RFID tag programming, printing application, and supply chain/global registration architecture

• US 7,636,044 B1
• Filed: 05/13/2005
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Callaghan, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/129,199
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340/568.1, 340/10.1, 340/5.6, 340/825, 340/825.69, 340/438, 340/539.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31287 Indicate output for data, screen or printer or database
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31312 Identify pallet, bag, box code
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36371 Barcode reader
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Integration of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology with an industrial controller to facilitate RFID tag printing and application of the RFID tags to manufactured items. RFID tags are printed based on RFID tag information that is generated and/or received by the industrial controller. A middleware software module can be included in the industrial controller to organize and schedule the RFID tag information in a manner compatible with an RFID tag printer. The RFID tag printer accesses the organized RFID tag information and tag printing occurs in conjunction with one or more industrial processes. The industrial controller can update a global registry with RFID tag information associated with printed RFID tags. The registry update procedure can be facilitated by creating email messages related to the RFID tags that have been created.

Claims

1. A tagging system, comprising:

a printing component that prints a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag based on unique RFID tag information, the printing of the RFID tag includes creating and encoding the RFID tag based on the unique RFID tag information;

a software component of an industrial component that captures and communicates the unique RFID tag information to the printing component in a protocol compatible with the printing of an RFID tag, the industrial component manages a manufacturing process that includes affixing the RFID tag to an item of the manufacturing process, wherein the protocol includes an RFID tag communication protocol; and

an RFID tag verification component that reads the RFID tag to verify proper encoding of the RFID tag.

2. The system of claim 1, the industrial component comprises one of:

a programmable logic controller (PLC), an Ethernet module, or an industrial module.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an RFID tag programming module that encodes the RFID tag with data specific to the item.

4. The system of claim 3, the data comprises at least one of:

item type data, packet logistics data, item quality data, item cost data, or item manufacture data.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a registry update module that updates a supply chain global registry with the data of the operative RFID tag.

6. The system of claim 1, the industrial component comprises an RFID information module that receives the RFID tag information from a network.

7. The system of claim 1, the RFID tag information is combined with other information received from at least one of:

the printing component, an RFID reader, a PLC data tag, or a bar code reader.

8. The system of claim 1, the RFID tag information is further printed on the label of the RFID tag as at least one of text or graphics.

9. The system of claim 8, the graphics include a bar code or a color.

10. The system of claim 8, the text includes a visual representation of the RFID tag information on the label of the RFID tag in one of:

a plain text or a cipher text.

11. The system of claim 10, the cipher text includes at least one of:

alphanumeric encoding or non-alphanumeric encoding.

12. The system of claim 1, the printing component discovers product information via at least one of:

a domain name server (DNS) or a dynamic DNS.

13. The system of claim 1, the printing component discovers product information via at least one of:

a directory or a UDDI (Universal description, discovery and integration) lookup.

14. The system of claim 1, the industrial component includes at least one of:

a PLC, an input/output component, a network interface component, or a human machine interface (HMI) component.

15. A system that facilitates printing of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, comprising:

an RFID tag information component associated with a programmable logic controller (PLC), the PLC controls a manufacturing process and the RFID tag information component captures and publishes the RFID tag information, wherein the RFID tag information includes data contents of at least one RFID tag;

an RFID tag printer that receives the RFID tag information published by the RFID tag information component, prints an RFID tag based on the RFID tag information, wherein the RFID tag is affixed to an item of the manufacturing process controlled by the PLC, and wherein the RFID tag information is published in a format compatible with the RFID tag printer; and

a verification component that reads the RFD tag, verifies proper operation of the RFID tag, and sends an error message to the PLC in response to detecting an RFID tag that fails verification.

16. The system of claim 15, the verification component verifies that contents of the RFID tag are correctly associated with the item.

17. The system of claim 15, the PLC manages placement of the RFID tag upon the item at a predetermined location on the item.

18. The system of claim 15, the verification component sends an update message to the PLC in response to detecting an RFID tag that passes verification.

19. The system of claim 15, the PLC comprises a registry update component that facilitates communication of item data of the RFID tag to a database.

20. The system of claim 19, the registry update component further compiles the item data of the RFID tag in the database to update a supply chain global registry.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising a message broker to which the tag printer subscribes to receive the tag information.

22. The system of claim 21, the message broker utilizes a message queue telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol.

23. The system of claim 21, the message broker resides in the tag printer.

24. The system of claim 21, the message broker interfaces to an upper layer system that performs tag filtering.

25. The system of claim 21, the message broker is disposed as a standalone node on a network that is accessed by at least one of the tag printer and the PLC.

26. The system of claim 21, the message broker is integral to at least one of:

a PLC, an input/output component, a network interface component, or an HMI component.

27. A method of managing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag global registry, comprising:

sending RFID tag data from a global registry to a programmable logic controller (PLC), the RFID tag data comprises at least one of;

data generated by the PLC or data retrieved from the global registry;

publishing a message to a message queue wherein the message includes at least the RFID tag data;

accessing the message queue;

generating an RFID tag according to the message;

applying the RFID tag to an article of commerce during a manufacturing process;

verifying that the RFID tag is valid; and

updating the global registry with information associated with the RFID tag.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising obtaining a sample of a plurality of articles of commerce that have been placed into a container and verifying that the sample is valid.

29. The method of claim 27, the act of verifying is performed at least one of:

before the RFID tag is applied to the article of commerce or before the article of commerce is placed into a container.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing a message queue such that the tag printing system subscribes to the queue to receive the RFID tag data and print the RFID tag that encodes the RFID tag data.

31. The method of claim 27, the PLC generates an RFID tag ID and registers the RFID tag ID with the global registry.

32. A system that facilitates management of a global registry, comprising:

means for generating data to be encoded on a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag associated with a programmable logic controller (PLC), wherein the data to be encoded includes at least one of;

data generated by the PLC or data retrieved from the global registry;

means for publishing a message to a queue, wherein the message includes the RFID tag data;

means for generating an RFID tag according to the data encoded in the message published to the queue;

means for applying the RFID tag to an item during an assembly line process; and

means for updating the global registry with information associated with the RFID tag including information about the item.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising means for verifying that the RFID tag is operational, the RFID tag data is correct, and that the RFID tag is applied to the correct item.