Object tracking

• US 8,284,033 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Friendly Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Friendly Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: Moran, Humberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/226,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20090273450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.4
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07336 Active means, e.g. jamming or scrambling of the electromagnetic field

Abstract

A method of tracking an object (1) tagged with a radio frequency identification tag (2) having an identification code using a network of readers (3) is described. A reader (3) interrogates the tag (2) by transmitting its identification code. In response to receiving its identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader. Otherwise, it does not identify itself. The method comprises identifying an expected location of the object and directing one or more selected readers according to the expected location to interrogate the tag using its identification code.

Claims

1. A method of tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag having an identification code using a network of readers, wherein a reader interrogates the tag by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code and, the tag responds to interrogation by transmitting a response if it receives the tag'"'"'s identification code and does not respond if it receives an identification code which is not the tag'"'"'s identification code, and wherein the network of readers has one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the method comprising:

identifying that an object tagged with the tag has left a covered area covered by an interrogation field of a reader;

identifying one or more readers monitoring points of access to one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the one or more uncovered areas located adjacently to the covered area such that the object passes directly into one of the one or more uncovered areas to leave the covered area;

directing the one or more readers to start interrogating the tag repeatedly and concurrently by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code; and

in response to at least one of the interrogating readers receiving a response from the tag, directing other interrogating readers to stop interrogating the tag.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving a message comprising an identification code different from the tag'"'"'s identification code, the tag does not identify itself.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving a message not comprising an identification code, the tag does not identify itself.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein in response to receiving the tag'"'"'s identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader by transmitting a predefined message.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein in response to receiving the tag'"'"'s identification code, the tag identifies itself to the reader by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code.

6. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving a communication that the object has entered a system; and

instructing all readers to poll the identification code.

7. A method according to claim 6, comprising:

determining whether at least one reader receives a response;

identifying which readers do not receive a response; and

in response to at least one reader receiving a response, instructing the readers which do not receive a response to stop polling the identification code.

8. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving a communication that the object has left a system; and

instructing readers to stop polling the identification code.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the object has remained undetected for a given period of time; and

in response to determining that the object has remained undetected for the given period of time, instructing one or more further readers to seek the object, wherein the one or more further readers monitoring points of access to one or more further areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the one or more further uncovered areas located adjacently to the one or more uncovered areas such that the object passes directly into one of the one or more further uncovered areas to leave the one or more uncovered areas.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises a fixed part and a user-changeable part.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing thereon a computer program with computer-readable code which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method according to claim 1.

22. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the object has remained undetected for a given period of time; and

in response to determining that the object has remained undetected for the given period of time, instructing all readers within a facility to seek the object.

12. Apparatus for tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag having an identification code using a network of readers, wherein a reader interrogates the tag by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code and the tag responds to interrogation by transmitting a response if it receives the tag'"'"'s identification code and does not respond if it receives an identification code which is not the tag'"'"'s identification code, and wherein the network of readers has one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying that an object tagged with the tag has left a covered area covered by an interrogation field of a reader;

means for identifying one or more readers monitoring points of access to one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the one or more uncovered areas located adjacently to the covered area such that the object passes directly into one of the one or more uncovered areas to leave the covered area; and

means for directing the one or more readers to start interrogating the tag repeatedly and concurrently by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code and in response to at least one of the interrogating readers receiving a response from the tag, directing other interrogating readers to stop interrogating the tag.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the directing means is configured, in response to receiving a communication that the object has entered a system, to instruct all readers to poll the identification code.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the directing means is configured to determine whether at least one reader receives a response, to identify which readers do not receive a response and, in response to at least one reader receiving a response, to instruct the readers which do not receive a response to stop polling the identification code.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the directing means is configured, in response to receiving a communication that the object has left a system, to instruct readers to stop polling the identification code.

16. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the directing means is configured to determine whether the object has remained undetected for a given period of time;

and, in response to determining that the object has remained undetected for the given period of time, to instruct readers in a wider area to seek the object.

17. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the directing means is computer connected to the network of readers.

18. Apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

the network of readers.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the directing means is distributed within the network of readers.

23. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein at least some of the readers are arranged to monitor points of access to one areas not covered by an interrogation field of a reader.

24. Apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the at least some of the readers are located to cover points along possible paths of travel of the object.

25. Apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the at least some of the readers are located to take into account doors, walls and corridors.

20. A reader for interrogating a radio frequency identification tag, wherein the reader is configured to interrogate the tag by transmitting the tag'"'"'s an identification code and the tag responds to interrogation by transmitting a response if it receives the tag'"'"'s identification code and does not respond if it receives an identification code which is not the tag'"'"'s identification code, the reader connectable to other radio frequency identification tag readers to form a network of readers that has one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the reader comprising:

means for identifying that an object tagged with the tag has left a covered area covered by an interrogation field of a reader;

means for identifying one or more readers monitoring points of access to one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the one or more uncovered areas located adjacently to the covered area such that the object passes directly into one of the one or more uncovered areas to leave the covered area; and

means for directing the one or more readers to start interrogating the tag repeatedly and concurrently by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code and in response to at least one of the interrogating readers receiving a response from the tag, directing other interrogating readers to stop interrogating the tag.

21. Apparatus for tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag having an identification code using a network of readers, wherein a reader interrogates the tag by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code and the tag responds to interrogation by transmitting a response if it receives the tag'"'"'s identification code and does not respond if it receives an identification code which is not the tag'"'"'s identification code, and wherein the network of readers has one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the apparatus comprising:

a tracking unit arranged to identify that an object tagged with the tag has left a covered area covered by an interrogation field of a reader; and

a control unit arranged to identify one or more readers monitoring points of access to one or more uncovered areas not covered by an interrogation field of any of the readers, the one or more uncovered areas located adjacently to the covered area such that the object passes directly into one of the one or more uncovered areas to leave the covered area and to direct the one or more readers to start interrogating the tag repeatedly and concurrently by transmitting the tag'"'"'s identification code and, in response to at least one of the interrogating readers receiving a response from the tag, to direct other interrogating readers to stop interrogating the tag.