Interrogator and interrogation system employing the same

• US 20040174261A1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lone Star SCM Systems, LP (f/k/a Medical I.P. Holdings, LP) (Incucomm Holdings Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Veroscan, Inc. (Tenet Healthcare Corporation)
• Inventors: Volpi, John P., Laferney, Jimmy D., Montgomery, William C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,019,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• 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
• 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: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an interrogator, method of discerning metal and radio frequency identification (RFID) objects, and an interrogation system employing the same. In one embodiment, the interrogator includes a metal sensing subsystem configured to provide a first signal having a signature representing a presence of a metal object, and a RFID sensing subsystem configured to provide a second signal having a signature representing a presence of a RFID object. The interrogator also includes a control and processing subsystem configured to discern a presence of at least one of the metal and RFID objects from one of the first and second signals.

Claims

1. An interrogator, comprising:

a metal sensing subsystem configured to provide a first signal having a metal signature representing a presence of a metal object;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing subsystem configured to provide a second signal having a RFID signature representing a presence of a RFID object; and

a control and processing subsystem configured to discern a presence of at least one of said metal and RFID objects from one of said first and second signals.

2. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 wherein said control and processing subsystem is configured to employ a database.

3. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 wherein said RFID sensing subsystem is configured to employ a RFID position marker to indicate a location of a feature.

4. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 wherein said RFID sensing subsystem is configured to employ a RFID information tag to provide data.

5. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 further comprising a communications subsystem.

6. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 further comprising a user interface.

7. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 further comprising a position sensor.

8. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 wherein said metal sensing subsystem is configured to employ a metal sensing antenna interface and a metal sensing antenna.

9. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 wherein said RFID sensing subsystem is configured to employ a RFID sensing antenna interface and a RFID sensing antenna.

10. The interrogator as recited in claim 1 wherein said metal and RFID sensing subsystems are configured to employ an antenna diplexer and an integrated sensing antenna.

11. A method of discerning a presence of at least one of metal and radio frequency identification (RFID) objects, comprising:

providing a first signal having a metal signature representing a presence of a metal object;

further providing a second signal having a RFID signature representing a presence of a RFID object; and

discerning a presence of at least one of said metal and RFID objects from one of said first and second signals.

12. The method as-recited in claim 11 wherein said discerning employs a database.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said further providing is performed by a RFID position marker to indicate a location of a feature.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said further providing employs a RFID information tag to provide data.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising providing communications signaling to a transceiver in cooperation with said discerning.

16. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising providing a user interface in cooperation with said discerning.

17. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising providing position sensing in cooperation with said discerning.

18. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said providing is performed by a metal sensing subsystem coupled to a metal sensing antenna interface and a metal sensing antenna.

19. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said further providing is performed by a RFID sensing subsystem coupled to a RFID sensing antenna interface and a RFID sensing antenna.

20. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said providing and said further providing are performed by metal and RFID sensing subsystems coupled to an antenna diplexer and an integrated sensing antenna.

21. An interrogator, comprising:

a sensing subsystem configured to provide a signal having at least one of a metal signature representing a presence of a metal object and a radio frequency identification (RFID) signature representing a presence of a RFID object; and

a control and processing subsystem employing an adaptive integrating filter and configured to coordinate a processing of said signal in conjunction with one of an observable and data to discern a presence of at least one of said metal and RFID objects.

22. The interrogator as recited in claim 21 wherein said sensing subsystem comprises a metal sensing subsystem and a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing subsystem.

23. The interrogator as recited in claim 21 wherein said data is located in a database employable by said control and processing subsystem.

24. The interrogator as recited in claim 21 further comprising a position sensor configured to provide an interrogator location observable.

25. The interrogator as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

a communications subsystem;

a user interface;

a metal sensing antenna interface and a metal sensing antenna; and

a RFID sensing antenna interface and a RFID sensing antenna.

26. A method of discerning a presence of at least one of metal and radio frequency identification (RFID) objects, comprising:

providing a signal having at least one of a metal signature representing a presence of a metal object and a radio frequency identification (RFID) signature representing a presence of a RFID object;

coordinating a processing of said signal in conjunction with one of an observable and data in conjunction with an adaptive integrating filter; and

discerning a presence of at least one of said metal and RFID objects.

27. The method as recited in claim 26 wherein said providing is performed by a sensing subsystem comprising a metal sensing subsystem and a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing subsystem.

28. The method as recited in claim 26 wherein said data is located in a database.

29. The method as recited in claim 26 further comprising position sensing to provide an interrogator location observable.

30. The method as recited in claim 26 further comprising providing communications signaling to a transceiver and a user interface in cooperation with said discerning.

31. An interrogator, comprising:

a sensing subsystem configured to provide a plurality of signals having at least one of a metal signature representing a presence of a metal object and a radio frequency identification (RFID) signature representing a presence of a RFID object; and

a control and processing subsystem configured to coordinate a processing of said plurality of signals to discern a presence of at least one of said metal and RFID objects.

32. The interrogator as recited in claim 31 wherein said sensing subsystem comprises a metal sensing subsystem and a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing subsystem.

33. The interrogator as recited in claim 31 wherein said sensing subsystem is configured to provide said plurality of signals in conjunction with multiple scans.

34. The interrogator as recited in claim 31 wherein said control and processing subsystem is configured to employ multiscan, coherent signal processing.

35. The interrogator as recited in claim 31, further comprising:

a communications subsystem;

a user interface;

a metal sensing antenna interface and a metal sensing antenna; and

a RFID sensing antenna interface and a RFID sensing antenna.

36. A method of discerning a presence of at least one of metal and radio frequency identification (RFID) objects, comprising:

providing a plurality of signals having at least one of a metal signature representing a presence of a metal object and a radio frequency identification (RFID) signature representing a presence of a RFID object;

coordinating a processing of said plurality of signals; and

discerning a presence of at least one of said metal and RFID objects.

37. The method as recited in claim 36 wherein said providing is performed by a sensing subsystem comprising a metal sensing subsystem and a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing subsystem.

38. The method as recited in claim 36 wherein said providing said plurality of signals is performed in conjunction with multiple scans.

39. The method as recited in claim 36 wherein said coordinating is performed in conjunction with multiscan, coherent signal processing.

40. The interrogator as recited in claim 36 further comprising providing communications signaling to a transceiver and a user interface in cooperation with said discerning.

41. An interrogation system, comprising:

a computer system;

a transceiver that transmits and receives signals for said computer system; and

an interrogator, including;

a metal sensing subsystem that provides a first signal having a metal signature representing a presence of a metal object,

a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing subsystem that provides a second signal having a RFID signature representing a presence of a RFID object,

a control and processing subsystem that discerns a presence of at least one of said metal and RFID objects from one of said first and second signals, and

a communications subsystem that communicates with said transceiver.

42. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 wherein said control and processing subsystem employs a database.

43. The interrogation system as recited in claim 42 wherein said database employs the Internet.

44. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 wherein said RFID sensing subsystem employs a RFID position marker to indicate a location of a feature.

45. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 wherein said RFID sensing subsystem employs a RFID information tag to provide data.

46. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 further comprising a user interface.

47. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 further comprising a position sensor.

48. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 wherein said metal sensing subsystem employs a metal sensing antenna interface and a metal sensing antenna.

49. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 wherein said RFID sensing subsystem employs a RFID sensing antenna interface and a RFID sensing antenna.

50. The interrogation system as recited in claim 41 wherein said metal and RFID sensing subsystems employ an antenna diplexer and an integrated sensing antenna.