SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OBJECT LOCALIZATION AND PATH IDENTIFICATION BASED ON RFID SENSING

• US 20140375431A1
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Published: 12/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucomm Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucomm Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cristache, Lucian
• Granted Patent: US 9,513,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/876 Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A networked radio frequency identification system includes a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers, a computer in signal communication with the RFID tag readers over a network, and a software module for storage on and operable by the computer that localizes RFID tags based on information received from the RFID tag readers using a network model having endpoints and oriented links. In an additional example, at least one of the RFID tag readers includes an adjustable configuration setting selected from RF signal strength, antenna gain, antenna polarization, and antenna orientation. In a further aspect, the system localizes RFID tags based on hierarchical threshold limit calculations. In an additional aspect, the system controls a locking device associated with an access point based on localization of an authorized RFID tag at the access point and reception of additional authorizing information from an input device.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system for localizing an RFID tag, the system comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag beacons having at least one setting selected from transmit power, antenna orientation, antenna gain, and antenna polarization;

a localization module in signal communication with the RFID tag;

a plurality of location based endpoints, each of the endpoints being associated with one or more of the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag beacons;

the localization module being configured to localize the RFID tag based on data received from the RFID tag beacons;

wherein the RFID tag is configured to receive a beacon identifier and a beacon setting from at least one of the RFID tag beacons, and further the RFID tag is configured to transmit the beacon tag identifier, the beacon tag setting, a set of received signal parameters and a tag identifier to the localization module, and wherein the localization module is configured to determine the location of the RFID tag based on the received signal parameters.

2. The RFID system of claim 1, wherein the localization module is further configured to determine a semantic attribute of movement for the RFID tag.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensing entity attached to the RFID beacon tag, the semantic attribute being a function of a parameter detected by the sensing entity.

5. The system of claim 1, where the software module invalidates the semantic attribute after the passage of a time interval.

3. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system for localizing an RFID beacon tag, the system comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) beacon tag receivers;

a computer in signal communication with the plurality of RFID beacon tag receivers;

a memory associated with the computer, the memory storing a network model having a plurality of endpoints and oriented links between the endpoints, wherein the endpoints are associated with physical locations in space, at least some of the endpoints having associated with them one or more of the RFID beacon tag receivers;

the computer being configured to operate a software module that localizes the RFID beacon tag based on data received from the RFID beacon tag receivers;

the software module further being configured to associate a semantic attribute to the RFID beacon tag by;

mapping one of the oriented links to a source endpoint at a first physical location and a destination endpoint at a second physical location;

determining that the RFID beacon tag is present at the source endpoint at a first time value and that the RFID beacon tag is present at the destination endpoint at a second time value;

determining that the RFID beacon tag has traversed the oriented link from the source endpoint to arrive at the destination endpoint, including a path of travel and a direction assigned to the oriented link; and

associating the semantic attribute to the RFID beacon tag based on the determination that the RFID tag has traversed the oriented link.