Systems and methods for object localization and path identification based on RFID sensing

• US 9,514,340 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucomm Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucomm Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Cristache, Lucian
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US13/921,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20130278389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/876 Combination of several spaced transponders or reflectors of known location for determining the position of a receiver G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A networked radio frequency identification system includes a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers, a computer in signal communication with the RFID tag readers over a network, and a software module for storage on and operable by the computer that localizes RFID tags based on information received from the RFID tag readers using a network model having endpoints and oriented links. In an additional example, at least one of the RFID tag readers includes an adjustable configuration setting selected from RF signal strength, antenna gain, antenna polarization, and antenna orientation. In a further aspect, the system localizes RFID tags based on hierarchical threshold limit calculations. In an additional aspect, the system controls a locking device associated with an access point based on localization of an authorized RFID tag at the access point and reception of additional authorizing information from an input device.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system for localizing an RFID tag, the system comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers;

at least one sensor, wherein the sensor is not an RFID tag reader;

a computer system in signal communication with the plurality of RFID tag readers and the at least one sensor over a network;

a memory associated with the computer system, the memory storing a network model having a plurality of endpoints and oriented links between the endpoints, wherein the endpoints are associated with physical locations in space, each of the endpoints having associated with it one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers, and a plurality of semantic attributes associated with the network model;

the computer system being configured to operate a software module that localizes the RFID tag based on data received from the RFID tag readers;

the software module further being configured to associate one of the plurality of semantic attributes with the RFID tag by;

mapping one of the oriented links to a source endpoint at a first physical location and a destination endpoint at a second physical location;

determining that the RFID tag is present at the source endpoint at a first time value and that the RFID tag is present at the destination endpoint at a second time value;

determining that the RFID tag has traversed the oriented link from the source endpoint to arrive at the destination endpoint, including a path of travel and a direction assigned to the oriented link;

determining that a parameter from the at least one sensor sampled between the first time value and the second time value is within a predetermined measurement interval, wherein the parameter is unrelated to the location of the RFID tag or the geometric relationship between the source endpoint and the destination endpoint; and

associating the semantic attribute to the RFID tag based on the determination that the RFID tag has traversed the oriented link and the determined parameter;

wherein the software module invalidates the semantic attribute with the at least one of the RFID tag after the passage of a predetermined time interval.

2. The system of claim 1, where the software module invalidates the semantic attribute after the passage of a predetermined time interval.

3. The system of claim 1 where the system communicates with a tag by providing to the RFID readers a tag mask or filter based on the semantic associated with the tag.

4. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system for localizing at least two RFID tags, the system comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers;

at least one sensor, the sensor being configured to detect a parameter other than a location or presence of the RFID tags;

a computer system in signal communication with the plurality of RFID tag readers and at least one sensor over a network, wherein the sensor is not an RFID tag reader;

a memory associated with the computer system, the memory storing a network model having a plurality of endpoints and oriented links between the endpoints, wherein the endpoints are associated with physical locations in space, each of the endpoints having associated with it one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers, the memory further storing a plurality of group dependent semantic attributes, wherein one of the group dependent semantic attributes is representative of a combination of an indication of traversal of one of the oriented links and the parameter, the parameter further being unrelated to the location of the endpoints or the oriented links;

the computer system being configured to operate a software module that localizes the RFID tag based on data received from the RFID tag readers;

the software module further being configured to associate a group dependent semantic attribute with at least one of the RFID tags by;

determining that the first RFID tag has traversed a first one of the oriented links and arrived at a first endpoint at a first time value and that the second RFID tag has traversed a second one of the oriented links and arrived at a second endpoint at a second time value;

receiving a measurement from the sensor, the measurement being taken between the first time value and the second time value;

determining that the measurement from the at least one sensor is within a predetermined measurement interval for the parameter, wherein the parameter is unrelated to the location of the RFID tag or the geometric relationship between source endpoint and the destination endpoint; and

associating the group dependent semantic attribute to at least one of the RFID tags as a function of the sensor measurement and the determined traversal of the first oriented link by the first RFID tag and the traversal of the second oriented link by the second RFID tag;

wherein the software module invalidates association of the group dependent semantic attribute with the at least one of the RFID tags after the passage of a predetermined time interval.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the system defines a new group semantic attribute based on at least one of the RFID tags and assigns the new group semantic attribute to the semantic group.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensor is attached to one of the RFID tags.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the system communicates with the semantic group by providing to the RFID readers a tag mask or filter based on the semantic group.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the group dependent semantic attribute is associated with an access control rule.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein the group dependent semantic attribute is associated with time a management rule.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the time management rule is based on a semantic interval.