Warning of hazardous conditions in monitored spaces using RFID technology

• US 20070236352A1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Steven, Allen, Lloyd, Jenkins, Jana
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/14 the means being photocells or other devices sensitive without mechanical contact
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/147 using electro-magnetic technology, e.g. tags or radar
• 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: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

To warn of hazardous conditions in a monitored space, the presence of an object bearing an RFID tag is detected using an RFID tag reader. Objects may be, for example, human beings, vehicles, or stationary materiel. A determination is made as to whether the object poses a hazard by, for example, reading data from the RFID tag or by accessing a database using data read from the RFID tag. If the object is determined to pose a hazard, the nature of the hazard is determined from the RFID tag or the database, and warning about the nature of the hazard is provided proximate to the monitored space. In some embodiments, providing the warning may be conditional upon detecting the concurrent presence of two objects in the monitored space.

Claims

1. A method for warning of hazardous conditions, comprising:

detecting presence in a monitored space of an object bearing an RFID tag;

determining whether the object poses a hazard, using data read from the RFID tag; and

if the object is determined to pose a hazard, determining the nature of the hazard using data read from the RFID tag, and providing a warning proximate to the monitored space about the nature of the hazard.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the nature of the hazard further comprises accessing a database using data read from the RFID tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the object belongs to the group of objects consisting of human beings, vehicles, and stationary materiel.

4. A method for warning of hazardous conditions, comprising:

detecting concurrent presence in a monitored space of a first object bearing a first RFID tag and a second object bearing a second RFID tag;

determining whether at least one of the objects poses a hazard using data read from at least one of the RFID tags; and

if at least one of the objects is determined to pose a hazard, determining the nature of the hazard using information read from at least one of the RFID tags, and providing a warning proximate to the monitored space about the nature of the hazard.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the nature of the hazard further comprises accessing a database using data read from at least one of the RFID tags.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first object and the second object belong to the group of objects consisting of human beings, vehicles, and stationary materiel.

7. A computer program product for warning of hazardous conditions, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embedded therein, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code configured to detect presence in a monitored space of an object bearing an RFID tag;

computer readable program code configured to determine whether the object poses a hazard using data read from the RFID tag; and

computer readable program code configured to determine the nature of the hazard using data read from the RFID tag and to provide a warning proximate to the monitored space about the nature of the hazard, if the object is determined to pose a hazard.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine the nature of the hazard further comprises computer readable program code configured to access a database using data read from the RFID tag.

9. A computer program product for warning of hazardous conditions, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embedded therein, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code configured to detect concurrent presence in a monitored space of a first object bearing a first RFID tag and a second object bearing a second RFID tag;

computer readable program code configured to determine whether at least one of the objects poses a hazard using data read from at least one of the RFID tags; and

computer readable program code configured to determine the nature of the hazard using data read from at least one of the RFID tags and to provide a warning proximate to the monitored space about the nature of the hazard, if at least one of the objects is determined to pose a hazard.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine the nature of the hazard further comprises computer readable program code configured to access a database using data read from at least one of the RFID tags.

11. A system for warning of hazardous conditions, comprising:

means for detecting presence in a monitored space of an object bearing an RFID tag;

means for determining whether the object poses a hazard, using data read from the RFID tag; and

means for determining the nature of the hazard using data read from the RFID tag and providing a warning proximate to the monitored space about the nature of the hazard if the object is determined to pose a hazard.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining the nature of the hazard further comprises means for accessing a database using data read from the first RFID tag.

13. A system for warning of hazardous conditions, comprising:

means for detecting concurrent presence in a monitored space of a first object bearing a first RFID tag and a second object bearing a second RFID tag;

means for determining whether at least one of the objects poses a hazard using data read from at least one of the RFID tags; and

means for determining the nature of the hazard using information read from at least one of the RFID tags and providing a warning proximate to the monitored space about the nature of the hazard, if at least one of the objects is determined to pose a hazard.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for determining the nature of the hazard further comprises means for accessing a database using data read from at least one of the RFID tags.