Mobile RFID Tag Readers for Segment Region Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inventory management systems using RFID tags face challenges in accurately detecting the distance and orientation of tags due to varying radio wave intensities, making it difficult to identify the location of articles within a search area.
Innovation Solution
An information collecting apparatus with multiple mobile RFID tag readers that move along predefined routes within a search area, aggregating detection data to identify the segment region where a tag is present, independent of radio wave intensity variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If radio wave intensity is used to detect distance and orientation of RFID tags, then distance and orientation information can be obtained, but measurement accuracy deteriorates when tags are not in fixed orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the search area into multiple segment regions and uses multiple mobile tag readers to systematically scan different segments. This segmentation approach allows the system to locate tags by identifying which segment they appear in, rather than relying on precise distance and orientation measurements from a single reader, thereby resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and tag orientation flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mobile tag readers that move along predefined routes as intermediaries between the fixed RFID tags and the detection system. By moving the readers along controlled paths and aggregating detection data from multiple positions, the system can identify tag locations through pattern recognition rather than direct distance measurement, eliminating the need for fixed tag orientations
2Measurement precision
If multiple mobile tag readers are deployed to improve location accuracy, then segment region identification improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs mobile tag readers with standardized routes and detection protocols that can be universally applied across different segment regions. Each reader performs the same function (scanning tags along a predefined path), and the system uses aggregated data from multiple identical readers to improve accuracy, reducing complexity through standardization while maintaining high identification precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent predefines the movement routes of mobile tag readers before deployment. These predetermined paths ensure that readers systematically cover all segment regions without requiring complex real-time coordination or adaptive path planning, thereby improving segment region identification accuracy while keeping the system configuration manageable through advance planning
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
Reliably identifies the segment region of an article without relying on accurate radio wave intensity measurements, providing a versatile system for tracking articles across various orientations and locations.
Implementation Method 1
each respective tag reader being configured to detect a wireless tag attached to an article located within a detection range of the respective tag reader
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, an information collecting apparatus includes a plurality of tag readers disposed on a mobile apparatus, each respective tag reader being configured to detect a wireless tag attached to an article that is within a detection range of the respective tag reader, a movement controller configured to control movement of the mobile apparatus within a search area along a plurality of routes, each route enclosing a different segment region of the search area, and a data processor configured to acquire tag detection information of the wireless tag during a time in which the mobile apparatus is moving in a particular route enclosing each segment region, aggregate the number of times for which the wireless tag is detected, and identify a particular segment region in which the wireless tag is present based on the aggregated number of times for which the wireless tag is detected.