Low-power wirelessly-linked RFID tracking system

• US 9,760,853 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tunnel Radio of America Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mark D. Rose
• Inventors: Rose, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rushing, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): AKKI, MUNEAR T
• Application Number:
  US13/165,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20110309931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,275 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 3405711, 34053926, 340 101
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 17/18 Special adaptations of signalling or alarm devices for mine lifts B66B; gas-sensitive devices per se G01N
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A wirelessly-linked RFID tracking system is disclosed herein. The system includes low-power wirelessly-linked RFID readers in communication with a mine radio network to detect and transmit information received from a plurality of RFID tags. The RFID readers transmit tag information to a local server for providing notification and/or alarm information to system users as required under the Miner Act of 2006. The RFID readers may further include environmental sensors to sense and communicate environmental conditions wirelessly. In addition, the optional capability of hi-intensity warning LEDs mounted on the reader devices, may be deployed to alert personnel of an emergency condition even when hundreds of feet away from the device, irrespective of background noise prevalent in mining operations. The disclosed system communicatively links a plurality of wireless RFID readers to each other and/or to the mine radio network to create a data path from an underground environment to a surface environment. It should be appreciated that the system may be applied in a number of environments, including, but not limited to mines, oil platforms, industrial surface complexes, such as petroleum refineries, ships, etc.

Claims

1. An RFID tracking system wirelessly interfaced with a two-way leaky feeder radio communication network configured to provide radio communications in a shielded environment for tracking at least one self-contained RFID tag in the shielded environment, comprising:

the at least one self-contained RFID tag; and

at least one wirelessly-linked RFID reader wirelessly linked to the RFID tag, the wirelessly-linked RFID reader including;

an RFID receiver and a radio providing two-way voice communication to a user, the RFID receiver electrically transmitting tag information for the RFID tag to a leaky feeder cable through the radio and the radio electrically transmitting voice communication to the leaky feeder cable, the leaky feeder cable included in the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network providing two-way radio communications to system users in the shielded environment via a plurality of devices, said two-way leaky feeder radio communication network configured as a stand-alone interlinked radio network;

a plurality of ports for communicating with one or more devices configured to sense environmental data, and configured to trigger an emergency indicator based on the environmental data; and

a server computing device configured to receive transmissions from the radio of the wirelessly-linked RFID reader through the leaky feeder cable in the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network including a radio network headend in electronic communication with the server computing device, the transmissions comprising said tag information for the RFID tag and the environmental data and emergency feedback, wherein the wirelessly-linked RFID reader is communicatively linked to create a data path from the RFID tag through the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network configured to relay two-way voice communications in the shielded environment to a surface environment through the radio network headend.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag information includes a time and a location of a user associated with the self-contained RFID tag.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network configured to provide radio communications in the shielded environment includes a radio repeater, the leaky feeder cable, a coaxial cable, an amplifier, a splitter, a splice box, a termination unit, an antenna, and a power source.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-contained RFID tag is coupled to an asset and tag information associated with the asset includes a date, a time, and a location of the asset.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more devices includes a power source, one or more other wirelessly-linked RFID readers, and one or more environmental sensors, the one or more environmental sensors selected from the group consisting of a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a methane sensor, and a carbon monoxide sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader is wirelessly linked to a second reader in a multi-hop configuration.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the wirelessly-linked RFID reader is configured to further transmit environmental data measured by the one or more environmental sensors.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computing device includes a user interface module configured to provide a graphical user interface for a user to view and control aspects of the RFID tracking system, the user interface module comprising:

a notification module configured to notify the user of a status of the RFID tag by displaying the associated tag information;

a map module configured to present one or more graphical map views of an underground environment and/or the surface environment, the map views including a location marker for the wirelessly-linked RFID reader and the RFID tag located within the associated map view;

a search module configured to allow the user to search for information about a person or an asset bearing the self-contained RFID tag;

a tag management module configured to provide an interface for managing data associated with the self-contained RFID tag;

a reader management module configured to manage the wirelessly-linked RFID reader deployed throughout the underground environment and the surface environment; and

a configuration module configured to provide an interface for controlling aspects of the user interface module.

