Methods and systems of determining physical characteristics associated with objects tagged with RFID tags

• US 7,880,618 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Inventors: Tuttle, John R
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US11/692,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/572.8, 340/540, 342/42, 342/27, 342/28, 342/147, 342/359, 342/361, 455/39
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• 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 19/07786 the antenna being of the HF type, such as a dipole
• 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 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10435 the interrogation device being positioned close to a conveyor belt or the like on which moving record carriers are passing conveying in accordance with bodily destination marks, see B65G47/46, sorting of objects carrying identity markings, see B07C5/34

Abstract

Methods and systems of determining physical characteristics associated with objects tagged with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising receiving an electromagnetic signal transmitted by a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to an object (the receiving the electromagnetic signal in response to an interrogating signal), and determining orientation of the object based, at least in part, on the electromagnetic signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, via an interrogator device, an interrogating signal to a RFID tag;

receiving an electromagnetic signal transmitted by the RFID tag attached to an object, the receiving the electromagnetic signal in response to the interrogating signal; and

determining orientation of the object based, at least in part, on the electromagnetic signal transmitted by the RFID tag;

wherein the determining orientation further comprises determining which side of the object substantially faces a reading antenna;

wherein the determining which side of the object substantially faces the reading antenna further comprises transmitting the electromagnetic signal with a particular polarization, the polarization indicating which side of a dual-sided patch antenna substantially faces the reading antenna.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the determining which side of the object substantially faces the reading antenna further comprises transmitting a value encoded in the electromagnetic signal, the value indicating which side of the object faces the reading antenna.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the determining orientation further comprises determining rotational orientation of the object.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising determining whether the object is in motion.

5. An RFID system comprising:

an RFID tag configured to attach to an object;

a reading antenna in operational relationship to at least a portion of the RFID tag; and

a reader circuit coupled to the reading antenna;

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna based on the RFID tag;

wherein the RFID tag comprises a dual-sided patch antenna, wherein each patch of the dual-sided patch defines a face of the RFID tag, each face of the RFID tag associated with a face of the object, and each patch transmits an electromagnetic signal containing a data value when interrogated; and

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna based on the data value encoded in the electromagnetic signal corresponding to the interrogated patch.

6. The RFID system as defined in claim 5 further comprising an electronic system coupled to the reader circuit, wherein the electronic system is configured to determine orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna.

7. The RFID system as defined in claim 5 wherein the reader circuit is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna.

8. An RFID system comprising:

an RFID tag configured to directly attach to an object;

a reading antenna in operational relationship to at least a portion of the RFID tag; and

a reader circuit coupled to the reading antenna;

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna based on the RFID tag;

wherein the RFID tag further comprises;

a dual-sided patch antenna, wherein each patch of the dual-sided patch defines a face of the RFID tag, each face of the RFID tag associated with a face of the object; and

wherein a first patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a first polarization, and a second patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a second polarization different than the first polarization; and

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna based on polarization of a received

electromagnetic signal received by the reading antenna, the received electromagnetic signal selected from the group consisting of;

the electromagnetic signal having a first polarization and the electromagnetic signal having a second polarization.

9. The RFID system as defined in claim 8 further comprising an electronic system coupled to the reader circuit, wherein the electronic system is configured to determine orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna.

10. The RFID system as defined in claim 8 wherein the reader circuit is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna.

11. An RFID system comprising:

an RFID tag configured to attach to an object;

a reading antenna in operational relationship to at least a portion of the RFID tag; and

a reader circuit coupled to the reading antenna;

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna based on the RFID tag;

wherein the RFID tag further comprises;

a first RFID tag coupled to a first face of the object;

a second RFID tag coupled to a second face of the object, the second RFID tag having a dual-sided patch antenna, each patch of the dual-sided patch defining a face of the second RFID tag, and each patch transmits an electromagnetic signal containing a data value when interrogated;

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna based on the data value encoded in the electromagnetic signal corresponding to the interrogated patch.

