Patent Application
20250005510
The present disclosure relates to inventory tracking and management systems and, more particularly, to methods and systems involving location designation radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tags embedded in a floor surface of an environment in which the inventory tracking and management system is implemented.
Radio frequency identification (“RFID”) based inventory tracking and management systems may help facilitate efficient location, identification, and delivery of target products to a target destination within a storage and shipping environment, such as a warehouse. In one example, an inventory tracking and managing system includes a forklift (or other product transportation vehicle) installed with an RFID reader, antennas, user interface, and sensor to wirelessly identify a product on or near the forklift, confirm the correct product is picked up by the forklift via a centralized computer system, and communicate with the operator of the forklift (via the user interface) to deliver the target product to a target destination. As the operator drives the forklift within the environment, the RFID-based inventory tracking and management system (also referred herein as the “RFID-based system”) continuously reads location designation RFID tags associated with the surrounding environment and communicates with a centralized computer to alert the operator (via the user interface) that the operator is on the correct track or path in real-time. Generally speaking, the RFID-based tracking system equips a forklift with the tools to read product and location designation RFID tags disposed on products and throughout the warehouse to fill orders accurately.
An example inventory tracking and management system includes an RFID reader and antennas disposed on a forklift, wireless communication devices and nodes disposed on the forklift and throughout the environment to facilitate data collection, storage and processing, a user interface device and detection system disposed on the forklift, and a centralized asset tracking and management device having a product and order database and a tracking and communication application. The user interface device carried by the forklift includes a remote tracking and communication application in communication with the centralized asset tracking and management device and the RFID reader to perform various tasks. The user interface device may include a display or interface screen to visually present information to the forklift operator or other user. The operation of the RFID-based inventory tracking and management system is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 11,358,067 filed May 22, 2020, and U.S. Pat. No. 11,023,851, filed Mar. 29, 2019.
The inventory tracking and management system includes various location and product designation RFID tags disposed around the environment and on products in the warehouse. For example, location designation RFID tags are disposed on the floor at various entrances, shipping docks, loading bays, and/or support structures throughout the environment; and product designation RFID tags are located on outer surfaces of containers or packaging of products stored in the warehouse environment. Each of the location designation RFID tags and the product designation RFID tags has a unique ID stored in the centralized asset tracking and management device to associate each location designation RFID tag with a particular landmark, and to associate each product designation RFID tag with a particular product of the warehouse inventory. The centralized tracking and communication application communicates with the user interface devices and the RFID tag readers to track and manage the movement of products between the bays, shelves and racks, and the shipping docks or loading bays of the environment.
Each forklift (or other product transportation vehicle) in the environment is integrated into the RFID-based system by installing a number of electronic components onto the forklift, connecting the forklift battery to the components, and connecting the components to each other. The components on the forklift may be electrically connected to each other in various arrangements. For example, in one aspect, the RFID reader, antennas, sensor, controller/transmitter, and user interface are all installed onto the forklift and draw power from the forklift battery. The RFID reader may be electrically wired to multiple antennas, user interface, a power source, and/or a transmitter/controller; the transmitter/controller may be electrically wired to the sensor or detection device disposed on the forklift (for example, the tongs of the forklift), the power source, and/or the RFID reader, and may be in communication with the user interface; and the sensor may be electrically wired to the power source and the transmitter/controller.
As described above, location designation RFID tags are disposed on the floor at various entrances, shipping docks, loading bays, and/or support structures throughout the environment. Generally, disposing the location designation RFID tags on the floor involves some means of securing the RFID tags to the floor, to avoid the RFID tags being disturbed by equipment, personnel, etc. moving about the environment. Traditionally, means considered for securing location designation RFID tags to a floor have involved drilling into the floor, or otherwise defacing the floor, so that the RFID tag(s) may be placed in the recess drilled into the floor and covered with a bonding agent (e.g., an epoxy, which may fill any remainder of the recess not filled by the RFID tag itself). However, it has been understood that such means of securing location designation RFID tags are associated with a number of drawbacks. For one, the heavy construction traditionally required to drill the floor (e.g., to a required depth of 0.25 inches or more) and place an RFID tag disadvantageously requires considerable work to add, move, and/or replace the RFID tag around the environment, and may permanently deface the floor of the facility when the floor must be drilled at least as deep as a thickness of the RFID tag. Moreover, even when a location designation RFID tag is placed in a recess of the floor, the floor of the environment surrounding the placed RFID tag may prevent or otherwise inhibit the RFID tag from receiving an interrogation signal from and/or transmitting an interrogation signal to an interrogator (e.g., an RFID reader). This phenomenon may be intensified when one or more buffer layers are attached to one or both sides of an inlay of the RFID tag, as is common for example to prevent damage to the inlay of the RFID tag containing the antenna when personnel, equipment, etc. pass over the RFID tag. That is, the placement of the buffer(s) over the RFID inlay may effectively place the inlay deeper within the recess in the floor, potentially further inhibiting the RFID tag from receiving the interrogation signal from and/or transmitting the interrogation signal to the interrogator.
Although a location designation RFID tag can alternatively be attached to the floor of the environment without creating a recess in the floor (e.g., using a mechanical fastener, or an adhesive), such that the location designation RFID tag is effectively raised from the surface of the floor. These alternative practices, however, present their own potential disadvantages. Particularly, depending on the thickness of the RFID tag, the RFID tag may pose an obstacle to personnel and/or equipment moving about the environment. Additionally, personnel and/or equipment (e.g., vehicles) moving over the RFID tag can unintentionally damage, remove, loosen, or detune the RFID tag.
