RFID BASED MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080136634A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Psion PLC (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Psion PLC (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bonnefoy, Pierre, Porte, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An RFID based monitoring system and method is provided. A tag module is allocated to an item to be traced, which is operable by an RFID reader. In the system, the tag module is accessed through conductive coupling with an entry point that is operable in an RF field of the RFID reader

Claims

1. A system for monitoring at least one item, comprising:

an entry point operable in a Radio Frequency (RF) field of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader; and

a connection system for accessing at least one marker tag allocated to the at least one item, through conducive coupling, the at least one marker tag including a unique identification (ID) and being operable by the RFID reader, the connection system being conductively coupled with the entry point so that the marker tag is readable through the conductive coupling.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a data signal, energy or a combination thereof is transferable from the RFID reader to the marker tag through the conductive coupling.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one marker tag is a writable with the RFID reader through the conductive coupling.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one marker tag is operable in accordance with an anti-collision mechanism.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one marker tag comprises a passive tag module.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one marker tag comprises a tag module having a first antenna and including a second antenna, the second antenna being conductively coupled with the entry point.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second antenna is inductively coupled with the first antenna so that the tag module is readable via the second antenna.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the connection system comprises at least one cable for the at least one marker tag, the cable being connected to the second antenna.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second antenna is detachably connected to the corresponding cable.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the connection system comprises a junction box for connecting the at least one cable to the entry point.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one marker tag comprises a tag module having a first antenna, and the connection system comprises a second antenna, the second antenna being conductively coupled with the entry point.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second antenna is inductively coupled with the first antenna so that the tag module is readable via the second antenna.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the connection system comprises a cable for connecting to the second antenna.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one marker tag comprises a tag module having a tag antenna, the tag antenna being conductively coupled with the entry point.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the connection system comprises a cable for connecting to the tag antenna.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the RFID reader is in a fixed RFID reading equipment, and wherein the tag module is readable with the RFID reader by locating the item with the marker tag in a position associated with the second antenna.

17. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID reader is in a fixed RFID reading equipment, and wherein the entry point is readable with the RFID reader by locating the entry point in the RF field of the RFID reader.

18. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the RFID reader is a handheld RFID reader, and wherein the tag module is readable with the handheld RFID reader.

19. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID reader is a handheld RFID reader, and wherein the entry point is readable with the handheld RFID reader by locating the handheld RFID reader or the entry point so that the entry point is in the RF field of the handheld RFID reader.

20. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the entry point comprises a first antenna, and the first antenna is conductively coupled with the connection system and is accessible by the RFID reader.

21. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the entry point comprises a read tag module or a read/write tag module operable by the RFID reader and having a second antenna, and the second antenna is inductively coupled with the first antenna and is accessible by the RFID reader.

22. The system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the entry point is operable in accordance with an anti-collision mechanism.

23. A system for monitoring an item, comprising:

a tag module including a unique Identification (ID) and a first antenna, the tag module being operable by a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader; and

a second antenna for accessing the tag module, the second antenna being conductively coupled with an entry point operable in a Radio Frequency (RF) field of the RFID reader, the second antenna being inductively coupled with the first antenna so that the tag module is readable through the conductive coupling.

24. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein a data signal, energy or a combination thereof is transferable from the RFID reader to the marker tag through the conductive coupling.

25. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the marker tag is a writable through the second antenna.

26. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the marker tag is operable in accordance with an anti-collision mechanism.

27. The system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the marker tag comprises a passive tag module.

28. A system as claimed in claim 23, further comprising a connector for detachably connecting the second antenna to the entry point.

29. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the RFID reader is in a fixed RFID reading equipment, and the entry point is readable with the RFID reader by locating the entry point in the RF field of the RFID reader.

30. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the RFID reader is a handheld RFID reader, and the entry point is readable with the handheld RFID reader by locating the handheld RFID reader or the entry point so that the entry point is in the RF field of the handheld RFID reader.

31. The system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the tag module and the second antenna form a single module.

32. The system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the single module comprises a layered structure including a first layer and a second layer, and the first layer comprises the first antenna and the second layer comprises the second antenna.

33. The system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the second antenna is detachably connected to the entry point.

34. A method of monitoring at least one item, comprising the steps of:

allocating at least one marker tag to the at least one item, the at least one marker tag comprising a unique identification (ID) and being operable by a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader; and

accessing the at least one marker tag through conductive coupling, including conductively coupling an entry point operable by the RFID reader with a connection system for accessing the at least one marker tag, and reading the at least one marker tag with the RFID reader through the entry point.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the at least one marker tag comprises a tag module having a first antenna and further includes a second antenna, and conductively coupling the entry point with the connection system for accessing the at least one marker tag includes conductively coupling the second antenna with the entry point.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein accessing the at least one the marker tag further comprises inductively coupling the second antenna with the first antenna.

37. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the at least one marker tag comprises a tag module having a first antenna, the connection system comprises a second antenna and conductively coupling the entry point with the connection system includes conductively coupling the second antenna with the entry point.

38. The method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the step of accessing the at least one marker tag comprises inductively coupling the second antenna with the first antenna.

39. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the at least one marker tag comprises a tag module having a tag antenna, and conductively coupling the entry point with the connection system for accessing the at least one marker tag includes conductively coupling the tag antenna with the entry point.

40. The method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the RFID reader is in a fixed RFID reading equipment, and accessing the at least one marker tag further comprises locating the item with the marker tag in a position associated with the second antenna and reading the entry point with the handheld RFID reader.

41. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the RFID reader is a handheld RFID reader, and accessing the at least one marker tag further comprises locating the handheld RFID reader or the entry point so that the entry point is in the RF field of the RFID reader, and reading the entry point with the handheld RFID reader.

42. A method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the step of accessing the at least one marker tag further comprises:

transmitting a data signal, energy or a combination thereof from the RFID reader to the marker tag through the conducive coupling.

43. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the step of accessing the at least one marker tag further comprises:

implementing a read operation, a write operation or a combination thereof on the tag module through the conducive coupling.

44. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the step of accessing the at least one marker tag further comprises:

communicating with the at least one marker tag in accordance with an anti-collision protocol.