DEVICE FOR SAMPLING AND LOCATING ASSET INFORMATION AND METHOD FOR MANAGING THE SAME

• US 20160321896A1
• Filed: 08/27/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digitalor Shenzhen Security Tech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Digitalor Shenzhen Security Tech Incorporated
• Inventors: Liu, Quan
• Granted Patent: US 9,633,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10099 the directional field being used for pinpointing the location of the record carrier, e.g. for finding or locating an RFID tag amongst a plurality of RFID tags, each RFID tag being associated with an object, e.g. for physically locating the RFID tagged object in a warehouse
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A device for sampling and locating asset information includes a tag and a locator. The tag includes an attaching terminal that comprises an attaching element, a RFID responder, a magnetic element. The tag further includes a fixing end and a flexible connection element. The locator includes an attached element, a RFID reader, a hall switch, a multiplexer and a microprocessor. When a distance between the attaching terminal and the attached element reaches a preset distance, the magnetic element triggers the hall switch to send a trigger signal to the microprocessor. Based on the trigger signal the microprocessor turns on the RFID reader and controls the multiplexer to be connected to the corresponding RFID antenna to read the information. By using the device above, a real time monitoring and an automatic location are realized and the monitoring and the location can be accurate to every unit on the rack.

Claims

1. A device for sampling and locating asset information including a tag, and a locator disposed on a rack for placing asset, wherein, the tag includes an attaching terminal comprising an attaching element, a RFID responder and a magnetic element disposed in the attaching element, wherein, the RFID responder is configured to store sampled information of the asset, wherein the tag further includes a fixing end configured to fix the tag to the asset whose information would be sampled, and a flexible connection element connecting between the fixing end and the attaching terminal;

wherein

the locator includes an attached element, a RFID reader, a hall switch, a multiplexer and a microprocessor, the attached element cooperates with the attaching element to guide the attaching terminal and to maintain a stable position relationship between the RFID reader and the RFID responder, the hall switch and the RFID reader are electronically connected to the microprocessor respectively, the RFID reader is electronically connected to the multiplexer, and the multiplexer is connected to a plurality of RFID antennas;

wherein

when a distance between the attaching terminal of the tag and the attached element of the locator reaches a preset distance, the magnetic element on the attaching terminal triggers the hall switch to send a trigger signal to the microprocessor, wherein based on the trigger signal the microprocessor turns on the RFID reader and meanwhile controls the multiplexer to be connected to corresponding RFID antenna to read the sampled information of the asset stored in the RFID responder.

2. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 1, wherein, when the hall switch detects that the magnetic element is leaving, a leaving information is sent to the microprocessor which then uploads the leaving information to an asset management server.

3. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 2, wherein, the attaching element and the magnetic element are made of permanent magnet, wherein the RFID reader sends read information to the microprocessor which then uploads the read information to the asset management server.

4. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 3, wherein, the tag is made of plastic materials, wherein the fixing end, the flexible connection element and the attaching terminal are integral forming structure.

5. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 4, wherein, the plastic materials include nylon materials.

6. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 4, wherein the tag further includes an alarm circuit for interruption prevention disposed in the fixing end, the flexible connection element and the attaching terminal, wherein the alarm circuit for interruption prevention is connected to the microprocessor for sending out an alarm signal when the fixing end or the flexible connection element or the attaching terminal is detected to be disconnected, wherein a self-destruction circuit connected to the microprocessor is further disposed in the fixing end and is used to send out the alarm signal when the fixing end is detected to be disconnected from the asset.

7. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 6, wherein the microprocessor is configured to turn on the RFID reader in a preset interval for detecting if the alarm circuit for interruption prevention and the self-destruction circuit send out the alarm signal, wherein the microprocessor is configured to upload the alarm signal to the asset management server when the alarm signal is detected.

8. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 7, wherein the attached element includes an iron block or a magnet arranged on a central axis of the locator.

9. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 8, wherein a locator group with an input terminal and an output terminal is formed by at least one locator, and a number of the locator is determined by the number of units on the rack.

10. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 9, wherein a SATA interface used to connect the locator is employed as the input terminal and the output terminal of the locator group, and a magnetic strip is set on one side of the locator group for fixing the locator group to the rack arranged to place the asset.

11. The device for sampling and locating asset information according to claim 10, wherein the locator further includes at least one indicator.

12. A method for managing asset information comprising:

S1, triggering a hall switch via a magnetic element on an attaching terminal when a distance between the attaching terminal of a tag and an attached element of a locator reaches a preset distance;

S2, sending a trigger signal to a microprocessor via the hall switch;

S3, based on the trigger signal, turning on a RFID reader and connecting a multiplexer to a corresponding RFID antenna to read sampled information of the asset stored in a RFID responder via the microprocessor.

13. The method for managing asset information according to claim 12, wherein further comprises sending a leaving information to the microprocessor which then uploads the leaving information to the asset management server and turns off the RFID reader when the hall switch detects that the magnetic element is leaving.