one of the plurality of one or more first and one or more second tag reads.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the selected one of the plurality of one or more first and one or more second tag reads is a last such tag read received via the one or more first antennas and the one or more second antennas.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the timing system is configured for determining the time of passing at the timing point reference line by performing the steps of:

recording the time stamp by the first tag reader that is a time at a start of a monitored zone transition elapsed time, and

recording a time stamp by the second RFID tag reader that is a time at an end of the monitored zone transition elapsed time,

the method of the timing system further comprising

computing the monitored zone transition elapsed time for the RFID tag traveling between the first and second monitoring positions as the difference between determined time of passing of the second monitored point and determined time of passing of the first monitored point; and

determining a tag reader normalization parameter as a function of the computed monitored zone transition elapsed time.

15. A method for determining a time of a passing at a timing point reference line of an RFID tag traveling along a route, said method comprising:

wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag via one or more first antennas coupled to a first radio frequency transceiver of a first RFID tag reader system configured for positioning at a first monitoring position relative to the timing point reference line,

transmitting, by the first RFID tag reader system via the one or more first antennas, first tag read requests and receiving, by the first RFID tag reader system via the one or more first antennas, one or more first tag reads from the RFID tag,

wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag via one or more second antennas coupled to a second radio frequency transceiver of a second RFID tag reader system configured for positioning at a second monitoring position relative to the timing point reference line and spaced apart from the first monitoring position,

transmitting, by the second RFID tag reader system via the one or more second antennas, second tag read requests and receiving, by the second RFID tag reader system via the one or more second antennas, one or more second tag reads from the RFID tag, the one or more second antennas positioned at an offset distance along the route from the timing point reference line,

storing in a timing system memory a tag reader normalization parameter associated with the timing point reference line, and

determining a time of passing of the RFID tag at the timing point reference line responsive to the received first and second tag reads and the stored tag reader normalization parameter.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising;

identifying each antenna having received each of the one or more first tag reads and the one or more second tag reads,

generating a tag read message to include an antenna identifier for each identified antenna, and

computing an average delta time for each tag read as a function of the antenna identifier.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of a plurality of antenna of the one or more first antennas and the one or more second antennas are spaced apart from one another, the method including storing a location of each of the plurality of antenna relative to a monitoring point at which a tag reader is located, and wherein the determining of the time of passing is a function of a comparison of the stored location for two or more antenna from which tag read messages are received.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a position of the RFID tag relative to the first and second monitoring positions and wherein determining the time of passing of the RFID tag at the timing point reference line includes associating the determined position of the RFID tag relative to the first and second monitoring positions.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein determining the time of passing of the RFID tag at the timing point reference line includes identifying a position of the timing point reference line relative to both the first and second monitoring positions.

20. The method of claim 15 recording a time stamp as a time at a start of a monitored one transition elapsed time and recording a time stamp as a time at an end of the monitored one transition elapsed time, the method of the timing system further includes computing a monitored zone transition elapsed time for the RFID tag traveling between the first and second monitoring positions both within proximity for detecting the time of passing by the timing point reference line as the difference between determined time of passing of the second monitoring position and determined time of passing of the first monitoring position.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising determining the tag reader normalization parameter as a function of the computed monitored zone transition elapsed time.