Object Tracking

• US 20090273450A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Friendly Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Friendly Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: Moran, Humberto
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07336 Active means, e.g. jamming or scrambling of the electromagnetic field

Abstract

A method of tracking an object (1) tagged with a radio frequency identification tag (2) having an identification code using a network of readers (3) is described. A reader (3) interrogates the tag (2) by transmitting its identification code. In response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader. Otherwise, it does not identify itself. The method comprises identifying an expected location of the object and directing one or more selected readers according to the expected location to interrogate the tag using its identification code.

Claims

1. :

A method of tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag having an identification code using a network of readers, wherein a reader interrogates the tag by transmitting its identification code and, in response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader, the method comprising;

identifying an expected location of the object; and

directing at least one selected reader according to the expected location to interrogate the tag using its identification code.

2. :

A method according to claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving a message comprising an identification code different to its identification code, the tag does not identify itself.

3. :

A method according to claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving a message not comprising an identification code, the tag does not identify itself.

4. :

A method according to claim 1, wherein in response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader by transmitting a predefined message.

5. :

A method according to claim 1, wherein in response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader by transmitting its identification code.

6. :

A method according to claim 1, comprising;

receiving a communication that the object has entered a system; and

instructing all readers to poll the identification code.

7. :

A method according to claim 6, comprising;

determining whether at least one reader receives a response;

identifying which readers do not receive a response; and

in response to at least one reader receiving a response, instructing the readers which do not receive a response to stop polling the identification code.

8. :

A method according to claim 1, comprising;

receiving a communication that the object has left a system; and

instructing readers to stop polling the identification code.

9. :

A method according to claim 1, comprising;

determining whether the tag stops responding to interrogation by a reader;

identifying readers surrounding the location covered by the reader, the surrounding readers monitoring areas through which the object may pass; and

instructing the surrounding readers to poll the identification code.

10. :

A method according to claim 9, further comprising;

determining whether the object has remained undetected for a given period of time; and

in response to determining that the object has remained undetected for the given period of time, instructing readers in a wider area to seek the object.

11. :

A method according to claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a fixed part and a user-changeable part.

12. :

A computer program comprising computer-readable code which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method according to claim 1.

13. :

A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium storing thereon a computer program according to claim 12.

14. :

Apparatus for tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag having an identification code using a network of readers, wherein a reader interrogates the tag by transmitting its identification code and, in response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader, the apparatus comprising;

means for identifying an expected location of the object; and

means for directing one or more selected readers according to the expected location to interrogate the tag using its identification code.

15. :

Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the directing means is configured, in response to receiving a communication that the object has entered a system, to instruct all readers to poll the identification code.

16. :

Apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the directing means is configured to determine whether at least one reader receives a response, to identify which readers do not receive a response and, in response to at least one reader receiving a response, to instruct the readers which do not receive a response to stop polling the identification code.

17. :

Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the directing means is configured, in response to receiving a communication that the object has left a system, to instruct readers to stop polling the identification code.

18. :

Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the directing means is configured to determine whether the tag stops responding to interrogation by a reader, to identify readers surrounding the location covered by the reader, the surrounding readers monitoring areas through which the object may pass and to instruct the readers to poll the identification code.

19. :

Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the directing means is configured to determine whether the object has remained undetected for a given period of time; and

, in response to determining that the object has remained undetected for the given period of time, to instruct readers in a wider area to seek the object.

20. :

Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the directing means is computer connected to the network of readers.

21. :

Apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising;

the network of readers.

22. :

Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the directing means is distributed within the network of readers.

23. :

A reader for interrogating a radio frequency identification tag, wherein the reader is configured to interrogate the tag by transmitting its an identification code and, in response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader, the reader connectable to other radio frequency identification tag readers to form a network of readers, the reader comprising;

means for identifying an expected location of the object; and

means for directing one or more selected readers according to the expected location to interrogate the tag using its identification code.

24. :

A system for the tracking and control of mobile objects in the industrial, domestic, and public environments using RFID Tags;

said system allowing the usage of discreet RFID Tags attached to said objects, said Discreet Tags which cannot be interrogated by unauthorised readers;

also comprising a method to deploy the network of readers, said method allowing for the tracking and authorised interrogation of all tagged objects without exceeding the technical capacity of readers, and without leaving unmonitored corridors or shadow zones through which said tagged objects can move without being detected; and

an algorithm to direct the network of readers to follow said tagged objects as they move around by timely and precisely distributing the required object identifiers, and by sharing identification information with other systems if necessary, and more specifically when objects are incorporated into or leave the system.

25. :

Apparatus for tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag having an identification code using a network of readers, wherein a reader interrogates the tag by transmitting its identification code and, in response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader, the apparatus comprising;

a tracking unit arranged to identify an expected location of the object; and

a control unit arranged to direct one or more selected readers according to the expected location to interrogate the tag using its identification code.

26. :

A method of tracking an object tagged with a tag having an identification code using a network of readers, wherein a reader interrogates the tag using the identification code and the tag responds to interrogation by the reader, the method comprising;

directing the network of readers to follow the object as it moves around.