RFID tag monitoring system
First Claim
1. An RFID tag monitoring system comprising a main computer, a plurality of RFID reader units and a plurality of RFID antennas connected to the reader units, the reader units being located near an associated zone or zones where RFID tagged items are expected to be present and being connected to the main computer by a network, each of said readers being operably connected to at least one antenna, each antenna being arranged to illuminate and detect RFID tags in an associated one of said zones, the reader units each having electronic processing capacity and memory for and being programmed to process signals from RFID tags detected by an associated antenna to an inventory data file stored in said reader unit and to transmit said inventory data file to the main computer through said network.
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Abstract
An RFID tag monitoring system with multiple reader units each equipped with processing capacity sufficient to enable the unit to operate autonomously under its own command and control as well as to register in its individual memory the identity of all of the items that potentially could be present at any particular time at a zone or zones to which it is assigned as well as the particular zone at which a specific RFID tagged item is found; data compression at the reader units permits timely reporting of inventory to a main computer.
11 Citations
30 Claims
- 1. An RFID tag monitoring system comprising a main computer, a plurality of RFID reader units and a plurality of RFID antennas connected to the reader units, the reader units being located near an associated zone or zones where RFID tagged items are expected to be present and being connected to the main computer by a network, each of said readers being operably connected to at least one antenna, each antenna being arranged to illuminate and detect RFID tags in an associated one of said zones, the reader units each having electronic processing capacity and memory for and being programmed to process signals from RFID tags detected by an associated antenna to an inventory data file stored in said reader unit and to transmit said inventory data file to the main computer through said network.
- 10. An RFID tag monitoring system comprising a main computer and a plurality of RFID tag reader units communicating with the main computer with a common network, each reader unit having multiple ports with each port assigned to a separate zone of space, at least one antenna being assigned to each port and the zone associated with the port, each reader unit having an associated processor arranged to store the identity of all of the RFID tagged items located in the zones associated with the reader unit'"'"'s ports including, for each item, the zone of the antenna locating the item.
- 20. A method of monitoring a space for the presence of RFID tagged items comprising dividing the space into a plurality of zones, locating an RFID reader unit in proximity to each zone, the RFID reader units being provided with data processing capacity and a port connected to a plurality of antennas, positioning at least one antenna to read RFID tags in an associated one of said zones, operating the antenna or antennas of each zone through a respective reader port, receiving RFID tag data from each antenna, decoding the RFID tag signals to identify the number of the tag present in each zone, and storing in memory of the reader unit the tag information and indicated zone location of tags.
- 23. A method of monitoring the presence of RFID tagged items at a space, comprising connecting a main computer and a plurality of RFID reader units in a common network, providing each reader unit with sufficient processing capacity for independent self command and control, connecting each reader unit to at least one antenna exclusive of the other readers and arranged to survey an associated zone that is part of the space being monitored, operating each reader unit and a respective antenna to detect the presence of RFID tags in the zone to which the antenna is associated, decoding RFID signals from the RFID tags in the associated zone to item data, storing the detected item data in memory to form an inventory of items and from time-to-time sending the inventory data to the main computer.
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27. A method of monitoring the presence of RFID tags at a site comprising selecting antennas having a coverage range of a distance at which at least ½
- of the RFID tags having random orientations are read for use at the site, dividing the site into zones having dimensions less than the coverage range of the selected antennas, at each zone locating a plurality of the selected antennas and successively driving each of the antennas with a common reader to collect data from RFID tags located in a zone.
- View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
Specification