SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MULTIPLE FREQUENCY BAND RFID

• US 20130265141A1
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Etzkorn, Karen M.
• Application Number:
  US13/442,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265141A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• 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: G06K 7/10376 the interrogation device being adapted for being moveable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader is provided. The RFID reader includes a transmitter/receiver module configured to transmit a radio signal on a plurality of frequency bands, and a control module configured to receive a geographic location, determine an authorized frequency band associated with the geographic location, and instruct the transmitter/receiver module to transmit the radio signal on the authorized frequency band.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader comprising:

a transmitter/receiver module configured to transmit a radio signal on a plurality of frequency bands; and

a control module configured to;

receive a geographic location;

determine an authorized frequency band associated with the geographic location; and

instruct said transmitter/receiver module to transmit the radio signal on the authorized frequency band.

2. An RFID reader in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a sensor module configured to determine the geographic location, wherein said control module is configured to receive the geographic location from said sensor module.

3. An RFID reader in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a user interface module configured to receive a user input indicative of the geographic location, wherein said control module is configured to receive the geographic location from said user interface module.

4. An RFID reader in accordance with claim 3, wherein said user interface module comprises a toggle switch that enables a user to selectively change the geographic location received by said control module.

5. An RFID reader in accordance with claim 3, wherein said user interface module comprises a display device configured to display at least one of the geographic location and the authorized frequency band.

6. An RFID reader in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control module is configured to determine the authorized frequency band by utilizing a frequency look-up table listing a plurality of possible geographic locations and a frequency band associated with each of the plurality of possible geographic locations.

7. An RFID reader in accordance with claim 1, wherein said transmitter/receiver module is further configured to receive a response radio signal from an RFID tag coupled to an article onboard an aircraft.

8. An RFID reader in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control module is configured to determine an authorized frequency band in a range of 850 to 960 megahertz.

9. A processing device configured to:

receive a geographic location;

determine an authorized frequency band associated with the geographic location; and

instruct a transmitter/receiver module of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader to transmit a radio signal on the authorized frequency band.

10. A processing device in accordance with claim 9, wherein said processing device is configured to receive the geographic location from a global positioning system.

11. A processing device in accordance with claim 9, wherein said processing device is configured to receive the geographic location from a user interface module that enables a user to selectively change the geographic location.

12. A processing device in accordance with claim 9, wherein said processing device is configured to determine the authorized frequency band by utilizing a frequency look-up table including a plurality of possible geographic locations and a frequency band associated with each geographic location.

13. A method for transmitting a radio signal from a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, said method comprising:

receiving, at a processing device, a geographic location;

determining, using the processing device, an authorized frequency band associated with the geographic location; and

instructing a transmitter/receiver module of the RFID reader to transmit a radio signal on the authorized frequency band.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein receiving a geographic location comprises receiving the geographic location from a sensor module configured to determine the geographic location.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein receiving a geographic location comprises receiving the geographic location from a user interface module configured to receive a user input indicative of the geographic location.

16. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein receiving a geographic location comprises receiving the geographic location based on a position of a toggle switch that enables a user to selectively change the geographic location.

17. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising displaying at least one of the geographic location and the authorized frequency band on a display device.

18. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein determining an authorized frequency band comprises determining the authorized frequency band by utilizing a frequency look-up table listing a plurality of possible geographic locations and a frequency band associated with each of the plurality of possible geographic locations.

19. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising receiving, at the RFID reader, a radio response signal from an RFID tag coupled to an article onboard an aircraft.

20. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein determining an authorized frequency band comprises determining an authorized frequency band in a range of 850 to 960 megahertz.