U.S. patent application number 10/702101 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-29 for rf identification reader for communicating condition information associated with the reader.
Invention is credited to Schmidtberg, Rupert A., Schultz, Eric B..
Application Number | 20040145474 10/702101 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32329137 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040145474 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schmidtberg, Rupert A. ; et
al. |
July 29, 2004 |
RF identification reader for communicating condition information
associated with the reader
Abstract
A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprises an RFID
tag and an RFID reader that communicates with the tag and a
processor. A dynamic electronic product code (EPC) is associated
with the reader. The dynamic EPC includes at least one portion that
is variable.
Inventors: |
Schmidtberg, Rupert A.;
(Westford, MA) ; Schultz, Eric B.; (Boxford,
MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOLF GREENFIELD & SACKS, PC
FEDERAL RESERVE PLAZA
600 ATLANTIC AVENUE
BOSTON
MA
02210-2211
US
|
Family ID: |
32329137 |
Appl. No.: |
10/702101 |
Filed: |
November 5, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60426927 |
Nov 15, 2002 |
|
|
|
60475554 |
Jun 3, 2003 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
340/572.1 ;
340/5.9; 340/539.26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 7/0008 20130101;
G01D 9/005 20130101; G06K 19/07758 20130101; G06K 19/0717 20130101;
G06K 17/0022 20130101; G01D 21/00 20130101; G06K 19/0723 20130101;
G08C 17/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/572.1 ;
340/005.9; 340/539.26 |
International
Class: |
G08B 013/14 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising: an
RFID tag; and an RFID reader that communicates with the tag and a
processor; wherein a dynamic electronic product code (EPC) is
associated with the reader, the dynamic EPC including at least one
portion that is variable.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the variable portion of the
dynamic EPC can dynamically change and represents a detected state
of the reader.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the state includes a status or
operating condition of the reader.
4. A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to
transmit at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC)
associated with the reader, the at least one dynamic EPC including
at least one portion that is variable and which represents at least
one detectable condition associated with the reader.
5. The reader of claim 4, wherein the condition includes one of a
status and operating condition of the reader.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Serial No. 60/426,927, filed Nov. 15, 2002, entitled
"Methods and Apparatus for Communicating Condition Information
Associated With an Item," and further claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Application Serial No. 60/475,554, filed Jun. 3, 2003,
entitled "Methods and Apparatus for Communicating Condition
Information Associated With an Item." The entire disclosure of each
of the aforementioned applications is hereby incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to methods and
apparatus for communicating information relating to one or more
detectible conditions associated with an item. More particularly,
one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a radio
frequency (RF) identification system that employs dynamic
electronic product codes (EPCs) having a variable content and/or
length to represent information relating to one or more conditions
associated with an item.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Auto-ID technology relates generally to using the Internet
to track goods in a manufacturing process and/or supply chain (e.g.
from manufacturer to distributor to point of sale location). One
contemplated infrastructure for implementing the Auto-ID technology
to transport information relating to physical objects via the
Internet includes four major components: 1) electronic tags; 2) an
electronic product code (EPC); 3) an object naming service (ONS);
and 4) a physical markup language (PML).
[0004] An electronic tag typically is in the form of a small chip
that is affixed to or otherwise integrated with an item to be
tracked. Such tags may be implemented using a family of
technologies that facilitate the transfer of data wirelessly
between tagged objects or items and electronic readers. For
example, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have small
radio antennas which are capable of transmitting data over a short
range. Such RFID tags, when coupled to an RF reader network,
facilitate tracking and identification of tagged items from place
to place throughout all or a portion of a manufacturing process or
supply chain/distribution network.
[0005] To uniquely identify tagged objects, a naming system
referred to as the electronic product code (EPC) has been
developed. The EPC was created to accommodate current and future
naming methods, and is intended to be universally and globally
accepted as a means to link physical objects to a computer network
and to serve as an efficient information reference. A unique EPC
assigned to an item to be tracked typically is "burned" into a
memory/storage device of an RFID tag as a fixed binary number.
