Integrated detection point passive RFID tag reader and event timing system and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A timing system for determining a time of detection of a plurality of RFID tags relative to a detection line located along a route traveled by the RFID tags, the system comprising:
- a tag reader system having housing with a cavity containing a processor, a memory, a clock, a communication interface, a radio frequency transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a plurality of the RFID tags, computer executable instructions and an antenna coupled to the radio frequency transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless messages between the radio frequency transceiver and each communicating RFID tags, the housing including a fixture for mounting the housing in proximity to the detection line, the tag reader system configured by the computer executable instructions for transmitting a plurality of tag read requests and receiving a plurality of tag reads from each communicating RFID tag when each is located in proximity to the detection line, time stamping at least two of each of the RFID tag reads for each RFID tag including a first tag read and a subsequent tag read and creating a RFID tag read message for each RFID tag read wherein each RFID tag read message includes the first and subsequent tag reads for a single one of the RFID tags with their associated time stamps, and transmitting over the communication interface each RFID tag read message; and
a timing system having a memory and processor and a communication interface communicatively coupled to the communication interface of the tag reader system for receiving the transmitted RFID tag read messages, the timing system determining a lapsed time for each of the RFID tags traversing the route traveled responsive to the received RFID tag read message and at least one of the included tag reads and associated time stamps.
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Abstract
A tag reader system, method and timing system for determining a time of detection of a passive RFID tag relative to a detection line located along a route traveled by the RFID tag.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A timing system for determining a time of detection of a plurality of RFID tags relative to a detection line located along a route traveled by the RFID tags, the system comprising:
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a tag reader system having housing with a cavity containing a processor, a memory, a clock, a communication interface, a radio frequency transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a plurality of the RFID tags, computer executable instructions and an antenna coupled to the radio frequency transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless messages between the radio frequency transceiver and each communicating RFID tags, the housing including a fixture for mounting the housing in proximity to the detection line, the tag reader system configured by the computer executable instructions for transmitting a plurality of tag read requests and receiving a plurality of tag reads from each communicating RFID tag when each is located in proximity to the detection line, time stamping at least two of each of the RFID tag reads for each RFID tag including a first tag read and a subsequent tag read and creating a RFID tag read message for each RFID tag read wherein each RFID tag read message includes the first and subsequent tag reads for a single one of the RFID tags with their associated time stamps, and transmitting over the communication interface each RFID tag read message; and a timing system having a memory and processor and a communication interface communicatively coupled to the communication interface of the tag reader system for receiving the transmitted RFID tag read messages, the timing system determining a lapsed time for each of the RFID tags traversing the route traveled responsive to the received RFID tag read message and at least one of the included tag reads and associated time stamps. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A tag reader system for determining a time of detection of a RFID tag relative to a detection line located along a route traveled by the RFID tag, the system comprising:
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a processor, a memory coupled to the processor for storing computer executable instructions, operating parameters, tag reads and created RFID tag read messages; a clock coupled to the processor and including an interface for receiving an input signal for setting a current time of the clock; a housing having a cavity for enclosing the processor, the memory, and the clock, the housing includes a mounting fixture for mounting the tag reader system in a fixed position in proximity to the detection line for reading the RFID tags located in a range of between about 1 and about 20 feet; a communication interface coupled to the processor for communicating with a remote timing system including the transmitting of created RFID tag read messages as stored in the memory and receiving RFID tag read message requests from the timing system and remote tag reader instructions; a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor for wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag; an antenna coupled to the wireless transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless messages between the wireless transceiver and the RFID tag, wherein the wireless transceiver and the antenna are also contained in the cavity of the housing, and the combination of the antenna and the housing have an effective gain of about 6 dBi, the antenna transmitting a plurality of tag read messages as received from the wireless transceiver and receiving tag reads from a plurality of the RFID tags located in proximity to the detection line to which the housing is positioned.
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43. A method for determining a time of detection of a RFID tag relative to a detection line located along a route traveled by the RFID tag, the method comprising:
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at a tag reader system having a housing with a cavity, a processor, a memory, a plurality of computer implementable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor, a clock, a communication interface, a radio frequency transceiver coupled to the processor for wirelessly communicating with the RFID tag, and an antenna coupled to the radio frequency transceiver, the processor, the memory, the clock, the radio frequency transceiver, and the antenna being positioned within the cavity of the housing, the housing including a fixture for positioning the tag reader system in a fixed position in proximity to the detection line; receiving instructions over the communication interface from a remote timing system including at least one parameter for operation of at least one of the radio frequency transceiver, antenna, and the computer implementable instructions; updating an operating parameter of the tag reader system responsive to the received instructions including the at least one parameter; transmitting via the radio frequency transceiver and the antenna a wake up/powering message, said transmitting being on a periodic basis defined by an operating transmission interval parameter as received from the processor; receiving a plurality of acknowledgement messages from a plurality of communicating the RFID tags that are in the proximity of the tag reader system, each acknowledgement message including an RFID tag identifier for uniquely identifying a particular one of the proximal RFID tags from among the plurality of communicating proximal RFID tags; transmitting a first read request to a first particular one of the communicating RFID tags utilizing the RFID tag identifier for that tag as received in the acknowledgement message for that particular one RFID tag; receiving a first tag read from the particular one communicating RFID tag following the transmitting of the first read request; time stamping the first tag read based on a first time of receipt of the first tag read as determined by the clock; storing the time stamped first tag read in the memory for the particular one RFID tag; transmitting a second read request to the particular one communicating RFID tag utilizing the same unique tag identifier for that RFID tag; receiving a second tag read from the particular one communicating RFID tag following the transmitting of the second read request; time stamping the second tag read based on a second time of receipt of the second tag read as determined by the clock; storing the time stamped second tag read in the memory for the particular one RFID tag; determining an average time value for the first and second tag reads for the particular one communicating RFID tag and storing the average time in the memory for the particular one RFID tag; determining a number of tag read instances of first and second tag reads associated with the particular one communicating RFID tag and storing the number of tag read instances in the memory for the particular one RFID tag; receiving a request from the remote timing system over the communication interface for communicating RFID tag read messages from RFID tag reads as received by the tag reader system; creating a RFID tag read message including the RFID tag identifier and the time stamped first tag read and the average time value; and transmitting the created RFID tag read message over the communication interface.
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Specification