Managing a sphere of wireless tags

• US 9,519,812 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pixie Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pixie Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Bassan-Eskenazi, Amir, Sharir, Naftaly, Friedman, Ofer, Elias, Gili, Sussman, Giora, Aharonson, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/085,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20140145828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/767 Responders; Transponders teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying using reflecting targets or active targets F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• 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 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

A method for managing a sphere of wireless tags, the method comprises programming, by a wireless reader, a group of wireless tags to belong to the sphere of wireless tags; sending by the wireless reader sphere beacons aimed to the wireless tags of the sphere; detecting a loss of a wireless tag of the sphere if the wireless tag did not respond to a predetermined number of sphere beacons; and responding to the detecting of the loss of the wireless tag.

Claims

1. A method for managing a sphere of wireless tags, comprising the steps of:

programming, by a wireless reader, a group of wireless tags to belong to the sphere of wireless tags;

programming, by the wireless reader, each wireless tag of the sphere to increase a wireless tag reception window for detecting a sphere beacon after the wireless tag failed to receive a predefined number of sphere beacons;

sending, by the wireless reader, sphere beacons aimed to the wireless tags of the sphere;

detecting a loss of a wireless tag of the sphere if the wireless tag did not respond to a predetermined number of sphere beacons; and

responding to the detecting of the loss of the wireless tag.

2. The method according to claim 1 comprising programming, by the wireless reader, the wireless tags of the sphere to enter a first operational mode during reception windows that correspond to expected timing of transmission of the sphere beacons and to enter a second operational mode after responding to the sphere beacons, wherein the second operational mode is characterized by a lower power consumption than the first operational mode.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising calculating or receiving information about distances between the wireless reader and multiple wireless tags;

and selecting, by the wireless reader, the wireless tags of the sphere out of the multiple wireless tags to be within a predetermined distance from the wireless tag.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the programming, by the wireless reader, comprises instructing a wireless tag to transmit wireless tag identification information even without receiving beacon messages aimed to the wireless tag.

10. The method according to claim 1 comprising transmitting by the wireless reader a unique sphere identifier that identifies the sphere of wireless tags.

5. A wireless reader for managing a sphere of wireless tags, comprising:

a controller that is arranged to program a group of wireless tags to belong to the sphere of wireless tags;

a wireless transceiver that is arranged to;

send sphere beacons aimed to the wireless tags of the sphere;

detect a loss of a wireless tag of the sphere if the wireless tag did not respond to a predetermined number of sphere beacons;

wherein the wireless reader is arranged to respond to the detecting of the loss of the wireless tag; and

wherein the wireless reader is arranged to program each wireless tag of the sphere to increase a wireless tag reception window for detecting a sphere beacon after the wireless tag failed to receive a predefined number of sphere beacons.

6. The wireless reader according to claim 5 that is arranged to program the wireless tags of the sphere to enter a first operational mode during reception windows that correspond to expected timing of transmission of the sphere beacons and to enter a second operational mode after responding to the sphere beacons, wherein the second operational mode is characterized by a lower power consumption than the first operational mode.

7. The wireless reader according to claim 5 that is arranged to calculate or receive information about distances between the wireless reader and multiple wireless tags;

and select the wireless tags of the sphere out of the multiple wireless tags to be within a predetermined distance from the wireless tag.

8. The wireless reader according to claim 5 that is arranged to instruct a wireless tag to transmit wireless tag identification information even without receiving beacon messages aimed to the wireless tag.

9. The wireless reader according to claim 5 that is configured to transmit a unique sphere identifier that identifies the sphere of wireless tags.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions that when executed by a wireless reader cause the wireless reader to execute the stages of:

programming a group of wireless tags to belong to a sphere of wireless tags;

programming each wireless tag of the sphere to increase a wireless tag reception window for detecting a sphere beacon after the wireless tag failed to receive a predefined number of sphere beacon;

sending sphere beacons aimed to the wireless tags of the sphere;

detecting a loss of a wireless tag of the sphere if the wireless tag did not respond to a predetermined number of sphere beacons; and

responding to the detecting of the loss of the wireless tag.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 11 that stores instructions that when executed by the wireless reader cause the wireless reader to execute the stage of receiving from a user a selection of the wireless tags that belong to the sphere of wireless tags.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 11 that stores instructions that when executed by the wireless reader cause the wireless reader to execute the stage of programming the wireless tags of the sphere to enter a first operational mode during reception windows that correspond to expected timing of transmission of the sphere beacons and to enter a second operational mode after responding to the sphere beacons, wherein the second operational mode is characterized by a lower power consumption than the first operational mode.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 11 that stores instructions that when executed by the wireless reader cause the wireless reader to execute the stages of calculating or receiving information about distances between the wireless reader and multiple wireless tags;

and selecting the wireless tags of the sphere out of the multiple wireless tags to be within a predetermined distance from the wireless tag.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 11 that stores instructions that when executed by the wireless reader cause the wireless reader to execute the stage of programming the wireless tags to belong to the sphere only during predetermined time periods.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 11 wherein the programming comprises instructing a wireless tag to transmit wireless tag identification information even without receiving beacon messages aimed to the wireless tag.