Apparatus and method for locating, tracking, controlling and recognizing tagged objects using active RFID technology

• US 9,311,586 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jamie Robinette, Tassilo Gernandt
• Original Assignee: Jamie Robinette, Tassilo Gernandt
• Inventors: Robinette, Jamie, Gernandt, Tassilo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/269,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20140240088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/568.1, 340/539.15, 3405721-5729, 340/10.1, 340/5.61, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/071 the source being a field other than an interrogation field, e.g. WLAN, cellular phone network
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0711 the source being mechanical or acoustical
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0219 Circuit arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0255 System arrangements wherein the parent unit emits, i.e. the parent unit incorporates the emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A real-time automated data security system protects both data and devices from loss, theft, and unauthorized access or activity. A miniature active RFID circuit is embodied in tags, area tags, controllers, USB sticks and a universal interface software for computers (i.e., Java), smart phones, and gateway boxes written to interface with the system. These devices are customizable and can link in arrays to cover large areas, use sensors, and scale up in module configurations to meet any need. The system is independent of electricity, GPS, satellites, the Internet, other software, and IT personnel. Its novel software, inside the tags, area tags and controllers is inaccessible and cannot be copied. Wireless transmissions are encrypted to military grade levels and packets are never repeated, making it unhackable, even by brute force attack. A unique battery-conserving protocol ensures good range and long battery life. The system has the ability to ignore copied packages or relaying by attackers, and to prevent of unauthorized access to USB sticks by proximity checks to the active RFID circuit.

Claims

1. A RFID monitoring system, comprising:

a controller including a transceiver circuit;

at least one RFID tag including a miniature circuit having a transceiver and a microcontroller; and

at least one area tag configured to intermediate communication between the controller and the at least one RFID tag, wherein the at least one area tag is fixedly located and includes a miniature circuit device that includes a transceiver and a microcontroller configured to intermittently awaken and power down the miniature circuit so as to conserve power usage,

wherein the at least one area tag is further configured to transmit a coded inquiry signal detectable and recognizable by the at least one RFID tag such that the microcontroller of the at least one RFID tag takes action in response to a recognized inquiry signal from the at least one area tag,

wherein the at least one RFID tag is configurable to operate in at least one of a tracking mode and a non-tracking mode,

when the at least one RFID tag is configured to operate in the tracking mode, the microcontroller of the RFID tag is configured to conserve power usage by intermittently activating the miniature circuit to listen for a tracking signal from the controller and powering down the miniature circuit, such that the miniature circuit, when activated, transmits a response signal to the controller upon receiving and recognizing the tracking signal transmitted from the transceiver of the controller,

when the at least one RFID tag is configured to operate in the non-tracking mode, the transceiver of the RFID tag is configured to activate the microcontroller for a period in response to detecting a predetermined incoming signal sequence, and the microcontroller, when activated, operates to take a predetermined action based on a coded inquiry signal transmitted from the transceiver of the controller in response to the RFID tag receiving and confirming the coded inquiry signal, wherein when the RFID tag is in the tracking mode, the controller is configured to periodically transmit tracking data to the RFID tag at predetermined time intervals,

the RFID tag is configured to receive the tracking data according to the periodic transmission by the controller at the predetermined time intervals,

the RFID tag is further configured to generate expected data based on the received tracking data which the RFID tag will search for in the next tracking data received at a next periodic transmission by the controller,

the RFID tag is further configured to generate an answer signal to the controller in response to not receiving the expected data in the tracking data, and

wherein the controller is further configured to determine at least one of a location and a status of a RFID tag being queried based on a communication at least one of between the controller and the RFID tag being queried, and between the area tag, the controller and the RFID tag being queried, and to generate a signal in response to at least one of the location and the status of the RFID tag being queried as determined by the controller.

2. The RFID monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the signal generated by the controller is configured to at least one of transmit an alarm to a user, transmit a warning to a user, activate/deactivate a selected mechanism, and open/close access in response to at least one of the location and the status of the RFID tag being queried as deter mined by the controller.

3. The RFID monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit a control signal detectable by the at least one RFID tag such that the at least one RFID tag operates in accordance with commands in the control signal.

4. The RFID monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one RFID tag is at least one of mounted in and integrated into a device to be attached to a subject to be tracked.

