ASSET TRACKING SYSTEM FOR RACK-BASED ENCLOSURES

• US 20140356000A1
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RF Code Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RF Code Incorporated
• Inventors: Primm, Michael, Graczyk, Ronald, Joy, Ryan, Blackledge, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 9,704,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0728 the arrangement being an optical or sound-based communication interface
• 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: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/501 Structural aspects

Abstract

A system includes a beacon device including a communication strip having a plurality of directed light emitters distributed along the communication strip. The beacon device can transmit a directed light signal via the directed light emitters. The system further includes a tag including a processor, a radio frequency transmitter coupled to the processor, a directed light receiver coupled to the processor, and a lens having first and second major surfaces and a side surface, the tag to receive the directed light signal via the side surface and to transmit a radio frequency tag message via the radio frequency transmitter. The system also includes a radio frequency reader to receive the radio frequency tag message.

Claims

1. An identification tag comprising:

a processor;

a transmitter coupled to the processor;

a directed light receiver coupled to the processor; and

a lens having first and second major surfaces and a side surface, the lens including an internal reflection surface to reflect a directed light signal received through the side surface to the directed light receiver.

2. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the processor is to direct the transmitter to transmit a tag message based at least in part on the directed light signal.

3. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a radio frequency transmitter.

4. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the directed light signal is an infrared signal.

5. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the lens has a disc shape.

6. The identification tag of claim 5, wherein the disc shape has a circular shape.

7. The identification tag of claim 5, wherein the disc shape has a polygonal shape.

8. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the internal reflective surface is conical.

9. The identification tag of claim 8, wherein the conical internal reflective surface has a central axis aligned with the directed light receiver.

10. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the directed light receiver includes a variable gain filter.

11. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the lens has a major surface attenuation of at least 30%.

12. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the lens has a side surface transmission of at least 35%.

13. The identification tag of claim 1, further comprising a flexible substrate, the lens coupled to the flexible substrate.

14. The identification tag of claim 13, further comprising an adhesive disposed on one surface of the flexible substrate.

15. A beacon device comprising:

a processor; and

a communication strip coupled to the processor, the communication strip having a strip aspect ratio of at least 20, the communication strip including a plurality of directed light emitters distributed along the communication strip.

16. The beacon device of claim 15, wherein the processor is to facilitate transmission of a location identifier in a directed light signal via the directed light emitters.

17. The beacon device of claim 15, wherein the communication strip extends along a vertical side of a rack.

18. The beacon device of claim 15, wherein the processor is to facilitate transmission of a directed light signal via the directed light emitters of the communication strip.

19. The beacon device of claim 18, wherein the processor is to facilitate transmission of a directed light noise via the directed light emitters of the communication strip, the directed light signal having greater strength than the directed light noise.

20. A method to transmit a directed light signal, the method comprising:

transmitting a directed light noise via directed light emitters distributed along a communication strip; and

transmitting a directed light signal via the directed light emitters distributed along the communication strip, the directed light signal having greater strength than the directed light noise.