Determining speeds of radio frequency tags

• US 8,169,312 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neology Incorporated (OEP Technologie BV)
• Original Assignee: Sirit Corporation
• Inventors: Frederick, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CROSLAND, DONNIE L
• Application Number:
  US12/351,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20100176921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 340/441, 340/928, 340/936
• US Class Current: 340/441
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/92 for velocity measurement
• 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

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to determining speeds of radio frequency tags. In some implementations, a method includes sampling a Radio Frequency (RF) signal from an RFID tag at a plurality of different times as the RFID tag approaches an RFID reader and recedes from the RFID reader. A phase of the RF signal is determined for each of the plurality of different times based, at least in part, on the sampled RF signal. A speed of the RFID tag is determined based, at least in part, on the determined phase for the sampled signal for each of the plurality of different times.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sampling a Radio Frequency (RF) signal from an RFID tag at a plurality of different times as the RFID tag approaches an RFID reader and recedes from the RFID reader;

determining a phase of the RF signal for each of the plurality of different times based, at least in part, on the sampled RF signal;

determining a slope of a Doppler curve based, at least in part, on the determined phase for the sampled RF signal for each of the plurality of different times; and

determining a speed of the RFID tag based, at least in part, on the slope of the Doppler curve.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed of the RFID tag is determined based, at least in part, on a height of the RFID tag.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying the height of the RFID tag based, at least in part, on the sampled signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the phase of the RF signal comprises estimating the phase of the RF signal for each of the plurality of different times based, at least in part, on the sampled RF signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the phase of the RF signal is estimated based, at least in part, on a polynomial equation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the slope of the Doppler curve comprises:

estimating the curve of the phase of the RF signal as a function of the plurality of different times; and

determining the slope of the curve at a specific time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the specific time is a time that the RFID tag is moving approximately tangential to the RFID reader.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimated curve is determined based, at least in part, on a least-squares method.

9. A RFID reader, comprising:

an antenna that samples a RF signal from an RFID tag at a plurality of different times as the RFID tag approaches an RFID reader and recedes from the RFID reader;

an arctangent module that determines a phase of the RF signal for each of the plurality of different times based, at least in part, on the sampled RF signal; and

a phase module that determines a slope of a Doppler curve based, at least in part, on the determined phase for the sampled RF signal for each of the plurality of different times and determines a speed of the RFID tag based, at least in part, on the slope of the Doppler curve.

10. The RFID reader of claim 9, wherein the speed of the RFID tag is determined based, at least in part, on a height of the RFID tag.

11. The RFID reader of claim 9, wherein the phase module further identifies a height of the RFID tag based, at least in part, on the sampled signal.

12. The RFID reader of claim 9, wherein the arctangent module that determines the phase of the RF signal comprises the arctangent module that estimates the phase of the RF signal for each of the plurality of different times based, at least in part, on the sampled RF signal.

13. The RFID reader of claim 12, wherein the phase of the RF signal is estimated based, at least in part, on a polynomial equation.

14. The RFID reader of claim 9, wherein the phase module that determines the slope of the Doppler curve comprises the phase module that:

estimates the curve of the phase of the RF signal as a function of the plurality of different times; and

determines the slope of the curve at a specific time.

15. The RFID reader of claim 14, wherein the specific time is a time that the RFID tag is moving approximately tangential to the RFID reader.

16. The RFID reader of claim 14, wherein the estimated curve is determined based, at least in part, on a least-squares method.

17. A system, comprising:

a means for sampling a Radio Frequency (RF) signal from an RFID tag at a plurality of different times as the RFID tag approaches an RFID reader and recedes from the RFID reader;

a means for determining a slope of a Doppler curve based, at least in part, on the determined phase for the sampled RF signal for each of the plurality of different times; and

a means for determining a speed of the RFID tag based, at least in part, on the slope of the Doppler curve.