The present disclosure describes a location designation RFID tag that may be used in an inventory tracking and management system, as well as methods for placing and using the location designation RFID tag in a floor of an inventory storage and shipping environment such as a warehouse, storage facility, etc. Generally speaking, the present disclosure identifies that, for a disclosed location designation RFID tag having a substantially lesser thickness compared to RFID tags traditionally used in the field, the disclosed RFID tag can be placed into a recess formed into the floor of in the inventory storage/shipping environment. In view of the substantially lesser thickness of the disclosed RFID tag, the disclosed RFID tag may be placed in a recess formed in the floor of the environment, with the recess in the floor being substantially shallower than what has traditionally been understood in the field to be necessary to place a location designation RFID tag. For example, the recess at the floor may be formed at a depth at as little as 0.04 inches below the plane of the floor surrounding the recess (or a greater depth, in some implementations).
More particularly, in some aspects of the present disclosure, a location designation RFID tag (or each of many location designation RFID tags) includes an inlay having a long, thin antenna that reduces an overall thickness of the RFID tags compared to RFID tags traditionally used in the field. The inlay includes an antenna, an integrated circuit, and a substrate, with the antenna and the integrated circuit being disposed on the substrate. The location designation RFID tag can further include a first layer on a first side of the inlay, and a second layer disposed on a second side of the inlay, opposite to the first side of the inlay. An easily visible designation may be disposed (e.g., printed) on the surface and encoded on the inlay to assist with identifying where the location designation RFID belongs in the environment and with identifying where an individual or item is located within the storage facility. In some aspects, an adhesive (e.g., adhesive layer) is applied to the first and/or second layers to allow the location designation RFID tag to be variously applied to surfaces in the environment. In any case, the overall thickness of the location designation RFID tag (i.e., inclusive of any and all of the elements described above, when present) is substantially less than that of location designation RFID tags traditionally used in the field. Particularly, the overall thickness of the location designation RFID tag can be between 0.02 and 0.50 inches (0.508 and 12.7 mm), or more specifically, approximately 0.02 inches (0.508 mm), 0.03 inches (0.762 mm), or 0.04 inches (1.016 mm).
In view of the considerably lesser thickness of the disclosed location designation RFID tag, the disclosed location designation RFID tag may be placed in a recess in the floor of the inventory storage and shipping environment, without encountering many of the drawbacks traditionally understood to be associated with modifying a floor to accommodate location designation RFID tags. That is, the recess in the floor may be substantially shallower than traditionally understood to be necessary, while still accommodating the entire location designation RFID tag. For example, the recess may be formed at a depth identical to the overall thickness of the RFID tag, or not much more than the overall thickness of the RFID tag, such that the top of the placed location designation RFID tag is substantially level with the floor or the environment when the RFID tag is placed in the recess. In one example, for a location designation RFID tag having an overall thickness of 0.02 inches, the recess may be formed at a depth of 0.02 inches (0.508 mm), 0.03 inches (0.762 mm), 0.04 inches (1.016 mm), 0.10 inches (2.54 mm), 0.125 inches (3.175 mm), etc. As a result, to the extent that the floor of the environment is modified to accommodate the location designation RFID tag, the modification to the floor and placement/replacement of the RFID tag may require less work, less intensive physical equipment, and less defacement to the floor. Further, the placement of location designation RFID tags according to these techniques accounts for floor surfaces that may decay or otherwise not accept attempts to adhere a location designation RFID tag to the unmodified floor. Moreover, the shallower recess in the floor enables the placed RFID tag to more reliably receive an interrogation signal and/or transmit an interrogation signal to an interrogator (e.g., RFID reader), as compared to an RFID tag placed in a deeper recess in the floor according to traditional practices in the field.
In one aspect, an asset management and tracking system is provided for use in a facility. The asset management and tracking system includes one or more location designation radio frequency identification (RFID) tags disposed within a recess formed in a surface of a floor of the facility, each of the one or more location designation RFID tags indicating respective location information and being readable by an RFID reader to receive the location information. A depth of the recess with respect to the surface of the floor surrounding the recess is no greater than 0.125 inches (3.175 mm). Each of the one or more location designation RFID tags is entirely contained within the recess such that a top of each of the one or more location designation RFID tags is no higher than the surface of the floor surrounding the recess. In various aspects, the asset management and tracking system includes additional elements and/or characteristics discussed in the present disclosure.
In another aspect, a method associated with an asset management and tracking system in a facility is provided. The method includes forming a recess in a surface of a floor of the facility. Specifically, a depth of the recess with respect to the surface of the floor surrounding the recess is no greater than 0.125 inches (3.175 mm). The method further includes disposing one or more location designation radio frequency identification (RFID) tags entirely within the recess such that a top of each of the one or more location designation RFID tags is no higher than the surface of the floor surrounding the recess. Each of the one or more location designation RFID tags indicates respective location information and is readable by an RFID reader to receive the location information.
As illustrated in
In the storage and shipping environment 10 of
As discussed above, the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 are distributed throughout the environment 10, particularly in or near locations relevant to the movement of personnel and/or product(s) 13, for example at the shelves 12, the various bays 14A-14X, and the loading bays 16. More particularly, according to techniques of the present disclosure, each location designation RFID tag 30, 32 may be placed in a small recess in a floor of the environment 10 (e.g., a concrete floor). In view of the lesser thickness of the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 compared to RFID tags traditionally used in the field, though, the depth required for the recess to accommodate the tag may be less than that traditionally believed to be necessary to fully embed a location designation RFID tag 30, 32 in the floor. In some aspects, each recess may be formed in the floor to accommodate the dimensions of a single location designation RFID tag 30, 32. That is, each recess may be formed with length and width corresponding to that of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32, and each recess may have a depth similar to an overall thickness of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 (e.g., a depth corresponding to the overall tag thickness plus an additional thickness of an epoxy or other bonding agent to secure the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 in the recess).
