WIRELESS MOBILE ASSET TRACKING VEHICLE

• US 20050246092A1
• Filed: 02/14/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Richard Moscatiello
• Original Assignee: Richard Moscatiello
• Inventors: MOSCATIELLO, RICHARD WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US10/906,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20050246092A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• 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 7/10039 interrogator driven, i.e. synchronous

Abstract

A vehicle designed to detect, identify, and establish the location of portable objects in a building or structural space, such as portable medical equipment in a hospital environment, that move from place to place as they are used. The vehicle system provides for automatic detection and correlation of the objects'"'"' locations, while the vehicle is propelled within the structural environment, using passive radio frequency transponder technology to detect the presence of tagged objects and tagged fixed locations, basic identification of the object or spatial location replying to the interrogation, and time-stamped correlation of objects and spatial locations. The transmitters and antennae are mounted in the vehicle and are protected from environmental hazards such as pressure washing. An integrated microprocessor performs the requisite algorithms needed to process the reply from one or more Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tags, correlates the data and transmits the data, via a wireless RF modem mounted to the vehicle, to a central modem for storage and processing. Rechargeable dry cell or gel batteries power the vehicle'"'"'s electronics for 24 hours or more, and the vehicle is equipped with an onboard battery charger that can be plugged into a standard AC power socket.

Claims

1. A vehicular methodology for establishing the location of portable objects within a building or structural space with respect to time, including:

Operating a vehicle fitted with an RFID transponder detection system within a building or structural space, said vehicle being used in the distribution and collection of portable objects or equipment in the building or space, that in the course of its use automatically detects, identifies, and establishes the location of portable objects within said building or space;

Programming passive RFID transponders with location data at installation;

Tagging portable objects and fixed structural locations with preprogrammed passive RFID transponders for the purpose of correlating portable objects with fixed structural locations;

Detecting, identifying, and differentiating transponders as either a portable object or a fixed location;

Detecting and identifying transponders attached to fixed locations in order to establish the current location of a vehicle fitted with an RFID transponder detection system;

Detecting and identifying transponders attached to portable objects and correlating the portable objects with fixed locations;

Recording in a data base the identification, location, and time of identification at that location of portable objects detected within the building or structural space;

Presenting said database in a human-readable format that identifies the location of portable objects for the purpose of retrieval, collection, service, maintenance, return, transfer, redistribution, or other reason, of the portable objects within the structural space.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of programming the RFID transponders at installation.