Inventory management system and method

• US 9,740,897 B1
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Salour, Ali, Trimble, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US15/243,758
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 235385, 235375, 340 101, 3405721
• 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 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An inventory management system includes an RFID reader, a multiplexing device operably connected to the RFID reader, and a plurality of shelving units. Each shelving unit has an outer boundary defined at least in part by RF blocking material. The inventory management system additionally includes a plurality of shelf antennas multiplexed to the RFID reader via the multiplexing device. At least one shelf antenna is routed within each shelving unit and tuned such that only RFID tags within the outer boundary of the shelving unit respond to an interrogation signal.

Claims

1. An inventory management system, comprising:

an RFID reader;

a multiplexing device operably connected to the RFID reader;

a plurality of shelving units, each shelving unit having an outer boundary defined at least in part by RF blocking material;

a plurality of shelf antennas multiplexed to the RFID reader via the multiplexing device, at least one shelf antenna routed within each shelving unit and tuned such that only RFID tags within the outer boundary of the shelving unit respond to an interrogation signal; and

at least one of the shelving units has two or more shelf antennas arranged in laterally spaced relation to one another, the two or more shelf antennas are each configured to simultaneously radiate an interrogation signal within a defined portion of physical space that is non-overlapping with the defined portion of the interrogation signal radiated by the other of the two or more shelf antennas.

2. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the shelf antennas is a leaky coaxial cable configured to radiate interrogation signals and receive response signals only from RFID tags located within the outer boundary containing the leaky coaxial cable.

3. The inventory management system of claim 2, wherein:

the leaky coaxial cable has an open loop shape.

4. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein:

the RFID reader is configured to receive one or more response signals from one or more RFID tags via the shelf antenna, and adjust a power level of the interrogation signal if a signal strength of one or more of the response signals is outside of a predetermined signal strength range.

5. The inventory management system of claim 1, further including:

an indicator light associated with each one of the shelving units, each indicator light being in communication with the RFID reader and configured to illuminate for at least one of;

indicating a shelving unit containing a tracked item to be moved relative to the shelving unit; and

indicating a shelving unit having an anomaly associated with the shelf antenna and/or the RFID reader assigned to the shelving unit.

6. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein:

the RF blocking material comprises metal mesh.

7. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the RFID tags include at least one of:

one or more material RFID tags on one or more material rolls; and

one or more pallet RFID tags located on at least one pallet.

8. The inventory management system of claim 7, wherein:

each material roll is housed within a container having an RFID tag located at each one of opposing ends of the container.

9. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein:

the two or more shelf antennas include a first shelf antenna and a second shelf antenna arranged in laterally spaced relation to one another;

the first shelf antenna being routed and tuned such that only RFID tags associated with a pallet and/or a material roll located in a first defined portion of the outer boundary respond to an interrogation signal from the first shelf antenna;

the second shelf antenna being routed and tuned such that only RFID tags associated with a pallet and/or a material roll located in a second defined portion of the outer boundary respond to an interrogation signal from the second shelf antenna; and

the first defined portion non-overlapping the second defined portion.

10. The inventory management system of claim 1, further including:

a system health tag mounted to one or more of the shelving units, the system health tag configured to emit a health signal in response to the interrogation signal;

a system controller connected to the RFID reader and configured to indicate an anomaly associated with at least one of the shelf antenna and the RFID reader assigned to the shelving unit upon an occurrence of at least one of the following;

a power level of the health signal is below a threshold power level; and

the system health tag fails to emit a health signal.

11. The inventory management system of claim 1, further including:

a display device communicatively coupleable to the RFID reader and configured to display an electronic map identifying a shelving unit containing a tracked item to be moved.

12. The inventory management system of claim 11, wherein:

the display device is a portable wireless device.

13. The inventory management system of claim 12, further including:

a device RFID reader operably connected to the portable wireless device;

a device antenna operably connected to the device RFID reader and configured to radiate an interrogation signal generated by the device RFID reader and receive response signals emitted by RFID tags; and

the portable wireless device configured to generate an indication when the response signals emitted by RFID tags activated by the interrogation signal from the device antenna match the response signals emitted by RFID tags activated by the interrogation signal from one of the shelf antennas.

14. The inventory management system of claim 13, wherein:

the device antenna is a leaky coaxial cable mounted on a material handling device.

15. An inventory management system, comprising:

an RFID reader;

a multiplexing device operably connected to the RFID reader;

a plurality of shelving units of a storage rack of a shelf system located in a refrigerated area, each shelving unit having an outer boundary defined at least in part by RF blocking material;

a plurality of tunable shelf antennas multiplexed to the RFID reader via the multiplexing device, at least one shelf antenna routed within each shelving unit and tuned such that only RFID tags within the outer boundary of the shelving unit respond to an interrogation signal, at least one of the shelving units has two or more shelf antennas arranged in laterally spaced relation to one another, the two or more shelf antennas are each configured to simultaneously radiate an interrogation signal within a defined portion of physical space that is non-overlapping with the defined portion of the interrogation signal radiated by the other of the two or more shelf antennas; and

an indicator light associated with each one of the shelving units and configured to illuminate for indicating a shelving unit containing a tracked item to be moved, the tracked item having at least one of the RFID tags affixed thereto.

