Wide-area dynamic RFID system using UWB

• US 8,896,421 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Zebra Enterprise Solutions Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaplan, Gideon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/066,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20100148925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,980 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 3405721- 5729, 340/573.1, 340/5.92, 340 101- 103, 340/539.13, 3405721-5729, 375/E01.002, 455/41.2, 235375-385, 235/382.5, 700215-235, 700219-200
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/24 by interference with electromagnetic field distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2402 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting mechanical aspects of the tags, e.g. related to locking E05B73/0017; RFID readers G06K7/00; RFID tags G06K19/00; access control systems G07C9/00; anti-theft control in point of sale systems G07G3/003; security seals G09F3/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP

Abstract

A wide area radio frequency identification (RFID) system includes: a first RFID cell and a second RFID cell. The first RFID cell and the second RFID cell each include a reader and tags. The readers access the tags using ultra-wide band signaling. The RFID cells each include: a communications interface operable to communicate with a network operations center, and a communications gateway which supports direct communications between RFID cells. The method includes accessing the second RFID cell from the first RFID cell, and the accessing is performed using the communications gateway that can cover a range of at least five hundred meters.

Claims

1. A wide area radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:

at least two RFID cells, wherein a first RFID cell includes a first reader and a first plurality of tags and a second RFID cell includes a second reader and a second plurality of tags, wherein the first reader is configured to access the first plurality of tags using ultra-wide band signaling and the second reader is configured to access the second plurality of tags using ultra-wide band signaling; and

a network operations center having at least one communications interface in communication with at least one of the at least two RFID cells;

wherein the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell each include a communications gateway operable to support direct communications between at least the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell;

wherein, via the communications gateways of the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell, the first reader of the first RFID cell is configured to query data from, or write data to, a tag within the second plurality of tags of the second RFID cell;

wherein the second RFID cell is configured to receive a security alarm from the first RFID cell via the direct communications that is arranged over a range of at least five hundred meters; and

wherein the first reader of the first RFID cell is configured to query data from, or write data to, a tag within the second plurality of tags of the second RFID cell in an instance in which the network operations center is unavailable.

2. The wide area RFID system, according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least two RFID cells is located in a mobile vehicle.

3. The wide area RFID system, according to claim 1, wherein said ultra-wide band signaling is operable to determine respective locations of a tag in either the first plurality of tags or the second plurality of tags and to store said respective location.

4. The wide area RFID system, according to claim 1, wherein said communications gateway includes a cellular telephone communications interface.

5. The wide area RFID system, according to claim 1, wherein said communications gateway includes a cellular telephone operatively attached to the first reader or the second reader.

6. The wide area RFID system, according to claim 1, wherein said communications gateway is operatively attached to a communications link selected from the group of communications technologies consisting of:

cellular communications, terrestrial radio communications, satellite communications, point-to-point microwave communications, infrared free space point-to-point communications, and free space point-to-point optical communications.

7. The wide area RFID system, according to claim 1, wherein the tags of the first plurality of tags and the second plurality of tags are attached to objects included in materiel of an organization, wherein said objects are managed by a materiel management application accessible through the network operations center.

8. The wide area RFID system of claim 1, wherein the first reader of the first RFID cell is configured to query data from, or write data to, the tag within the second plurality of tags of the second RFID cell in an instance in which the readers are prevented from transmitting an alarm to the network operations center.

9. The wide area RFID system of claim 1, wherein the first RFID cell or the second RFID cell is a personal area network (PAN).

10. The wide area RFID system of claim 1, wherein, using the communications gateways of the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell, the first reader of the first RFID cell is configured to query data from and write data to a tag within the second plurality of tags of the second RFID cell.

11. The wide area RFID system of claim 1, wherein at least one tag within the second plurality of tags is not within range of the first reader of the first RFID cell and the first reader of the first RFID cell is configured to query data from, or write data to, the at least one tag within the second plurality of tags via the communications gateways of the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell.

12. A method for communicating between a first RFID cell and a second RFID cell in a wide area radio frequency identification (RFID) system, comprising:

querying data from, or writing data to, a tag within a second plurality of tags of the second RFID cell via a communications gateway operable to support direct communications between the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell, the querying or writing being performed by a first reader;

wherein the first RFID cell includes the first reader and a first plurality of tags and the second RFID cell includes a second reader and the second plurality of tags, wherein the first reader accesses the first plurality of tags using ultra-wide band signaling and the second reader accesses the second plurality of tags using ultra-wide band signaling;

wherein the wide area RFID system further comprises a network operations center having at least one communications interface in communication with at least one of the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell;

wherein the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell each include communications gateways operable to support the direct communications between the first RFID cell and the second RFID cell;

wherein the second RFID cell is configured to receive a security alarm from the first RFID cell via the direct communications that is arranged over a range of at least five hundred meters; and

wherein the first reader of the first RFID cell is configured to query data from, or write data to, a tag within the second plurality of tags of the second RFID cell in an instance in which the network operations center is unavailable.

13. The method, according to claim 12, wherein the first RFID cell or the second RFID cell is located in a mobile vehicle.

14. The method, according to claim 12, wherein the querying or writing include sending a transmission from the first RFID cell, wherein said transmission is selected from the group consisting of unicast, multicast and broadcast transmissions.

15. The method, according to claim 12, wherein the second reader maintains in storage a plurality of respective locations of the second plurality of tags of the second RFID cell.