SYSTEM AND METHOD OF IDENTIFYING TAGGED ARTICLES

• US 20110133905A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meps Real-Time, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Meps Real-Time, Inc.
• Inventors: Hussain, Shariq, Shamblin, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,384,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10168 the powering being adversely affected by environmental influences, e.g. unwanted energy loss in the interrogation signal due to metallic or capacitive objects in the proximity of the interrogation device or in the proximity of the interrogated record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/00 ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical references
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

An automatic data collection system tracks articles by providing a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within an enclosure in which the articles are stored. Respective data carriers, such as RFID tags, attached to each article respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting unique data identified with each article. Where the frequency of the EM field coupled to the enclosure differs from the natural resonance frequency of the enclosure, the placement of a probe to couple energy to the enclosure is selected to have the reflected phase of the EM energy from walls equal at the probe location thereby producing a robust EM field to activate and/or detect data carriers.

Claims

1. A system for reading a data carrier that is attached to an article, the data carrier being responsive to electromagnetic energy (EM) of a frequency f₁ in response to which the data carrier provides unique identification data, the system comprising:

a metallic enclosure having electrically conductive walls, the enclosure have a natural frequency of resonance f₂;

a probe mounted through one of the walls of the enclosure, the probe configured to inject electromagnetic energy into the enclosure, wherein the position of the probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected to optimize power transfer into the enclosure;

a storage device located within the enclosure configured to receive data carriers with respective articles to be stored; and

a receiving antenna disposed within the enclosure and configured to receive the unique identification data provided by the data carriers.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the frequency f₁ is different from the natural frequency of resonance of the enclosure f₂; and

the position of the probe is selected so that reflected phase of EM from the walls is equal at the probe position, i.e, they are in phase at the probe position.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an impedance matching circuit configured to more closely match impedance of the probe to impedance of the enclosure.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the impedance matching circuit comprises an active impedance matching circuit.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the storage device comprises a drawer adapted to move into and out of the enclosure.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein a portion of the drawer forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure when the drawer is in a predetermined position in relation to the enclosure.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the drawer is non-electrically conductive except for a portion of the drawer that forms a portion of the electrically conductive enclosure.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the drawer is slidable into and out of the enclosure through an opening in the enclosure, the drawer having a front panel that is electrically conductive and that contacts the electrically conductive enclosure when the drawer is slid to a predetermined position within the enclosure.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiving antenna is located on an opposite side of the storage device from the probe.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of probes, each probe being mounted through a wall of the enclosure, each of the probes configured to inject electromagnetic (EM) energy into the enclosure at its respective position, wherein the position of each probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected to optimize power transfer into the enclosure to provide coverage of a portion of the enclosure with an electromagnetic field, the position of the probes further selected such that the probes may be sequentially activated to inject their respective EM energy into the enclosure to provide a composite EM field.

11. A system for tracking an article having a data carrier attached thereto, the data carrier being responsive to electromagnetic energy of a frequency f₁ in response to which the data carrier broadcasts unique identification data, the system comprising:

a metallic enclosure having electrically conductive walls, the enclosure have a natural frequency of resonance of f₂, wherein f₂ is different from f₁;

a probe mounted through one of the walls of the enclosure, the probe configured to inject electromagnetic energy into the enclosure, wherein the position of the probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected to optimize power transfer into the enclosure;

a drawer movably disposed within the enclosure, the drawer configured to store articles having respective data carriers; and

a receiving antenna disposed within the enclosure and configured to receive the unique identification data provided by data carriers.

12. A system for establishing a robust electromagnetic field within an enclosure, the system comprising:

a metallic enclosure having electrically conductive walls, the enclosure have a natural frequency of resonance f₂;

a probe mounted through one of the walls of the enclosure, the probe configured to inject electromagnetic energy (EM) into the enclosure, the EM having a frequency of f₁, wherein f₁ and f₂ are different,

wherein the position of the probe in relation to the walls of the enclosure is selected to optimize power transfer into the enclosure;

a storage device located within the enclosure configured to receive data carriers with respective articles to be stored; and

a receiving antenna disposed within the enclosure and configured to receive the unique identification data provided by the data carriers.