RF Backscatter Tag Inventory System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Retailers face challenges in gathering insights into consumer shopping and consumption behavior due to the inability to tag and monitor everyday products in consumer spaces in a cost-effective and scalable manner.
Innovation Solution
An in-home inventory and location system utilizing RF backscatter technology, where passive RF backscatter tags reflect and frequency shift RF signals, allowing devices to maintain product inventory and location without the need for additional RFID infrastructure, leveraging existing wireless interfaces in smart devices like smartphones and voice-activated speakers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If passive RF backscatter tags are used to tag products, then tagging cost is reduced and scalability is improved, but signal detection reliability deteriorates due to weak backscatter signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an active RF backscatter transmitter as an intermediary device that amplifies the backscatter signal from passive tags. The transmitter receives the weak backscatter signal from the passive tag and re-transmits it with enhanced power, enabling reliable detection while maintaining the low cost benefit of passive tags.
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages existing wireless infrastructure (Wi-Fi routers, smartphones) to provide the amplification and detection functions. These existing devices self-serve as RF backscatter transmitters and receivers, eliminating the need for dedicated expensive RFID infrastructure while maintaining signal reliability.
2Reliability
If additional RFID infrastructure is deployed to improve signal detection, then signal detection reliability is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing multi-functional devices (smartphones, Wi-Fi routers) perform additional RF backscatter transmission and reception functions. These devices already have RF capabilities for other purposes, and the system leverages their existing hardware to also handle backscatter communication, avoiding additional dedicated infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of deploying new dedicated RFID infrastructure, the system copies and repurposes existing wireless communication devices to perform RF backscatter functions. The smartphones and Wi-Fi routers that users already have are utilized as transmitters and receivers, eliminating the need for new hardware deployment.
3Measurement precision
If self-interference cancellation is implemented to improve reading accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the transmission and reception functions into different devices. The RF backscatter transmitter and RF backscatter receiver are hosted on different devices, which eliminates self-interference at the source. Since the receiver does not simultaneously transmit, there is no self-interference to cancel, removing the need for complex cancellation algorithms.
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
Enables low-cost, reliable tagging and monitoring of everyday objects, providing insights into consumer behavior and improving inventory management and product tracking, while eliminating the need for additional RFID infrastructure and self-interference cancellation.
Implementation Method 1
a set of passive RF backscatter tags, each associated with a respective one of a plurality of products in a given area and configured to reflect and frequency shift the RF signal to a different frequency
Implementation Method 2
configured to reflect and frequency shift the RF signal to a different frequency
Data Source
AI summary
An in-home inventory and location system is provided. At least one RF backscatter transmitter, hosted on a device, is configured to emit a RF signal on a frequency. A set of passive RF backscatter tags, each associated with a respective one of a plurality of products in a given area, is configured to reflect and frequency shift the RF signal to a different frequency. At least one RF backscatter receiver, hosted on another device, is configured to read the products on the different frequency by detecting a distributed ambient backscatter signal generated by a reflection and frequency shifting of the RF signal by the passive RF backscatter tag. At least one of the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver is configured to maintain an inventory and location of the products in the given area.