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EP-4738185-A2 - CLASSIFYING RFID TAG READS TO INCREASE CONFIDENCE OF TAG INVENTORY

EP4738185A2EP 4738185 A2EP4738185 A2EP 4738185A2EP-4738185-A2

Abstract

In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, systems, computer-readable media, and/or the like for providing improved evaluation of read data collected from radio frequency identification ("RFID") tags. In various embodiments, a method is provided that comprises: receiving a data frame that comprises read data collected from an RFID tag over an interval of time, the RFID tag responding to receiving a RF signal sent from an antenna in communication with a reader, and the read data comprising RSSI values; generating a linearized power value for each RSSI value to form a set of linearized power values; summating the set of linearized power values to generate a summated power value for the data frame; evaluating the summated power value to determine that the summated power value meets a target predicate; and in response, causing an action to be performed with respect to the RFID tag.

Inventors

  • RYG, JAMES

Assignees

  • United Parcel Service Of America, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240715

Claims (15)

  1. A method comprising: receiving, by computing hardware, a data frame, wherein: the data frame comprises read data collected from a radio frequency identification ,RFID, tag (116, 126) over an interval of time, the read data is collected from the RFID tag (116, 126) responding to receiving a radio frequency, RF, signal sent from an antenna (115, 125) in communication with a reader (130), and the read data comprises a plurality of received signal strength indicator, RSSI, values; generating, by the computing hardware, a linearized power value for each RSSI value of the plurality of RSSI values to form a set of linearized power values for the data frame; and summating, by the computing hardware, the set of linearized power values to generate a summated power value for the data frame; characterized by the method comprising: evaluating, by the computing hardware, the summated power value for the data frame, along with one or more other summated power values for one or more other data frames, to determine that the summated power value and the one or more other summated power values meet a target predicate, wherein the one or more other data frames are one or more previous data frames comprising read data collected from the RFID tag at a previous time; and responsive to determining the summated power value and the one or more other summated power values meet the target predicate, causing an action to be performed with respect to the RFID tag (116, 126).
  2. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises changing a setting of the reader (130) to a single target mode to initiate an interrupt of a read of the RFID tag (116, 126).
  3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the computing hardware is a mobile device and the mobile device travels through an area in which the RFID tag (116, 126) is located.
  4. The method of claim 3, wherein the action comprises generating an indication for display on a user interface provided on a screen of the mobile device as to whether the mobile device is at least one of pointed in a direction of a location of the RFID tag or within a certain distance of the RFID tag (116, 126).
  5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the target predicate defines a set of rules used in evaluating whether the summated power value and the one or more other summated power values satisfy a threshold value.
  6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein generating the linearized power value for each RSSI value of the plurality of RSSI values comprises normalizing the RSSI value based at least in part on a power value of the RF signal sent from the antenna.
  7. A system comprising: a computer-readable medium storing instructions; and a processing device communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium, wherein the processing device is configured to execute the instructions and thereby perform operations comprising: receiving a plurality of data frames, wherein: each data frame of the plurality of data frames comprises read data collected from a plurality of radio frequency identification, RFID, tags (116, 126) over an interval of time, the read data is collected from the plurality of RFID tags (116, 126) responding to receiving a radio frequency, RF, signal sent from an antenna (115, 125) in communication with a reader (130), and the read data comprises a plurality of received signal strength indicator, RSSI, values; and characterized in that the processing device is configured to execute the instructions and thereby perform operations comprising: for each data frame of the plurality of data frames: generating a linearized power value for each RSSI value of the plurality of RSSI values to form a set of linearized power values for the data frame, wherein generating the linearized power value for each RSSI value of the plurality of RSSI values comprises normalizing the RSSI value based at least in part on a power value of the RF signal sent from the antenna (115, 125); and for each RFID tag (116, 126) in the plurality of RFID tags represented in the data frame: grouping the linearized power values found in the set of linearized power values for the RFID tag (116, 126) into a group of linearized power values; and summating the group of linearized power values to generate a summated power value for the RFID tag (116, 126) and the data frame; evaluating the summated power value for each data frame of the plurality of data frames for a particular RFID tag (116, 126) of the plurality of RFID tags (116, 126) to determine that the summated power value for each data frame over the plurality of data frames for the particular RFID tag (116, 126) meets a target predicate; and responsive to determining the summated power value for each data frame over the plurality of data frames for the particular RFID tag (116, 126) meets the target predicate, causing an action to be performed with respect to the particular RFID tag (116, 126).
  8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of data frames comprises a sequence of data frames occurring over a period of time.
  9. The system of claim 7 or 8, wherein the action comprises generating an indication of a location of the particular RFID tag (116, 126) for display on a user interface.
  10. The system of claim 7 or 8, wherein the system is a mobile device that comprises the reader (130) and the antenna (115, 126) and the mobile device travels through an area in which the plurality of RFID tags (116, 126) is located.
  11. The system of claim 10, wherein the action comprises generating an indication for display on a user interface provided on a screen of the mobile device as to whether the mobile device is at least one of pointed in a direction of a location of the particular RFID tag or within a certain distance of the particular RFID tag (116, 126).