Currently, EPCs typically are either 64 or 96 bits long. The EPC
bit string is intended to uniquely identify an item by encoding the
manufacturer, the product type, and the product serial number, for
example.
[0006] It should be appreciated that the EPC in the RFID tag does
not change as the item to which the tag is affixed goes through a
manufacturing process and/or a supply chain; in particular, the
RFID tag is designed to send a representation of the EPC as a fixed
length and fixed content "information payload" to an RF reader or
receiver. When queried (i.e., when passing an RF reader), the RFID
tag wirelessly transmits a representation of the EPC to the reader,
which in turn passes the received information on to one or more
other processing devices for decoding the received information and
subsequent routing. In the current art, components such as the
savant, on object naming service (ONS) and PML server decode the
tag.
[0007] The object naming service (ONS) is the "glue", which links
the electronic product code (EPC) with one or more associated data
files containing information relating to the tagged item. More
specifically, the ONS is an automated networking service which,
when given an EPC, returns one or more network addresses at which
one or more data files corresponding to the tagged item may be
located. In a typical system configuration, the ONS may be accessed
by a computer that is local to the RF reader (and which provides
user access to the system). The ONS is based on the concept of the
standard domain naming service (DNS) used to identify website
addresses corresponding to website names. For example, in a manner
similar to that employed by the DNS, the ONS parses the EPC to
decode particular information in specific fields of the EPC (e.g.,
the manufacturer ID, as shown in FIG. 1) so as to return (e.g., to
a processor local to the RF reader) the appropriate address(es)
where data is located.
[0008] The physical markup language (PML) is a standardized
language protocol in which network information about physical
objects is written. PML essentially is an XML-based language for
databasing information about physical objects, and is designed to
standardize descriptions of physical objects for use by both humans
and machines. In one aspect, PML serves as a common base for
software applications, data storage and analytical tools for
industry and commerce. Once the ONS decodes an EPC as discussed
above, it returns (e.g., to a local processor) one or more
address(es) to a PML server which includes one or more databases in
which are stored one or more files containing information regarding
the tagged item. The local processor then may forward all or part
of the EPC to the PML server, which in turn further processes the
EPC to access the information in the database(s) regarding the
tagged item. The PML server provides a standardized data output of
the information using PML, which typically is forwarded back to the
location of the RF reader (e.g., the local processor) for user
analysis.
[0009] Additional details of the Auto-ID technology may be found in
the following disclosures, each of which is hereby incorporated
herein by reference:
[0010] "The Electronic Product Code (EPC), A Naming Scheme for
Physical Objects," David L. Brock, MIT Auto-ID Center White Paper,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue,
Building 3, 449G Cambridge, Mass. 02139-4307, published Jan. 1,
2001;
[0011] "The Compact Electronic Product Code, a 64-bit
Representation of the Electronic Product Code," David L. Brock, MIT
Auto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 449G, Cambridge, Mass.
02139-4307, published Nov. 1, 2001;
[0012] "The Virtual Electronic Product Code," David L. Brock, MIT
Auto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 449G, Cambridge, Mass.
02139-4307, published Feb. 1, 2002;
[0013] "The Object Name Service, Version 0.5 (Beta)," Oat Systems
and MIT Auto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 449G, Cambridge,
Mass. 02139-4307, published Feb. 1, 2002;
[0014] "The Savant, Version 0.1 (Alpha)," Oat Systems and MIT
Auto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 449G, Cambridge, Mass.
02139-4307, published Feb. 1, 2002; and
[0015] "On the design A Global Unique Identification Scheme,"
Daniel W. Engels, MIT Auto-ID Center, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 449G, Cambridge,
Mass. 02139-4307, published Jun. 1, 2002.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0016] A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprises an
RFID tag and an RFID reader that communicates with the tag and a
processor. A dynamic electronic product code (EPC) is associated
with the reader. The dynamic EPC includes at least one portion that
is variable.
