METHOD FOR ASSOCIATING AND RFID TAG WITH A KNOWN REGION

• US 20100045436A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Rinkes, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/753 where the polling of the sub-stations is synchronous
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A method of associating radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags with a region, location, or container is provided. The method can comprise, among other steps, transmitting an interrogation signal with an RFID reader corresponding to a read zone of a first size, receiving a response from at least one of the plurality of RFID tags in the region as a new tag, recording an indicator of the response of the at least one of the plurality of RFID tags, thereby designating it as a recorded tag, increasing the read zone of the RFID reader until no new tags are detected, and associating of each of the recorded tags with the region.

Claims

1. A method of associating radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags with a region, the method comprising:

transmitting an interrogation signal with an RFID reader corresponding to a read zone of a first size;

receiving a response from at least one of the plurality of RFID tags in the region as a new tag;

recording an indicator of the response of the at least one of the plurality of RFID tags, thereby designating it as a recorded tag;

increasing the read zone of the RFID reader until no new tags are detected; and

associating of each of the recorded tags with the region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein increasing the read zone of the RFID reader until no new tags are detected comprises transmitting successive interrogation signals corresponding to read zones of successively increasing size.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting successive interrogation signals corresponds to read zone having a spherical shape.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein increasing the read zone of the RFID reader until no new tags are detected comprises receiving responses from only RFID tags designated as recorded tags in response to transmitting an interrogation signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein increasing the read zone of the RFID reader until no new tags are detected comprises transmitting two interrogation signals corresponding to read zones of successively increasing size and receiving responses from only RFID tags designated as recorded tags in response to both interrogation signals.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the association of each of the recorded tags with the region.

7. A method of associating a first radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag with a container, the method comprising:

transmitting a first interrogation signal corresponding to a read zone having a first size;

receiving a response from the first RFID tag, the first RFID tag disposed in the container;

recording an indicator of the response of the first RFID tag as a first recorded RFID tag, thereby designating it as a recorded RFID tag;

transmitting a second interrogation signal corresponding to a read zone having a second size;

receiving a response from only recorded RFID tags in the read zone with the second size; and

associating each recorded RFID tag with the container in response to receiving a response from only recorded RFID tags in the read zone with the second size.

8. The method of claim 7, where the second size is larger than the first size.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting a third interrogation signal corresponding to a read zone having a third size, where the third size is larger than the first size and smaller than the second size;

receiving a response from a second RFID tag in the read zone of the third size, but not the first size; and

recording an indicator of the response of the second RFID tag as a second recorded RFID tag, thereby designating it as a recorded RFID tag.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a plurality of RFID tags are disposed in the container and the method further comprises receiving a response from the plurality of RFID tags in response to detecting RFID tags with an RFID reader having a read zone of a first size.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising recording an indicator of the response from each of the plurality of RFID tags, thereby designating each as a recorded RFID tag.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising associating the plurality of RFID tags with the container in response to receiving a response from only recorded RFID tags in the read zone with the second size.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the container comprises a container RFID tag adapted to convey tag data corresponding to the container and the method further comprises receiving tag data from the container RFID tag.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein associating each recorded RFID tag with the container comprises associating each recorded RFID tag with the tag data from the container RFID tag.

15. A method of associating radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags with a location, the location having boundaries designated by a plurality of boundary RFID tags, the boundary RFID tags adapted to convey tag data corresponding to the location, and the method comprising:

transmitting an interrogation signal to a read zone having a first size;

receiving a response from an RFID tag in the read zone;

increasing the size of the read zone until the RFID reader receives tag data from at least one of the boundary RFID tags; and

associating the RFID tag with the tag data conveyed by the boundary RFID tags.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein increasing the size of the read zone comprises increasing the size of the read zone until the RFID reader receives tag data from at least two boundary RFID tags.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein increasing the size of the read zone comprises increasing the size of the read zone until the RFID reader receives tag data from at least four boundary RFID tags.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein increasing the size of the read zone comprises transmitting an interrogation signal having an asymmetrical shape.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the association of the RFID tag with the tag data conveyed by the boundary RFID tags.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting an interrogation signal comprises transmitting the signal from multiple antennas.