22. The system of claim 1, where the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network has a frequency range of 144-950 MHz.

9. A wirelessly-linked RFID computing device, comprising:

an emergency indicator;

a power source;

a processor;

an RFID receiver electrically communicating with a reader antenna, the reader antenna wirelessly linked to a self-contained RFID tag;

a radio electrically communicating with a leaky feeder cable in a two-way leaky feeder radio communication network to provide two-way voice communication to a user, the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network configured as a stand-alone interlinked radio network in a shielded environment;

a memory holding instructions executable by the processor to;

wirelessly receive tag information from the self-contained RFID tag by way of the reader antenna and RFID receiver;

transmit both the tag information from the RFID tag and voice communication to a server computing device through each of the radio, radio antenna, and the leaky feeder cable in the existing two-way leaky feeder radio communication network;

trigger the emergency indicator based on environmental sensor data received from one or more devices; and

transmit emergency feedback to the server computing device; and

a gas sensor card configured to send environmental sensor data through the existing two-way leaky feeder radio communication network providing radio communications in the shielded environment.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the gas sensor card is operatively linked to a methane sensor.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the gas sensor card includes integrated sensors for one or more of pressure, humidity and temperature.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the gas sensor card is configured to identify a change in an environmental condition within an immediate environment associated with one or more environmental sensors and transmit environmental data to a second wirelessly-linked RFID computing device and/or the server computing device.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the RFID computing device is configured to indicate a status of an environmental condition.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the RFID computing device is communicatively linked via the existing two-way leaky feeder radio communication network configured to provide radio communications in the shielded environment to a server located in a surface environment that is configured to display the tag information.

15. The device of claim 9, further comprising one or more indicators that indicate a status of the wirelessly-linked RFID computing device.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the tag information to a second wirelessly-linked RFID computing device in a multi-hop mode.

17. A method of tracking RFID tags using a two-way leaky feeder radio communication network extending into a shielded environment, the method comprising:

deploying a plurality of self-contained RFID tags, each self-contained RFID tag configured to transmit tag information identifying the self-contained RFID tag;

deploying a plurality of wirelessly-linked RFID readers, each wirelessly-linked RFID reader comprising an RFID receiver and a radio configured to provide two-way voice communication to a user, the RFID receiver electrically communicating with a reader antenna wirelessly linked to a self-contained RFID tag, and the radio electrically communicating with a leaky feeder cable in the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network providing two-way radio communications to system users in the shielded environment via a plurality of devices, each wirelessly-linked RFID reader interfaced to the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network extending into the shielded environment via the radio and the radio antenna and said two-way leaky feeder radio communication network configured as a stand-alone interlinked radio network; and

at the wirelessly-linked RFID reader;

receiving a tag information transmission from one of the plurality of self-contained RFID tags;

receiving an environmental information transmission from one or more environmental sensors;

triggering an emergency indicator based on the environmental information;

sending a message to a server computing device through the leaky feeder cable and a radio network headend, the server computing device located in a surface environment via the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network extending into the shielded environment, the message including the tag information, the environmental information, and identifying information for the wirelessly-linked RFID reader; and

receiving a voice alert from the server computing device broadcast over the two-way leaky feeder radio communication network, the server computing device generating the voice alert when environmental information received by the server computing device surpasses a threshold value.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising at the server computing device located in the surface environment:

receiving the message from the wirelessly-linked RFID reader;

comparing the tag information to a manifest; and

displaying a user interface including a location of each of the self-contained RFID tags.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the tag information includes a time and a location associated with the self-contained RFID tag.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the environmental information includes one or more of pressure data, temperature data, humidity data, methane data, and carbon monoxide data.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the identifying information includes a location and a status of the wirelessly-linked RFID reader.