Aggregate Item Tracking Using Group Labels for Obscured RFID Reads
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing item tracking systems face challenges when items are stacked together or held in proximity, leading to obscured or unreadable labels, particularly with RFID tags, resulting in false reads and time-consuming searches.
Innovation Solution
The use of a group label applied to an aggregate of items, allowing location tracking without reading individual item labels, combined with scanners tethered to specific locations and programmed to determine label types, reduces false reads and enhances search efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If items are stacked together or held in proximity to save space and improve storage efficiency, then storage density increases, but item labels become obscured or unreadable leading to false reads and tracking errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the labeling function into two levels: individual item labels and aggregate group labels. When items are stacked, the group label on the aggregate container provides reliable identification without requiring individual item labels to be readable, thus maintaining tracking reliability while preserving storage density.
Solution Approach 2:
The aggregate group label acts as an intermediary between the tracking system and the individual items within the aggregate. Instead of directly reading individual item labels that may be obscured, the system reads the group label which mediates the identification process for all items in the aggregate, ensuring reliable tracking even when items are stacked.
2Measurement precision
If individual item labels are read to track each item's location, then tracking accuracy improves, but network and processor load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the tracking information of multiple individual items into a single aggregate group label. Instead of reading and processing individual labels for each item, the scanner reads one group label that represents all items in the aggregate, significantly reducing network and processor load while maintaining tracking accuracy at the aggregate level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial reading action by reading only the group label rather than all individual item labels. This partial action is sufficient for tracking the aggregate's location and status, avoiding the excessive processing burden of reading every individual label while maintaining adequate tracking precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If scanners are mobile to increase flexibility, then operational versatility improves, but location association accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-associating scanners with specific locations before scanning operations. Each scanner is pre-configured with its location identity, so when a group label is scanned, the location information is automatically and accurately associated without requiring the scanner to report its position dynamically, thus maintaining precision even with mobile scanners.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to tracking items shipped and/or stored in aggregate where the aggregate may obscure labels used to identify the items. For example a pallet-load of batteries tagged with RFID labels. An embodiment provides a method and system for tracking a geographical location of a designated item, the method comprising: collecting a plurality of items including the designated item to form an aggregate, wherein each of the plurality of items, including the designated item, has a corresponding item label, and the aggregate is formed in such way to obscure one or more of the item labels; applying a group label to the aggregate; reading the group label with a first scanner; associating a first location with the first scanner; ascribing the first location to the group label; and ascribing the first location to the designated item.