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0017] One embodiment of the present invention extends the concept
of a fixed electronic product code (EPC) to allow it to convey
information relating to one or more conditions associated with an
item. FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a dynamic EPC according to
this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in addition to manufacturer or
source information, product type, product serial number, etc., the
dynamic EPC may include a variable portion that is dynamically
updated (e.g., by a processor in an RFID tag) to include
information relating to one or more conditions associated with an
item. That variable portion could be any one or more of the
manufacturer/source, product type or serial number fields. As shown
in FIG. 1, it is the serial number field that is variable.
According to various aspects, this variable portion may be updated
essentially in real time, periodically at some predetermined
interval, upon the occurrence of a particular event (e.g., one or
more conditions exceeding a predetermined threshold), and/or when
the RFID tag storing the EPC is queried by an RF reader. Hence, in
various aspects of this embodiment, the EPC may change depending on
one or more conditions associated with an item or its environment.
While the dynamic EPC embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes separate
fields for manufacturer/source ID and product type, the dynamic EPC
alternatively may combine the manufacturer/source ID and product
type into a single field, referred to as a global trade
identification number (GTIN).
[0018] In addition, it should be appreciated that the invention of
making variable and dynamic a portion of a field or fields of an
EPC could apply to any now known or later accepted EPCs. For
examples, EPCs under consideration now including fields having
location, vehicle identification numbers (VINs), other product
identification numbers, or the like, could employ the dynamic EPC
concept of the invention. One or more of such fields could include
a portion that is variable and dynamic in order to indicate a
change in state or condition.
[0019] In another embodiment of the invention, such dynamic EPCs
may be processed with the same reader and network infrastructure as
that used for existing RFID tags (e.g. configured for use with
static EPCs). In particular, as discussed above, like a static EPC,
a dynamic EPC may be parsed in a manner similar to that
conventionally employed for Internet website addresses (i.e. using
an incremental/hierarchal parsing). For example, an ONS may decode
a particular field of the dynamic EPC associated with a
manufacturer or source ID, and return an address to a PML server
for further processing of the dynamic EPC. At the PML server, one
or more other fields of the EPC may be decoded, which may provide
information to the PML server as to how to subsequently decode one
or more remaining fields of the dynamic EPC. These remaining fields
may have variable length and/or content. For example, with
reference again to FIG. 1, the PML server may look to the serial
no. field of an EPC to determine the manner in which to
parse/decode/interpret one or more subsequent fields containing
information regarding the condition of the item or otherwise
associated with the item.
[0020] The information encoded in the dynamic EPC regarding one or
more conditions associated with the item may be used for overall
quality assessment of an item, based on such factors including, but
not limited to, temperature monitoring of a perishable product,
weight monitoring, shock monitoring, remaining shelf life
prediction, and time out of refrigeration indications, for example.
More generally, the information encoded in a dynamic EPC according
to various embodiments of the present invention may relate to any
one or more aspects or characteristics of an item itself, including
elements of an item's history, environment, geographic location,
and the like. In various aspects of the present invention, the
implementation of dynamic EPCs particularly facilitates monitoring
of conditions of perishable products, products for human or animal
consumption or use, agricultural products, medical products (e.g.
medicines, vaccines, etc.) as well as other products as they travel
through manufacturing and supply/distribution chains.
[0021] An overall system for processing such dynamic EPCs is shown
in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, a tag processor of an RFID tag may
periodically monitor one or more sensors to obtain information
relating to a condition associated with the item. In various
embodiments, one or more sensors may be built in with the tag
itself. The tag processor may be configured to use this information
to determine if any alarm conditions have been triggered. If so,
the tag processor may modify one or more appropriate bits in the
EPC stored in memory to indicate that an alarm condition has
occurred. For example, the tag processor may use sensor values to
update any counters that are represented in one or more bits of the
EPC so as to indicate time out of refrigeration, trip length,
etc.
