Self-locating devices via highly directional RFID tags in controlled location

• US 7,295,132 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Steiner, David John
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY III, EDWIN C
• Application Number:
  US10/967,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,123 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.49, 340/5.91, 340/10.1, 340/539.13, 340/568.5, 340/572.1, 340/988, 235/383, 235/385, 705/14, 705/26, 701/218
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/26 using a parallactic triangle with fixed angles and a base of variable length, at, near, or formed by the object
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02529 not involving signal parameters, i.e. only involving identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0258 System arrangements wherein both parent and child units can emit and receive
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID

Abstract

A monitored area is provided multiple RFID tags placed at defined coordinates/locations throughout the extended area. These RFID tags respond to receipt of a RF signal by transmitting/broadcasting their unique identifier (ID) within the specific area in which the tag is located. A device, whose location within the monitored area is desired, is equipped with an RFID interrogating device, such as an RF transceiver, which periodically broadcasts RF interrogation signals. The multiple RFID tags are positioned at specific areas within the environment to allow the RF interrogating device to (1) receive the RFID signal and (2) utilized the received data to independently determine the device'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of stationary, location signaling devices capable of transmitting a unique identification (ID) in response to a received interrogation signal, said location signaling devices placed at predefined locations within a physical area;

a mobile interrogation device that periodically generates an interrogation signal that is broadcasted within the physical area;

a computer with a wireless transmitter by which the computer communicates with the mobile interrogation device via wireless transmission, wherein said computer is further connected to the location signaling devices;

wherein each location signaling device is wired to the computer and at least one of the location signaling devices receives the interrogation signal and transmits, in response, an associated unique ID to the computer;

wherein the computer determines the location of the mobile interrogating device from the location of the location signaling device whose unique ID is received at the computer and the computer transmits, via wireless transmission, information associated with the location to the mobile interrogation device; and

wherein the associated information is received by the interrogation device from the computer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said stationary, location signaling devices are placed based on a pre-formulated waveguide that enables transmission of each unique ID from within its own unique sub-area within the physical area, whereby only a single unique ID is received by the computer for that interrogation device'"'"'s interrogation signal when the interrogation device is within the sub-area.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogation device comprises:

a signal generating component that generates and transmits said interrogation signal;

a signal receiving component that receives said associated information, which is utilized to determine a current location of the interrogation device within the physical area; and

a processing component that completes a determination of the current location of the interrogating device utilizing said associated information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the interrogation device further comprises:

an output device; and

wherein said processing component provides said current location to said output device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the interrogation device further comprises:

an output device; and

wherein, when an output of said current location is tagged to provide additional pre-programmed information, said processor provides said pre-programmed information as output to the output device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

said physical area is a retail environment with one or more products distributed across the retail environment at specific locations identified with localized location signaling devices; and

when at least one of said one or more products has an advertisement/promotion related to the product as the pre-programmed information, said processor provides said product advertisement/promotion to the output device, which outputs the advertisement/promotion to an output component of the interrogation device.

7. The system of claim 3,

wherein said interrogation device comprises a wireless receiver and a RF receiver, and said interrogation device receives:

(a) the associated information transmitted from the computer via wireless transmission; and

(2) the unique ID as an RF signal broadcasted from the location signaling device when the location signaling device receives the interrogation signal; and

wherein the interrogation device includes processing code for determining the device'"'"'s current location using at least one of the associated information and said unique ID.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said processing code includes code for performing triangulation to determine a relative location of the interrogating device when more than one unique ID is returned to the interrogation device in response to the interrogation signal.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein said interrogating device further comprises a memory device with a table pairing unique IDs against known physical locations of the location signaling devices, wherein said processor determines the current location of the interrogating device by looking up the location corresponding to the unique ID in the table.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogation signal is a radio frequency (RF) signal and said location signaling devices are RF identification (ID) tags, and wherein said interrogation device transmits an RF signal that triggers said RFID tag to transmit the unique ID.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer comprises program code for:

determining when there are promotions associated with items in the current location, identified by the unique ID;

forwarding the promotions within the associated information transmitted to the mobile interrogation device for output thereon, wherein a specific output may be provided from among one or more of;

a current location within the physical area, a list of items in the current location, promotions associated with specific ones of the list of items in the current location, availability of pre-selected items within the current location, and directional information related to a location of other pre-selected items.

11. A device comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) interrogation component having an RF transmitter and receiver;

logic for periodically issuing from the RF transmitter an RF interrogation signal into a surrounding area to trigger transmission of a unique RFID of a closest, stationary RFID generating component to a computer to which the device is wireless connected;

a wireless receiver by which the device communicates with the computer;

means for receiving information associated with the current location of the device from the computer, which received the unique RFID from the RFID generating component, wherein the computer is programmed to transmit the information to the device on receipt of the unique RFID, which receipt triggers a determination of the current location of the device and inclusion of the current location within the information transmiffed to the device;

an RFID receiver and associated logic for receiving the unique RFID from the closest stationary RFID generating component within the surrounding area;

a memory component with a table pairing a plurality of unique RFIDs for RFID generating components with a specific location of the RFID generating component; and

processing logic for determining a current location of the self-locating device utilizing one of;

(a) the unique RFID received from the RFID generating component, wherein the processing logic includes logic for retrieving the table and finding the current location of the stationary RFID generating device corresponding to the unique ID received; and

(b) the information received by the device from the computer.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein said table further includes a list of items within each location of the physical area and promotions associated with specific ones of the items, wherein:

said device further includes an output device; and

said processing logic further includes logic for outputting the promotions associated with the items within the current location of the self-locating device.

13. A method comprising:

connecting a plurality of RFID tags placed at pre-selected locations within a physical area to a computer, wherein said connecting comprises placing said RFID tags at locations identified by a waveguide designed to enable a single, corresponding unique ID to be transmitted when an interrogation signal is detected by the RFID tag within a pre-defined sub-area of the physical area;

providing an RF interrogation device that periodically broadcasts the interrogation signal into the physical area to trigger a return of a unique ID of a closest RFID tag;

wherein an RFID tag in vicinity of the interrogation signal transmits, in response to the interrogation signal, the corresponding unique ID to the computer via wired transmission, and the corresponding unique ID to the interrogating device via RF broadcast;

determining the current location of the interrogating device utilizing the received unique ID, wherein said determining is completed via at least one of;

(a) the computer, which is wirelessly connected to the interrogating device, and which forwards information related to the current location to the interrogating device via wireless transmission; and

(b) the interrogating device, wherein the determining includes;

retrieving a look-up table pairing unique IDs against specific locations; and

matching the received ID to its specific location, wherein the specific location is selected as the current location of the interrogating device; and

when there are promotions associated with items in the current location, outputting the promotions at the interrogating device, wherein a specific output may be provided from among one or more of;

the current location within the physical area;

a list of items in the current location, promotions associated with specific ones of the list of items in the current location, availability of pre-selected items within the current location, and directional information related to a location of other pre-selected items.