METHODS, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS, AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING AUTOMATED VIDEO TRACKING VIA RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION

• US 20100097221A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett, Reeves, Jonathan L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,816,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1097 Optical sensing of electronic memory record carriers, such as interrogation of RFIDs with an additional optical interface
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/02 Editing, e.g. varying the order of information signals recorded on, or reproduced from, record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

Methods, computer program products and systems for providing video tracking. The method includes receiving a first signal from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. A location of the RFID tag is determined in response to the first signal. An image that includes the location of the RFID tag is recorded. The location of the RFID tag is marked on the image, resulting in a marked image.

Claims

1. A method for providing video tracking, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

determining a location of the RFID tag in response to the first signal;

recording an image that includes the location of the RFID tag; and

marking the location of the RFID tag on the image, resulting in a marked image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is recorded by a full spectrum camera that recognizes the first signal and the marking is performed automatically by the full spectrum camera.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first signal is an infrared or ultraviolet signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the marking is performed by overlaying the location of the RFID tag on the image.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first signal is received at a first RFID reader and the method further comprises receiving a second signal from the RFID tag at a second reader, wherein the determining a location of the RFID tag is further responsive to the second signal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is attached to an object and the signal includes data about the object.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the marking includes overlaying an image of the object on the image of the location, the overlaying at the location of the RFID tag and responsive to the data about the object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the image is recorded by an image recorder and the method further comprises determining prior to the recording if a field of view of the image recorder includes the location of the RFID tag, and positioning the image recorder so that the field of view of the image recorder includes the location of the RFID tag in response to determining that the field of view of the image recorder does not include the location of the RFID tag.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is attached to an object, the image is recorded by an image recorder, and the method further comprises focusing the image recorder on the object.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more additional signals from one or more additional RFID tags, the RFID tag and the one or more additional RFID tags making up a constellation;

determining a location of each of the one or more additional RFID tags, wherein the recorded image further includes the location of the one or more additional RFID tags.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the image is recorded by an image recorder and the method further comprises determining prior to the recording if a field of view of the image recorder includes the location of the RFID tag and the one or more additional RFID tags, and positioning the image recorder so that the field of view of the image recorder includes the location of the RFID tag and the one or more additional RFID tags in response to determining that the field of view of the image recorder does not include the location of the RFID tag and the one or more additional RFID tags.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the image is recorded by a video camera.

13. A system for providing video tracking, the system comprising:

one or more RFID readers receiving one or more signals from a RFID tag and determining a location of the RFID tag in response to the signals;

an image recorder connected to the one or more RFID readers, the image recorder recording an image that includes the location of the RFID tag; and

an image marker connected to the image recorder, the image marker marking the location of the RFID tag on the image, resulting in a marked image.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the image recorder and the image marker are included in a full spectrum camera that performs the marking automatically in response to the one or more signals while recording the image.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the one or more signals are infrared or ultraviolet signals.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the RFID tag is a passive tag and the system further comprises an RFID emitter to activate the RFID tag, the activating causing the RFID tag to transmit the one or more signals to the one or more RFID readers.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the RFID tag is attached to an object, the signals include data about the object, and the marking includes overlaying an image of the object on the image of the location, the overlaying at the location of the RFID tag and responsive to the data about the object.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising a positioning mechanism determining prior to the recording if a field of view of the image recorder includes the location of the RFID tag, and positioning the image recorder so that the field of view of the image recorder includes the location of the RFID tag in response to determining that the field of view of the image recorder does not include the location of the RFID tag.

19. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium, for providing video tracking, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

receiving a signal from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

determining a location of the RFID tag in response to the signal;

recording an image that includes the location of the RFID tag;

marking the location of the RFID tag on the image, resulting in a marked image.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the image is recorded using a full spectrum camera that recognizes the signal received from the RFID tag and the marking is performed automatically by the full spectrum camera.