Alternatively, in some aspects, an elongated recess (or “groove”) may be formed in the floor to accept multiple location designation RFID tags 30, 32 along a length of the groove, with the groove being formed at a width corresponding to one of the length of the width of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32, and a depth similar to the overall thickness of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 (e.g., the tag thickness plus the bonding agent thickness in portions of the groove where a tag is disposed). With reference to
In any case, in view of the lesser thickness of the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 of the present disclosure, the placing of the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 within a shallow recess of the floor of the environment 10 may provide advantages, compared to placement of the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 on the unmodified floor. For one, placing the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 within the floor may allow the floor to remain completely level with the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 placed, without extensive effort to modify the floor. Furthermore, placing the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 in the recessed floor mitigates issues with some floor surfaces may be naturally less receptive of location designation RFID tags 30, 32 placed on the unmodified floor, for example when such floor surfaces decay or otherwise fail to accept the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 when an attempt is made to adhere the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 to the unmodified floor surface. This particularly may be the case for old concrete surfaces that have not recently been renovated. Moreover, the present disclosure identifies that, when the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 are placed in the recessed floor of the environment 10 at the depths described herein, the RFID reader 20 still successfully and reliably detects the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 as forklifts 18, 180 pass the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 in the use cases described herein.
Further detail regarding the dimensions of each individual recess or elongated recess formed in this manner will be apparent from subsequent portions of the present disclosure, which discuss example dimensions of the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 and corresponding dimensions of recesses sized to accommodate the location designation RFID tags 30, 32.
As illustrated further in
The antennas 21 may be placed around the forklift 18 to minimize interference with the operation of the forklift 18 and to ease maintenance should the antennas 21 need to be replaced. In particular, for example, multiple front facing antennas 21A, 21B, 21C are placed toward the front end of the forklift 18 (i.e., towards the tongs of the forklift 18) to detect and read an RFID tag placed on a product 13, to detect and read an RFID tag placed on the storage shelf 12 and the bays 14, to detect and read an RFID tag placed near a loading bay 16, and to detect and read an RFID tag placed on a floor of the environment 10 near storage shelf 12, the bays 14, and the loading bay 16. In some examples, a plurality of antennas can be placed towards the rear end of the forklift 18 (i.e., the side opposite the tongs of the forklift 18) to detect and read one or more RFID tags placed on the storage shelf 12 and the bays 14. Further, each of the multiple antennas 21 may be coded to detect and selectively read only RFID tags placed on products 13 and near the loading bays 16 or only RFID tags placed on the storage shelf 12 and the bays 14. For example, the front facing antenna 21A can be coded to read only RFID tags disposed on products 12 and near the loading bays 16, and the front facing antennas 21B, 21C can be coded to detect and read only RFID tags placed on the storage shelf 12 and the bays 14. The antennas 21 also may have a detection radius of, for example, four feet. As a result of the detection radius of the antennas 21, the front facing antenna 21A and the plurality of rear facing antennas 21B, 21C may be selectively turned on by, or used by, the RFID reader 20 to limit the amount of RFID tags that are being read by the RFID reader 20 when the forklift 18 is around many products 13 or between shelves 12 or bays 14 of the shelves 12. Thus, the multiple antennas 21 help determine the position of the forklift 18 in the environment 10 and, in turn, the location of the product 13. Further, the antennas 21A, 21B, and 21C may be oriented in different directions to read RFID tags placed on various surfaces (e.g., shelves, bays, loading bays, flood, ceiling, etc.). For example, the front facing antenna 21A can be oriented to point straight ahead of the forklift 18, the front facing antenna 21B can be oriented to point above the forklift 18, and the front facing antenna 21C can be oriented to point below the forklift 18. It will be appreciated that the antennas 21A, 21B, and 21C may also be oriented to point to the left and right of the forklift 18.
The wireless communication device 22 communicates with wireless nodes or gateway devices 24 in the environment 10 (as illustrated in
Referring back to
Referring again to
Alternatively, other types of sensors may be used in the detection device 40, including for example one or more weight sensors on the forklift 18. In these examples, the system may further determine how much product was delivered at a particular location. In particular, the tracking system records a first weight when a product 13 is first picked up and a second weight when the product 13 is delivered. The tracking system then determines a different between the first weight and the second weight, thereby calculating an amount (i.e., weight) of product that was dropped off. The tracking system may record the amount of product in one or more memories. In other aspects, one or more electromagnetic sensors may use other wavelengths of electromagnetic energy to detect the presence of a product on or near the forklift 18. Still additionally or alternatively, the one or more sensors may include one or more sonic detectors, one or more optical detection devices, one or more temperature sensors, and/or other sensors capable of detecting a product on or near the forklift 18 and communicating with other components on the forklift 18 regarding the presence of the product on or near the forklift 18. Still yet additionally or alternatively, the one or more sensors may include one or more sonar sensors configured to detect a product based upon reflection of audible and/or inaudible sounds waves emitted by the sensor(s), and/or one or more lidar-based sensing devices configured to detect a product via two- or three-dimensional imaging based upon reflection of lasers emitted by the lidar-based sensing device(s). In any case, the one or more sensors may include a wireless communication module configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the RFID reader 20 and/or antennas 21 (e.g., via 2.4 GHz communications, 900 MHz communications, 5.8 GHz communications, and/or communications based upon other frequencies) to cause the RFID reader 20 and/or antennas 21 to read an RFID tag of an object upon the one or more sensors detecting the presence of the object on or near the forklift 18. In other aspects, though, the one or more sensors may use wired communications to communicate with other components on the forklift 18 using similar techniques.
