METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATED SAFETY DEVICE INSPECTION USING RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION

• US 20080100450A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Coop, William Phillip, Smith, Brian J., Ung, Kevin Y., Ayyagari, Arun, Battles, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/18 Flotation gear aircraft alighting gear B64C

Abstract

Methods and systems for an automated safety device inspection system for a vehicle are provided. The system includes an RFID reader including a transmit portion and a receive portion wherein the reader is physically translatable along a predetermined path, a directional antenna communicatively coupled to the reader wherein the antenna is configured to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals in a direction substantially normal to the path, a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point, and a controller communicatively coupled to the reader. The controller includes a user interface, a processor communicatively coupled to the user interface, and a database communicatively coupled to the processor wherein the database includes location data of a plurality of safety devices in a plurality of different types of vehicles, the processor is configured to control the transmitted RF signals based on the location data.

Claims

1. An automated inspection system, the system comprising:

a reader comprising a transmit portion and a receive portion, said reader physically translatable along a predetermined path;

a sensor mote coupled to an object to be inspected;

a directional antenna communicatively coupled to said reader, said antenna configured to transmit and receive signals from said sensor mote in a direction substantially normal to the path;

a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point; and

a controller communicatively coupled to said reader, said controller comprising;

a user interface;

a processor communicatively coupled to said user interface; and

a database communicatively coupled to said processor, said database comprising location data of a plurality of sensor motes in a plurality of different types of vehicles, said processor configured to control the transmitted sensor signals based on the location data.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said sensor motes comprise an RFID enabled tag.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reader comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reader is configured to transmit and receive in the UHF band.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reader is configured to generate radio frequency signals of approximately 915 MHz.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reader comprises an RFID reader configured to generate radio frequency signals that interrogate an RFID enabled tag such that the tag responds to the interrogation with a tag identification signal.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said directional antenna comprises a passive directional antenna.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein said passive directional antenna comprises at least one of a Yagi-Uda type antenna, a spiral, and a horn type antenna.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said directional antenna comprises an active directional antenna.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said active directional antenna comprises a phased-array antenna.

11. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said directional antenna is configured to generate a narrow beamwidth selected to ensure that the tags are within the field of view of the antenna beam.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said directional antenna is configured to generate a beamwidth of approximately ten degrees to approximately twenty-five degrees.

13. A system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said directional antenna is configured to generate a beamwidth of approximately seventeen degrees.

14. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to receive a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) signal from said reader.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14 wherein said processor is configured to determine an RFID-enabled tag location based on, the relative position of the reader, and the received RSSI signal from the reader.

16. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to receive a time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal from said reader.

17. A system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said processor is configured to determine a mote location based on, the relative position of the reader, and the TDOA signal from the reader.

18. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to position-stamp a plurality of received signals using corresponding relative position signals from said relative position indicator.

19. A system in accordance with claim 18 wherein said processor is configured to determine a mote location based on the position-stamps of the plurality of received RF signals.

20. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said relative position indicator comprises a rotary encoder.

21. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said database comprises a seating configuration for an aircraft.

22. A method for automated location of an object, said method comprising:

traversing a reader in a first direction along a path adjacent the object;

transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader in a direction substantially normal to the first direction;

transmitting a response signal from the object when the object receives the interrogation signal; and

determining a presence of the object, an identification of the object and a location of the object based on the response signal.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising coupling a mote to the object.

24. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein traversing a reader in a first direction along a path adjacent the object comprises traversing a reader along an aisle between passenger seats of an aircraft cabin, said object including an RFID-enabled life vest associated with a seat.

25. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein traversing a reader in a first direction along a path adjacent the object comprises recording a relative position of the reader with respect to a starting position of the reader.

26. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader comprises transmitting an interrogation signal from a directional antenna oriented in the normal direction.

27. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader comprises transmitting a response signal from the object when the object receives the interrogation signal

28. A method in accordance with claim 27 wherein transmitting a response signal from the object when the object receives the interrogation signal comprises transmitting an identification of the object to the reader in response to the interrogation signal.

29. A method in accordance with claim 27 further comprising:

position-stamping the response signal from the object with position information of the reader with respect to a starting point of the reader, wherein the response signal includes an identification of the object; and

storing the position stamped object identification information.

30. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein the reader includes a user interface including a display, said method further comprising:

receiving an identification of a location of the reader;

determining a layout configuration for the identified location;

displaying the layout configuration for the identified location;

positioning the reader at a starting position at the location; and

initializing the reader display to display the reader position at the starting position on the displayed layout configuration.

31. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader comprises intermittently transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader based on a predetermined time period.

32. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader comprises intermittently transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader based on a predetermined reader position along the path.

33. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein determining a presence of the object, an identification of the object and a location of the object based on the response signal comprises determining a location of the object using a propagation loss of the transmitted response signal.

34. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein determining a presence of the object, an identification of the object and a location of the object based on the response signal comprises determining a location of the object using a difference of the time of arrival of a first and a second transmitted response signal.

35. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein determining a presence of the object, an identification of the object and a location of the object based on the response signal comprises determining a location of the object using a position stamp of each object transmitting a response signal.

36. A method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising displaying the determined objects on the layout configuration in a position indicting a determined location.

37. An automated safety device inspection system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader comprising a transmit portion and a receive portion, said reader physically translatable along a predetermined path, said RFID reader is configured to generate radio frequency signals that interrogate an RFID enabled tag such that the tag responds to the interrogation with a tag identification signal;

a directional antenna communicatively coupled to said reader, said antenna configured to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals in a direction substantially normal to the path, said directional antenna further configured to generate a narrow beamwidth selected to ensure that the tags are within the field of view of the antenna beam;

a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point; and

a controller communicatively coupled to said reader, said controller comprising;

a user interface;

a processor communicatively coupled to said user interface, said processor is configured to determine an RFID-enabled tag location based on the relative position of the reader and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) signal received from the reader, said processor is further configured to determine an RFID-enabled tag location based on the relative position of the reader, and a time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal from the reader, said processor is still further configured to determine an RFID-enabled tag location based on the position-stamps of the plurality of received RF signals; and

a database communicatively coupled to said processor, said database comprising location data of a plurality of safety devices in a plurality of different types of vehicles, said processor configured to control the transmitted RF signals based on the location data.

38. A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said directional antenna further configured to generate a beamwidth of approximately ten degrees to approximately twenty-five degrees.

39. A system in accordance with claim 38 wherein said directional antenna is configured to generate a beamwidth of approximately seventeen degrees.