Method and Apparatus Pertaining to the Identification of Physical-Local Discrepancies in Statistics-Based RFID-Tag Information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016188931-A1
Application number	US-201615062947-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 7, 2016
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

These teachings are suitable for use in conjunction with a process having access to both coverage information that maps the coverage area for each of a plurality of RFID-tag readers to physical locations within a given monitored facility and historical-read information for a population of RFID tags, and that uses that historical-read information and that coverage information to automatically determine the physical location of RFID tags. In particular, these teachings generally provide for accessing supplemental information regarding physical locations for at least some of those RFID tags and then comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies. By one approach those physical-location discrepancies are used to adjust the automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined to thereby improve accuracy of the automated process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
by a control circuit:
accessing automatically-determined physical location information as corresponds to a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag objects within a given facility, wherein the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined using:
coverage information that maps an RFID-tag read coverage area for each of a plurality of fixed-location RFID-tag readers to physical locations within the given facility; and
historical-read information by the RFID-tag readers as corresponds to at least some of the RFID tags;
accessing supplemental information regarding physical locations for at least some of the RFID tags, wherein the supplemental information comprises:
object location information received through location reviews of the facility from customers; and

comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information further comprises:
location and inventory information gleaned from handheld-based optical-code readers deployed in the facility.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the historical-read information comprises, at least in part, RFID-system metrics along with tag-specific information and corresponding timestamps as correspond to RFID-tag reader reads of individual ones of at least some of the RFID tags.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the RFID-system metrics include at least one of:
a particular RFID-tag reader;
a particular RFID-tag reader antenna;
a particular RFID-tag reader logical antenna;
a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value;
a received signal phase angle; and
a total number of reads.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies comprises comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies of greater than a predetermined magnitude.

6 . The method of claim 5 further comprising:
using the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined to thereby improve accuracy of the automated process.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein using the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined comprises automatically using the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined.

8 . An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of RFID tags with a given facility; and a control circuit configured to: access automatically-determined physical location information as corresponds to a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags within a given facility, wherein the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined using: coverage information that maps a coverage area for each of a plurality of fixed-location RFID-tag readers to physical locations within the given facility; and historical-read information as corresponds to at least some of the RFID tags; access supplemental information regarding physical locations for at least some of the RFID tags, wherein the supplemental information comprises: information received through location reviews from customers; and compare the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the supplemental information further comprises:
information gleaned from handheld-based optical-code readers.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the historical-read information comprises, at least in part, RFID-system metrics along with tag-specific information and corresponding timestamps as correspond to RFID-tag reader reads of individual ones of at least some of the RFID tags.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the RFID-system metrics include at least one of:
a particular RFID-tag reader;
a particular RFID-tag reader antenna;
a particular RFID-tag reader logical antenna;
a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value;
a received signal phase angle; and
a total number of reads.

12 . The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the control circuit is configured to compare the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies by comparing the automatically-determined physical location information with the supplemental information to thereby identify physical-location discrepancies of greater than a predetermined magnitude.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the control circuit is further configured to automatically use the physical-location discrepancies to adjust an automated process by which the automatically-determined physical location information is automatically determined to thereby improve accuracy of the automated process.

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Jones Nicholaus A
• Ouyang Jie

Classifications

• G06K7/10099 Primary

  the directional field being used for pinpointing the location of the record carrier, e.g. for finding or locating an RFID tag amongst a plurality of RFID tags, each RFID tag being associated with an object, e.g. for physically locating the RFID tagged object in a warehouse · CPC title

• G01S5/14

  Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location · CPC title

• G06K7/10366 Primary

  the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications · CPC title

• G06K7/10475

  arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title