METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REAL TIME LOCATION TRACKING USING RFID

• US 20110095869A1
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Yang, Hoe-Sung, Myong, Seung Il, Lee, Jae Heum, Chae, Jong-Suk, Lee, Heyung Sub
• Application Number:
  US12/994,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20110095869A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

Proposed are a method and apparatus for real-time location tracking using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), the apparatus including: a first reception information receiver to receive first reception information of a tag signal from a plurality of RFID readers that receives the tag signal from an RFID tag; a reader group generator to select, from the plurality of RFID readers, at least three RFID readers based on the first reception information and generate an RFID reader group including the selected at least three RFID readers; and a location calculator to calculate a location of the RFID tag based on first reception information that is received from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group.

Claims

1. An apparatus for real-time location tracking using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), the apparatus comprising:

a first reception information receiver to receive first reception information of a tag signal from a plurality of RFID readers that receives the tag signal from an RFID tag;

a reader group generator to select, from the plurality of RFID readers, at least three RFID readers based on the first reception information and generate an RFID reader group including the selected at least three RFID readers; and

a location calculator to calculate a location of the RFID tag based on first reception information that is received from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first reception information includes a first reception time value regarding a point in time when each of the RFID readers receives the tag signal, and

the reader group generator generates the RFID reader group according to a smaller order of the first reception time value.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first reception information includes a first energy value of the received tag signal, and

the reader group generator generates the RFID reader group according to a larger order of the first energy value.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller to select a reference RFID reader from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group based on the first reception information and control the reference RFID reader to transmit a reference signal to constituent RFID readers that are remaining RFID readers excluding the reference RFID reader in the RFID reader group; and

a second reception information receiver to receive second reception information of the reference signal from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the location calculator calculates the location of the RFID tag based on the first reception information and the second reception information that are received from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

the first reception information includes a first reception time value regarding a point in time when each of the RFID readers receives the tag signal, and the controller selects, as the reference RFID reader, an RFID reader with a minimum first reception time value.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

the first reception information includes a first energy value of the received tag signal, and

the controller selects, as the reference RFID reader, an RFID reader with a maximum first energy value.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

second reception information associated with the reference RFID reader includes a delay time value that is spent when the reference RFID reader transmits the reference signal, and

second reception information associated with a constituent RFID reader includes a second reception time value regarding a point in time when the constituent RFID reader receives the reference signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

second reception information associated with the reference RFID reader includes a second energy value of the reference signal at a point in time when the reference RFID reader transmits the reference signal, and

second reception information associated with a constituent RFID reader includes a second energy value of the received reference signal.

10. A method for real-time location tracking using RFID, the method comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of RFID readers, first reception information of a tag signal that is received from an RFID tag;

selecting, from the plurality of RFID readers, at least three RFID readers based on the first reception information to generate an RFID reader group including the selected at least three RFID readers; and

calculating a location of the RFID tag based on first reception information that is received from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selecting and the generating generates the RFID reader group according to a larger order of a first reception time value with respect to a point in time when the tag signal included in the first reception information is received.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a reference RFID reader from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group based on the first reception information;

controlling the reference RFID reader to transmit a reference signal to constituent RFID readers that are remaining RFID readers excluding the reference RFID reader in the RFID reader group; and

receiving second reception information of the reference signal from the at least three RFID readers included in the RFID reader group,

wherein the calculating of the location calculates the location of the RFID tag based on the first reception information and the second reception information that are received from the reference RFID reader and the constituent RFID readers.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the selecting of the reference RFID reader selects, as the reference RFID reader, an RFID reader with a maximum first reception time value with respect to a point in time when the tag signal included in the first reception time is received.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

second reception information associated with the reference RFID reader includes a delay time value that is spent when the reference RFID reader transmits the reference signal, and

second reception information associated with a constituent RFID reader includes a second reception time value regarding a time when the constituent RFID reader receives the reference signal.