Specifically, though in some envisioned aspects, the detection device 40 includes one or more photoelectric sensors mounted to the forklift 18, for example via a magnetic bracket, an adhesive, and/or another securing structure(s). More specifically, the photoelectric sensor is mounted near the tongs of the forklift 18 or at least in a line of sight near the tongs of the forklift. The photoelectric sensor can operate in a diffuse mode, where an object is detected on or near the forklift 18 when the object reflects light energy emitted by the sensor (e.g., a laser) back to the sensor. Additionally or alternatively, the photoelectric sensor can operate in a retroreflective mode, where the detection device 40 further includes a reflector arranged in a path of light emitted by the sensor (e.g., across the tongs of the forklift 18), and where an object is detected on the tongs when the object blocks the emitted light. In either case, when the photoelectric sensor detects an object on or near the forklift 18, the photoelectric sensor wirelessly (and/or wiredly) communicates directly or indirectly with the RFID reader 20 and/or antennas 21 to cause the RFID reader 20 and/or antennas 21 to read an RFID tag of the object on or near the forklift 18. The photoelectric sensor may, for example, include a wireless communication module that communicates using 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz wireless communications, and/or other communication frequencies. The photoelectric sensor may be powered by an internal battery, or alternatively, by a battery of the forklift (e.g., battery 108 as will be described with respect to
In any case, the detection device 40 may be placed in a location on the front of the forklift 18 that minimizes the possibility of damage due to shifting or sliding products 13 that are picked up by the forklift 18. The detection device 40 may also be covered or otherwise protected to minimize impact damage from products picked up by the forklift 18. As illustrated in
Once queried, the tracking application 36 may analyze the received product designation RFID tag 34 information with respect to data stored in the product and order database 27 to determine if the forklift operator picked up the correct product. The user interface device 23 may then visually and audibly alert the forklift operator regarding whether the operator picked up the correct product. Further information regarding the operation of the tracking application 36 is found in each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 11,358,067 and 11,023,851.
In some aspects, the forklift 18 does not include the detection device 40. For example, in an aspect, the RFID reader 20 can be in an activated, or “on” state, constantly while the forklift 18 is in use, such that the RFID reader 20 and/or antennas 21 can detect RFID tags any time while the forklift is in use. In another aspect, the forklift operator can selectively turn on (or off) the RFID reader 20. For example, the forklift operator may interact with the interface screen 28 of the user interface device 23 (e.g., by touching, pressing, swiping, clicking, etc. the interface screen 28) after a product 13 is on the tongs of the forklift 18 or when a product 13 is near the forklift 18. The forklift operator can selectively turn off the RFID reader 20 by interacting with the interface screen 28 of the user interface device 23 once the RFID reader 20 identified the product 13 being transported or near the forklift 18.
Referring now to
In the aspect of
Generally speaking, the compact container 100 converts battery power from a forklift battery 108 to power the RFID reader 20, detection device 40, and user interface device 23 carried by the forklift 180. Additionally, the container 100 facilitates communication between the transmitter/controller, detection device 40, RFID reader 20, and portable user interface device 23. In some aspects, the container 100 can include a backup battery disposed therein, e.g., to provide power to the container 100 while the forklift 180 is not operating and/or when the forklift battery 108 is depleted. Furthermore, in some aspects, the container 100 can include a charge guard to protect the forklift battery 108 (and/or the charge guard in the container 100) from excess discharge due to power draw by the container 100. For example, the charge guard may be configured to prevent power draw by the container 100 from the forklift battery 108 and/or backup battery of the container 100 while the forklift 180 is not operating (or alternatively, after a preconfigured duration of time after the forklift 180 is not operating, e.g., fifteen minutes).
The container 100 is integrated into the RFID-based tracking system by electronically and communicatively connecting various components carried by the forklift 180. For example, the detection device 40 mounted on the forklift 180 detects when a product 13 is near or on the tongs 112 of the forklift 180, and sends a signal to the transmitter/controller disposed in the container 100 upon such a detection. The transmitter/controller communicates the information from the detection device 40 to the user interface device 23, and also signals to the RFID reader 20 to turn on and begin reading RFID tags, via the antennas 21. When an antenna 21 reads the product designation RFID tag 34 on the product 13, the RFID reader 20 locks onto the RFID tag 34 and communicates the information to the user interface device 23, which relays the information to the asset tracking and management device 26. The asset tracking and management device 26 analyzes the information received, and communicates to the operator via a user interface at the user interface device 23 whether the product 13, which the forklift 180 is near or is carrying, is a correct product associated with an order to be filled. Similarly as to described in
The container 100 may be easily attached or mounted to the forklift 180 to facilitate set up on-site. The container 100 may include a magnet 162 to attach the container 100 to the cage 104 of the forklift 180. The magnet 162 can be any magnet strong enough to attach the container 100 to a magnetic surface, such as, for example, a rare earth magnet. To assemble, an operator may first attach the container 100 to a magnetic surface of the forklift 180, such as the top of the cage 104 (e.g., via one or more of walls 132, 134 of the container 100). Then, the operator may make the electrical connections via intuitive, preconfigured wires and connectors provided in the container 100. The container 100 may be additionally or alternatively be mounted to the forklift 180 in other ways such as, for example, clamps, screw plates, adhesive, welding, zip-ties, plastic-ties, tape, hook-and-loop fasteners, hooks, hangers, or any combination mounting techniques. Preferably, the container 100 is mounted to the forklift 180 in a fixed manner to prevent the container, once mounted, from moving with respect to the forklift 180, while still allowing the container 100 to be released from the forklift 180 when desired. In some cases, the container 100 may include a soft material, such as rubber or foam, disposed thereon which is disposed adjacent to the forklift 180 when the container 100 is mounted on the forklift 180. This soft material may act like a shock absorber to reduce the amount or intensity of shocks imparted to the container 100 by the forklift 180 during movement and/or use of the forklift 180. Within the container 100, components of the container 100 are protected by the walls of the container, and the connections between the container and external components are secured through locking mechanisms. Moreover, the internal components may be welded, glued, fastened, or otherwise secured within the container in a manner that makes them less susceptible to movement and electrical disconnections during use, thereby making the components ruggedized.
Although forklifts 18, 180 are described with respect to
As best illustrated in
Examples of antennas 51 that can provide a sufficiently strong communication connection between the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 and the RFID reader include a squiggle antenna, a squiglette antenna, a squiglette-E antenna, a short squiggle antenna, an express squiggle antenna, or a squig antenna. In particular, the antenna 51 can be an Alien Squiggle version 9740 or 9840, an Alien Document inlay version 9841, an Alien Garment Tag Inlay versions 9827, an AD-661 r6 UHF RFID inlay, or an AD-661 r6-P UHF RFID inlay. The RFID chip 54 can, for example, be a Higgs™ 9 RFID tag IC, a Higgs™-EC RFID tag IC, an Impinj Monza r6, or an Impinj Monza r6-P.
