Virtual group maintenance and security

• US 9,060,000 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Zebra Enterprise Solutions Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaplan, Gideon, Raphaeli, Dan, Menkes, Avraham
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US13/433,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20130057406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/686.6, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.31, 340/10.32, 340/10.5, 340/10.51, 340/539.21, 340/539.26, 455/88, 455/404.1, 235/375, 235/383, 235/384, 375/E1.002, 273/454, 273/460
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0238 adding new units to the system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A method for providing security and maintenance of a group of devices using a group of tags. Each of the tags is attached to a device and includes a radio frequency transceiver for intercommunicating using ultra-wide band signals. Using the intercommunication, distance between two of the tags is determined and an alarm is triggered when the distance is greater than a threshold distance. The distance is preferably determined by measuring a round trip delay time between the transmission of a transmitted unicast signal to the other tag and reception of a unicast response signal in response to the transmitted signal. A configuration mechanism is typically used for configuring the group and removed upon completing the configuration, and the tags maintain the group and provide security by the intercommunication between the tags. The tags are preferably synchronized to transmit and receive solely during a previously determined periodic sequence of time intervals.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

intercommunicating among tags in a group of tags using radio frequency communication;

assigning an interrogator role for a selected tag within the group of tags that causes the selected tag to interrogate other tags within the group of tags, wherein interrogating the group of tags comprises;

determining a distance from a first tag to a second tag using the intercommunicating;

triggering an alarm state when the distance is greater than a threshold distance; and

passing the interrogator role to another tag within the group of tags.

2. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the intercommunicating among the tags is based on ultra-wide band signals.

3. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the distance is performed by measuring a round trip delay time between transmitting a transmitted signal to the second tag and receiving a response signal in response to the transmitted signal from the second tag.

4. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the determining is performed by measuring a time delay between transmitting a unicast ultra-wide band message and receiving a unicast ultra-wide band response message.

5. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the intercommunicating relays information regarding completeness of the group between the tags of the group.

6. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a configuration mechanism for configuring the group;

configuring the group of the tags by performing at least one task selected from the group of tasks consisting of (i) adding a tag to the group, (ii) removing at least one of the tags from the group, (iii) programming at least one of the tags to intercommunicate with at least one other tag and (iv) storing in at least one of the tags a parameter proportional to said the threshold distance; and

upon completing the configuring, removing the configuration mechanism, whereby the tags maintain security by the intercommunicating.

7. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing the tags wherein each of the tags transmits and receives during coinciding, periodic time intervals.

8. The method, according to claim 7, the synchronizing is performed by transmitting beacon signals from at least one of the tags to at least one other of the tags.

9. The method, according to claim 7, further comprising:

switching at least one of the tags into a sleep mode outside of the previously determined time interval and switching to an active mode during the previously determined time interval, thereby conserving battery power.

10. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the intercommunicating includes selecting either multicast or broadcast transmitted messages, wherein a decision to transmit within a time frame is probabilistic based on an estimate of traffic within the group.

11. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the intercommunicating includes selecting either multicast or broadcast transmitted messages, wherein a decision to transmit within a time frame is deterministic according to a previously defined ordering algorithm.

12. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the intercommunicating includes using unicast ultra-wide band transmitted messages and receiving unicast response messages to relay information regarding completeness of the group, wherein the intercommunicating is performed during a time interval, wherein the time interval is sufficiently long so that a first tag of the group to interrogate receives an interrogation signal from a last of the group to interrogate, and wherein outside said time interval the tags within the group switch into a sleep mode, thereby conserving battery power.

13. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the alarm state is selected from the group consisting of a sound, a light, an alarm record stored in at least one of the tags, a transmitted alarm message, and a command modifying the operation of a device operatively attached to one of the tags.

14. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the alarm state is logged as an alarm record in memory of at least one of the tags, the alarm record is retrieved upon querying by a reader in temporary communication with at least one of the tags.

15. A tag comprising:

processing circuitry;

a radio frequency transceiver; and

an alarm mechanism;

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to;

control the radio frequency transceiver to intercommunicate with a group of tags, and

implement an interrogator role that causes the radio frequency transceiver to interrogate the group of tags, wherein being configured to interrogate the group of tags comprises being configured to;

determine a distance to at least a second tag in the group of tags using the intercommunicating; and

control the alarm mechanism to trigger an alarm state when the distance is greater than a threshold distance; and

pass the interrogator role to another tag within the group of tags.

16. The tag according to claim 15, wherein the distance is determined by measuring a round trip delay time between transmitting a transmitted signal to the second tag and receiving a response signal in response to said transmitted signal from the second tag.

17. The tag according to claim 15, wherein the tag is included within a system, the system further comprising a configuration mechanism operative to perform a task selected from the group of tasks consisting of:

(i) adding a tag to the group, (ii) removing at least one of the tags from the group, (iii) programming at least one of the tags to intercommunicate with at least one other tag and (iv) storing in at least one of the tags a parameter proportional to the threshold distance.

18. The tag according to claim 15, wherein being configured to control the radio frequency transceiver to intercommunicate includes using unicast ultra-wide band transmitted messages and receiving unicast response messages to relay information regarding completeness of the group, wherein the intercommunicating is performed during a time interval, wherein the time interval is sufficiently long so that a first tag of the group to interrogate receives an interrogation signal from a last of the group to interrogate, and wherein outside the time interval the tags within the group switch into a sleep mode, thereby conserving battery power.

19. The tag according to claim 15, wherein the alarm state is selected from the group consisting of a sound, a light, an alarm record stored in at least one of the tags, a transmitted alarm message, and a command modifying the operation of a device operatively attached to one of the tags.