System and method for acquisition management of subject position information

• US 20040027243A1
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Carrender, Curt
• Granted Patent: US 6,975,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

A system and method for acquisition management of subject position information that utilizes radio frequency identification (RF ID) to store position information in position tags. Tag programmers receive position information from external positioning systems, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), from manual inputs, such as keypads, or other tag programmers. The tag programmers program each position tag with the received position information. Both the tag programmers and the position tags can be portable or fixed. Implementations include portable tag programmers and fixed position tags for subject position guidance, and portable tag programmers for collection sample labeling. Other implementations include fixed tag programmers and portable position tags for subject route recordation. Position tags can contain other associated information such as destination address of an affixed subject for subject routing.

Claims

1. A position tag comprising:

a memory configured to store position information;

at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a receiver circuit coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna, the receiver configured to receive control signals and position request signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna, and to send signals containing position information via the at least one radio frequency antenna responsive to the position request signals, the memory configured to store position information in response to the control signals and to recall position information in response to the position request signals.

2. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes position coordinates associated with a position of the position tag.

3. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes identification of an intended recipient.

4. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes a timestamp associated with a time when the position information was stored in the memory.

5. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes position coordinates based upon an external positioning system.

6. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes position coordinates associated with a building.

7. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes position coordinates associated with a sample collection site.

8. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes position coordinates of multiple positions achieved by a subject affixed to the position tag during a period of time when the subject traversed a route.

9. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the memory is sized sufficient for storage of information regarding one position.

10. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes a destination address for a subject affixed to the position tag.

11. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the memory stores position information by using one or more pointers to point to position references.

12. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the memory stores position information by storing absolute position references.

13. The position tag of claim 1, further comprising a control coupled to the memory and the receiver, the control configured to instruct the memory to store position information in response to the control signals and to recall position information in response to the position request signals.

14. The position tag of claim 1 wherein the position information stored by the memory includes position coordinates broadcast by the United States Department of Defense managed Global Positioning System (GPS).

15. A position tag programmer comprising:

at least one radio frequency antenna;

a receiver configured to receive position information radio signals from an external position reference system via the at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a tag program transmitter coupled to the receiver and configured to transmit position information control signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna to a position tag for storage in the position tag of the position information received from the external position reference system.

16. The position tag programmer of claim 15 wherein the receiver is configured to receive position information radio signals from the United States Department of Defense managed Global Positioning System (GPS) as the external position reference system.

17. The position tag programmer of claim 15 wherein the tag programmer transmitter is further configured to transmit position information control signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna to a second position tag programmer for storage in the second position tag programmer of the position information received from the external position reference system.

18. The position tag programmer of claim 15, further comprising a local input configured to provide manual input of position information.

19. The position tag programmer of claim 15, further comprising a battery to provide electrical power to components of the position tag programmer including the receiver and the tag program transmitter.

20. The position tag programmer of claim 15 wherein the tag program transmitter is further configured to store the position information received from the external position reference system.

21. A position tag programmer comprising:

at least one radio frequency antenna;

an adapter configured to removably couple to an input device, the input device configured to input position information to the position tag programmer; and

a tag program transmitter coupled to the receiver and configured to transmit position information control signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna to a position tag for storage in the position tag of the position information received from the input device.

22. The position tag programmer of claim 21 wherein the adapter is configured to removably couple to a keypad as the input device.

23. The position tag programmer of claim 21 wherein the adapter is configured to removably couple to a receiver as the input device, the receiver configured to receive position information radio signals from an external position reference system.

24. A position tag reader comprising:

at least one radio frequency antenna;

a transmitter coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna and configured to transmit a position information request signal to a position tag via the at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a receiver coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna and configured to receive a signal containing position information from the position tag requested through the position information request signal sent by the transmitter to the position tag.

25. The position tag reader of claim 24, further comprising a memory configured to store position information regarding multiple positions and associated timestamps from the position tag with respect to a route recordation by the position tag of a traveling subject affixed to the position tag.

26. A method of programming a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the method comprising:

receiving position information from an external positioning system; and

sending control instructions and the position information via radio signals to the RFID tag to store the position information in the RFID tag.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein receiving further includes receiving position information from the United States Department of Defense managed Global Positioning System (GPS).

28. A method of positionally labeling samples, each sample having a position in a collection site, the method comprising:

affixing position tags to each sample to be positionally labeled in the collection site;

receiving position information associated with each sample to be positionally labeled; and

programming each position tag affixed to a sample to be positionally labeled with the received position information associated with its affixed sample such that each position tag stores the received position information associated with its affixed sample.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the received position information stored in one of the position tags associated with its affixed sample includes position coordinates relative to collection site positions of other samples to be positionally labeled.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein receiving further includes receiving position information from the United States Department of Defense managed Global Positioning System (GPS).