  12. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by computing hardware, configure the computing hardware to perform operations comprising: receiving a first data frame and a second data frame, wherein: the first data frame comprises first read data collected from a radio frequency identification, RFID, tag (116, 126) over a first interval of time, the first read data is collected from the RFID tag (116, 126) responding to receiving a first radio frequency, RF, signal sent from a first antenna (115, 125) in communication with a reader (130), the first read data comprises a first plurality of received signal strength indicator, RSSI, values; the second data frame comprises second read data collected from the RFID tag (116, 126) over a second interval of time, the second read data is collected from the RFID tag (116, 126) responding to receiving a second RF signal sent from a second antenna (115, 125) in communication with the reader (130), and the second read data comprises a second plurality of RSSI values; and characterized by instructions that, when executed by the computing hardware, configure the computing hardware to perform operations comprising: generating a first linearized power value for each RSSI value of the first plurality of RSSI values to form a set of first linearized power values; summating the set of first linearized power values to generate a first summated power value; generating a second linearized power value for each RSSI value of the second plurality of RSSI values to form a set of second linearized power values, wherein generating the first linearized power value involves normalizing each RSSI value of the first plurality of RSSI values based at least in part on a first power value of the first RF signal sent from the first antenna (130) and generating the second linearized power value involves normalizing each RSSI value of the second plurality of RSSI values based at least in part on a second power value of the second RF signal sent from the second antenna (130); and summating the set of second linearized power values to generate a second summated power value; evaluating the first summated power value, along with one or more other first summated power values generated from other first read data collected for the RFID tag (116, 126) at the first antenna (115, 125), and the second summated power value, along with one or more other second summated power values generated from other second read data collected for the RFID tag (116, 126) at the second antenna (115, 125), to determine that the first summated power value, along with the one or more other first summated power values, and the second summated power value, along with the one or more other second summated power values, meet a target predicate; and responsive to determining the first summated power value, along with the one or more other first summated power values, and the second summated power value, along with the one or more other second summated power values, meet the target predicate, causing an action to be performed with respect to the RFID tag (116, 126).
  13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first antenna (130) is located in a first location and the second antenna (130) is located in a second location that is different from the first location, and the action comprises updating an inventory record to indicate a movement of the RFID tag (116, 126) from the first location to the second location.
  14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first antenna (130) is located in a first location and the second antenna (130) is located in a second location that is different from the first location, and the action comprises providing an indication on a user interface of a movement of the RFID tag (116, 126) from the first location to the second location.
  15. The computer-readable medium of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the target predicate defines a set of rules used in evaluating whether the first summated power value, along with the one or more other first summated power values, and the second summated power value, along with the one or more other second summated power values, satisfy a threshold value.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/527,756, filed July 19, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure is generally related to systems, and corresponding methods, which provide improved evaluation of read data collected from radio frequency identification tags. BACKGROUND Item tracking and identification has advanced with the development of machine-readable devices such as radio frequency identification ("RFID") transponders (a/k/a "tags"). For example, in manufacturing, warehousing and/or shipping environments, items may be associated with RFID tags to track them as well as to provide information about the items such as model or serial number, location, cost, shipper, recipient, recipient's address, and/or the like. In many instances, items that are associated with RFID tags are interrogated by an RFID reader numerous times as the items makes their way through manufacturing, warehousing, and/or shipping processes so that their locations can be tracked and known. However, many technical challenges still exist with using RFID technology to accurately track items through manufacturing, warehousing, and/or shipping processes. For example, many technical challenges can occur with using RFID technology in environments with wide-scale, relatively close to RFID tag read zones with close or overlapping coverage, and/or or environments with transition points where some variation in RFID tag read rate/strength occurs, or in a lower cost multi antenna configuration in very close quarters. Therefore, a need exists in the art for systems, and corresponding methods, for improving on using RFID technology in determining, with an acceptable level of confidence, that a particular item is in a given location. Accordingly, various embodiments of the disclosure provided herein address such needs. SUMMARY In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, systems, computing devices, computing entities, and/or the like for providing improved evaluation of read data collected from radio frequency identification tags. In various aspects of the disclosure, a method is provided that comprises: receiving, by computing hardware, a data frame, wherein: the data frame comprises read data collected from a radio frequency identification ("RFID") tag over an interval of time, the read data is collected from the RFID tag responding to receiving a radio frequency ("RF") signal sent from an antenna in communication with a reader, and the read data comprises a plurality of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values; generating, by the computing hardware, a linearized power value for each RSSI value of the plurality of RSSI values to form a set of linearized power values for the data frame; summating, by the computing hardware, the set of linearized power values to generate a summated power value for the data frame; evaluating, by the computing hardware, the summated power value for the data frame, along with one or more other summated power values for one or more other data frames, to determine that the summated power value and the one or more other summated power values meet a target predicate; and responsive to determining the summated power value and the one or more other summated power values meet the target predicate, causing an action to be performed with respect to the RFID tag. For example, the one or more data other frames may be one or more previous data frames comprising read data collected from the RFID tag at a previous time. In some aspects, the target predicate defines a set of rules used in evaluating whether the summated power value and the one or more other summated power values satisfy a threshold value. In some aspects, the action comprises changing a setting of the reader with respect to processing additional read data collected from the RFID tag. For example, changing the setting may involve changing the setting of the reader to a single target mode to initiate an interrupt of a read of the RFID tag. In some aspects, generating the linearized power value for each RSSI value of the plurality of RSSI values comprises normalizing the RSSI value based at least in part on a power value of the RF signal sent from the antenna. In additional aspects of the disclosure, a system comprising a computer-readable medium storing instructions and a processing device communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium is provided. The processing device is configured to execute the instructions and thereby perform operations comprising: receiving a plurality of data frames, wherein: each data frame of the plurality of data frames comprises read data collected from a plurality of radio frequency identification ("RFID") tags over an interval of time, the read data is collected from the plurality of RFID tags responding to