RFID Tag Relay for Obscured Tag Detection and Pallet Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
RFID tags in certain environments are obscured from the RFID reader's field of view, leading to incomplete or erroneous data collection due to material composition and positioning issues, and the system struggles to distinguish between intended and unintended RFID tags when multiple pallets are proximate.
Innovation Solution
The RFID system employs RFID tags that can receive and relay information from obscured tags, allowing indirect communication and decoding of return signals to differentiate between resident and associated information, enabling the RFID reader to accurately identify and process data from both directly and indirectly communicating tags.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If RFID reader attempts to read all RFID tags in the environment, then more tags can be detected, but irrelevant tags from other pallets are also read causing data accuracy to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the RFID environment into multiple pallet zones by organizing tags into pallet-level groups. Each pallet is treated as an independent reading unit with its own identifier, allowing the reader to focus on specific segments rather than treating the entire environment as one reading zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by assigning unique identifiers to each pallet and enabling the RFID reader to selectively read tags based on pallet-level filtering criteria. This allows different reading behaviors for different spatial locations, improving accuracy by filtering out irrelevant tags from other pallets.
2Reliability
If material composition and positioning block interrogation signals, then reading reliability for obscured tags deteriorates, but increasing reader power may interfere with other tags
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a pallet identifier as an intermediary layer between the RFID reader and individual tags. The reader first identifies the pallet level, then uses this intermediate information to guide subsequent tag reading operations, allowing obscured tags to be read through their pallet's identification signal.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a hierarchical dimension to RFID reading by implementing a two-level structure: pallet-level identification followed by tag-level reading. This dimensional change allows the system to overcome physical blocking by operating at the pallet level where signals are less obstructed.
3Ease of operation
If RFID reader lacks focusing capability or user is not skilled, then irrelevant tags are read and data processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by establishing pallet identifiers and organizing tags into pallet-level groups before the actual reading operation. This pre-organization allows the RFID reader to automatically filter and focus on relevant tags without requiring user skill or manual focusing, reducing both operational complexity and data processing burden.
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
This solution allows for the effective reading of obscured RFID tags by relaying information through other tags, improving data collection accuracy and reducing irrelevant data, enabling better identification and filtering of relevant information.
Implementation Method 1
RFID readers typically emit a radio frequency (RF) interrogation signal that causes the RFID tag to respond with a return RF signal encoding the data stored in the memory
Implementation Method 2
RFID tags typically include a semiconductor device (such as a chip) having the memory, circuitry, and one or more conductive traces that form an antenna
Data Source
AI summary
Obscured radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are indirectly read by an RFID reader. Other tags operate to relay the information associated with the obscured tags from one tag to another, until the associated information is ultimately received by the RFID reader from a tag in direct communication with the RFID reader. The tags may be adapted to store the received information associated with the obscured tags and then to encode this associated information and resident information in return signal(s) transmitted to the RFID reader and/or to other tag(s). The RFID reader is adapted to decode the received return signals to obtain the information encoded therein, and to process the decoded information to identify irrelevant tags and obscured tags.