Control of wireless identification tag activation

• US 9,070,028 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2011
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kangas, P. Daniel, Thomas, Jeff D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US13/284,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20130106575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,340 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/10.41, 340/10.5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10029 the collision being resolved in the time domain, e.g. using binary tree search or RFID responses allocated to a random time slot
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling wireless identification tag activation are disclosed. An example method includes controlling a first wireless identification read cell to activate a first set of wireless identification tags within a first communication range. Further, the method includes controlling a second wireless identification read cell to activate a second set of wireless identification tags within a second communication range during activation of the first set of wireless identification tags and subsequent to initially activating the first set of wireless identification tags. The first communication range overlaps with the second communication range.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

using at least a processor and memory for;

controlling a first wireless identification read cell to activate a first set of wireless identification tags within a first communication range;

controlling a second wireless identification read cell to activate a second set of wireless identification tags within a second communication range during activation of the first set of wireless identification tags and subsequent to initially activating the first set of wireless identification tags, wherein the first communication range overlaps with the second communication range;

receiving data from the second set of wireless identification tags; and

in response to receiving data from the second set of wireless identification tags, controlling the first wireless identification read cell to deactivate the first set of wireless identification tags.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the wireless identification tags is one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and a transponder.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data from each of the wireless identification tags.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a portion of the wireless identification tags in the first set includes wireless identification tags in the second set, and

wherein receiving data comprises:

receiving data from the first set of wireless identification tags in sequence with one another; and

subsequent to receiving data from the first set of wireless identification tags, receiving data from the second set of wireless identification tags that are not included in the first set in sequence with one another.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wireless identification tags transmit the data in sequence based on identifiers of the wireless identification tags.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data from the first set of wireless identification tags, and

wherein controlling the second wireless identification read cell comprises controlling the second wireless identification read cell to activate the second set of wireless identification tags subsequent to receiving data from the first set of wireless identification tags.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless identification read cell is one of a first set of wireless identification read cells,

wherein the second wireless identification read cell is one of a second set of wireless identification read cells,

controlling the first set of wireless identification read cells to activate wireless identification tags in sequence with one another;

and

controlling the second set of wireless identification read cells to activate wireless identification tags in sequence with one another during activation of the wireless identification tags of the first set of wireless identification read cells and subsequent to initially activating the wireless identification tags of the first set of wireless identification read cells.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a communication range of the first set of wireless identification read cells overlaps with a communication range of the second set of wireless identification read cells.

9. A system comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate with a first wireless identification read cell and a second wireless identification read cell; and

a wireless identification manager configured to;

control the first wireless identification read cell to activate a first set of wireless identification tags within a first communication range;

control the second wireless identification read cell to activate a second set of wireless identification tags within a second communication range during activation of the first set of wireless identification tags and subsequent to initially activating the first set of wireless identification tags, wherein the first communication range overlaps with the second communication range;

receive data from the second set of wireless identification tags; and

control the first wireless identification read cell to deactivate the first set of wireless identification tags in response to receiving data from the second set of wireless identification tags.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the wireless identification tags is one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and a transponder.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the network interface is configured to receive data from each of the wireless identification tags.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a portion of the wireless identification tags in the first set includes wireless identification tags in the second set, and

wherein the network interface is configured to:

receive data from the first set of wireless identification tags in sequence with one another; and

subsequent to receipt of data from the first set of wireless identification tags, receive data from the second set of wireless identification tags that are not included in the first set in sequence with one another.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the wireless identification tags are configured to transmit the data in sequence based on identifiers of the wireless identification tags.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the wireless identification manager is configured to:

receive data from the first set of wireless identification tags; and

control the second wireless identification read cell to activate the second set of wireless identification tags subsequent to receiving data from the first set of wireless identification tags.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first wireless identification read cell is one of a first set of wireless identification read cells,

wherein the second wireless identification read cell is one of a second set of wireless identification read cells, and

wherein the wireless identification manager is configured to:

control the first set of wireless identification read cells to activate wireless identification tags in sequence with one another; and

control the second set of wireless identification read cells to activate wireless identification tags in sequence with one another during activation of the wireless identification tags of the first set of wireless identification read cells and subsequent to initially activating the wireless identification tags of the first set of wireless identification read cells.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a communication range of the first set of wireless identification read cells overlaps with a communication range of the second set of wireless identification read cells.

17. A computer program product for controlling activation of wireless identification tags, said computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code being readable by a computing device to cause the computing device to;

control, by the computing device, a first wireless identification read cell to activate a first set of wireless identification tags within a first communication range;

control, by the computing device, a second wireless identification read cell to activate a second set of wireless identification tags within a second communication range during activation of the first set of wireless identification tags and subsequent to initially activating the first set of wireless identification tags, wherein the first communication range overlaps with the second communication range;

receive, by the computing device, data from the second set of wireless identification tags; and

control, by the computing device, the first wireless identification read cell to deactivate the first set of wireless identification tags in response to receiving data from the second set of wireless identification tags.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code is readable by the computing device to cause the computing device to receive data from each of the wireless identification tags.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code is readable by the computing device to cause the computing device to:

receive data from the first set of wireless identification tags in sequence with one another; and

subsequent to receiving data from the first set of wireless identification tags, receive data from the second set of wireless identification tags that are not included in the first set in sequence with one another.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code is readable by the computing device to cause the computing device to:

computer readable program code configured to receive data from the first set of wireless identification tags; and

computer readable program code configured to control the second wireless identification read cell to activate the second set of wireless identification tags subsequent to receiving data from the first set of wireless identification tags.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first wireless identification read cell is one of a first set of wireless identification read cells,

wherein the second wireless identification read cell is one of a second set of wireless identification read cells,

wherein the computer readable program code is readable by the computing device to cause the computing device to:

control the first set of wireless identification read cells to activate wireless identification tags in sequence with one another; and

control the second set of wireless identification read cells to activate wireless identification tags in sequence with one another during activation of the wireless identification tags of the first set of wireless identification read cells and subsequent to initially activating the wireless identification tags of the first set of wireless identification read cells.