Multi-Modal Active RFID Tag With Biometric Sensors, Systems and Methods of ITV Tracking

• US 20080061967A1
• Filed: 11/12/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovation Capital Law Group
• Original Assignee: Innovation Capital Law Group
• Inventors: Corrado, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,982,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0728 the arrangement being an optical or sound-based communication interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/145 at least one of the further markings being adapted for galvanic or wireless sensing, e.g. an RFID tag with both a wireless and an optical interface or memory, or a contact type smart card with ISO 7816 contacts and an optical interface or memory
• 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

Abstract

RFID tags, methods and systems for total asset management, in-transit visibility and bio-metric verification and authorization. The system comprises an active, multi-modal, bi-directional RFID tag having a primary communication mode RF transceiver and a secondary mode IR/US transceiver. The tag includes sensors, such as bio-metric, and memory containing user bio-metric data. A reader and illuminator(s), preferably IR and/or US, are communicatively coupled with the tag and adapted to provide command and control signals to the tag and receive data/information from it. The user'"'"'s bio-metric data is read by the sensor, compared to the data base and verification communicated to an access or point of sale device. The tag looks for illuminators and reports to the reader the IDs of those it sees. The detection history permits tracking and locating tagged objects or persons, such as theme park guests. If no illuminator signal is seen, the tag sends a special signal.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification and autonomous tracking system comprising:

a) an active, multi-mode radio frequency identification tag having at least one of a uni-directional or bi-directional primary and secondary communication mode, said primary communication mode comprising a radio frequency transceiver and said secondary communication mode comprising an optical transceiver, an ultra-sound transceiver, and both an optical and an ultra-sound transceiver;

b) a reader communicatively coupled with and adapted with a radio frequency receiver to receive signals representative of information from the radio frequency identification tag via the radio frequency transmitter of the radio frequency identification tag;

c) an illuminator, positioned within the field of view of said tag, communicatively coupled with and adapted with an optical transmitter or an ultrasound transmitter to send triggering information signals to the radio frequency identification tag via the secondary mode optical or ultra-sound receiver of the radio frequency identification tag; and

d) said tag is configured for linking at least one of receipt of or absence of receipt of a secondary mode communication signal from said illuminator to transmit by said tag signals between said tag and said reader via said radio frequency primary communication mode, said signals representing information, data, sensor data, tag identification, identification of an object or person with which said tag is associated, illuminator identification, and combinations thereof.

2. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 1 wherein said illuminator includes at least one of an optical receiver and an ultrasound receiver coupled with and adapted to receive information from the radio frequency identification tag via at least one of the optical transmitter and the ultrasound transmitter of the radio frequency identification tag.

3. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 2 wherein in response to said illuminator triggering signals, the radio frequency identification tag is adapted to transmit said signals representing information, data, sensor data, tag identification, identification of an object to which said tag is associated, illuminator identification, and combinations thereof, to the illuminator via at least one of the secondary modes of communication of said tag or the radio frequency transmitter of the tag.

4. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 1 wherein the radio frequency identification tag is adapted to transmit to the reader at least one of identification data of an illuminator seen in its field of view and a signal representative of no-illuminator-seen if it does not receive a signal from an illuminator in its field of view.

5. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 4 wherein said reader is linked to a network, and said network tracks said tag and objects or persons associated with said tag by recording the history of tag reports of illuminators seen or not seen,

6. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 3, wherein the radio frequency identification tag is adapted to transmit a periodic beacon to a reader or an illuminator.

7. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 3 wherein the radio frequency identification tag is adapted to transmit sensor data to a reader or an illuminator via the radio frequency transmitter.

8. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 7 wherein said sensor data is transmitted by said tag in response to a command from an illuminator or a reader.

9. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 7, wherein said sensor is a bio-metric sensor associated with said tag, said tag contains a set of bio-metric data identifying an authorized carrier or user stored in a memory structure of said tag, and said tag is adapted to read bio-metric data by said sensor and compare said read data to the data in memory, and if there is or is not a match, to send a signal representative of said match or not to at least one of said reader and said illuminator.

10. A radio frequency identification system as in claim 1 wherein said tag contains a set of bio-metric data identifying an authorized carrier or user stored in a memory structure of said tag, said system further comprises at least one of an illuminator and a reader having associated therewith a bio-metric sensor for reading bio-metric data from a person and thereafter sending a signal to said tag to transmit said authorized carrier or user bio-metric data to said reader or illuminator.

