Object detection system

• US 6,624,752 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2001
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BlueTags A/S
• Original Assignee: BlueTags A/S
• Inventors: Lund, Peter, Klitsgaard, Niels Christian, Østby, Carlos, Christiansen, Bo
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/923,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20020014955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/309.15, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/539
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/24 Devices for sound-producing, piercing, gas-discharging, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for detecting and identifying an object. More specifically the invention relates to a tag for attachment e.g. to luggage, the tag being adapted for transmission of an identifiable signal and a receiver for detecting and identifying the signal. The invention is concerned with use of the Internet and handheld terminals such as mobile phones in combination with Bluetooth™ or DECT technology for communicating information in relation to the object.

Claims

1. An object detection system comprising:

at least one first transmitting unit to be located near the object, the first unit having an identity and being provided with a transmitter for transmitting a first signal representing the identity of the first transmitting unit, and

a receiving unit provided with a receiver for receiving the first signal, the receiving unit being adapted to generate a second signal in case the first signal represents the identity of one of said at least one first transmitting unit,

the receiving unit being adapted to receive the first signal when the distance between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit is within a predetermined interval,

the first transmitting unit being adapted to operate in a first mode and a second mode, the power consumption of the first transmitting unit when operating in the first mode being lower than the power consumption of the first transmitting unit when operating in the second mode, and

the first transmitting unit being adapted to shift from the operation in the first mode to operation in the second mode upon detection of acceleration.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first transmitting unit comprises an active transmitting unit, provided with power driven means for transmitting the first signal in the form of a radio signal and wherein the first transmitting unit comprises a power source.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second signal comprises a signal selected from the group consisting of an acoustic signal, a motional signal, a radio signal, and an infrared signal.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first unit comprises an electronic data processing unit, and wherein the first unit is adapted to receive an activation signal, the electronic data processing unit being adapted to activate transmission of said first signal in response to a recognition of the activation signal.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the activation signal is transmitted by a second transmitting unit.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein the activation signal is generated by a switch operationally connected to the first unit.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein the activation signal comprises an insignia representing an identity of the second transmitting unit.

8. A system according to claim 4, wherein the activation signal comprises an insignia representing an identity of the first transmitting unit.

9. A system according to claim 1, further comprising an initialization unit adapted to transmit an initialization signal to the first transmitting unit, the first transmitting unit comprising memory means for storing data representative of the initialization signal.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of either

the first signal,

the second signal, and

the activation signal,

is transmitted as a radio signal with a frequency enabling compatibility with tools following the BLUETOOTHTM standard for communication.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first unit is adapted to operate in a first mode and a second mode, the power consumption of the first unit when operating in the first mode being lower than the power consumption of the first unit when operating in the second mode.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein the first unit is adapted to shift from the operation in the first mode to operation in the second mode upon detection of a radio signal within the frequency enabling compatibility with tools following the BLUETOOTHTM standard for communication.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the first and/or the second unit is adapted to select a radio frequency band within said frequency range for the transmission of the first and second signal, the frequency band being selected from a number of predefined frequency bands.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit comprises data input means for user input of the predetermined interval.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or second signal contains a message.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the message is encrypted by the first transmitting unit, and wherein the receiving unit is adapted to decrypt the message.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the message is encrypted by means of an encryption key stored in the memory means.

18. A system according to claim 15, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate a notification signal in response to the message.

19. A system according to claim 15, wherein the receiving unit comprises a display adapted to represent data representative of the message.

20. A system according to claim 9, wherein the initialization unit is integrated in the receiving unit.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is integrated in a cellular phone.

22. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is integrated in a palm pilot.

23. A system according to claim 1, wherein the signal is transmitted with a communication protocol, and wherein the protocol corresponds to the protocol for Bluetooth™

communication.

24. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second signal are transmitted as an acoustic signal.

25. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second signal are transmitted as an optic signal.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein the optic signal is an infrared signal.

27. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second signal are transmitted as digital and modulated signals.

28. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is comprised in a key ring.

29. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate the second signal in case the distance between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit changes from being inside the predetermined interval to being outside the predetermined interval.

30. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate a third signal representing the distance between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit.

31. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is adapted to generate a fourth signal representing a distance deviation between the first transmitting unit and the receiving unit.

32. A receiving unit for use as the transmitting unit of the system according to claim 1.

33. A transmitting unit for use as the transmitting unit of the system according to claim 1.