Self-locating devices via highly directional RFID tags in controlled location

• US 20060092072A1
• Filed: 10/16/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Steiner, David John
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/26 using a parallactic triangle with fixed angles and a base of variable length, at, near, or formed by the object
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02529 not involving signal parameters, i.e. only involving identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• 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: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0258 System arrangements wherein both parent and child units can emit and receive
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID

Abstract

A monitored area is provided multiple RFID tags placed at defined coordinates/locations throughout the extended area. These RFID tags respond to receipt of a RF signal by transmitting/broadcasting their unique identifier (ID) within the specific area in which the tag is located. A device, whose location within the monitored area is desired, is equipped with an RFID interrogating device, such as an RF transceiver, which periodically broadcasts RF interrogation signals. The multiple RFID tags are positioned at specific areas within the environment to allow the RF interrogating device to (1) receive the RFID signal and (2) utilized the received data to independently determine the device'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of stationary, location signaling devices capable of transmitting a unique identification (ID) in response to a received interrogation signal, said location signaling devices placed at predefined locations within a physical area;

a mobile interrogation device that periodically generates an interrogation signal that is broadcasted within the physical area;

wherein at least one of the plurality of location signaling devices receives the interrogation signal and transmits, in response, an associated unique ID; and

wherein the associated unique ID is received by the interrogation device and is utilized to determine a current location of the interrogation device within the physical area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said stationary, location signaling devices are placed based on a pre-formulated waveguide that enables each unique ID to be broadcasted within its own unique sub-area within the physical area, whereby only a single unique ID is received by the interrogation device when the interrogation device is within the sub-area.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogation device comprises:

a signal generating component that generates and transmits said interrogation signal;

a signal receiving component that receives said unique ID; and

a processing component that completes a determination of the current location of the interrogating device utilizing said unique ID.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the interrogation device further comprises:

an output device; and

wherein said processing component provides said current location to said output device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the interrogation device further comprises:

an output device; and

wherein, when an output of said current location is tagged to provide additional pre-programmed information, said processor provides said pre-programmed information as output to the output device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

said physical area is a retail environment with one or more products distributed across the retail environment at specific locations identified with localized location signaling devices; and

when at least one of said one or more products has an advertisement/promotion related to the product as the pre-programmed information, said processor provides said product advertisement/promotion to the output device, which outputs the advertisement/promotion to a user of the interrogation device.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a computer with a wireless transmitter/receiver and including processing code for determining a location of a mobile interrogation device from a unique ID transmitted to the computer from the mobile interrogation device;

wherein said interrogation device comprises a wireless transmitter, and said interrogation device forwards said unique ID to said computer via wireless transmission when the unique ID is received from the location signaling device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said processing code includes code for performing triangulation to determine a relative location of the interrogating device when more than one unique ID is returned to the interrogation device in response to the interrogation signal.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a computer with a wireless transmitter;

wherein the location signaling devices are wired to the computer and transmit to the computer an associated unique ID when the location signaling device receives an interrogation signal from the interrogating device, whereby the computer determines the location of the interrogating device from the location of the location signaling device whose unique ID is received.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the location finding computer transmits the location to the interrogating device via wireless transmission.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein said interrogating device further comprises a memory device with a table pairing unique IDs against known physical locations of the location signaling devices, wherein said processor determines the current location of the interrogating device by looking up the location corresponding to the unique ID in the table.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogation signal is a radio frequency (RF) signal and said location signaling devices are RF identification (ID) tags, and wherein said interrogation device transmits an RF signal that triggers said RFID tag to transmit the unique ID.

13. A self-locating device comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) interrogation component having an RF transmitter and receiver;

logic for periodically issuing from the RF transmitter an RF interrogation signal into a surrounding area;

logic for receiving a unique RFID from a stationary RFID generating device within the surrounding area; and

processing logic for determining a current location of the self-locating device utilizing the unique RFID received from the RFID generating device.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising:

a memory component with a table pairing a plurality of unique IDs for RFID tags with a specific location of each RFID tag; and

wherein the processing logic includes logic for retrieving the table and finding the specific location of the stationary RFID generating device corresponding to the unique ID received.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said table further includes a list of items within each location of the physical area and promotions associated with specific ones of the items, wherein:

said device further includes an output device; and

said processing logic further includes logic for outputting the promotions associated with the items within the current location of the self-locating device.

16. The device of claim 13, further comprising:

a wireless receiver; and

means for receiving location data from a remote computer system that received said unique ID from a RFID tag when the RF signal was broadcasted from the RF transmitter of the interrogating component.

17. A method comprising:

placing a plurality of RFID tags at pre-selected locations within a physical area;

providing a customer with an RF interrogation device that periodically broadcasts an RF signal into the physical area;

wherein an RFID tag in vicinity of the RF signal transmits, in response, an associated unique ID to the interrogating device and the interrogating device utilizes a received associated unique ID to determine a current location of the customer within the physical area.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said placing step comprises placing said RFID tags at locations identified by a waveguide designed to enable a single unique ID to be broadcasted within each pre-defined sub-area of the physical area.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining, via a processing system associated with the interrogating device, the current location of the interrogating device utilizing the received unique ID; and

when there are promotions associated with items in the current location, outputting the promotions to the customer, wherein a specific output may be provided by the customer from among one or more of;

a list of items in the current location, promotions associated with specific ones of the list of items in the current location, availability of pre-selected items within the current location, and directional information related to a location of other pre-selected items.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining includes:

retrieving a look-up table pairing unique IDs against specific locations; and

matching the received ID to its specific location, wherein the specific location is selected as the current location of the interrogating device.