Tracking objects in a two dimensional space

• US 10,296,768 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bermudez Rodriguez, Sergio A., Hamann, Hendrik F., Klein, Levente, van Kessel, Theodore G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mortell, John F
• Application Number:
  US15/145,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20170337792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10099 the directional field being used for pinpointing the location of the record carrier, e.g. for finding or locating an RFID tag amongst a plurality of RFID tags, each RFID tag being associated with an object, e.g. for physically locating the RFID tagged object in a warehouse
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method for tracking objects in a two-dimensional space includes first tracking devices that are activated to read tagged objects within the reading ranges of the first tracking devices. Second tracking devices are activated to read tagged objects within the reading ranges of the second tracking devices. The tagged objects read by each first tracking device are compared to the tagged objects read by each second tracking device, and based on the locations of the tagged objects read by the first and second tracking devices, the locations of the tagged objects are determined.

Claims

1. A method of tracking tagged objects in a two-dimensional space, comprising:

sequentially activating;

first tracking devices of a plurality of tracking devices that read tagged objects in the two-dimensional space that are within reading ranges of the first tracking devices, the first tracking devices having non-overlapping reading ranges; and

second tracking devices of the plurality of tracking devices that read tagged objects in the two-dimensional space that are within reading ranges of the second tracking devices, the second tracking devices having non-overlapping reading ranges;

identifying that a given one of the tagged objects has been read by at least two of the plurality of tracking devices by comparing data collected from each of the plurality of tracking devices identifying tagged objects that have been read by each of the plurality of tracking devices; and

determining, in a hardware processor, a location of the given tagged object in the two-dimensional space in real-time based on locations and the reading ranges of the at least two tracking devices that read the given tagged object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tracking devices and second tracking devices have reading ranges that overlap the reading ranges of neighboring tracking devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein no common tracking devices exist among the first tracking devices and second tracking devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking devices include radio-frequency identification reading devices and the tagged objects include radio-frequency identification tags, and wherein the collected data comprises identity data that is unique to the radio-frequency identification tag of the given tagged object.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information from cameras positioned to take images of the tagged objects in the two-dimensional space.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tagged objects include light-emitting sources that visually identify the locations of the tagged objects, and the method further comprises synchronizing visual identifications of the location of the given tagged objects determined based on the camera image of the given tagged object with the determined location of the given tagged object read by the tracking devices, wherein visual information-including the determined location of the given tagged object is provided.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the light emitting sources emit light in a pattern that is individual to each of the tagged objects.

2. The method of claim wherein the determining of the location of the given tagged object comprises designating the given tagged object as being at a mean distance between the at least two tracking devices that read the given tagged object.

9. A system for tracking tagged objects in a two-dimensional space, comprising:

a processor including memory;

first radio-frequency identification readers of a plurality of radio-frequency identification readers arranged in a selected tracking configuration to read tagged objects having radio-frequency identification tags in a two-dimensional space, the first radio-frequency identification readers having non-overlapping reading ranges;

second radio-frequency identification readers of the plurality of radio-frequency identification readers arranged in a selected tracking configuration to read tagged objects having radio-frequency identification tags in the two-dimensional space, the second radio-frequency identification readers having non-overlapping reading ranges;

a radio-frequency identification reader controller that sequentially activates the first and second radio-frequency identification readers;

a radio-frequency identification data collector that collects data from each of the plurality of radio-frequency identification readers identifying tagged objects that have been read by each of the plurality of radio-frequency identification readers; and

a radio-frequency identification data analyzer that identifies that a given one of the tagged objects has been read by at least two of the plurality of radio-frequency identification readers by comparing the collected data, and determines a location of the given tagged object in the two-dimensional space in real-time based on locations and the reading ranges of the at least two radio-frequency identification readers that read the given tagged object.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the radio-frequency identification readers are configured to stamp a time at which the radio-frequency identification readers read the tagged objects.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the radio-frequency identification reader controller is configured to store reader information selected from the group consisting of:

locations of each reader;

distances of each reader from its nearest neighboring readers;

distances of each reader from each of the other readers;

the reading range of each reader; and

combinations thereof.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the radio-frequency identification reader controller is configured to activate the groups of radio-frequency identification readers in a coordinated sequence.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the radio-frequency identification data analyzer is configured to determine the location of the given tagged object by designating the given tagged object as being at a mean distance between the at least two tracking devices that read the given tagged object.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the radio-frequency identification readers are configured to have reading ranges that overlap the reading ranges of neighboring radio-frequency identification readers.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises:

cameras that mages of the tagged objects in the two-dimensional space; and

a camera image object locator configured to determine the location of the given tagged object based on the image of the given tagged object.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the tagged objects include illuminating light sources.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the camera image object locator is configured to synchronize the location of the given tagged object determined based on the image of the given tagged object with the determined location of the given tagged object read by the radio-frequency identification readers to provide visual information including the determined location of the given tagged object.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the given tagged object further comprises a circuit that simultaneously activates the radio-frequency identification tags and the illuminating light sources when the given tagged object is in range of a radio-frequency identification reader.

20. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of tracking devices is located underneath a two-dimensional surface to track tagged objects on the two-dimensional surface.

19. A computer program product for tracking tagged objects in a two-dimensional space, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions being executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

sequentially activating;

first tracking devices of a plurality of tracking devices that read tagged objects in the two-dimensional space that are within reading ranges of the first tracking devices, the first tracking devices having non-overlapping reading ranges; and

second tracking devices of the plurality of tracking devices that read tagged objects in the two-dimensional space that are within reading ranges of the second tracking devices, the second tracking devices having non-overlapping reading ranges;

identifying that a given one of the tagged objects has been read by at least two of the plurality of tracking devices by comparing data collected from each of the plurality of tracking devices identifying tagged objects that have been read by each of the plurality of tracking devices; and

determining a location of the given tagged object in the two-dimensional space in real-time based on locations and the reading ranges of the at least two tracking devices that read the given tagged object.