RFID READER INTEGRATION WITH A LIGHT SOURCE

• US 20160092704A1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Ryan Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,846,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/232 specially adapted for generating an essentially omnidirectional light distribution, e.g. with a glass bulb
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0471 the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10118 the sensing being preceded by at least one preliminary step
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for a light bulb or other type of lighting fixture that integrates a light source and a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. Embodiments of the disclosure can also forward identifiers corresponding to RFID tags detected by the RFID reader to another computing device that can facilitate identification of products or items associated with the RFID tags. RFID tags are energized with interrogator signals and/or an electromagnetic field emitted from the RFID reader and submit a response, which can be forwarded, or data extracted and transmitted, to another computing device.

Claims

1. A light bulb, comprising:

a housing comprising at least one surface through which light may pass;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader integrated within the housing, the RFID reader comprising at least one antenna, the RFID reader comprising an active reader;

a light source integrated within the housing, the light source configured to emit light through the at least one surface;

a motion sensor integrated within the housing, the motion sensor configured to detect motion within a space in which the light bulb is installed;

at least one processor and a memory integrated within the housing, the at least one processor in communication with at least the motion sensor and the RFID reader; and

a power reserve integrated within the housing, the power reserve coupled to the at least one processor, the memory, the RFID reader and the motion sensor, the power reserve being configured to power the at least one processor, the memory, the RFID reader and the motion sensor;

wherein at least one of the light source, the power reserve, the motion sensor and the RFID reader are coupled to an electricity source, the light source configured to activate when electricity is provided via the electricity source;

wherein the at least one processor is configured to activate the RFID reader when the motion sensor detects motion or electricity is provided via the electricity source; and

wherein the RFID reader is configured to emit interrogator signals when activated by the at least one processor.

2. The light bulb of claim 1, further comprising a communication device facilitating communication with at least one network.

3. The light bulb of claim 2, wherein the RFID reader is configured to obtain a response to the interrogator signals and the at least one processor is configured to transmit the response to at least one computing device accessible via the at least one network.

4. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to filter a response to the interrogator signals having a signal strength that fails to meet a signal strength threshold.

5. The light bulb of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the signal strength threshold based upon a distribution of signal strengths corresponding to a plurality of responses obtained by the RFID reader.

6. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the power reserve is configured to charge when electricity is provided via the electricity source and provide power to the motion sensor, the RFID reader and the at least one processor when electricity is not provided via the electricity source.

7. A system, comprising:

an RFID reader;

at least one processor;

a light source; and

a power reserve coupled to at least the RFID reader and the at least one processor;

wherein the RFID reader, the at least one processor, the light source and the power reserve are integrated within a housing, the light source is configured to illuminate an area external to the housing and in which the system is installed, and the at least one processor is configured to;

initiate at least one RFID interrogator signal to be transmitted by the RFID reader;

obtain a response to the at least one RFID interrogator signal received by the RFID reader; and

extract an identifier corresponding to an RFID tag associated with the response.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is configured to forward the identifier corresponding to the RFID tag to at least one computing device via a network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to identify a product corresponding to the identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to generate a product recommendation based at least in part upon the product corresponding to the identifier.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the RFID reader further comprises an antenna system integrated within the housing, the antenna system being configured to be visible from outside the housing, the antenna system being formed in a shape corresponding to at least one of a logo, a picture or text.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of fan blades coupled to the housing, the plurality of fan blades being configured to rotate about the housing.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising an antenna system coupled to the RFID reader, wherein the antenna system comprises a wire loop integrated within at least one of the plurality of fan blades.

14. The system of claim 7, further comprising a sensor integrated within the housing, the sensor configured to detect a condition associated with the area external to the housing.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to activate the RFID reader when the sensor detects a condition meeting a threshold associated with the condition in the area external to the housing, wherein the condition corresponds to at least one of:

motion, temperature, smoke, or volume level.

16. A method, comprising:

causing emission, via at least one processor, of an interrogator signal from an RFID reader to energize a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the RFID reader being integrated within a housing with the at least one processor and a light source that is configured to illuminate an area external to the housing;

obtaining, via the at least one processor, a response to the interrogator signal, the response comprising an identifier associated with the RFID tag;

transmitting, via the at least one processor, the identifier associated with the RFID tag to at least one computing device via a network interface accessible to the at least one processor; and

initiating, via the at least one processor, identification of a product associated with the identifier in a product catalog accessible to the at least one computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

initiating, via the at least one processor, association of the product with a user account; and

initiating, via the at least one processor, generation of a product recommendation based at least upon the product and the user account.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

initiating, via the at least one processor, association of the product with a user account; and

initiating, via the at least one processor, association of the product with a particular location associated with the user account based upon an identifier associated with the RFID reader.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, via the at least one processor, whether an electricity source coupled to the RFID reader and the light source is deactivated; and

activating, via the at least one processor, a power reserve integrated within the housing in response to determining that the electricity source is deactivated.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, via at least one processor, whether a motion level, detected by a motion sensor integrated within the housing, of the area external to the housing meets a motion threshold; and

deactivating, via the at least one processor, the RFID reader in response to the motion level failing to meet the motion threshold.