Wireless picocellular RFID systems and methods
First Claim
1. A wireless picocellular radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for tracking one or more RFID tags each having information stored therein, comprising:
- a picocellular coverage area made up of an array of picocells formed by one or more electrical-optical (E-O) access point devices each having an antenna and each adapted to convert electrical RF signals to optical RF signals and vice versa;
a central control station having one or more service units and an RFID reader unit, and optically coupled to each E-O access point device via an RF optical communication link; and
wherein each E-O access point device is adapted to receive and relay information stored in each RFID tag located within the corresponding picocell to the RFID reader unit over the RF optical communication link.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The wireless radio-frequency identification (RFID) picocellular system includes a central control station optically coupled to one or more electrical-optical (E-O) access point devices that generate the individual picocells. The central control station includes service units that provide conventional wireless cellular services, and further includes one or more RFID reader units. The E-O access point devices are adapted to receive electromagnetic RFID tag signals from RFID tags within the associated picocell and transmit optical RFID tag signals to the central control station, which converts the optical RFID tag signals to electrical RFID tag signals, which are then received by the one or more RFID reader units. The system allows for large numbers of RFID tags in the picocellular coverage area to be quickly read and the information stored. The relatively small size of picocells allows for high-precision locating and position tracking of items without the need for manually scanning RFID tags with an RFID reader.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A wireless picocellular radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for tracking one or more RFID tags each having information stored therein, comprising:
-
a picocellular coverage area made up of an array of picocells formed by one or more electrical-optical (E-O) access point devices each having an antenna and each adapted to convert electrical RF signals to optical RF signals and vice versa;
a central control station having one or more service units and an RFID reader unit, and optically coupled to each E-O access point device via an RF optical communication link; and
wherein each E-O access point device is adapted to receive and relay information stored in each RFID tag located within the corresponding picocell to the RFID reader unit over the RF optical communication link. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A wireless picocellular radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for tracking one or more RFID tags that emit electromagnetic RFID tag signals, comprising:
-
a central control station having one or more service units and one or more RFID reader units;
one or more electrical-optical (E-O) access point devices optically coupled to the central control station and adapted to convert optical RF service signals from the central control station to electromagnetic RF service signals and vice versa, thereby forming one or more picocells, with each E-O access point device being adapted to receive electromagnetic RFID tag signals from any of the one or more RFID tags present in the corresponding picocell and optically transmit corresponding optical RFID tag signals to the central control station; and
wherein the central control station is adapted to convert the optical RFID tag signals into electrical RFID tag signals, which are then received by the one or more RFID reader units. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A wireless picocellular radio-frequency identification (RFID) method, comprising:
-
locating one or more RFID tags having information stored therein within a picocellular coverage area made up of one or more picocells;
receiving in each picocell information from each RFID tag located therein; and
optically transmitting the received RFID tag information to a remotely located RFID reader unit. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification