Tracking system with mobile reader

• US 10,634,761 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Inventors: Hill, Edward L., Deffebach, III, Harry Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Dionne
• Application Number:
  US14/568,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10376 the interrogation device being adapted for being moveable
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A tracking system uses a mobile reader or scanner that scans, for example through a barcode reader, a passive tag reader, a probe, input, camera, or an active RF tag communication reader, and records item (asset or inventory) data. After being recorded, this item data and other relevant data is sent by radio transmission to a receiver network in the tracking system. The receiver network has at least two receivers (or at least two receiver antennae). The scanner location data, calculated by comparing the signal information at each receiver antenna receiving the radio transmission, is then used to register and record the location data of the scanned item.

Claims

1. A tracking system comprising:

a mobile reader adapted to be handheld or worn by an individual who holds or wears the mobile reader to scan a data source in order to read therefrom item data associated with an item, the mobile reader having a radio-frequency (RF) transmitter that wirelessly transmits the item data in an RF signal;

a radio receiver network including at least two receiver antennae that receive the RF signal transmitted by the mobile reader;

a comparator circuit coupled to the radio receiver network and configured to determine a timing difference between the RF signal received by one of the at least two receiver antennae and the RF signal received by another of the at least two receiver antennae; and

a central processing unit in communication with the comparator circuit to acquire the timing difference, the central processing unit being configured to calculate based on the timing difference a physical location at which the mobile reader scanned the data source in order to read the item data, to identify the item based on the item data transmitted from the mobile reader, and to associate the identified item with the calculated physical location at which the mobile reader scanned the data source in order to read the item data.

2. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the item data is physically attached to or embedded in the item.

3. The tracking system of claim 1 wherein the data source from which the item data is recorded includes an image of the item.

4. The tracking system of claim 3, wherein the mobile reader includes an infrared camera for scanning the barcode in order to read the item data associated with the item.

5. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter sends an RF transmission that activates a passive transponder tag, and wherein the passive transponder tag, in response to being activated by the RF transmission sent by the transmitter, transmits the item data read by the mobile reader.

6. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter sends an RF transmission that activates an active transceiver tag and wherein the active transceiver tag, in response to being activated by the RF transmission sent by the transmitter, transmits the item data read by the mobile reader.

7. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit includes a memory storing a database of item locations, the database being populated using captured item data and associated physical locations.

8. The tracking system of claim 1, further comprising a radio transmitter coupled to the central processing unit, wherein the central processing unit causes the radio transmitter to transmit a signal to the mobile reader indicating if the read item data associated with a given item and calculated physical location match item data and associated physical location stored for that given item.

9. The tracking system of claim 8, wherein the central processing unit sends the mobile reader the stored physical location for the given item when the read item data and calculated physical location for the given item do not match the stored item data and associated physical location.

10. The tracking system of claim 1 wherein the mobile reader includes a sensor that detects a condition of an environment where the mobile reader is located.

11. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit includes memory storing item data associated with physical locations in an area covered by the radio receiver network, and, in response to receiving the item data recorded by the mobile reader and to calculating the physical location at which the item data is recorded by the mobile reader, compares the item data recorded by the mobile reader with the stored item data and associated physical locations.

12. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the mobile reader is a barcode scanner.

13. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein a pair of augmented reality glasses comprises the mobile reader.

14. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein a glove comprises the mobile reader.

15. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the data source is a label.