RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090322490A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: KUNG, Shao-Tsu, KO, Cheng-Yi, SHEN, Yi-Hung, HUANG, Jui-Tsen
• Application Number:
  US12/553,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322490A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions

Abstract

The present invention provides a radio frequency identification (RFID) monitoring method, a reader located in a region to receive a tag ID code from a RFID tag, wherein the method comprises the steps of: (a) sending out a first reading signal from the reader; (b) determining whether the tag ID code is received by the reader; (c) recording a position of the RFID tag in a plane when the tag ID code is received by the reader; (d) rotating the reader a second angle toward a direction perpendicular to the plane; (e) sending out a second reading signal from the reader; (f) determining whether the tag ID code is received by the reader; and (g) recording a position of the RFID tag in the direction when the tag ID code is received by the reader.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag position identifying method for a reader, wherein the reader issues a reading signal, comprising:

scanning a first plane by the reader to determine whether a tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the RFID tag sends out the tag ID code when the RFID tag receives the reading signal;

identifying a first position of the RFID tag in the first plane when the tag ID code is received by the reader;

scanning a second plane from the first position by the reader, wherein the second plane is perpendicular to the first plane; and

identifying a second position of the RFID tag in the second plane when the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the first position and the second position define the RFID tag position.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein scanning a first plane by the reader further comprises:

sending out a reading signal from the reader, wherein the reader is located in a first axle;

determining whether the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the RFID tag sends out the tag ID code when the RFID tag receives the reading signal; and

rotating a first angle toward a second axle by the reader and sending out the reading signal from the reader when the tag ID code is not received by the reader, wherein the first axle and the second axle define the first plane.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein scanning a second plane from the first position by the reader further comprises:

rotating a second angle toward a third axle by the reader, wherein the third axle is perpendicular to the second plane and the third axle and the first position define the second plane;

sending out the reading signal from the reader;

determining whether the tag ID code is received by the reader;

rotating a second angle toward the third axle by the reader and sending out the reading signal from the reader when the tag ID code is not received by the reader.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reader has an antenna to issue the reading signal.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the antenna has at least two antenna apertures, a first antenna aperture and a second antenna aperture, the first antenna aperture defines a first scan area and the second antenna aperture defines a second scan area, the first scan area is larger than the second scan area.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein scanning a first plane by the reader further comprises:

scanning the first plane by the reader to determine whether a tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the first antenna aperture;

identifying a region of the RFID tag in the first plane when the tag ID code is received by the antenna, wherein an area of the region is equal to the first scan area;

scanning the region by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the second antenna aperture; and

identifying a position of the RFID tag in the region when the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the region and the position define the first position of the RFID tag.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein scanning a second plane by the reader further comprises:

scanning the second plane by the reader to determine whether a tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the first antenna aperture;

identifying a region of the RFID tag in the second plane when the tag ID code is received by the antenna, wherein an area of the region is equal to the first scan area;

scanning the region by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the second antenna aperture; and

identifying a position of the RFID tag in the region when the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the region and the position define the second position of the RFID tag.

8. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag position identifying method for a reader, wherein the reader is located in a first axle to receive a tag ID code from the RFID tag, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

sending out a reading signal from the reader;

determining whether the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the RFID tag sends out the tag ID code when the RFID tag receives the reading signal;

rotating a first angle toward a second axle by the reader and sending out the reading signal from the reader when the tag ID code is not received by the reader, wherein the first axle and the second axle define a plane;

identifying a first position of the RFID tag in the plane when the tag ID code is received by the reader;

rotating a second angle toward a third axle by the reader, wherein the third axle is perpendicular to the plane;

sending out the reading signal from the reader;

determining whether the tag ID code is received by the reader;

rotating a second angle toward the third axle by the reader and sending out the reading signal from the reader when the tag ID code is not received by the reader; and

identifying a second position of the RFID tag in the third axle when the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the first position and the second position define the RFID tag position.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reader has an antenna to issue the reading signal.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the antenna has at least two antenna apertures, a first antenna aperture and a second antenna aperture, the first antenna aperture defines a first scan area and the second antenna aperture defines a second scan area, the first scan area is larger than the second scan area.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein rotating a first angle toward a second axle by the reader further comprises:

determining whether a tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the first antenna aperture;

identifying a region of the RFID tag in the plane when the tag ID code is received by the antenna, wherein an area of the region is equal to the first scan area;

scanning the region by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the second antenna aperture; and

identifying a position of the RFID tag in the region when the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the region and the position define the first position of the RFID tag.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein rotating a second angle toward the third axle by the reader further comprises:

determining whether a tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the first antenna aperture;

identifying a region of the RFID tag in a second plane that is defined by the first position and the third axle when the tag ID code is received by the antenna, wherein the area of the region is equal to the first scan area;

scanning the region by the reader, wherein the antenna of the reader has the second antenna aperture; and

identifying a position of the RFID tag in the region when the tag ID code is received by the reader, wherein the region and the position define the second position of the RFID tag.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reader has an antenna, wherein rotating the reader is to rotate the antenna.