Wireless tag determination system and wireless tag determination method

• US 7,952,465 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Kenji, Kunito, Goro, Isoda, Yoshinori, Tanaka, Satoshi, Yamazaki, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, An T
• Application Number:
  US11/677,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20070205866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/825, 340/572.1, 340/568.1, 340/540, 340/500, 700/79, 700/1, 700/11, 700/21, 700/90, 700/306, 700/213, 700/231, 700/232, 700/236, 702/81, 702/1
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A wireless tag determination system includes a detection information storage configured to store information detected from a wireless tag by a tag reader, as detection information. A determination requesting unit is configured to request a determination for reliability of existence of the wireless tag within a detection range of the tag reader. A reliability determination unit is configured to determine the reliability by use of the detection information, in response to the request.

Claims

1. A wireless tag determination system comprising:

a detection information storage configured to store a tag ID detected from a wireless tag by a tag reader and a time when the tag reader detects the tag ID, as detection information;

a reliability determination unit configured to determine reliability which indicates certainty of existence of the wireless tag within a detection range of the tag reader at a time subsequent to a time of an initial detection of the wireless tag; and

a determination requesting unit configured to request a reliability determination for reliability of existence of the wireless tag within a detection range of the tag reader, wherein

the reliability determination unit comprises an elapsed time calculator configured to calculate elapsed time information indicating an elapsed time which is from a time of the last detection of the wireless tag to a time when the determination requesting unit requests the reliability determination, by use of the detection information stored in the detection information storage;

a periodicity information holder configured to hold periodicity information indicating a transmission cycle of the wireless tag; and

an attribute information holder configured to hold attribute information indicating an attribute of an object to which the wireless tag is attached,

wherein the reliability determination unit includes,

a non-detection frequency calculator configured to calculate, by use of the periodicity information, non-detection frequency information indicating the number of times that the wireless tag is not detected during the elapsed time, at time points when the wireless tag is supposed to be detected,

a mobility probability determination unit configured to determine a mobility probability representing a frequency of movements of the object to which the wireless tag is attached, in accordance with the attribute information held by the attribute information holder, and

a reliability calculator configured to calculate the reliability in accordance with the elapsed time information calculated by the elapsed time calculator, the mobility probability determined by the mobility probability determination unit, the attribute information held by the attribute information holder, and the non-detection frequency information calculated by the non-detection frequency calculator.

2. The wireless tag determination system according to claim 1, wherein the reliability determination unit further comprises:

a detection failure rate calculator configured to calculate the detection failure rate which is equivalent to a probability of failing to detect the wireless tag accurately in each transmission cycle, on the basis of the detection information stored in the detection information storage and the periodicity information held by the periodicity information holder,

wherein the reliability calculator calculates the reliability by further using the detection failure rate calculated by the detection failure rate calculator.

3. The wireless tag determination system according to claim 1, wherein the periodicity information holder estimates the transmission cycle by use of the detection information stored in the detection information storage, and holds the estimated transmission cycle as the periodicity information.

4. The wireless tag determination system according to claim 1, wherein,

the detection information storage further stores electric power transmission interval information indicating a time interval for transmitting electric power from the tag reader to the wireless tag, and

the reliability determination unit determines the reliability by further using the electric power transmission interval information stored in the detection information storage.

5. The wireless tag determination system according to claim 4, further comprising:

an attribute information holder configured to hold attribute information indicating an attribute of an object to which the wireless tag is attached,

wherein the reliability determination unit determines the reliability by further using the attribute information held by the attribute information holder.

8. The wireless tag determination system according to claim 1, wherein the non-detection frequency information indicating the number of time the wireless tag is not detected during the elapsed time is 1−

q, where “

q”

is the detection rate, q=m*(1−

e), “

m”

is the mobility probability, and “

e”

is a detection failure rate.

9. The wireless tag determination system according to claim 8, wherein the reliability determination unit determines the reliability “

r”

according to

6. A wireless tag determination method comprising:

storing a tag ID detected from a wireless tag by a tag reader and a time when the tag reader detects the tag ID, as detection information;

requesting a reliability determination, which indicates certainty of existence of the wireless tag within a detection range of the tag reader at a time subsequent to a time of an initial detection of the wireless tag;

calculating elapsed time information indicating an elapsed time which is from a time of the last detection of the wireless tag to a time when the reliability determination is requested, by use of the detection information stored by the storing;

storing attribute information indicating an attribute of an object to which the wireless tag is attached,

storing periodicity information indicating a transmission cycle of the wireless tag; and

calculating, by use of the periodicity information, non-detection frequency information indicating the number of times that the wireless tag is not detected during the elapsed time, at time points when the wireless tag is supposed to be detected,

determining a mobility probability representing a frequency of movements of the object to which the wireless tag is attached, in accordance with the attribute information, and

calculating the reliability in accordance with the elapsed time information, the mobility probability, the attribute information, and the non-detection frequency information.

7. A wireless tag determination system comprising:

a detection information storage configured to store a tag ID detected from a wireless tag by a tag reader and a time when the tag reader detects the tag ID, as detection information;

a reliability determination unit configured to determine reliability which indicates certainty of existence of the wireless tag within a detection range of the tag reader at a time subsequent to a time of an initial detection of the wireless tag; and

a determination requesting unit configured to request a reliability determination for reliability of existence of the wireless tag within a detection range of the tag reader, wherein

the reliability determination unit comprises an elapsed time calculator configured to calculate elapsed time information indicating an elapsed time which is from a time of the last detection of the wireless tag to a time when the determination requesting unit requests the reliability determination, by use of the detection information stored in the detection information storage;

a periodicity information holder configured to hold periodicity information indicating a transmission cycle of the wireless tag; and

an attribute information holder configured to hold attribute information indicating an attribute of an object to which the wireless tag is attached,

wherein the reliability determination unit includes,

a non-detection frequency calculator configured to calculate, by use of the periodicity information, non-detection frequency information indicating the number of times that the wireless tag is not detected during the elapsed time, at time points when the wireless tag is supposed to be detected,

a detection failure rate calculator configured to calculate the detection failure rate which is equivalent to a probability of failing to detect the wireless tag accurately in each transmission cycle, on the basis of the detection information stored in the detection information storage and the periodicity information held by the periodicity information holder, and

a reliability calculator configured to calculate the reliability in accordance with the elapsed time information calculated by the elapsed time calculator, the detection failure rate calculated by the detection failure rate calculator, the attribute information held by the attribute information holder, and the non-detection frequency information calculated by the non-detection frequency calculator.