Inventory control system and method

• US 20110315765A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GaN Corporation
• Original Assignee: Q-Track Corporation
• Inventors: Schantz, Hans Gregory, Beucher, Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• 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: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An inventory control system and method uses a locating device associated with a mover and identifies an ID tagged asset using an ID reader also associated with the mover. Thus, a single relatively high-cost locating device may be temporarily associated with the asset, enabling precise location of a multitude of assets as a mover traverses an inventory area. The asset location and identification may be associated in a database. The asset location may be refined by using additional measurement devices, for example a forklift height sensor, to determine extension from a locating device. A further embodiment utilizes RFID or barcode technology for the ID tag. The locating device may utilize near-field location technology, signals-of-opportunity, or other RTLS technologies.

Claims

1. An inventory control method comprising:

identifying an asset comprising the steps of;

associating an identification tag with the asset; and

reading the identification tag with an IL) tag reader physically associated with a mover, the mover having an RTLS tag thereon;

logically associating the asset with the RTLS tag;

determining location coordinates for the mover;

logically disassociating the asset from the RTLS tag;

recording location coordinates of the asset based on the determining location coordinates for the mover.

3. The inventory control method of claim 1, wherein the RTLS tag is a passive RTLS tag.

4. The inventory control method of claim 3, wherein the passive RTLS tag employs signals-of-opportunity in determining a location.

5. The inventory control method of claim 1, wherein the identification tag is an RFID tag.

6. The inventory control method of claim 1 wherein the identification tag is an optical barcode label.

7. The inventory control method of claim 1, further including the step of determining the location coordinates for said asset by measured extension from the location coordinates for said mover.

8. The inventory control method as in claim 1, wherein said mover comprises a person.

2. The inventory control method of claim 1, wherein the RTLS tag is an active RTLS tag.

9. The inventory control method as in claim 1, wherein said mover comprises a robot.

10. The inventory control system of claim 8 wherein the RTLS tag is an active RTLS tag for transmitting a location signal;

and further comprising a set of locator receivers for receiving the location signal and determining location coordinates of the active RTLS tag based on the measurements of the location signal;

the set of locator receivers in communication with the computer, wherein the computer is configured for receiving location coordinates of the active RTLS tag from the set of locator receivers.

11. The inventory control system of claim 8, wherein the RTLS tag is a passive RTLS tag.

12. The inventory control system of claim 11, wherein the passive RTLS tag employs signals-of-opportunity in determining a location.

13. The inventory control system of claim 8, wherein the identification tag is an RFID tag.

14. The inventory control system of claim 8 wherein the identification tag is an optical barcode label.

15. The inventory control system of claim 8, further including the step of determining the location coordinates for said asset by measured extension from the location coordinates for said mover.

16. The inventory control system as in claim 8, wherein said mover comprises a person.

8-1. An inventory control system comprising:

an RTLS tag associated with a mover for determining location of the mover;

an ID tag reader associated with the mover, the ID tag reader for determining identification of an asset from an ID tag associated with an asset;

a computer in communication with the RTLS tag and the ID tag reader for recording a location of the asset, the computer configured for associating the location of the mover with the identification of the asset.

9-2. The inventory control system of claim 8:

wherein the RTLS tag is an active RTLS tag for transmitting a location signal;

and further comprising;

a set of locator receivers for receiving the location signal;

a computer in communication with the set of locator receivers,

the computer configured for receiving measurements of the location signal made by the set of locator receivers, and

the computer determining location coordinates of the active RTLS tag based on the measurements of the location signal.

17. An inventory control system comprising:

an active RTLS tag for transmitting a location signal;

means for determining location coordinates for the active RTLS tag based on the location signal;

an ID tag reader in communication with a computer, said ID tag reader for reading an asset identification from an ID tag associated with an asset in an inventory area;

a mover for carrying the ID tag reader and the active RTLS tag to a plurality of locations within the inventory area;

wherein the location coordinates for the active RTLS tag are determined by the means for determining the location coordinates while the active RTLS tag is in a known relative proximity to the asset;

wherein the inventory control system obtains an estimation of location coordinates for the asset from the location coordinates for the active RTLS tag, and

wherein the inventory control system is configured for associating the location coordinates for the asset with the asset identification.

18. The inventory control system of claim 17 wherein the estimation further includes the step of determining location coordinates for the asset by measured extension from the location coordinates for said mover.

19. The inventory control system as in claim 17, wherein the mover is a person.

20. The inventory control system as in claim 17, wherein the mover is a robot.