Hierarchical Auto-ID Network for Efficient Asset Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current auto-identification systems lack an efficient method to manage and share data across a network of auto-id nodes, particularly in tracking and handling assets, leading to inefficiencies in data retrieval and utilization across different organizational levels.
Innovation Solution
A network of auto-id nodes with hierarchical relationships, where each node stores status and history data, and a processor extracts data by following index data to query only selected nodes, allowing for efficient data management and sharing across the network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If data is stored at every auto-id node in the network, then data availability and tracking accuracy are improved, but data retrieval efficiency deteriorates due to querying multiple nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network of auto-id nodes into a hierarchical structure with parent-child relationships. Each node stores data locally (improving availability), but the hierarchical indexing enables efficient retrieval by directing queries through parent nodes that aggregate data from multiple children, thus resolving the contradiction between data availability and retrieval efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces index data as an intermediary mechanism between nodes. Index data at parent nodes acts as a mediator that maps child nodes to parent nodes, enabling efficient query routing. This intermediary structure allows the system to maintain comprehensive data storage while improving retrieval efficiency through intelligent query directed through the hierarchy.
2Productivity
If a hierarchical network structure with index data is implemented, then data retrieval efficiency is improved by querying selected nodes, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the hierarchical index structure universal across all nodes. Each node, regardless of its position in the hierarchy, implements the same parent-child indexing mechanism. This multi-functional approach allows any node to serve as both a data storage point and an efficient query routing point, improving retrieval efficiency while managing complexity through standardized implementation.
3Measurement precision
If real-time data sharing across enterprise systems is enabled, then data accuracy and efficiency are improved, but loss of information increases due to data transmission and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary data for tracking and management from the complete asset information. By using selective querying through the hierarchical index structure, the system retrieves only relevant status and history data needed for enterprise system integration, minimizing data transmission volume and reducing information loss while maintaining data accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a network of auto-id nodes and a processor. Each auto-id node includes index data that defines a hierarchical relationship between the auto-id node and another auto-id node within the network, and the auto-id nodes include a storage for storing status and history data about one or more assets that have been read by the auto-id node. The processor is operable to extract data from the network of auto-id nodes by following index data within the auto-id nodes to query only selected auto-id nodes within the network, and the selected nodes are arranged in a hierarchical network defined by indices of the auto-id nodes.