US 12,117,548 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. 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/199,836.
Application 17/199,836 is a continuation of application No. 17/199,308, filed on Mar. 11, 2021.
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 2021/0199748 A1, Jul. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 5/02 (2010.01); G01S 5/04 (2006.01); G06K 7/10 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 5/0218 (2020.05) [G01S 5/02 (2013.01); 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)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of locating a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, the method comprising:
receiving, with an antenna array, a reference RFID signal from a reference RFID tag in a known location;
determining a receptivity pattern of the antenna array based on the reference RFID signal;
receiving, with the antenna array, an RFID signal from an RFID tag in an unknown location; and
determining a location of the RFID tag based on the RFID signal and the receptivity pattern of the antenna array,
wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises:
correcting the RFID signal and the receptivity pattern of the antenna array to yield a true RFID signal, the true RFID signal comprising a plurality of peaks;
identifying a first peak in the plurality of peaks as corresponding to a line-of-sight (LOS) path between the RFID tag and the antenna array; and
estimating the location of the RFID tag based on at least one of a length or an angle of arrival associated with the LOS path.