Localizing Tagged Assets in a Configurable Monitoring Device System

• US 20110080264A1
• Filed: 09/10/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Clare, Thomas J., Krishnamurthy, Venkat
• Granted Patent: US 9,449,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/466 by Trilateration, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the distance to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, i.e. the distance between the antennas or sensors, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4052 by simulation of echoes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4056 specially adapted to FMCW
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52004 Means for monitoring or calibrating short-range imaging G01S7/5205
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28
• 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: G06K 7/10217 parameter settings controlling the transmission power of the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2442 Tag materials and material properties thereof, e.g. magnetic material details
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a tag communication system, a method includes determining range information representative of a distance between two tags, and estimating parameter information representative of backscatter signals of a marker tag and an asset tag. A tag is localized according to the range information and the parameter information to provide a localized tag. The range information is determined according to a beacon signal. The system includes a plurality of beacon signals and the method further includes determining the range information according to at least two of the beacon signals. A logical operation is performed on the range information of the two beacon signals. A further beacon signal has a plurality of signal ranges and the range information is determined according to the signal ranges. A logical operation is performed on the range information of the signal ranges.

Claims

1. In a tag communication system, a method comprising:

determining range information representative of a distance between two tags of a plurality of tags;

estimating parameter information representative of backscatter signals of a marker tag and an asset tag; and

localizing a tag of the plurality of tags in accordance with the range information and the parameter information to provide a localized tag.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the range information in accordance with a beacon signal.

3. The method of claim 2, including a plurality of beacon signals further comprising determining the range information in accordance with at least two beacon signals of the plurality of beacon signals.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising performing a logical operation on the range information of the at least two beacon signals.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a further beacon signal has a plurality of signal ranges further comprising determining the range information in accordance with the plurality of signal ranges.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising performing a logical operation on the range information of the plurality of signal ranges.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter information comprises antenna array response information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter information comprises angle information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter information comprises time of flight, signal strength or signal to noise information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising scanning an electromagnetic signal across a zone including the localized tag using a transmit beamforming array.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising scanning using a receive beamforming array with a plurality of antennas configured to receive the modulated backscatter signal from the localized tag.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the localized tag and the beamforming array comprises a configurable monitoring device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the range information and the parameter information are represented by backscatter signals from two different sources of electromagnetic signals.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag communication system includes an information gathering node further comprising communicating the range information to the information gathering node.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating the range information to the information gathering node by way of a gateway node.

16. The method of claim 14, including a plurality of tags arranged in a mesh further comprising communicating the range information to the information gathering node by way of the mesh.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the mesh includes at least two tags with tag to tag communication further comprising communicating the range information to the information gathering node by way of the tag to tag communication within the mesh.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating the range information to the information gathering node by way of a network activity node.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the beacon signal is provided by a configurable monitoring device configured as a beacon.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating using a configurable monitoring device configured as a calibration node in a beamforming feedback loop.