Article tracking system
US6483427B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 9, 2000 |
| Grant date | Nov 19, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 9, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07C9/28
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
System for tracking mobile tags. Cell controllers with multiple antenna modules generate a carrier signal which is received by the tags. Tags shift the frequency of the carrier signal, modulate an identification code onto it, and transmit the resulting tag signal at randomized intervals. The antennas receive and process the response, and determine the presence of the tags by proximity and triangulation. Distance of a tag from an antenna is calculated by measuring the round trip signal time. The cell controllers send data from the antenna to a host computer. The host computer collects the data and resolves them into positional estimates. Data are archived in a data warehouse, such as an SQL Server.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.