5. The RFID monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the device includes at least one of a mobile communication device, a key chain, a ring, a necklace, a bracelet, a watch, a bag, a purse, a luggage tag, a name tag, a belt, a laptop computer, an inventory control tag and a data storage device.

6. The RFID monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of RFID tags.

7. The RFID monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of area tags configured to intermediate communication between the controller and the at least one RFID tag, wherein each of the plurality of area tag is fixedly located at a predetermined location, and includes a miniature circuit device that includes a transceiver and a microcontroller configured to intermittently awaken and power down the miniature circuit so as to conserve power usage.

8. A method for operating a RFID monitoring system, wherein the system includes a controller;

at least one area tag; and

at least one RFID tag including a miniature circuit having a transceiver and a microcontroller, the method comprising the steps of;

configuring the at least one RFID tag to operate in at least one of a tracking mode and a non-tracking mode;

transmitting via the controller a coded inquiry signal to the at least one RFID tag;

intermediating via the at least one fixedly located area tag communication between the controller and the at least one RFID tag;

when the at least one RFID tag operates in the tracking mode, intermittently activating the miniature circuit to listen for a tracking signal from the controller and powering down the miniature circuit, and transmitting from the miniature circuit a response signal to the controller upon receiving and recognizing the tracking signal transmitted from the transceiver of the controller;

when the at least one RFID tag operates in the non-tracking mode, activating the microcontroller for a period in response to detecting a predetermined incoming signal sequence, and operating the microcontroller to take a predetermined action based on a coded inquiry signal transmitted from the transceiver of the controller in response to the RFID tag receiving and confirming the coded inquiry signal, wherein in the tracking mode,

in the step of transmitting via the controller a coded inquiry signal, transmitting via the controller tracking data in the coded inquiry signal to the RFID tag at predetermined time intervals;

in the step of operating the microcontroller to take a predetermined action based on the coded inquiry signal, receiving in the RFID tag the tracking data according to the periodic transmission by the controller at the predetermined time intervals,

generating in the RFID tag expected data based on the received tracking data which the RFID tag will search for in the next tracking data received at a next periodic transmission by the controller, and

generating by the RFID tag an answer signal to the controller in response to not receiving the expected data in the tracking data; and

determining via the controller at least one of a location and a status of a RFID tag being queried based on a communication at least one of between the controller and the RFID tag being queried, and between the area tag, the controller and the RFID tag being queried, and generating a signal in response to at least one of the location and the status of the RFID tag being queried as determined by the controller.

9. The method for operating a RFID monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the step of generating the signal via the controller includes at least one of transmitting an alarm to a user, transmitting a warning to a user, activating/deactivating a selected mechanism, and opening/closing access in response to at least one of the location and the status of the RFID tag being queried as determined by the controller.

10. The method for operating a RFID monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein said step of the at least one RFID tag taking action in response to the recognized inquiry signal from the controller includes the at least one RFID tag at least one of remaining silent and signaling in response to the recognized inquiry signal from the controller.

11. The method for operating a RFID monitoring system according to claim 10, wherein said step of the at least one RFID tag taking action in response to the recognized inquiry signal from the controller further includes the RFID tag being configured to receive a predeterminedly recognizable inquiry signal during the awakened state, and

while the RFID tag is in the awakened state and if the RFID tag does not receive the predeterminedly recognizable inquiry signal during the awakened state, the RFID tag signals so as to notify at least one of the controller and the user.

12. The method for operating a RFID monitoring system according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

providing the at least one RFID tag so as to be at least one of mounted in and integrated into an object to be monitored.

13. The method for operating a RFID monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting a coded inquiry signal to the at least one RFID tag further includes transmitting a control signal detectable by the at least one RFID tag such that the at least one RFID tag operates in accordance with commands in the control signal.

14. The method for operating a RFID monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the step of the at least one RFID tag generating the reply signal in response to the controller inquiry includes the at least one RFD tag generating at least one of a visible, audible, tactile and electromagnetically detectable response.

15. The method for operating a RFID monitoring system according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

initializing the at least one RFID tag by activating the at least one RFID tag in a teach-in mode that identifies the at least one RFID tag to the controller; and

storing the identification of the at least one RFID tag with the controller.