RFID system for lifting devices

• US 7,612,673 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Gakhar, Sudhanshu, Sullivan, Shawn J., Onderko, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US11/755,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20080297348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 340/527.1, 340/527.8, 700/215, 700/217, 235/383, 235/384, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07796 arrangements on the record carrier to allow stacking of a plurality of similar record carriers, e.g. to avoid interference between the non-contact communication of the plurality of record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil

Abstract

A lifting device equipped with an RFID scanning system having an article receiving area configured for receipt of a stack of articles having RFID tags associated therewith. A first scanning antenna is provided at a first height relative to the article receiving area, and a second scanning antenna is provided at a second height relative to the article receiving area that is above the first height. A computer control system is in communication with the first and second scanning antennas and applies a verification parameter to RFID signals received by the second scanning antenna to determine whether RFID tagged articles detected by the second scanning antenna are within the stack of articles carried by the lifting device.

Claims

1. A lifting device equipped with an RFID scanning system, said device comprising:

an article receiving area configured for receipt of a stack of articles having RFID tags associated therewith;

a first scanning antenna at a first height relative to said article receiving area, and a second scanning antenna at a second height relative to said article receiving area above said first height;

a computer control system in communication with said first and second scanning antennas, said control system applying a verification parameter to RFID signals received by said second scanning antenna as opposed to said first scanning antenna to determine whether RFID tagged articles detected by said second scanning antenna are within said stack of articles; and

said verification parameter determined as a function of read rates of RFID signals detected by said first scanning antenna.

2. The lifting device as in claim 1, wherein said lifting device comprises any one of a forklift, clamp truck, or lift truck, and said article receiving area comprises a vertically movable carriage assembly, said first scanning antenna disposed on said carriage assembly so as to detect RFID tagged articles carried within said carriage assembly, and said second scanning antenna disposed on support structure above said carriage assembly so as to detect RFID tagged articles stacked above said carriage assembly.

3. The lifting device as in claim 2, wherein said first scanning antenna is attached to a back support of said carriage assembly, and said support structure for said second scanning antenna extends vertically upward from said back support and moves vertically with said carriage assembly.

4. The lifting device as in claim 1, wherein said first and second scanning antenna comprise vertically oriented respective antenna axis.

5. The lifting device as in claim 1, wherein said verification parameter is stored in memory in said control system and retrieved as a function of article or stack characteristics detected upon initialization of said control system.

6. The lifting device as in claim 1, wherein said verification parameter is supplied to said control system upon initialization of said control system.

7. The lifting device as in claim 6, wherein said verification parameter is read from a parent RFID tag associated with said stack of RFID tagged articles.

8. The lifting device as in claim 1, wherein said verification parameter is computed dynamically by said control system upon initialization of said control system from RFID tagged article signals detected by said first scanning antenna.

9. A lifting device equipped with an RFID scanning system, said device comprising:

a vertically movable carriage assembly configured for receipt of a stack of RFID tagged articles;

a first scanning antenna configured on said carriage assembly at a first height so as to detect RFID tagged articles within the stack carried within said carriage assembly;

a second scanning antenna supported above said carriage assembly and vertically movable with said carriage assembly, said second scanning antenna disposed at a second height so as to detect RFID tagged articles within the stack that are at a height above said carriage assembly;

a computer control system in communication with said first and second scanning antennas, said control system applying a verification parameter to RFID signals received by said second scanning antenna as opposed to said first scanning antenna to determine whether RFID tagged articles detected by said second scanning antenna are within said stack of articles, said verification parameter determined as a function of read rates of RFID signals detected by said first scanning antenna from RFID tagged articles within said carriage assembly.

10. A method for accounting for a stack of RFID tagged articles carried by a lifting device including any one of a clamp truck, forklift, or lift truck, said method comprising:

scanning a lower portion of the articles within the stack with a first scanning antenna, and scanning an upper portion of the articles within the stack with a second scanning antenna disposed at a height above the first scanning antenna;

applying a verification parameter to RFID signals received by the second scanning antenna as opposed to the first scanning antenna, the verification parameter establishing an acceptance criteria for determining whether RFID signals received by said second scanning antenna are from RFID tagged articles within the stack of articles; and

said verification parameter determined as a function of read rates of RFID signals detected by said first scanning antenna.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the verification parameter is stored in memory in and retrieved as a function of detected article or stack characteristics.

12. The method as in claim 10, wherein the verification parameter is supplied from a parent RFID tag associated with the stack of RFID tagged articles.

13. The method as in claim 10, wherein the verification parameter is computed dynamically as a function of RFID tagged article signals detected by said first scanning antenna.