12. The RFID system as defined in claim 11 further comprising an electronic system coupled to the reader circuit, wherein the electronic system is configured to determine orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna.

13. The RFID system as defined in claim 11 wherein the reader circuit is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the reading antenna.

14. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:

an RFID tag configured to attach to an object, the RFID tag having an identification value and including a dual-sided patch antenna;

a reading antenna in operational relationship to the RFID tag; and

a reader circuit coupled to the reading antenna;

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine rotational orientation of the object based on polarization of an electromagnetic signal transmitted by the dual-sided patch antenna.

15. The system as defined in claim 14 further comprising:

wherein the reading antenna comprises;

a first antenna having a first polarization; and

a second antenna having a second polarization different than the first polarization;

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine the rotational orientation of the object based, at least in part, on portions of the electromagnetic signal received by each of the first and second reading antennas.

16. The system as defined in claim 15 further comprising:

wherein the first antenna has a vertical polarization;

wherein the second antenna has a horizontal polarization; and

wherein the RFID system is configured to determine that the RFID tag has a substantially vertical rotational orientation when the signal strength detected by the first antenna is substantially greater than the signal strength detected by the second antenna.

17. The system as defined in claim 16 wherein the RFID system is configured to determine that the RFID tag has a substantially horizontal rotational orientation when the signal strength detected by the second antenna is substantially greater than the signal strength detected by the first antenna.

18. The RFID system as defined in claim 14 further comprising:

an electronic system coupled to the reader circuit;

wherein one of the reader circuit or the electronic system is configured to determine whether the RFID tag is in motion.

19. A communications device comprising:

a radio frequency circuit; and

a dual-sided patch antenna, coupled to the radio frequency circuit, configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal having a polarization to a remote receiving antenna to determine orientation of an object associated with the communications device,

wherein the orientation is indicative of a side of the object substantially facing the receiving antenna and is determined based, at least in part, on the polarization of the electromagnetic signal.

20. The communications device of claim 19 wherein the orientation includes rotational orientation of the object.

21. The communications device of claim 19 wherein the polarization is indicative of rotational orientation of the object.

22. The communications device of claim 19 wherein the dual-sided patch antenna is configured to transmit a plurality of signals to the receiving antenna.

23. The communications device of claim 22 wherein the receiving antenna provides the plurality of signals to determine motion of the object based on the plurality of signals.

24. The communications device of claim 19, wherein an electronic system is coupled to the receiving antenna, wherein the electronic system is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the receiving antenna.

25. The communications device of claim 19 wherein a receiving circuit coupled to the receiving antenna is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the receiving antenna.

26. The communications device of claim 19 wherein a first patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a first polarization, and a second patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a second polarization different than the first polarization.

27. The communications device of claim 19 wherein a first patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a horizontal polarization, and a second patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a vertical polarization.

28. A communications device comprising:

a radio frequency circuit; and

a dual-sided patch antenna, coupled to the radio frequency circuit, each patch of the dual-sided patch antenna configured to, after the communications device is interrogated, transmit an electromagnetic signal encoding a data value to a remote receiving antenna to determine orientation of an object associated with the communications device, wherein the orientation is indicative of a side of the object substantially facing the receiving antenna and is determined based, at least in part, on the data value encoded in the electromagnetic signal.

29. The communications device of claim 28 wherein the orientation includes rotational orientation of the object.

30. The communications device of claim 28 wherein the dual-sided patch antenna is configured to transmit a plurality of signals to the receiving antenna.

31. The communications device of claim 30 wherein the receiving antenna provides the plurality of signals to determine motion of the object based on the plurality of signals.

32. The communications device of claim 28, wherein an electronic system is coupled to the receiving antenna, wherein the electronic system is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the receiving antenna.

33. The communications device of claim 28 wherein a receiving circuit coupled to the receiving antenna is configured to determine the orientation of the object in relation to the receiving antenna.

34. The communications device of claim 28 wherein a first patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a first value, and a second patch of the dual-sided patch antenna transmits an electromagnetic signal having a second value different than the first value.