11. A radio frequency identification tag for a radio frequency identification and autonomous tracking system comprising:

a) an active, multi-mode radio frequency identification tag having both a primary and secondary communication mode, said communication modes being at least one of a uni-directional and a bi-directional communication mode;

b) said primary communication mode comprising a radio frequency transceiver in said tag adapted to transmit information to a radio frequency reader of said system;

c) said secondary communication mode comprising at least one of a receiver and a transceiver adapted for at least one of optical, ultra-sound, and both optical and ultra-sound signal processing, said secondary communication mode being adapted to receive information from at least one of an optical and ultra-sound illuminator of said system; and

d) said tag is configured for linking at least one of receipt of or absence of receipt of a secondary mode communication signal from an illuminator of said system to transmission by said tag, signals between said tag and a reader or an illuminator of said system via said primary or secondary communication mode, said signals representing information, data, sensor data, tag identification, identification of an object or person with which said tag is associated, illuminator identification, receipt of or absence of receipt of a secondary mode communication signal from an illuminator of said system, and combinations thereof.

12. A radio frequency identification tag as in claim 11 which includes a bio-metric sensor associated with said tag and tag is adapted to transmit data read by said sensor to a reader or an illuminator via said secondary mode of communication.

13. A radio frequency identification tag as in claim 12 wherein said tag contains a set of bio-metric data identifying an authorized carrier or user stored in a memory structure of said tag, and said tag is adapted to data read by said bio-metric sensor and compare said read data to the data in memory, and if there is or is not a match, to send a signal representative of said match or not to at least one of said reader and said illuminator.

14. A radio frequency identification tag as in claim 11 wherein said tag contains a set of bio-metric data identifying an authorized carrier or user stored in a memory structure of said tag and said tag is adapted to transmit said authorized carrier or user bio-metric data to said system upon command from a reader or illuminator of said system.

15. A method of communicating with a radio frequency identification tag in a radio frequency identification and tracking system comprising a plurality of tags, and at least one other, separate device having at least one illuminator functionality, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing an active, multi-modal radio frequency tag having a primary, radio frequency, mode of communication and at least one secondary, optical or ultrasonic, mode of communication;

b) illuminating a field of view by a secondary, optical or ultrasonic, mode of communication signal from at least one illuminator of said radio frequency identification system;

c) linking, in said tag, the transmission by said tag of a selected signal, of at least one of said primary, radio frequency, and said secondary, optical or ultrasonic, mode of communication upon receipt, or not, by said tag of said secondary mode of communication signal from said illuminator;

c) transmitting a primary, radio frequency, or secondary, optical or ultrasonic, mode of communication signal to at least one reader, or illuminator within the field of view of said tag, of said system and

d) receiving said selected signal transmitted from the radio frequency identification tag in response to the reader or illuminator signal to determine information local to said tag.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein said selected signal from said tag comprises signals representing information, data, sensor data, tag identification, identification of an object or person with which said tag is associated, illuminator identification, and combinations thereof.

17. A method as in claim 16 wherein said system includes a plurality of illuminators distributed in an array throughout a pre-selected area, and which includes the added step of tracking the location of said tag and the object or person associated with said tag, by comparison of illuminator identification, or absence of receipt of illuminator signal by said tag, as reported by said tag, with information on the physical location of illuminators.

18. A method as in claim 16 which includes the added steps of loading at least one bio-metric feature set to identify at least one user of said tag in a memory structure of said tag, said feature set comprising a bio-metric signature, reading bio-metric data of said user adjacent a point of authorization of said user, comparing said bio-metric signature with said read bio-metric data, and confirming, or not, if there is a match of the data to the signature to authorize said user.

19. A method as in claim 18 wherein at least one said bio-metric feature set signature is transmitted to said tag by at least one of said primary or secondary modes of communication, and said tag confirms match, or not, upon bio-metric data of said user being scanned in association with said tag.

20. A method as in claim 18 wherein said tag includes a bio-metric sensor, and said reading of bio-metric data is done by said tag bio-metric sensor.

21. A method as in claim 17 which includes the step of evaluating the radio frequency signal strength of said tag received by said reader to determine the approximate location of said object or person associated with said tag.