Mobile RFID reader with integrated location awareness for material tracking and management

• US 7,932,827 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bapat, Vivek R., Chand, Sujeet, Hall, Kenwood H., Morse, Richard A., Owen, JR., Joseph P., Pietrzyk, Arthur P., Somogyi, Andreas, Tinnell, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US12/140,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20080278328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A portable RFID reader (or reader/writer) that also employs a location determination subsystem that facilitates determination of the reader (or reader/writer) location. The location subsystem can employ a satellite-based GPS (Global Positioning System) location technology where such signals are unimpeded by structures. Additionally, the location subsystem can employ other terrestrial location technologies that operate inside structures such as warehouses and the factory automation environment.

Claims

1. An industrial controller, comprising:

a receiving component that receives location data of an RFID reader and RFID tag data read by the RFID reader;

a data store that stores and combines the location data and RFID tag data; and

a processing component that processes the RFID reader location data and the RFID tag data in combination with data of the controller to facilitate the location of the tagged object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location data includes outdoor location information of the RFID reader.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the outdoor location information is determined using a global positioning system (GPS).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the location data includes indoor location information of the RFID reader.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the indoor location information is determined using at least one of triangulation technology or signal strength technology.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising of a network on which is disposed the data store and the controller.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising of a transceiver that provides communication between the network and the RFID reader.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein location data associated with the location of the tagged object is used for object flow and tracking.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is a programmable logic controller (PLC).

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an artificial intelligence (AI) component that employs at least one of a probabilistic or statistical-based analysis to prognose or infer an action that a user desires to be automatically performed.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a filter component that filters received RFID tag data according to the location data.

12. A computer storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for carrying out the system of claim 1.

13. A method to facilitate location determination of a RFID tagged object for an industrial controller, comprising:

receiving location data of a portable reading device that performs at least one of reading from or writing to an RFID tag of an object;

receiving RFID tag data of the tagged object read by the portable reading device; and

processing the location data of the portable reading device and RFID tag data in combination with data of the controller to determine location of the tagged object.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the location data includes outdoor location information of the portable reading device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the outdoor location information is determined using a global positioning system (GPS).

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the location data includes indoor location information of the portable reading device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the indoor location information is determined using at least one of triangulation technology or signal strength technology.

18. A system to facilitate location determination of a RFID tagged object for an industrial controller, comprising:

means for receiving location data of an RFID reader;

means for receiving RFID tag data of a tagged object read by the RFID reader; and

means for processing the location data of the RFID reader and RFID tag data in combination with data of the controller to determine location of the tagged object.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the location data includes outdoor location information of the RFID reader.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the outdoor location information is determined using a global positioning system (GPS).

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the location data includes indoor location information of the RFID reader.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the indoor location information is determined using at least one of triangulation technology or signal strength technology.

23. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for filtering RFID tag data according to the location data.