[0022] More generally, various examples of information that may be
encoded in a dynamic EPC as "raw" data or as information that has
been generated by a tag processor based on one or more measured
conditions includes, but is not limited to, temperature-related
information (e.g., actual temperature, average temperature, mean
kinetic temperature, time above or below a particular temperature
or temperature range or within a particular temperature range),
elapsed time since some event (e.g., tag activated, by a user or by
an RF reader for example, to indicate the beginning of a monitoring
period), weight-related information, geography/location-related
information, information relating to physical conditions (e.g.,
impact/shock/deformation, etc.), information relating to a
container/package in which an item is stored (e.g., was
container/package opened at some point, where, for how long, etc.),
as well as various alarm indications relating to any one or more of
the foregoing or other factors associated with an item. From the
foregoing, it should be appreciated that a tag processor of an RFID
tag configured to support a dynamic EPC may perform a number of
processing functions relating to one or more pieces of
raw/measured/sensed data to generate information that ultimately is
represented in some form in a dynamic EPC. It should also be
appreciated that the foregoing examples are provided primarily for
purposes of illustration, and that the invention is not limited in
these respects.
[0023] Turning again to FIG. 2, according to one embodiment of the
invention, when the dynamic EPC RFID tag enters an RFID reader's
field, the reader transmits a signal to the tag requesting its EPC.
The RF interface in the tag reads the current value of the EPC and
transmits it to the reader. The reader receives the tag's
transmission and passes the EPC to a local processor. The local
processor in turn queries an ONS resolver for the Internet IP
address of the PML server storing data relating to the item
represented by the dynamic EPC. For example, as discussed above,
the ONS resolver decodes a portion of the dynamic EPC (e.g. the
manufacturer ID), uses it to determine the IP address of the
appropriate PML server, and passes this IP address back to the
local processor, which then sends the dynamic EPC to the PML
server.
[0024] In addition to the foregoing, the local processor also may
pass to the PML server some information regarding the RF reader
that received the EPC; for example, in one embodiment, the RF
reader may be associated with some form of identification that the
local processor passes on to the PML server. This identification
may be a serial no. or some indication of a geographic location of
the RF reader, for example. In one aspect, the RF reader
identification may itself be in the form of a static or dynamic
EPC; in the case of a dynamic EPC, information regarding the
status/operating condition of the RF reader itself may be conveyed
in addition to or in place of identification/geographic location
information relating to the RF reader.
[0025] In the case of a dynamic EPC for the reader, a portion of a
field or fields of that dynamic reader EPC would be variable. That
portion would contain information, that can be dynamically changed,
to indicate a change in state of the reader itself. Additionally,
information regarding the version of software or firmware running
on the RF reader may be conveyed in the RF reader identification.
In this manner, it should be appreciated that according to one
embodiment, the local processor may provide to the PML server a
first dynamic EPC relating to an item, accompanied by additional
information, for example a second dynamic EPC, relating to the RF
reader that acquired the first dynamic EPC.
[0026] Alternatively to the embodiment described, a dynamic EPC
would be associated only with the reader and would indicate a state
of the reader. In such an altenate embodiment, the system including
the reader with which the dynamic EPC is associated, may or may not
include a tag. If the system does not include a tag, then the
dynamic EPC may monitor the state of the reader.
[0027] Upon receiving a communication from the local processor, the
PML server in turn decodes the dynamic EPC relating to the item to
determine the tag identification and information associated with
the item (e.g., condition information) to which the tag is affixed.
The dynamic EPC PML server also may store the current date and
time, the tag identification, and the condition information in a
database for later reporting and analysis. If the local processor
also provides to the PML server some information (e.g., an
identifier, static or dynamic EPC, etc.) regarding the RF reader,
the PML server similarly may store this information.
[0028] The PML server then passes back to the local processor an
XML package which includes the item ID and the information
associated with the item and/or its environment (including the RF
reader if such information is provided) based on the dynamic EPC.
The local processor causes the information either to be displayed
(e.g., to an operator) or relayed to another computer for further
processing.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, one or both of the ONS resolver and the
PML server may be located at various locations with respect to the
RFID reader and local processor.
[0030] It should be appreciated that various aspects of the
invention, as discussed above, may be implemented in any of
numerous ways, as the invention is not limited to any particular
manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations are
provided herein for illustrative purposes only.
