Object detection system

• US 20020014955A1
• Filed: 08/08/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BlueTags A/S
• Original Assignee: BlueTags A/S
• Inventors: Klitsgaard, Niels Christian
• Granted Patent: US 6,624,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.42
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/24 Devices for sound-producing, piercing, gas-discharging, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for detecting and identifying an object. More specifically the invention relates to a tag for attachment e.g. to luggage, the tag being adapted for transmission of an identifiable signal and a receiver for detecting and identifying the signal. The invention is concerned with use of the Internet and handheld terminals such as mobile phones in combination with Bluetooth™ or DECT technology for communicating information in relation to the object.

Claims

1. An object detection system comprising:

at least one first transmitting unit to be located near the object, the first unit having an identity and being provided with a transmitter for transmitting a first signal representing the identity of the first transmitting unit, and

a receiving unit provided with a receiver for receiving the first signal, the receiving unit being adapted to generate a second signal in case the first signal represents the identity of one of said at least one first transmitting unit,

the receiving unit being adapted to receive the first signal when the distance between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit is within a predetermined interval.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first transmitting unit comprises an active transmitting unit, provided with power driven means for transmitting the first signal in the form of a radio signal and wherein the first transmitting unit comprises a power source.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second signal comprises a signal selected from the group consisting of an acoustic signal, an optical signal, a motional signal, a radio signal, and an infrared signal.

4. A system according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the first unit comprises an electronic data processing unit, and wherein the first unit is adapted to receive an activation signal, the electronic data processing unit being adapted to activate transmission of said first signal in response to a recognition of the activation signal.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the activation signal is transmitted by a second transmitting unit

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein the activation signal is generated by a switch operationally connected to the first unit.

7. A system according to any of claims 4-6, wherein the activation signal comprises an insignia representing an identity of the second transmitting unit.

8. A system according to any of claims 4-7, wherein the activation signal comprises an insignia representing an identity of the first transmitting unit.

9. A system according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising an initialisation unit adapted to transmit an initialisation signal to the first transmitting unit, the first transmitting unit comprising memory means for storing data representative of the initialisation signal.

10. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of either

the first signal,

the second signal,

the activation signal, and

the initialisation signal

is transmitted as a radio signal with a frequency range, the frequency range being in the order of 2, 4 GHz.

11. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first unit is adapted to operate in a first mode and a second mode, the power consumption of the first unit when operating in the first mode being lower than the power consumption of the first unit when operating in the second mode.

12. A system according to claim 10 and 11, wherein the first unit is adapted to shift from the operation in the first mode to operation in the second mode upon detection of a radio signal within the frequency range.

13. A system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the first and/or the second unit is adapted to select a radio frequency band within said frequency range for the transmission of the first and second signal, the frequency band being selected from a number of predefined frequency bands.

14. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined interval is 0,01-10000 meters, such as 10-90 meters, such as 20-80 meters or such as 1-10 meters.

15. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving unit comprises data input means for user input of the predetermined interval.

16. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and/or the second signal contains a message.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the message is encrypted by the first transmitting unit, and wherein the receiving unit is adapted to decrypt the message.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the message is encrypted by means of an encryption key stored in the memory means.

19. A system according to claim 17, wherein the encryption key is part of the initialisation data.

20. A system according to any of claims 16-19, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate a notification signal in response to the message.

21. A system according to any of claims 16-19, wherein the receiving unit comprises a display adapted to represent data representative of the message.

22. A system according to any of claims 9-21, wherein the initialisation unit is integrated in the receiving unit.

23. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving unit is integrated in a cellular phone.

24. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving unit is integrated in a palm pilot.

25. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the signal is transmitted with a communication protocol, and wherein the protocol corresponds to the protocol for Bluetooth™

communication.

26. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and the second signal is transmitted as an acoustic signal.

27. A system according to claim 26, wherein the frequency of the acoustic signal is between 20 kHz and 50 kHz, such as 25 kHz.

28. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and the second signal is transmitted as an optic signal.

29. A system according to claim 28, wherein the optic signal is an infrared signal.

30. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and the second signal is transmitted as digital and modulated signals.

31. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first unit is adapted to shift from the operation in the first mode to operation in the second mode upon detection of an optical effect.

32. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first unit is adapted to shift from the operation in the first mode to operation in the second mode upon detection of a mechanical effect.

33. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving unit is comprised in a key ring.

34. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the luggage is a suitcase and wherein the first unit is integrated in the suitcase.

35. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate the second signal in case the distance between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit changes from being inside the predetermined interval to being outside the predetermined interval.

36. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate a third signal representing the distance between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit.

37. A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate a fourth signal representing a distance deviation between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit.

38. A receiving unit for use as the receiving unit of the system according to any of the claims 1-36.

39. A transmitting unit for use as the transmitting unit of the system according to any of the claims 1-36.

40. A luggage detection system comprising:

at least one transmitting unit to be located near the luggage, the unit having an identity and being provided with a power driven transmitter and a power source for transmitting a first signal representing the identity of the first transmitting unit, and

a receiving unit provided with a receiver for receiving the first signal, the receiving unit being adapted to generate a second signal in case the first signal represents the identity of one of said at least one first transmitting unit,

the receiving unit being adapted to receive the first signal when the distance between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit is within a predetermined interval.

43. A computer program for an electronic processing system, the computer program being adapted to perform the method of claim 40.

41. A method of detecting luggage, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching transmitting unit to the luggage, the unit having an identity and being provided with a power driven transmitter for transmitting a signal representing the identity of the unit and a power source, and

using a receiving unit provided with a receiver for receiving the first signal, and

analysing the signal so as to determine the identity.

42. A computer system for handling luggage, said computer system having processing means, input means for user provided input, output means and storage means having stored therein a computer program said processing means being adapted, in response to commands from said computer program, to:

receive a signal from a transmitting unit,

based on the received signal, to determine the identity of the transmitting unit, and

to generate a signal in case the identity of the transmitting unit is identical to a reference identity.