Physical audit system with radio frequency identification and method thereof

• US 8,164,453 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology Armaments Bureau MND (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Suen, Tain-Wen, Lee, Ming-Town, Wang, Shing-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/857,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20090072973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• 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: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers

Abstract

The present invention relates to a physical audit system with radio frequency identification (RFID) and a method thereof, which perform physical audit by means of RFID. First, a plurality of electronic tags is set in a physical system and all the physical units included in the physical system, respectively. The plurality of electronic tags records physical configuration data related to the physical system and the physical units, respectively. A radio-frequency writer unit writes the physical configuration data of a newer version according to the physical system and the physical units. Then, a radio-frequency reader unit reads the physical configuration data of the plurality of electronic tags, and transmits the physical configuration data to an integrated data processing device for analyzing and comparing the physical configuration data. It is judged if the physical configuration is identical to comparison data in the integrated data processing device.

Claims

1. A physical audit system with radio frequency identification (RFID), comprising:

a plurality of electronic tags, set in a physical system and a plurality of physical units included in the physical system, respectively, and the plurality of electronic tags recording physical configuration data related to the physical system and to the physical units, respectively, wherein the physical configuration data includes function information, article information including product serial number or manufacturing date, activity-based information in a life cycle, engineering change, deviation signifying use of a substitute, and waiver signifying change back to specification;

a radio-frequency writer unit, writing the physical configuration data of a newer version according to the physical system and the physical units;

a radio-frequency reader unit, identifying the plurality of electronic tags, and reading and transmitting the physical configuration data; and

an integrated data processing device, receiving the physical configuration data transmitted by the radio-frequency reader unit for auditing the physical configuration data in normal condition, and transmitting the physical configuration data of the newer version to the radio-frequency writer unit, wherein each electronic tag further includes a sensor adapted in the electronic tag for sensing a temperature change of the physical system or the associated physical unit, and recording an operation temperature data thereof, the integrated data processing device auditing the physical system or the physical units in accordance with the physical configuration data, wherein a transmission mode between the radio-frequency reader unit and the integrated data processing device, and the transmission mode between the radio-frequency writer unit and the integrated data processing device include a system connection mode and an offline mode, the transmission interface of the offline mode is a TCP/IP transmission interface or a Bluetooth transmission interface, and the transmission interface of the system connection mode is RS-232 transmission interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the integrated data processing device stores comparison data, and judges if the physical configuration data is identical to the comparison data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic tag is laid out on circuit boards of the physical system and the physical units.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a memory of the electronic tag is laid out on circuit boards of the physical system and the physical units, and the capacity of the memory is increased according to the demand of data amount.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic tag further includes a radio-frequency antenna adapted in the electronic tag for transmitting the physical configuration data to the radio-frequency reader unit or the radio-frequency writer unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency writer unit and the radio-frequency reader unit further include a radio-frequency antenna for writing or reading the physical configuration data to the electronic tag.

7. The system of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the radio-frequency antenna is a multiplexing cable.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the multiplexing cable is a single antenna or flexible dual antennas.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic tag is an active electronic tag.

10. A physical audit method with radio frequency identification (RFID), performing physical audit by means of RFID, and comprising steps of:

providing a plurality of electronic tags, wherein each electronic tag having a sensor adapted in the electronic tag operable to sense and record at least a temperature change of a physical system or a plurality of physical units;

setting the plurality of the electronic tags in the physical system and the plurality of physical units included in the physical system, the plurality of electronic tags recording physical configuration data related to the physical system and to the physical units, respectively, wherein the physical configuration data includes function information, article information including product serial number or manufacturing date, activity-based information in a life cycle, engineering change, deviation signifying use of a substitute, and waiver signifying change back to specification;

sensing the temperature change of the physical system or the physical units, and recording an operation temperature data thereof;

writing the physical configuration data of a newer version according to the physical system and the physical units to the plurality of electronic tags by a radio-frequency writer unit;

identifying the plurality of electronic tags, and reading and transmitting the physical configuration data according to the physical system and the physical units from the plurality of electronic tags by a radio-frequency reader unit; and

providing an integrated data processing device to receive the physical configuration data transmitted by the radio frequency reader unit for auditing the physical configuration data in normal condition, and to transmit the physical configuration data of the newer version to the radio frequency writer unit, wherein a transmission mode between the radio-frequency reader unit and the integrated data processing device, and the transmission mode between the radio-frequency writer unit and the integrated data processing device include a system connection mode and an offline mode, the transmission interface of the offline mode is a TCP/IP transmission interface or a Bluetooth transmission interface, and the transmission interface of the system connection mode is RS-232 transmission interface; and

auditing, by the integrated data processing device, the physical system or the physical units in accordance with the physical configuration data while the physical system and the physical units are in normal condition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein in the step of auditing the physical configuration data, according to comparison data, it is judged if the physical configuration is identical to comparison data.

12. The method of claim 10, and further comprising a step of transmitting the audited physical configuration data to a client.