31. A method of providing position guidance to a subject with respect to an area, the method comprising:

dispersing position tags to fixed locations in the area;

receiving position information associated with each fixed location in the area;

programming each position tag to store the received position information associated with its fixed location; and

directing movement of the subject within the area based upon the received position information stored in the positions tags dispersed to the fixed locations within the area.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising sending information request signals from points of origination, the signals configured to be received by a dispersed position tag when the position tag is located within a predetermined maximum distance from the points of origination.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the programming further includes the received position information having position coordinates relative to other fixed positions within the area.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein directing movement of the subject within the area further includes providing instructions intelligible to a human.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein directing movement of the subject within the area further includes providing instructions intelligible to a robot.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein directing movement of the subject within the area further includes providing instructions intelligible to a vehicle.

37. The method of claim 31 wherein receiving further includes receiving position information from the United States Department of Defense managed Global Positioning System (GPS).

38. A method of recording travel by a subject along a route, the method comprising:

dispersing position tag programmers to locations along the route;

programming each of the dispersed position tag programmers to store local position information related to the location of the dispersed position tag programmer;

affixing a position tag to the subject, the position tag configured to store position information related to a plurality of positions;

programming the position tag to store the local position information stored in each of the position tag programmers into the position tag as the position tag passes within range of the position tag programmer; and

programming the position tag using each of the dispersed position tag programmers to store a timestamp within the position tag associated with the time that the position tag passed within range of the position tag programmer.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising reading the local position information and timestamps stored in the position tag after the subject has completed travel of at least a portion of the route.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein programming each of the dispersed position tag programmers further includes local position information being based upon position coordinates relative to other positions along the route.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein programming each of the dispersed position tag programmers further includes local position information being based upon position information from the United States Department of Defense managed Global Positioning System (GPS).

42. A method of routing a subject from an origination to a given destination through a network of branch nodes connected together by paths, each branch node connected to multiple paths, the method comprising:

programming a position tag to store position information related to the given destination; and

entities

affixing the position tag to the subject;

requesting and receiving via radio signals the position information of the given destination stored in the position tag when the subject reaches a branch node; and

when the branch node is not the given destination according to the received position information, sending the subject to another branch node according to the received position information.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising sending the subject to another branch node according to the received position information and according to principles of operations research.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising sorting subjects according to position information related to destinations of the subjects received via radio signals from position tags attached to the subjects.

45. A system for subject position information, the system comprising:

a position tag including;

a memory configured to store position information;

at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a receiver circuit coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna, the receiver configured to receive control signals and position request signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna, and to send signals containing position information via the at least one radio frequency antenna responsive to the position request signals, the memory configured to store position information in response to the control signals and to recall position information in response to the position request signals; and

a position tag programmer including;

at least one radio frequency antenna;

a receiver configured to receive position information radio signals from an external position reference system via the at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a tag program transmitter coupled to the receiver and configured to transmit position information control signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna to the position tag for storage in the position tag of the position information received from the external position reference system.

46. A system for subject position information, the system comprising:

a position tag including;

a memory configured to store position information;

at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a receiver circuit coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna, the receiver configured to receive control signals and position request signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna, and to send signals containing position information via the at least one radio frequency antenna responsive to the position request signals, the memory configured to store position information in response to the control signals and to recall position information in response to the position request signals; and

a position tag programmer including;

at least one radio frequency antenna;

an adapter configured to removably couple to an input device, the input device configured to input position information to the position tag programmer; and

a tag program transmitter coupled to the receiver and configured to transmit position information control signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna to the position tag for storage in the position tag of the position information received from the input device.

47. A system for subject position information, the system comprising:

a position tag including;

a memory configured to store position information;

at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a receiver circuit coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna, the receiver configured to receive control signals and position request signals via the at least one radio frequency antenna, and to send signals containing position information via the at least one radio frequency antenna responsive to the position request signals, the memory configured to store position information in response to the control signals and to recall position information in response to the position request signals; and

a position tag reader including;

at least one radio frequency antenna;

a transmitter coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna and configured to transmit a position information request signal to a position tag via the at least one radio frequency antenna; and

a receiver coupled to the at least one radio frequency antenna and configured to receive a signal containing position information from the position tag requested through the position information request signal sent by the transmitter to the position tag.