16. A method of managing inventory, comprising:

radiating an interrogation signal from a plurality of shelf antennas multiplexed to an RFID reader, at least one shelf antenna being routed within each one of a plurality of shelving units of a shelf system, each shelving unit having an outer boundary defined at least in part by RF blocking material, at least one of the shelving units having two or more shelf antennas arranged in laterally spaced relation to one another and configured to simultaneously radiate an interrogation signal within a defined portion of physical space that is non-overlapping with the defined portion of the interrogation signal radiated by the other of the two or more shelf antennas;

blocking, using the RF blocking material of each shelving unit, at least a portion of the interrogation signal radiated by the shelf antenna contained within the outer boundary;

emitting, from one or more RFID tags located within each outer boundary and affixed to one or more tracked items, a response signal in response to the interrogation signal radiated by the shelf antenna contained within the outer boundary; and

blocking, using the RF blocking material of each shelving unit, at least a portion of the response signals emitted by the RFID tags within each outer boundary such that each shelf antenna receives only the response signals from the RFID tags located within the outer boundary containing the shelf antenna.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of radiating an interrogation signal from the plurality of shelf antennas comprises:

radiating the interrogation signal from a leaky coaxial cable.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of radiating an interrogation signal from a leaky coaxial cable comprises:

radiating the interrogation signal from a leaky coaxial cable having an open loop shape.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the two or more shelf antennas within the at least one of the shelving units includes a first shelf antenna and a second shelf antenna arranged in laterally spaced relation to one another, the step of radiating an interrogation signal from the plurality of shelf antennas includes:

radiating an interrogation signal from the first shelf antenna such that only RFID tags located in a first defined portion of the outer boundary respond to the interrogation signal from the first shelf antenna;

radiating an interrogation signal from the second shelf antenna such that only RFID tags located in a second defined portion of the outer boundary respond to the interrogation signal from the second shelf antenna; and

the first defined portion non-overlapping the second defined portion.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of radiating an interrogation signal from a plurality of shelf antennas comprises:

radiating the interrogation signal such that only one of two RFID tags respectively located at opposing ends of a container housing a material roll is activated by the interrogation signal and emits the response signal.

21. The method of claim 16, further including:

transmitting the response signals received by each shelf antenna to a system controller, each one of the response signals having a unique identification number;

correlating, using a system controller connected to the RFID reader, the identification number encoded in each response signal to one of the tracked items;

searching, using the system controller, a database for a tracked item from among a plurality of the tracked items; and

identifying, using the system controller, a shelving unit containing the tracked item resulting from the database search.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of identifying the shelving unit containing the tracked item comprises:

illuminating an indicator light associated with the shelving unit containing the tracked item resulting from a search of the database.

23. The method of claim 21, further including:

displaying, using a display device communicatively coupled to the RFID reader, an electronic map identifying the shelving unit containing the tracked item resulting from a search of the database.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the display device comprises a portable wireless device, the method further including:

radiating an interrogation signal from a device antenna mounted on a material handling device, the device antenna operably connected to the portable wireless device via a device RFID reader;

receiving, at the device antenna, response signals emitted by RFID tags;

comparing response signals emitted by RFID tags activated by the interrogation signal radiated by the device antenna to response signals emitted by RFID tags activated by the interrogation signal radiated by the shelf antennas; and

generating, using the portable wireless device, an indication when tag identifiers of the response signals emitted by RFID tags activated by the device antenna match the tag identifiers of the response signals emitted by RFID tags activated by one of the shelf antennas.

25. The method of claim 16, further including:

determining, at a system controller coupled to the RFID reader, a signal strength of at least one of the interrogation signal and the response signals received in response to the interrogation signal; and

adjusting, using the RFID reader, a power level of the interrogation signal if the signal strength of the interrogation signal or the response signals is outside of a predetermined signal strength range.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the steps of blocking, using the RF blocking material, at least a portion of the interrogation signal and the response signal comprise:

blocking at least a portion of the interrogation signal and the response signal using a metal mesh.

27. The method of claim 16, further including:

emitting, using a system health tag mounted to a shelving unit, a health signal in response to the interrogation signal;

receiving the health signal at the RFID reader;

comparing, using a system controller connected to the RFID reader, a power level of the health signal to a threshold power level; and

determining, using the system controller, whether the power level of the health signal is below the threshold power level to indicate an anomaly associated with at least one of the shelf antenna and the RFID reader assigned to the shelving unit.

28. A method of managing inventory, comprising:

radiating an interrogation signal from a plurality of shelf antennas multiplexed to an RFID reader, at least one shelf antenna being routed within each one of a plurality of shelving units of a shelf system, each shelving unit having an outer boundary defined at least in part by RF blocking material;

blocking, using the RF blocking material of each shelving unit, at least a portion of the interrogation signal radiated by the shelf antenna contained within the outer boundary;

emitting, from one or more RFID tags located within each outer boundary and affixed to one or more tracked items, a response signal in response to the interrogation signal radiated by the shelf antenna contained within the outer boundary;

blocking, using the RF blocking material of each shelving unit, at least a portion of the response signals emitted by the RFID tags within each outer boundary such that each shelf antenna receives only the response signals from the RFID tags located within the outer boundary containing the shelf antenna;

transmitting the response signals received by each shelf antenna to a system controller, each one of the response signals having a unique identification number;

correlating, using a system controller connected to the RFID reader, the identification number encoded in each response signal to one of the tracked items;

searching, using the system controller, a database for a tracked item from among a plurality of the tracked items; and

identifying, using the system controller, a shelving unit containing the tracked item resulting from the database search.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of identifying the shelving unit containing the tracked item comprises:

illuminating an indicator light associated with the shelving unit containing the tracked item resulting from a search of the database.