Aerial RFID Inventory Routing for Wide-Area Mobile Assets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing asset inventory systems are time-consuming and prone to human error, especially in large areas or when inventorying difficult-to-reach mobile assets like heavy machinery, as they require manual labor and are not efficient for environments without rack or shelf infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a geofenced area divided into waypoints, where an aerial vehicle equipped with a GPS, RFID reader, and camera flies along a defined route to read RFID tags on mobile assets, transmitting the information to a central database, thereby automating the inventory process across a wide area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inventory methods are used with scanners and RFID readers, then asset identification can be achieved, but the process becomes time-consuming and requires significant manpower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical scanning operations with an automated aerial vehicle system that uses RFID readers and cameras to identify assets. The aerial vehicle autonomously navigates through the storage area, eliminating the need for manual operation of scanners and RFID readers, thereby reducing both time and labor requirements while maintaining identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The aerial vehicle performs self-navigation and autonomous asset identification without requiring human operators to manually position readers or scanners. The system serves itself by automatically flying through predefined routes, detecting assets, and recording information, which dramatically reduces the manpower and time needed for inventory operations.
2Reliability
If manual inventory methods are used in large areas or difficult-to-reach positions, then complete asset coverage can be achieved, but more manpower and time are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-based manual scanning to aerial-dimensional inventory taking. The aerial vehicle operates in three-dimensional space, allowing it to access and identify assets in difficult-to-reach positions, behind other equipment, and across large areas without being constrained by ground-level accessibility issues, thereby improving both completeness and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The aerial vehicle serves multiple functions: it navigates autonomously, reads RFID tags, captures images with cameras, and communicates with the central server. This multi-functional capability allows a single system to replace multiple manual operations, improving productivity while ensuring complete asset coverage across various storage configurations.
3Measurement precision
If manual inventory operations are performed, then human judgment can verify asset presence, but human error increases the risk of mistakes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human verification with automated optical recognition systems and RFID reading. The aerial vehicle's cameras capture images of assets and use optical character recognition to verify asset identities, while RFID readers automatically detect and record asset information. This eliminates human error in verification while maintaining or improving accuracy through automated data capture.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional inventory systems are used in environments without rack or shelf infrastructure, then mobile assets can be inventoried, but the system becomes less effective for heavy duty mobile equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The aerial vehicle operates from an elevated three-dimensional perspective, allowing it to easily access and identify heavy duty mobile equipment such as tractors, trucks, and cranes that are positioned on the ground. This aerial viewpoint eliminates the need for rack or shelf infrastructure and provides unobstructed access to assets regardless of their ground-level positioning or surrounding equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces the time and labor required for inventorying mobile assets, minimizes human error, and allows for efficient tracking of assets in large, complex environments by using aerial vehicles to read tags and confirm asset presence through images.
Implementation Method 1
The aerial vehicle has an onboard GPS, the tag is an RFID tag and the reader is an RFID reader
Data Source
AI summary
A system for taking inventory over a wide area includes a database. The database stores a geofenced area divided into two or more waypoints and a route defined as path within the geofenced area across at least two waypoints. At least one mobile asset is disposed at a position in a yard corresponding to the at least one waypoint. The mobile asset has a readable tag having information about the asset thereon. An aerial vehicle having a tag reader flies along the route within the geofenced area for communicating with each tag along a route, reading the information and storing the information read from each tag.