RADIO-FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20070120682A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Ian, Consolvo, Sunny, Rea, Adam, Fishkin, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,242,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.800
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence

Abstract

Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to identify and locate an RFID-tagged object relative to a point on a body, including a human, animal, or robotic body.

Claims

1. An apparatus, including:

a wearable radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader; and

at least two location-resolving antennas coupled to the RFID reader and positioned adjacent to at least one of a finger, a thumb, or a palm to resolve a location of an RFID tag relative to a selected location on a hand.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wearable RFID reader is adapted to resolve the location of the RFID tag relative to the selected location to a distance of about 0.25 centimeters to about 25 centimeters along a substantially straight line between the RFID tag location and the selected location.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

identification data associated with the RFID tag.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the wearable RFID reader is adapted to select the identification data at a time prior to a time of reading the RFID tag.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a multiplexer coupled to the RFID reader to select at least one location-resolving antenna from the at least two location-resolving antennas.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a wireless device coupled to the RFID reader to communicate with a data network.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wireless device communicates according to an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, worn by a human to alert a caretaker that the human is within a selected distance of a dangerous, RFID-tagged substance.

3. (canceled)

10. A system, including:

a wearable radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader;

at least two location-resolving antennas coupled to the RFID reader and positioned adjacent to at least one of a finger, a thumb, or a palm to resolve a location of an RFID tag relative to a selected location on a hand; and

a display coupled to the RFID reader.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wearable RFID reader is adapted to select a distance-determining resolution along a substantially straight line between the RFID tag location and the selected location using at least one of a transmit power level, a transmit frequency and a phase shift between a transmitted signal and a received signal.

12. The system of claim 10, further including:

a glove for attaching the at least two location-resolving antennas to the hand.

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. A method, including:

resolving at least one location associated with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag relative to a selected location on a hand using a wearable RFID reader having at least two location-resolving antennas positioned adjacent to at least one of a finger, a thumb, or a palm.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

identifying an object attached to the RFID tag according to data stored in the tag.

17. The method of claim 16, further including:

manipulating the object using at least one digit of the hand.

18. The method of claim 15, further including:

transmitting at least one signal from the at least two location-resolving antennas; and

measuring a parameter associated with a return signal from the RFID tag to determine the at least one location associated with the RFID tag.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one signal comprises a plurality of frequencies.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein selected ones of the plurality of frequencies are transmitted at a frequency of approximately 1 megahertz to approximately 30 gigahertz.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the parameter associated with the return signal comprises at least one of a signal strength, a phase shift relative to a phase of the at least one transmitted signal, and a spectral component frequency associated with the return signal.

22. The method of claim 18, further including:

selecting at least one of the parameter or a measured value of the parameter to determine a resolution associated with the at least one RFID tag location along a line between the RFID tag location and the selected location on the hand.

23. The method of claim 15, further including:

measuring a time period between sensing a first one of the at least one location associated with the RFID tag and a second one of the at least one location associated with the RFID tag.

24. The method of claim 23, further including:

utilizing a computer to analyze the time period and the at least one location to perform a human productivity time and motion study.

25. The method of claim 24, further including:

utilizing a multi-digit robot to simulate human productivity.

26. The method of claim 23, further including:

employing the time period and the at least one location to monitor patient medical equipment utilization.

31. The method of claim 15, further including:

distinguishing at least one of a finger, a thumb, and a palm operating to manipulate an object attached to the RFID tag.

27. (canceled)

28. An article including a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

resolving at least one location associated with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag relative to a selected location on a hand using a wearable RFID reader having at least two location-resolving antennas positioned adjacent to at least one of a finger, a thumb, or a palm.

30. The article of claim 28, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

distinguishing at least one of a finger, a thumb, and a palm operating to manipulate an object attached to the RFID tag.

29. (canceled)