Moreover, the inlay 38 may also have an antenna thickness T1 (
As illustrated in
Further, the first layer 42 includes a length L2 (
It is desirable that the first layer 42 of the claimed location designation RFID tag 30, 32 includes a thickness T3 such that any modification of a floor of the environment to accommodate the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 be minimally laborious and make minimal modification to the floor. Moreover, in the case that the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 is attached to an unmodified floor of the environment, it is desirable that the thickness T3 be such that the forklift 18, 180, or other heavy machinery, moving through the environment may drive over the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 with minimal, or without any, disturbances. So configured, the thickness T3 of the first layer 46 can, for example, be between approximately 0.10 and 1 inches (2.54 and 25.4 mm), between 0.10 and 0.30 inches (2.54 and 7.62 mm), and, more particularly, the thickness T3 of the first layer 42 can be approximately 0.1095 inches (2.78 mm). In some aspects, the thickness T3 may be substantially less than 0.10 inches.
The second layer 46, illustrated in
Further, the second layer 46 includes a length L3 (
Known RFID tags have been used with limited success when placed on a floor (e.g., a concrete floor) of a storage facility because the floor may “detune” the RFID tag, which undesirably inhibits an RFID reader from establishing a strong communication connection with the RFID tag disposed on the floor. Disposing the second layer 46 on the second side 38B of the inlay 38 (i.e., between the floor of the environment 10 and the inlay 38) advantageously creates a barrier between the inlay 38 and the floor, which may prevent, or at least mitigate, detuning of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32. It is therefore important that a thickness T4 of the second layer 46 creates a sufficient barrier between the floor and the inlay 38 to prevent, or at least mitigate, detuning of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32. It has been found that, for example, the thickness T4 (
In some aspects, as illustrated in
Additionally, as illustrated in
After coupling the printing layer 67 to the first layer 42, the first layer 46 to the inlay 38, and the second layer 46 to the inlay 38 (i.e., once the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 is assembled) the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 has an overall thickness T5 (
The assembled location designation RFID tag 30, 32 is subsequently placed in an environment for use in an RFID-based tracking system. Particularly, according to techniques of the present disclosure, the location designation RFID tag can be placed in a recess in the floor of the inventory shipping and storage environment (or other environment) in which the RFID-based tracking system is implemented. The location designation RFID tag 30, 32 may be covered with an epoxy, which may assist in securing the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 and fill any remaining gap between the top of the RFID tag 30, 32 and the floor, to bring the placed RFID tag 30, 32 substantially level with the floor. The epoxy may be a clear epoxy, to allow the printing layer 87 to remain visible to personnel even if covered by the epoxy.
Traditionally, it has been understood that drilling a recess into the floor of the environment to allow the floor to receive the location designation RFID tag carries a number of drawbacks. The heavy construction traditionally required to drill the floor (e.g., to a depth of 0.25 inches or more) and place an RFID tag disadvantageously requires considerable work to add, move, and/or replace the RFID tag around the environment, and may permanently deface the floor of the environment when the floor is to be drilled at least as deep as an overall thickness of the location designation RFID tag. Moreover, even when a location designation RFID tag is placed in a recess of the floor, the floor of the environment surrounding the placed RFID tag may prevent or otherwise inhibit the RFID tag from receiving an interrogation signal from and/or transmitting an interrogation signal to an interrogator (e.g., RFID reader 20).
However, in view of the lesser overall thickness T5 of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 compared to RFID tags traditionally used in the field, the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 of the present disclosure can be placed in the recessed floor with less labor and with less extensive modification to the floor, compared to what has traditionally been understood to be necessary in order to place a location designation RFID tag in a floor of an environment.
Particularly, the recess in the floor may be formed to an equal depth or to a depth not much greater than the overall thickness T5 of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32, such that top of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 is level or close to level with the floor or the environment. The depth of the recess in the floor may be substantially equal to the overall thickness T5 of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32, plus the thickness of the thin bonding layer (e.g., epoxy) securing the location designation RFID tag within the recess. In some aspects, the thickness of the bonding layer is approximately 0.01 inches (0.254 mm), 0.02 inches (0.508 mm), 0.03 inches (0.762 mm), 0.04 inches (1.016 mm), or 0.10 inches (2.54 mm). Accordingly, the depth of the recess containing the placed RFID tag 30, 32 and bonding layer may be approximately 0.02 inches (0.508 mm), 0.03 inches (0.762 mm), 0.04 inches (1.016 mm), 0.10 inches (2.54 mm), or 0.125 inches (3.175 mm). In other possible aspects, the recess or at least a portion thereof may be formed at a depth of between 0.20 and 0.60 inches (5.08 and 15.24 mm), or between 0.30 and 0.40 inches (7.62 and 10.16 mm). Effectively, in any of the above cases, the top of the location designation RFID tag is at or slightly below the level of the floor surrounding the recess.
In some alternative aspects, the recess in the floor may be still yet shallower than the overall thickness T5 of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32, to allow a first portion of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 to be contained within the floor and a second portion of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 to be raised from the floor, with the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 still being secured via the epoxy over and/or around the location designation RFID tag 30, 32. This alternative approach may require less disturbance to the floor of the environment to place the tag, while still potentially reducing disturbance to equipment and/or personnel passing over the placed RFID tag 30.
In aspects where a recess in the floor accommodates a single location designation RFID tag 30, 32, a length and width of the recess may correspond to a length and width of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 (i.e., a largest length or width of a component thereof). For example, in some aspects, the length of the recess is identical to the length L2 or L3 from
In aspects where an elongated recess (or groove) accommodates multiple location designation RFID tags 30, 32, a width of the groove is substantially similar to one of the length or the width of each location designation RFID tag 30, 32. That is, depending on the angular orientation of the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 within the groove, the width of the groove may be substantially equal to the length L2 or L3, or the width W2 or W3. A length of the groove may be determined based on how many location designation RFID tags 30,32 are to be placed within the groove, and based on the locations of and distances between the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 that are to be placed within the groove. Once the location designation RFID tags have been placed within the groove, portions of the groove not occupied by a location designation RFID tag may be filled via an epoxy, another bonding agent, and/or another filler material. Specifically, the unoccupied portions of the groove may be filled such that portions of the groove not occupied by a location designation RFID tag 30, 32 are level with the portions of the groove that are occupied by a location designation RFID tag, as well as with the other areas of the floor in the environment 10.
The individual recesses and/or grooves in the surface of the floor of the environment may be formed via various physical machinery. It is observed, though, that regardless of the machinery chosen, the shallower depth of the recesses of the present disclosure permits the recesses to be performed with less effort and with less heavy machinery, as compared to what has traditionally been understood to be necessary to create a hole of sufficient depth to accommodate an RFID tag for use in an RFID-based inventory tracking system.
Further description of possibilities for sizing, spacing, and angular orientation of location designation RFID tags 30, 32, and the particular components thereof, is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 11,443,158.
In instances where the location designation RFID tag is placed on the unmodified floor, forklifts 34 driving over location designation RFID tags 30, 32 may leave tire marks or debris on the printing layer 67 making it difficult for an individual in the environment 10 to read and/or understand the visual indication on the printing layer 67. Similarly, a forklift operator with a tire of the forklift 18, 180 resting on the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 may unintentionally spin the tires in place (e.g., a burnout) thereby damaging, removing, loosening, and/or repositioning the location designation RFID tag 30, 32. It is therefore desirable in these cases that the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 includes a plurality of lamination layers 87 adhered to the first and second layers 42, 46 that may mitigate, and/or prevent, against such damage, removal, loosening, and/or repositioning. The plurality of lamination layers 87 may also provide protection against the elements such as water, dust, mold, etc. and chemical spills.
For example, as illustrated in
In any case, after assembly, but prior to use, the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 may be programmed, or encoded, so that the RFID reader 20 may properly distinguish and/or identify one location designation RFID tag 30, 32 from another location designation RFID tag 30, 32. In particular, each location designation RFID tag 30, 32 can be encoded with a unique identifier indicative of a particular shelf 12, or bay 14A-X of the shelf 12, using, for example, text encoding, hexadecimal encoding, or serialized global trade item number (“SGTIN”). Once the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 have been encoded, it may not be possible to determine which unique identifier was encoded to which location designation RFID tag 30, 32 without the use of an RFID reader 20. It is therefore desirable that the printing layer 67 include words, letters, numbers, phrases, or any combination thereof, associated with the unique identifier printed, or otherwise disposed, thereon. So configured, the printing layer 67 may provide a visual indication of which unique identifier was encoded thereon and, ultimately, provide a visual indication of where the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 is to be placed within the environment 10.
Turning back to
Once all of the desired location designation RFID tags 30, 32 have been encoded and placed throughout the environment 10, the RFID reader 20 disposed on the forklift 18, 180 uses an antenna 21 disposed thereon to read and detect the information encoded on the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 within range of the antenna 21. In particular, the RFID reader 20 provides power to the antenna 21, which then sends the interrogation signal in the direction that the antenna 21 is facing. The interrogation signal transmits both power and a request signal to the antenna 51 of the location designation RFID tag 30, 32, which transmits both the power and request signal to the RFID chip 54. In response to receiving the request signal, the RFID chip 54 queries the EPC memory for the encoded information stored thereon. In turn, the antenna 51 receives the encoded information from the RFID chip 54 and transmits the interrogation response signal including the encoded information to the antenna 21, which will ultimately transmit the interrogation response signal to the RFID reader 20.
As a result of the issues experienced by known location designation tags discussed above, establishing a strong communication connection between an RFID reader and an RFID tag disposed on the floor has been met with little success. While detuning is, among other factors, what may prevent establishing the strong communication connection, the orientation of an RFID tag relative to an RFID reader plays an important role in establishing a strong communication connection. In particular, the strength of the communication connection established between the RFID reader 20 and the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 depends on the direction at which a signal arrives relative to the plane at which the antenna 51, 21 is disposed. It is therefore important that the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 not only utilize hardware components that provide the RFID reader 20 with the largest feasible surface area to reach and detect, but also to orient the location designation RFID tags 30, 32 in a manner that provides the strongest communication connection as the forklift 18, 180 with the RFID reader 20 travels throughout the environment 10. It has been determined that disposing the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 on the floor of the environment 10 at an orientation that is perpendicular to the direction the direction of travel of the forklift 18, 180 may establish a strong communication connection between the location designation RFID tag 30, 32 and the RFID reader 20 on the forklift.
So configured, the inventory tracking system operates so that, when a product is first introduced into the environment 10, the product 13 is provided with a product designation RFID tag 34. The tag ID and description, or other details, of the product 13 are stored in the asset tracking and management device 26 and in particular in the product and order database 27 in some manner by the tracking application 36. For example, an inventory manager may input this information in response to the arrival of a new product 13. In some cases, the asset tracking and management device 26 may accept a description of or other identification of a product 13, and may store this information in the product and order database 27. Then, when the product 13 arrives in the environment 10, warehouse personnel may use a user interface device 23 (which may or may not be on a forklift 18) to indicate to the tracking application 36 what product has arrived, and the tracking application 36 may store or find the product 13 in the product and order database 27 of the asset tracking and management device 26. The tracking application 36 may then instruct the person, via the user interface device 23, to place an RFID tag on the product 13 and to scan that RFID tag using an RFID reader 20 (or a handheld reader if so desired). The RFID reader 20 may then communicate with the system (e.g., via the user interface device 23 which may or may not be on a forklift 18, 180) to indicate the RFID tag number or ID for the product designation RFID tag 34 placed on the product 13. The tracking application 36 then stores that RFID tag number or ID for that product in the product database 27.
