Methods and systems for automated safety device inspection using radio frequency identification
First Claim
1. An automated inspection system, the system comprising:
- a reader comprising a transmit portion and a receive portion, said reader physically translatable along a predetermined path;
a sensor mote coupled to an object to be inspected;
a directional antenna communicatively coupled to said reader, said antenna configured to transmit and receive signals from said sensor mote in a direction substantially normal to the path;
a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point; and
a controller communicatively coupled to said reader, said controller comprising;
a user interface;
a processor communicatively coupled to said user interface; and
a database communicatively coupled to said processor, said database comprising location data of a plurality of sensor motes in a plurality of different types of vehicles, said processor configured to control the transmitted sensor signals based on the location data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for an automated safety device inspection system for a vehicle are provided. The system includes an RFID reader including a transmit portion and a receive portion wherein the reader is physically translatable along a predetermined path, a directional antenna communicatively coupled to the reader wherein the antenna is configured to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals in a direction substantially normal to the path, a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point, and a controller communicatively coupled to the reader. The controller includes a user interface, a processor communicatively coupled to the user interface, and a database communicatively coupled to the processor wherein the database includes location data of a plurality of safety devices in a plurality of different types of vehicles, the processor is configured to control the transmitted RF signals based on the location data.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. An automated inspection system, the system comprising:
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a reader comprising a transmit portion and a receive portion, said reader physically translatable along a predetermined path; a sensor mote coupled to an object to be inspected; a directional antenna communicatively coupled to said reader, said antenna configured to transmit and receive signals from said sensor mote in a direction substantially normal to the path; a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point; and a controller communicatively coupled to said reader, said controller comprising; a user interface; a processor communicatively coupled to said user interface; and a database communicatively coupled to said processor, said database comprising location data of a plurality of sensor motes in a plurality of different types of vehicles, said processor configured to control the transmitted sensor signals based on the location data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for automated location of an object, said method comprising:
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traversing a reader in a first direction along a path adjacent the object; recording a relative position of the reader along the path, the relative position with respect to a starting position of the reader; transmitting an interrogation signal from the reader in a direction substantially normal to the first direction; transmitting a response signal from the object when the object receives the interrogation signal; and determining a presence of the object, an identification of the object and a location of the object based on the response signal. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An automated safety device inspection system for a vehicle, the system comprising:
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a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader comprising a transmit portion and a receive portion, said reader physically translatable along a predetermined path, said RFID reader is configured to generate radio frequency signals that interrogate an RFID enabled tag such that the tag responds to the interrogation with a tag identification signal; a directional antenna communicatively coupled to said reader, said antenna configured to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals in a direction substantially normal to the path, said directional antenna further configured to generate a narrow beamwidth selected to ensure that the tags are within the field of view of the antenna beam; a relative position indicator configured to determine a relative position of the reader from a starting point; and a controller communicatively coupled to said reader, said controller comprising; a user interface; a processor communicatively coupled to said user interface, said processor is configured to determine an RFID-enabled tag location based on the relative position of the reader and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) signal received from the reader, said processor is further configured to determine the RFID-enabled tag location based on the relative position of the reader, and a time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal from the reader, said processor is still further configured to determine the RFID-enabled tag location based on the position-stamps of the plurality of received RF signals; and a database communicatively coupled to said processor, said database comprising location data of a plurality of safety devices in a plurality of different types of vehicles, said processor configured to control the transmitted RF signals based on the location data. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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Specification