System for locating items

• US 8,044,797 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RadioFIDO LLC
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Incorporated (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Logan, Cedric L., Rossman, Court E., Brommer, Karl D., Gili, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US12/360,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.32
• US Class Current: 340/539.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0675 the resonating marks being of the surface acoustic wave [SAW] kind SAW devices per se H03H9/64

Abstract

A convenient handheld locator is provided for locating an item in an urban environment in which the locator is programmed to search for and locate specific items, with the detected item being displayed on the locator as to its identity or name, also displaying where the item is relative to the locator, as to position and range.

Claims

1. A system for locating an item in an urban environment, comprising:

an RFID tag on an item which upon interrogation with an interrogation beam emits a coded signal indicative of the item back to a locator;

the locator having a data entry device;

a display on said locator;

a directional antenna carried by said locator;

a transmitter in said locator for projecting an interrogating beam using said directional antenna;

a receiver and processor for detecting modulated backscatter return from the tagged item and for indicating on said display the identification of the item detected; and

,

a computer for registering items, the code associated therewith and the name of the item in a computer listing, wherein said locator is configured to store said listing in said locator, whereby said data in said locator can be used to identify the item sought by its name such that only the item sought backscatters information back to the locator, and such that only the names of a selected item is displayed, and wherein the selection of an item results in an interrogation beam coded with the code associated with the selected item, whereby the range of said system is increased due to a reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio.

2. The system of claim 1, and further including a processor within said locator for displaying the name of the detected item upon detection of the item.

3. A system for locating an item in an urban environment, comprising:

an RFID tag on an item which upon interrogation with an interrogation beam emits a coded signal indicative of the item back to a locator;

the locator having a data entry device;

a display on said locator;

a directional antenna carried by said locator;

a transmitter in said locator for projecting an interrogating beam using said directional antenna;

a receiver and processor for detecting modulated backscatter return from the tagged item and for indicating on said display the identification of the item detected, wherein said display includes indicia indicating the position of the beam projected by said locator and an icon indicating the location of a detected item.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said location includes range from said locator to said item.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said range is derived from a cross ambiguity function.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said beam is pulsed and said range is derived from range gating on the pulses projected by said locator.

7. A system for locating an item in an urban environment, comprising:

an RFID tag on an item which upon interrogation with an interrogation beam emits a coded signal indicative of the item back to a locator;

the locator having a data entry device;

a display on said locator;

a directional antenna carried by said locator;

a transmitter in said locator for projecting an interrogating beam using said directional antenna;

a receiver and processor for detecting modulated backscatter return from the tagged item and for indicating on said display the identification of the item detected, wherein said tag includes a receive antenna, a transmit antenna and a diode coupled between said antennas, and further including a battery to bias said diode, whereby the range of said system is increased over that associated with an unbiased diode.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said range increase is at least a 50% increase over that associated with an unbiased diode.