Method and apparatus pertaining to the identification of physical-local discrepancies in statistics-based RFID-tag information

• US 9,310,466 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Nicholaus A., Ouyang, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US13/826,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10099 the directional field being used for pinpointing the location of the record carrier, e.g. for finding or locating an RFID tag amongst a plurality of RFID tags, each RFID tag being associated with an object, e.g. for physically locating the RFID tagged object in a warehouse
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• 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: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

These teachings are suitable for use in conjunction with a process having access to both coverage information that maps the coverage area for each of a plurality of RFID-tag readers to physical locations within a given monitored facility and historical-read information for a population of RFID tags, and that uses that historical-read information and that coverage information to automatically determine the physical location of RFID tags. In particular, these teachings generally provide for accessing supplemental information regarding physical locations for at least some of those RFID tags and then comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies. By one approach those physical-location discrepancies are used to adjust the automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined to thereby improve accuracy of the automated process.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a control circuit;

accessing automatically-determined physical location information as corresponds to a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on tagged objects within a given facility, wherein the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined using;

coverage information that maps an RFID tag-read coverage area for each of a plurality of fixed-location RFID-tag readers to physical locations within the given facility; and

historical-read information by the RFID-tag readers as corresponds to at least some of the RFID tags;

accessing supplemental information regarding physical locations for at least some of the RFID tags, wherein the supplemental information comprises;

a floor plan-based planogram for at least part of the given facility;

tagged objected information gleaned from handheld-based RFID-tag readers deployed in the given facility;

location and inventory information gleaned from handheld-based optical-code readers deployed in the given facility;

location and object information gleaned from video analytics of the given facility; and

object location information received through location reviews of the given facility from customers; and

comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the historical-read information comprises, at least in part, RFID-system metrics along with tag-specific information and corresponding timestamps as correspond to RFID-tag reader reads of individual ones of at least some of the RFID tags.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the RFID-system metrics include at least one of:

a particular RFID-tag reader;

a particular RFID-tag reader antenna;

a particular RFID-tag reader logical antenna;

a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value;

a received signal phase angle; and

a total number of reads.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies comprises comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies of greater than a predetermined magnitude.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

using the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined to thereby improve accuracy of the automated process.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein using the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined comprises automatically using the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags tagged to objects, and

a control circuit configured to;

access automatically-determined physical location information as corresponds to the plurality of RFID tags of tagged objects within a given facility, wherein the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined using;

coverage information that maps an RFID tag-read coverage area for each of a plurality of fixed-location RFID-tag readers to physical locations within the given facility; and

historical-read information by the RFID tag readers as corresponds to at least some of the RFID tags;

access supplemental information regarding physical locations for at least some of the RFID tags, wherein the supplemental information comprises;

a floor plan-based planogram for at least part of the given facility;

tagged object information gleaned from handheld-based RFID-tag readers deployed in the given facility;

location and inventory information gleaned from handheld-based optical-code readers deployed in the given facility;

location and object information gleaned from video analytics of the given facility; and

object location information received through location reviews of the given facility from customers; and

compare the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the historical-read information comprises, at least in part, RFID-system metrics along with tag-specific information and corresponding timestamps as correspond to RFID-tag reader reads of individual ones of at least some of the RFID tags.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the RFID-system metrics include at least one of:

a particular RFID-tag reader;

a particular RFID-tag reader antenna;

a particular RFID-tag reader logical antenna;

a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value;

a received signal phase angle; and

a total number of reads.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the control circuit is configured to compare the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies by comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies of greater than a predetermined magnitude.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is further configured to automatically use the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined to thereby improve accuracy of the automated process.