Configuration management system and method for use in an RFID system including a multiplicity of RFID readers
First Claim
1. A method of generating information for use in configuration and control of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data acquisition system, said system including at least one RFID tag, at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver, and at least one real-time controller for controlling said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver, said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver having at least one antenna associated therewith, each antenna having an associated RF interrogation zone, said method comprising the steps of:
- obtaining a representation of a physical space in which the RFID tag data acquisition system is to be deployed;
in a first specifying step, specifying a plurality of regions within said representation of said physical space;
in a second specifying step, specifying a location of each antenna within said representation of said physical space so that at least a portion of at least one of said plurality of regions is within the RF interrogation zone associated with the respective antenna; and
compiling information derived from said first and second specifying steps into at least one data file, for use by said at least one real-time controller in controlling said at least one RF transmitter for interrogating at least one RFID tag disposed within said at least a portion of at least one region within said physical space, and in controlling said at least one RF receiver for receiving RFID tag data generated by said at least one RFID tag in response to being interrogated by said at least one RF transmitter.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method that facilitates the configuration and control of components of an RFID system, taking into account how the RFID system components are associated with one or more physical locations within an environment in which the RFID system is deployed. A user provides information specifying associations between the system components and the physical locations within the environment to obtain visual representations of configuration data generated therefrom with reference to a facility view, an RF coverage view, and a location view of the data. The facility view serves as a reference plane for placement and orientation of antennas associated with RFID readers, location benchmark tags, and the physical locations of interest. After each antenna is placed and oriented on the facility view, an estimate of the size and shape of the RF interrogation zone of each antenna is computed, and representations of the RF interrogation zones are provided on the facility view to obtain the RF coverage view of the data. Next, the user provides information specifying the physical locations of interest to obtain the location view of the data. A composite of the facility view, the coverage view, and the location view is then generated to obtain an enhanced visual understanding of how the system components and the physical locations exist within the system environment, and how the components and locations are associated with one another.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of generating information for use in configuration and control of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data acquisition system, said system including at least one RFID tag, at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver, and at least one real-time controller for controlling said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver, said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver having at least one antenna associated therewith, each antenna having an associated RF interrogation zone, said method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining a representation of a physical space in which the RFID tag data acquisition system is to be deployed;
in a first specifying step, specifying a plurality of regions within said representation of said physical space;
in a second specifying step, specifying a location of each antenna within said representation of said physical space so that at least a portion of at least one of said plurality of regions is within the RF interrogation zone associated with the respective antenna; and
compiling information derived from said first and second specifying steps into at least one data file, for use by said at least one real-time controller in controlling said at least one RF transmitter for interrogating at least one RFID tag disposed within said at least a portion of at least one region within said physical space, and in controlling said at least one RF receiver for receiving RFID tag data generated by said at least one RFID tag in response to being interrogated by said at least one RF transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer system for generating information for use in configuration and control of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data acquisition system, said RFID tag data acquisition system including at least one RFID tag, at least one RF transmitter, at least one RF receiver, and at least one real-time controller for controlling said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver, said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver having at least one antenna associated therewith, each antenna having an associated RF interrogation zone, said computer system comprising:
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at least one memory; and
at least one processor operative to execute at least one computer program out of said at least one memory, said computer program being operative to;
obtain a representation of a physical space in which the RFID tag data acquisition system is to be deployed;
specify a plurality of regions within said representation of said physical space;
specify a location of each antenna within said representation of said physical space so that at least a portion of at least one of said plurality of regions is within the RF interrogation zone associated with the respective antenna; and
compile information derived from said plurality of specified regions and the specified location of each antenna within said representation of said physical space into at least one data file, for use by said at least one real-time controller in controlling said at least one RF transmitter for interrogating at least one RFID tag disposed within said at least a portion of at least one region within said physical space, and in controlling said at least one RF receiver for receiving RFID tag data generated by said at least one RFID tag in response to being interrogated by said at least one RF transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification