US 12,013,474 B2
Methods and apparatus for locating RFID tags
Spencer Hewett, New York, NY (US); Adam Blair, New York, NY (US); Ken Seiff, New York, NY (US); Michael Murphy, Brooklyn, NY (US); Mark Wieman, Seattle, WA (US); and Tamara Adlin, Seattle, WA (US)
Assigned to Automaton, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by Automaton, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 11, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/199,308.
Application 17/199,308 is a continuation of application No. 16/717,249, filed on Dec. 17, 2019, granted, now 11,408,965.
Application 16/717,249 is a continuation of application No. 16/579,949, filed on Sep. 24, 2019, granted, now 11,215,691.
Application 16/579,949 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2018/024950, filed on Mar. 28, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/577,530, filed on Oct. 26, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/477,796, filed on Mar. 28, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0199747 A1, Jul. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 5/02 (2010.01); G01S 5/04 (2006.01); G06K 7/10 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 5/02 (2013.01) [G01S 5/0218 (2020.05); G01S 5/0273 (2013.01); G01S 5/0294 (2013.01); G01S 5/04 (2013.01); G06K 7/10297 (2013.01); G06K 7/10465 (2013.01)] 43 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of locating a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag with an RFID tag location system comprising an antenna array operably coupled to a processor, the method comprising:
in a training phase,
for each of a plurality of reference RFID tags, measuring, with the antenna array, a reference signature representing radio-frequency (RF) power received by the antenna array from the reference RFID tag, each reference RFID tag being at a known location; and
in an operational phase after the training phase,
measuring, with the antenna array, a signature representing RF power received by the antenna array from an RFID tag at an unknown location;
comparing the signature to a previously measured signature of the RFID tag;
in response to the signature not matching the previously measured signature, performing a comparison of the signature to the reference signatures; and
determining, based on the comparison, an estimated position of the RFID tag relative to the known location of at least one of reference RFID tag in the plurality of reference RFID tags.