Portable encoded information reading terminal configured to locate groups of RFID tags

• US 9,443,119 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• 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): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/451,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20130278393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340 101- 106, 340/691.6, 340/870.4, 235/375, 235/385, 235/440, 353/28, 353/46, 1/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• 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: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A portable radio-frequency identifier (RFID) reading terminal can comprise a microprocessor, a memory, an RFID reading device, and a display. The portable EIR terminal can be configured, responsive to successfully reading a plurality of RFID tags attached to a plurality of items sustained by a physical structure, to group the plurality of read RFID tags into zero or more clusters, by correlating quantities of RFID tags read within several time periods to spatial positions of the coverage shapes of the RF signals transmitted by the RFID reading device during the several time periods. The EIR terminal can be further configured to determine the spatial positions of the RFID signal coverage shapes based on the spatial positions and orientations of the portable EIR terminal during the several time periods. The EIR terminal can be further configured to display a quantity of RFID tags within each cluster overlaid over an image.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an RFID reader that reads a plurality of RFID tags in an area comprising a plurality of locations and calculates a number of the RFID tags that are in each of the locations; and

a display that;

displays an image of the area, and

overlays a numerical value representing the number of the RFID tags within each of the locations over the respective locations displayed in the image,

wherein the display displays a scan trace overlaid over said image;

wherein the scan trace is provided by a line comprising a plurality of time varying points, each point being defined by a projection onto a chosen plane at a given moment in time of a coverage shape of an RF signal transmitted by the RFID reader.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a two-dimensional imager; and

an RF antenna;

wherein a spatial position of said RF signal coverage shape is based on a location and orientation of said RF antenna relative to a field of view of said two-dimensional imager.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a motion sensing device;

wherein a change of the location and orientation of said RF signal coverage shape is determined based on motion sensing data received from said motion sensing device.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a motion sensing device;

wherein said motion sensing device comprises three or more accelerometers configured to measure proper acceleration values of said RFID reader along three mutually perpendicular axes.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a receiver that receives the image from an external computer.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a receiver to receive a description of the image;

wherein said device is further configured to create the image based on said description.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a two-dimensional imager;

wherein said device is further configured to acquire the image using said two-dimensional imager.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a system configured to transmit to an external computer at least one of:

a list of read RFID tags, a count of read RFID tags, a count of clusters of RFID tag bearing items, a list of items in each respective location, and/or a list of the respective locations.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to identify each of the respective locations based on the RF coverage shape of the RF signal transmitted by the RFID reader and a location of the RFID reader relative to the respective locations.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the device is further configured to calculate the number of RFID tags in each of the identified, respective locations based on RFID tag identifiers received while the RF coverage shape of the RF signal transmitted by the RFID reader is positioned over each respective location.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the device is further configured to calculate a first number of RFID tags in a first identified location based on the RFID tag identifiers received while the RF coverage shape of the RF signal transmitted by of the RFID reader is only positioned over the first identified location.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the image is an actual image taken of the plurality of locations.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the image that is displayed corresponds to the plurality of locations.

14. A device comprising:

an RFID reader that reads at least one RFID tag in an area and determines a number of the at least one RFID tag that is in the area; and

a display that;

displays an actual image of the area, and

overlays a numerical value for the number of the at least one RFID tag react within the area over the actual image,

wherein the display displays a scan trace overlaid over the actual image, and

wherein said scan trace is provided by a line comprising a plurality of time varying points, each point being defined by a projection onto a chosen plane at a given moment in time of a coverage shape of an RF signal transmitted by said RFID reader.

15. A device comprising:

an RFID reader that reads at least one RFID tag in an area and determines a number of the at least one tag that is in the area; and

a display that;

displays an image of the area, and

overlays a numerical value for the number of the at least one RFID tag read within the area over the image,

wherein the display displays a scan trace overlaid over said image;

wherein the scan trace is provided by a line comprising a plurality of time varying points each point being defined by a projection onto a chosen plane at a given moment in time of a coverage shape of an RF signal transmitted by said RFID reader.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the image comprises an actual image of the area.