System and method of tracking vehicles within a parking lot using RFID tags

• US 9,454,745 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alli-Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alli-Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Howard, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): AFRIFA-KYEI, ANTHONY D
• Application Number:
  US14/045,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20140028447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.6, 340/10.3, 340/933, 340/937, 340/901, 340/988, 340/505, 340/989, 340/990, 340/995.18
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

A system and method of tracking vehicles stored within a parking lot using RFID tags is disclosed. The method includes creating a record of a vehicle, where the record includes information associated with the vehicle. The method further includes assigning an RFID tag to the record associated with the vehicle, attaching the RFID tag to the vehicle, detecting the RFID tag using a first interrogator, and determining a new geographic location of the first interrogator contemporaneously with detecting the RFID tag. In addition, the method may include recording video of the vehicle, where the video includes a video record of each time when the vehicle is moved. The method includes assigning the new geographic location of the RFID tag when the RFID tag is no longer detected by the first interrogator and updating the record with the new geographic location of the RFID tag and the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of tracking vehicles within a parking lot using RFID tags, the method comprising:

creating a record of a vehicle, wherein the record is stored on a computer and includes information associated with the vehicle;

creating a electronic map of the parking lot relative to a global positioning system (GPS) to store on the computer, the electronic map representing a plurality of slots with each slot representing a parking spot to park a respective vehicle in the parking lot;

assigning a RFID tag to the record associated with the vehicle using the computer;

detecting the RFID tag attached to the vehicle stored in a parking lot within a pre-determined range using a mobile first interrogator when the vehicle is stationary;

determining a new GPS location of the mobile first interrogator within the parking lot upon detecting the RFID tag by the first interrogator;

associating the new GPS location with a particular slot of the parking lot using the electronic map;

and assigning the particular slot to the vehicle in response to RFID tag is no longer detected by the first interrogator to indicate a current parking spot of the vehicle within the parking lot.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording video of the vehicle, wherein the video includes a video record of each time when the vehicle is moved.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising indexing and sorting the video record.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parking lot is for an auto auction or for car sales.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the record with the new geographic location of the RFID tag.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising updating the record with a video record of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising

backfeeding the new geographic location to an existing inventory management system.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising detecting the RFID tag with a second interrogator, wherein a current geographic location of the second interrogator is determined contemporaneously with detecting the RFID tag.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising assigning the current geographic location of the second interrogator to the RFID tag when the second interrogator no longer detects the RFID tag.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

comparing the current geographic location of the RFID tag to a stored geographic location for the RFID tag; and

updating the record associated with the RFID tag with the current geographic location when the current geographic location does not match the stored geographic location for the RFID tag within a pre-determined tolerance.

11. A system of tracking vehicles within a parking lot using RFID tags, the system comprising:

a RFID tag attached to a vehicle;

a database to store data associated with the RFID tag, wherein the RFID tag is associated with the vehicle stored in the parking lot;

an electronic map of the parking lot relative to a global positioning system (GPS) being stored in the database, the electronic map representing a plurality of slots with each slot representing a parking spot to park a respective vehicle in the parking lot;

a first interrogator secured to a first mobile platform to detect an identity of the RFID tag when the vehicle is stationary;

a navigation system in communication with the first interrogator, wherein the navigation system takes at least one reading of a location of the first mobile platform within the parking lot when the RFID tag is detected and determines a current GPS location of the first mobile platform;

a processor configured to associate the current GPS location with a particular slot of the parking lot using the electronic map;

the processor further configured to assign the particular slot to the vehicle in response to the RFID tag is no longer detected by the first interrogator to indicate a current parking spot of the vehicle within the parking lot; and

a signal transmitted to the database, wherein the signal includes the identity of the RFID tag and the current location of the vehicle within the parking lot.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the parking lot is for an auto auction or car sales.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a graphical user interface (“

GUI”

), wherein the GUI accesses the database and references the data associated with the RFID tag and the vehicle, and the GUI displays a last recorded geographic location of the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first mobile platform is a golf cart.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a second mobile platform, wherein a second interrogator is mounted to the second mobile platform.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the database further comprising historical information of movements of the first mobile platform.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a video camera mounted to the first mobile platform to record video images of the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising a second signal transmitted to the database, wherein the second signal includes the identity of the RFID tag and the current location of the second mobile platform and the current location of the vehicle within the parking lot when the second interrogator no longer detects the RFID tag.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein a last recorded geographic location of the vehicle and the current geographic location of the vehicle are compared to determine the vehicle has moved.

20. A system of tracking vehicles within a parking lot using RFID tags, the system comprising:

a RFID tag attached to a vehicle;

a database;

an electronic map of the parking lot relative to a global positioning system (GPS) stored in the database, the electronic map representing a plurality of slots with each slot representing a parking spot to park a respective vehicle in the parking lot;

a RFID interrogator secured to a first mobile platform to detect an identity of the RFID tag within a pre\-determined range from the interrogator;

a GPS device to take at least one reading of a current GPS location of the first mobile platform when the RFID tag is detected within the parking lot;

a processor configured to associate the current GPS location with a particular slot of the parking lot using the electronic map;

the processor further configured to assign the particular slot to the vehicle in response to the RFID tag is no longer detected by the first interrogator to indicate a current parking spot of the vehicle within the parking; and

a compass directional finder, wherein the compass directional finder being configured to display a relative position and distance of the vehicle from the first mobile platform within the parking lot when the vehicle is stationary.