RFID Enclosure Sensing for Small-Item Tracking and Material Levels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current RFID technologies face challenges in tracking and managing small items like pills or grains, where attaching individual RFID sensors is impractical, and in sensing material levels or pressures in various environments, due to limitations in existing sensor attachment methods and precision.
Innovation Solution
The development of RFID-enabled systems and methods that utilize enclosures with collectors and interrogators to generate electromagnetic fields, allowing RFID sensors within these enclosures to transmit identification and signal strength information, enabling the tracking of items and sensing of influences such as material levels and pressures without the need for direct sensor attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual RFID sensors are attached to small items like pills or grains, then tracking capability is improved, but practical implementation becomes infeasible due to the small size and large quantity of items
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the tracking function into two parts: individual RFID tags embedded in each container, and a centralized sensor array in the base unit that detects signals from multiple containers simultaneously. This segmentation makes the system feasible for small items without requiring direct sensor attachment to each item.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary electromagnetic field as a mediator between the RFID tags in containers and the detection system. The field sensors in the base unit detect electromagnetic fields emitted by RFID tags, enabling indirect tracking of small items without physical sensor attachment to each item.
2Measurement precision
If traditional RFID sensors are used for material level sensing, then sensing capability is limited, but precision and versatility in various environments are improved by using distributed sensors with electromagnetic fields
Solution Approach 1:
The electromagnetic field-based sensor system serves multiple functions: tracking small items, sensing material levels, and detecting pressure. This multi-functionality improves sensing precision across different applications while the modular design keeps device complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses changes in electromagnetic field parameters (strength, phase, frequency) caused by different materials and their positions to enable precise sensing. By monitoring these parameter changes, the system achieves high precision in material level and pressure sensing without requiring complex mechanical sensors.
3Loss of information
If direct sensor attachment is used for tracking small items, then item identification is possible, but the system becomes impractical for inventory management of small items
Solution Approach 1:
The RFID tags in containers automatically emit electromagnetic signals that are detected by the base unit's sensors. This self-service mechanism enables continuous item identification and inventory tracking without requiring manual sensor attachment or active intervention, making the system practical for inventory management.
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
These systems effectively track small items and sense environmental influences with high precision, overcoming the limitations of traditional RFID technologies by using distributed sensors and advanced waveguide designs to determine item positions and material levels without direct attachment, enhancing inventory management and pressure sensing capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
The interrogator is configured to transmit an incident signal to the collector, causing the collector to generate an electromagnetic field within the enclosure
Implementation Method 2
One or more of the RFID sensors respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting, via the collector, a reflected signal to the interrogator, the reflected signals containing the individual identifications of the responding RFID sensors
Implementation Method 3
The interrogator is configured to receive the reflected signals, measure one or more returned signal strength indications ('RSSI') of the reflected signals and send the RSSI measurements and the corresponding identification of the responding RFID sensors as information to the processor
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatuses and systems for radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled information collection are disclosed, including an enclosure, a collector coupled to the enclosure, an interrogator, a processor, and one or more RFID field sensors, each having an individual identification, disposed within the enclosure. In operation, the interrogator transmits an incident signal to the collector, causing the collector to generate an electromagnetic field within the enclosure. The electromagnetic field is affected by one or more influences. RFID sensors respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting reflected signals containing the individual identifications of the responding RFID sensors to the interrogator. The interrogator receives the reflected signals, measures one or more returned signal strength indications (“RSSI”) of the reflected signals and sends the RSSI measurements and identification of the responding RFID sensors to the processor to determine one or more facts about the influences. Other embodiments are also described.