[0031] For example, it should be appreciated that in other
embodiments of the invention, the concept of a dynamic EPC is
extended to a more general item identifier having at least one
portion that has a variable content and or length based on one or
more conditions associated with an item. In particular, in one
embodiment, the intelligence for monitoring one or more sensed raw
conditions (e.g., temperature, time, location, other environmental
conditions, etc.), processing the sensed conditions, and modifying
a dynamic identifier based on such processing is self-contained in
an identification tag to be affixed, attached, integrated or
otherwise associated with an item. Additionally, in other
embodiments such dynamic identifiers may be communicated from the
identification tag using techniques other than RF.
[0032] Additionally, it should be appreciated that such
identification tags may be associated with a wide variety of items,
examples of which include, but are not limited to, single goods,
collections of goods (e.g., a palette of goods), containers for one
or more goods (e.g., a shipping container), a vehicle, a person,
etc. Also, examples of various types of conditions that may be
sensed and processed by such tags and encoded in dynamic
identifiers include, but are not limited to, various environmental
conditions including temperature and humidity, geographic location,
pressure (e.g., shock or impact), time, motion, speed, orientation,
illumination conditions, and the like. Moreover, one or more
processors integrated with such identification tags may be
configured to monitor raw conditions and provide information
encoded in dynamic identifiers based on a predetermined threshold
being exceeded by one or more monitored conditions.
[0033] Based on the more general concepts outlined above, a wide
variety of applications for dynamic identifiers are contemplated
according to various aspects of the present invention. For example,
in one embodiment, a food item such as a bottle of milk may include
a tag configured with a dynamic identifier that is capable of
indicating if the milk was exposed to an undesirable temperature
condition. In one aspect of this embodiment, as the tag attached to
the bottle of milk is scanned, for example, at a check-out counter,
a local processor at the check-out counter is able to indicate,
based on the scanned identifier, if the milk was exposed to the
undesirable temperature condition and perhaps of an inferior
quality as a result. In yet another embodiment, an electronic
registry sticker having a variable color display may be equipped
with a tag including a dynamic identifier that is capable of
indicating an elapsed time from a certain date. In one aspect of
this embodiment, a counter may be implemented to change one or more
bits of a dynamic identifier to indicate the passage of particular
periods of time. For example, the registry sticker may be
configured such that a processor integrated with the sticker
periodically monitors the dynamic identifier and turns the sticker
yellow when the dynamic identifier indicates that eleven months
have passed, and red when the dynamic identifier indicates that
twelve months have passed (e.g., to indicate an expiration of the
sticker).
[0034] According to yet another embodiment of the invention, a
dynamic identifier (such as a dynamic EPC) may be varied based on
changing conditions in an overall supply/distribution chain. In
particular, in various applications, a dynamic identifier may be
varied to indicate a late shipment, an early shipment or a
duplicate shipment.
[0035] For example, in one scenario, one box of goods is ordered
from a supplier, and two boxes of identical goods inadvertently are
shipped by the supplier. Each box is equipped with a tag including
a dynamic identifier. The first box is received and accepted. The
second box is received at a later time (e.g., the next day), and
the receiver realizes that it is a duplicate. The tag is configured
such that, at this point, the receiver can program the dynamic
identifier to indicate that the receiver is now the shipper, and
the original shipper is now the receiver, so that the duplicate box
may be transported back to its place of origin. In yet another
scenario, a box of goods arrives to a destination ahead of
schedule, and a tag attached to the goods, including a dynamic
identifier, is programmed such that the dynamic identifier may
indicate at a later time period (e.g., three days, three weeks,
etc.) that the early arrival should be placed back into the stream
of goods in the supply chain.
[0036] It should be appreciated the foregoing examples are provided
primarily for purposes of illustration, and that all combinations
of the foregoing concepts are contemplated as being part of the
inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all
combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this
disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject
matter.
[0037] Having thus described several illustrative embodiments of
the invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements
will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,
modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the
spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing
description is by way of example only, and is not intended as
limiting. It should be appreciated that while not described herein,
the invention contemplates covering a tag which has an EPC that
identifies the tag but also has additional memory for storing
additional information. This is alternative to the 64-bit or 96-bit
embodiments described.
* * * * *