Geolocation system with controllable tags enabled by wireless communications to the tags
First Claim
1. A method of operating a system for geolocating objects within a monitored environment, in which emissions from tags associated with said objects are detected at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers, and outputs of said tag emission readers are processed by an object location processor to geolocate said tags and thereby their associated objects within said monitored environment, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) in response to said object location processor geolocating a tag, transmitting, from a location spaced apart from said tag, a spread spectrum signal containing information intended for said tag; and
(b) at said geolocated tag, receiving said spread spectrum signal transmitted in step (a) and recovering said information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An auxiliary wireless communication mechanism is incorporated into a system that geolocates tagged objects within a monitored environment, using random, repetitive spread spectrum emissions from the tags. The emissions are detected at tag emission readers, and processed by an object location processor to geolocate the tagged objects. The auxiliary wireless communication mechanism transmits a return spread spectrum signal containing information intended for a tag immediately in response to the object location processor geolocating the tag. This immediately returned spread spectrum transmission allows a reduced complexity spread spectrum receiver within the tag to despread the return signal without having to determine the timing of the clock signal used to produce it.
30 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of operating a system for geolocating objects within a monitored environment, in which emissions from tags associated with said objects are detected at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers, and outputs of said tag emission readers are processed by an object location processor to geolocate said tags and thereby their associated objects within said monitored environment, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) in response to said object location processor geolocating a tag, transmitting, from a location spaced apart from said tag, a spread spectrum signal containing information intended for said tag; and
(b) at said geolocated tag, receiving said spread spectrum signal transmitted in step (a) and recovering said information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A transceiver for a wireless communication tag adapted for use with an object in an environment that is monitored by a system for geolocating objects therein, said transceiver comprising:
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a spread spectrum generator containing a spreading mechanism that is adapted to generate a spread spectrum signal in accordance with a tag-resident clock;
a tag transmitter which is adapted to emit said spread spectrum signal generated by said spread spectrum generator, so that said spread spectrum signal emitted by said tag transmitter may be detected by a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers, outputs of which are processed by an object location processor to geolocate said wireless communication tag and thereby said object within said monitored environment;
a spread spectrum receiver adapted to receive a spread spectrum signal transmitted from a remote transmitter; and
a despreader, which is adapted to despread the spread spectrum signal received from said remote transmitter, using said spreading mechanism and said tag-resident clock. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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13. A method for conducting wireless communications between a wireless communication tag, adapted for use with an object in an environment that is monitored by a system for geolocating objects therein, and a transmitter of said system, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) in said wireless communication tag, generating a spread spectrum signal in accordance with a tag-resident clock, and emitting said spread spectrum signal, so that said spread spectrum signal may be detected by a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers, outputs of which are processed by an object location processor to geolocate said wireless communication tag and thereby said object within said monitored environment;
(b) in response to said object location processor geolocating said tag, transmitting, from a location spaced apart from said tag, a return spread spectrum signal containing information intended for said tag; and
(c) in said wireless communication tag, receiving said return spread spectrum signal transmitted from said remote transmitter in step (b), and despreading the return spread spectrum signal received from said remote transmitter, using said spreading mechanism and said tag-resident clock employed in step (a).
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19. A wireless communication subsystem adapted for use with a system for geolocating objects within a monitored environment, in which emissions from tags associated with said objects are detected at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers, and outputs of said tag emission readers are processed by an object location processor to geolocate said tags and thereby their associated objects within said monitored environment, said wireless communication subsystem comprising:
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a spread spectrum transmitter associated with said object geolocation system and being adapted to transmit a return spread spectrum signal containing information intended for a tag in response to said object location processor geolocating said tag; and
a spread spectrum receiver within said geolocated tag that is adapted to receive said return spread spectrum signal transmitted by said transmitter and to recover said information.
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Specification