Portable encoded information reading terminal configured to adjust transmit power level

• US 9,013,275 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Zumsteg, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY III, EDWIN C
• Application Number:
  US13/451,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20130278386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/572.1, 340/10.5, 340/572.4
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2007/10524 Hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10217 parameter settings controlling the transmission power of the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A system and method of adjusting the transmission strength emitted by an integrated RFID reading device by an EIR terminal. The EIR terminal scans a signal of decodable indicia, locates the decodable indicia within the signal, decodes the decodable indicia into a decoded message, which is an identifier for said physical object. The EIR terminal then makes contact with the physical object and stores the location of this contact as a point of origin and then, moves through three dimensional and receives values from its motion sensing device representing the location of said EIR terminal in three dimensional space relative to the point of origin. Then, the EIR terminal determines the distance of the RFID reading device from the point of origin and adjusts the power level of said RFID reading device relative to this distance.

Claims

1. An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal comprising:

a microprocessor;

a scanning device, said scanning device configured to scan a signal of decodable indicia on a pre-defined area of a physical object, said scanning device further configured to locate said decodable indicia within said signal of decodable indicia, said scanning device further configured to decode said decodable indicia into a decoded message, and said scanning device further configured to output said decoded message, wherein said decoded message contains information describing said physical object;

an RFID reading device, said RFID reading device transmitting at a power level;

a memory;

a communication interface, said communication interface configured to receive said decoded message, said communication interface further configured to display said information describing said physical object;

a motion sensing device;

wherein said EIR terminal is configured, responsive to making mechanical contact with said pre-defined area of said physical object, to store in said memory a point of origin of said EIR terminal described by information in the decoded message at said pre-defined area of said physical object;

wherein responsive to moving said EIR terminal through three dimensional space relative to said physical object, said EIR terminal is further configured to receive values from said motion sensing device representing the movement of said EIR terminal in three dimensional space relative to said point of origin;

wherein said EIR terminal is configured, responsive to receiving said point of origin and said values from said motion sensing device to determine a distance of said RFID reading device from said point of origin; and

wherein said EIR terminal is configured to adjust said power level of said RFID reading device relative to said distance.

2. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said adjusted transmit power level is the lowest available to read an RFID tag at said distance.

3. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by a 9 degree of freedom Inertial Measurement Unit, wherein said 9 degree of freedom Inertial Measurement Unit comprises a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis magnetometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope.

4. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said scanning device is provided by at least one of:

an optical scanner and a camera.

5. The EIR terminal of claim 1, wherein said communication interface comprises a graphical user interface and a wireless network connection.

6. A method of adjusting the transmission strength emitted by an integrated RFID reading device by an EIR terminal comprising a microprocessor, memory, a scanning device, an RFID reading device transmitting at a power level, a motion sensing device, and a communication interface, said method comprising:

said EIR terminal scanning a signal of decodable indicia wherein said signal of decodable indicia is located on a pre-defined area of a physical object;

said EIR terminal, responsive to scanning said signal of decodable indicia, locating said decodable indicia within said signal;

said EIR terminal, responsive to locating said decodable indicia within said signal, decoding said decodable indicia into a decoded message

wherein said decoded message comprises;

an identifier for said physical object;

said EIR terminal displaying said identifier for said physical object;

said EIR terminal, responsive to detecting a communication interface command, making mechanical contact with said pre-defined area of said physical object;

said EIR terminal, responsive to making mechanical contact with said pre-defined area of said physical object, storing in said memory a first location of said EIR terminal as a point of origin;

said EIR terminal moving through three dimensional space relative to said physical object;

said EIR terminal, responsive to moving through three dimensional space relative to said physical object, receiving values from said motion sensing device representing a location of said EIR terminal in three dimensional space relative to said point of origin;

said EIR terminal retaining said location;

said EIR terminal determining a distance of said RFID reading device from said point of origin; and

said EIR terminal adjusting said power level of said RFID reading device relative to said distance.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by a 9 degree of freedom Inertial Measurement Unit, wherein said 9 degree of freedom Inertial Measurement Unit comprises a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis magnetometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said scanning device is provided by at least one of:

an optical scanner and a camera.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said communication interface comprises a graphical user interface and a wireless network connection.