As a result, each product 13 has its own unique product designation RFID tag 34, and that product designation RFID tag 34 may be used to track the location of that product 13 within the storage environment 10. In particular, when a forklift 18, 180 picks up a product 13, for example, at the loading bay 16, the laser or other detection device 40 detects that a product 13 is currently disposed on the forklift 18 (e.g., is resting on the tongs or lift of the forklift 18, 180) and signals this pick-up event to the RFID reader 20. At this time, the detection device 40 may instruct the RFID reader 20 on the forklift 18, 180 to turn on. The RFID reader 20 then turns on the multiple antennas 21A, 21B, and/or 21C and pings or reads the RFID tag ID associated with the product designation RFID tag 34 on the product 13 that is on the forklift 18, 180. The RFID reader 20 sends this RFID tag ID to the user interface device 23 and in particular to the remote tracking application of the user interface device 23, which may then query the tracking application 36 via the wireless network devices 22 and 24, which communicates with the asset tracking and management device 26 and the product and order database 27 to determine what product 13 the forklift operator picked up and where the product 13 needs to go or to determine whether the forklift operated picked up the correct product. In this manner, the detection device 40, the RFID reader 20, and the user interface device 23 detect and inform the tracking application 36 that the product 13 with a particular RFID tag 34 is now on the forklift 18, 180.
As the forklift 18, 180 moves throughout the environment 10, the RFID reader 20, through the use of the antennas 21A, 21B, 21C, also detects the current location of the of the forklift 18, 180 by observing or detecting the closest or nearest location designation RFID tag 30 or 32 associated with one of the shelves 12 or associated with one of the loading bays 16, so long as the forklift 18, 180 has a product 13. If the forklift operator does not have the product 13 on the forklift 18, 180, the RFID reader 20 and the antennas 21A-C may remain turned off, as it may not be necessary to have the RFID reader 20 and antennas 21A-C reading RFID tags 30, 32, and 34 when there is no product 13 on the forklift 18, 180. The RFID tag reader 20 may provide or store the last detected or closest location designation RFID tag as the one with the highest return signal therefrom, but need not communicate this information to the asset tracking and management device 26 until a drop-off action occurs. More particularly, as the forklift operator drives the forklift 18, 180 to a particular bay 14 of one of the shelves 12, the RFID reader 20 in communication with the antennas 21A-C (e.g., antennas 21B, 21C) of the forklift 18, 180 determines the ID of the RFID tag 30 associated with that bay 14 as being the last detected or closest tag 30. The forklift operator may then place the product 13 on one of the shelves 12 in the bay 14 and back away from the product 13, thereby removing the product 13 from the forklift tongs 112 and causing the detection of a drop-off event (e.g., by a weight sensor detecting a decrease in weight, or by a photoelectric sensor detecting that the product 13 is no longer on the forklift tongs 112). That is, at this point, the detection device 40 and the user interface device 23 recognizes that the product 13 has been dropped off of or has been removed from the tongs of the forklift 18, 180 (a drop-off event) and may register that information with the central tracking system 26, along with the current location of the forklift 18 as specified by the last detected location designation RFID tag 30. In particular, the RFID reader 20 or the user interface device 23 sends an identification of the last detected location designation RFID tag ID 30, 32 to the tracking application 36, which will register the product 13 having the product designation RFID tag 34 at that location (e.g., at the bay 14 having the last detected location designation RFID tag 30). As a result, the centralized tracking computer 26 knows, via this communication and detection circuitry, which bay 14 of which shelf 12 upon which a particular product 13 with a particular RFID tag 34 has been placed. The tracking application 36 then stores this information in the product database 27 as being the current location of the product 13.
In some aspects, the forklift 18, 180 may not be equipped with a detection device 40 and, as such, a drop off event cannot be detected by the system. In such an example, the forklift operator can interact with the interface screen 28 of the user interface device 23 by, for example, touching, pressing, swiping, clicking, the interface screen 28 to indicate to the system that a drop off event has occurred. In other examples, the RFID reader 20 can indicate to the user interface device 23 that the RFID reader is no longer locked onto a product 13 and, thus, signal a drop off event to the user interface device 23.
Likewise, when a forklift 18, 180 is used to obtain one of the products 13 off of a shelf 12 and to move the product 13 to a different shelf 12, the same detection and tracking actions take place. That is, when the forklift 18, 180 arrives at a particular shelf 12, the forklift 18, 180 picks up a product 13 off the shelf 12 by placing the product 13 on the tongs 112 of the forklift 18, 180. At that time, the detection device 40 of the forklift 18, 180 recognizes that a product 13 has been placed onto the forklift 18, 180 and turns on the RFID reader 20, which causes the RFID reader 20 of the forklift 18, 180 to then turn on antennas 21A-C and read the tag number or ID of the product designation RFID tag 34 on the product 13 just picked up from the shelf 12. Once the RFID reader 20 locks onto the product 13 just picked up from the shelf 12, the RFID reader 20 then queries the tracking application 36 via the communication devices 22 and 24 with the product 13 information obtained from the product designation RFID tag 34. Then, the RFID reader 20 of the forklift 18, 180 detects the closest location designation RFID tag 30 or 32, using the antennas 21A-C, as the product 13 is moved within the environment 10 to another bay 14, for example. When the product 13 is placed on a shelf 12 at the bay 14, the detection device 40 detects that the product 13 has been removed from the forklift 18, 180 (signaling a drop-off event), and the detection device 40 causes the RFID reader 20 to signal the antennas 21A-C to detect the new location (if it has not already) and registers that new location with the tracking application 36 of the asset tracking and management device 26 by providing the asset tracking and management device 26 with the product tag ID and with the closest or latest detected location designation RFID tag ID 30 or 32. The tracking application 36 then stores this new location information with the product information in the product and order database 27.
In a similar manner, as a forklift 18, 180 delivers a product 13 to a truck via one of the loading bays 16, and when the detection device 40 on the forklift 18 detects a drop-off event (e.g., based on a change in detected weight or from a photoelectric sensor function), the RFID reader 20, through the use of the antennas 21A-C of the forklift 18 reads the closest location designation RFID tag 32 from the closest loading bay 16 and the RFID reader 20 receives and provides that information to the tracking application 36 to indicate that the product 13 with the detected RFID tag has been dropped off or delivered to a particular loading bay 16 (based on the location designation RFID tag 32 of the bay 16).
As will be understood, when a particular order is to be implemented (i.e., a product or group of products 13 are to be placed on a truck to be delivered to a customer, for example), the tracking application 36 may generate a signal to a user interface device 23 on one of the forklifts 18, 180 telling the forklift operator to pick up a particular product 13 and deliver that product 13 to a particular loading bay 16 to be placed on a particular truck which will be accepting the product 13 for delivery of the order. In this case, the tracking application 26 may provide the forklift operator with an indication of the bay 14 at which the product 13 is located based on the last known position of the product 13 as stored by the product and order database 27. The forklift operator may then drive the forklift 18, 180 to the appropriate bay 14, find the product 13, and pick up the product 13 using the forklift 18, 180 thereby generating a pick-up event. Thus, at this time, the detection device 40 on the forklift 18, 180 detects the presence of a product 13 on the forklift 18 and may turn on the RFID reader 20 of the forklift 18, 180. The RFID reader 20 then turns on the antennas 21A-C and signals the antennas 21A-C to read the RFID tag ID associated with the product designation RFID tag 34 on the product 13. The RFID reader 20 may communicate that information directly, or via the user interface device 23, to the tracking application 36 using the communication network devices 22, 24 and queries the tracking application 36. The tracking application 36 then determines whether the RFID tag ID associated with the product 13 that is now currently on the forklift 18 is the correct RFID tag ID for the actual product 13 associated with the order that is being implemented (using the order and product information in the database 27). The application 36 then sends information indicative of this analysis to the user interface device 23 on the forklift 18, 180 informing the forklift operator whether the correct product for the order is now on the forklift 18, 180.
If the forklift operator has picked up an incorrect product for the order, the user interface device 23 may indicate to the operator that the wrong product is on the forklift 18, 180 using any desired method, such as by flashing a red screen and sounding an audible alarm, providing a message on the screen of the user interface device, etc. In particular, the user interface device 23 may display a red error box and emit a first audible alarm, for example, to the forklift operator to indicate that the incorrect product has been picked up for the order that is being implemented. On the other hand, if the correct product is on the forklift 18, 180, the user interface device 23 may indicate a message to the operator, flash or causes the screen to turn a particular color, such as green for example, and/or sound an audible signal indicating that the correct product for the order being implemented is on the forklift 18, 180. In particular, the user interface device 23 may display a green box and emit a second audible alarm, for example, to the forklift operator to indicate that the correct product has been picked up for the order that is being implemented.
After the forklift operator picks up the correct product and receives, for example, a green screen and audible alarm, or other indication on the user interface device 23 to proceed, the forklift operator then drives to one of the loading bays 16 to deliver the product 13 to a truck. The RFID reader 20 on the forklift 18, 180 may turn on the antennas 21A-C (if not on already) and signal the antennas 21A-C to determine the position of the forklift 18, 180 as it approaches a particular loading bay 16 by reading the location designation RFID tags 32 associated with each loading bay 16 as the forklift 18, 180 passes the loading bays 16. The user interface device 23 or the RFID reader 20 may communicate this location information to the tracking application 36 which may determine if the loading bay 16 being detected is the loading bay 16 at which the product 13 is to be placed on a truck for this order, and may send the results of the determination to the user interface device 23 of the forklift 18, 180 in real time, to thereby instruct the forklift operator if he or she is at the correct loading bay 16. In another case, when the forklift 18, 180 goes up to or onto a truck at a loading bay 16 and performs a drop-off event, the user interface device 23 or the RFID tag reader 20 of the forklift 18, 180 may send the current location of the forklift 18, 180 (based on the currently detected or last detected location designation RFID tag 32) to the tracking application 36 which determines if the forklift 18, 180 is at the correct loading bay 16 for the order being implemented. Thus, the tracking application 36 determines whether the forklift 18, 180 is near or at the appropriate loading bay 16 that is associated with the truck that is actually used for delivering the product 13 sitting on the forklift 18, 180 for the order that is being implemented. In any event, the tracking application 36 sends a signal to the user interface device 23 of the forklift 18, 180 to indicate to the forklift operator that the forklift 18, 180 is at the wrong truck or loading bay 16 or that the forklift 18, 180 is at the correct truck or loading bay 16. The tracking application 36 or the user interface device 23 may use any desired mechanism for notifying the forklift operator of this determination, such as by flashing red or green signals to the user, by sounding an audible alarm or signal, etc., to tell the forklift operator that he or she is at the correct or incorrect truck or loading bay 16. In particular, the user interface device 23 may display a purple box and emit an audible alarm, for example, to the forklift operator to indicate that the correct product has been delivered to the correct truck or loading bay 16. In this manner, the centralized asset tracking and management device 26 directs the forklift operator to pick up the appropriate product 13 for an order, may indicate that the appropriate or non-appropriate product 13 for a particular order is actually on the forklift 18, 180, direct the forklift operator to the appropriate loading bay 16 to which to take the product 13 for an order, and track and indicate to the forklift operator that the product 13 is being dropped off at the correct loading bay 16, based on the RFID tag location information and the RFID product tag information sent to the tracking application 36 from the forklift 18, 180 during operation of the forklift 18, 180.
Additional description regarding the operation of an RFID-based tracking system using location designation RFID tags, including description of example user interfaces associated with the functionalities described in the foregoing, is found in each of U.S. Pat. No. 11,358,067 filed May 22, 2020, and U.S. Pat. No. 11,023,851, filed Mar. 29, 2019.
Finally, although certain systems and assemblies have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, while the disclosed systems and assemblies have been shown and described in connection with various examples, it is apparent that certain changes and modifications, in addition to those mentioned above, may be made. This patent application covers all examples of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents. Accordingly, it is the intention to protect all variations and modifications that may occur to one of ordinary skill in the art.
