CN1711564B - RF identification tag for communicating condition information associated with an item - Google Patents

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a radio frequency identification tag configured to transmit at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) associated with at least one item, the dynamic EPC being configured to include at least a variable portion based on at least one detectable condition associated with said at least one item.

Description

RFID tags used to communicate condition information associated with items

technical field

The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for communicating information about one or more detectable conditions associated with an item. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a radio frequency (RF) identification system that employs a dynamic Electronic Product Code (EPC) of variable content and/or length to indicate information about one or more conditions associated with an item. the

Background technique

Automatic identification (Auto-ID) technology generally involves using the Internet to track goods in a manufacturing process and/or supply chain (eg, from manufacturer to distributor to point of sale). An infrastructure envisioned for implementing the described automatic identification technology to transmit information about physical objects via the Internet consists of four main components: 1) electronic tags; 2) electronic product codes (EPC); 3) object naming services (ONS); and 4) Physical Markup Language (PML). the

Electronic tags are typically in the form of a small chip that is attached to or integrated with the item to be tracked. Such tags may use a family of technologies that facilitate the wireless transfer of data between the tagged object or item and an electronic reader. For example, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have small wireless antennas that are capable of transmitting data over a short range. When coupled to a network of RF readers, such RFID tags facilitate tracking and identification of tagged items throughout a manufacturing process or all or part of a supply chain/distribution network. the

In order to uniquely identify tagged objects, a naming system called Electronic Product Code (EPC) has been developed. The EPC was created to accommodate current and future naming methods, and is intended to be universally and globally accepted as a means for linking physical objects to computer networks and serving as an efficient information reference. The unique EPC assigned to the item to be tracked is typically "burned" into the memory/storage of the RFID tag as an immobilized binary number. Currently, EPCs are typically 64 or 96 bits long. The EPC bit string is intended to uniquely identify an item by encoding, for example, the manufacturer, the product type and the product serial number.

It should be understood that the EPC in the RFID tag does not vary as the item to which the tag is attached goes through the manufacturing process and/or supply chain; in particular, the RFID tag is designed to transmit as a fixed length and fixed content The EPC representation of the "Information Payload" to the RF reader or receiver. When interrogated (i.e. when passed by an RF reader), the RFID tag wirelessly transmits a representation of the EPC to the reader, which in turn passes the received information on to one or more other On processing equipment for decoding received information and subsequent routing. In the prior art, components on the Object Naming Service (ONS) and PML servers, such as savant, decode the tags. the

The Object Naming Service (ONS) is the "glue" linking the Electronic Product Code (EPC) with one or more associated data files containing information about the tagged item. More specifically, the ONS is an automated network service that, when given an EPC, returns one or more network addresses at which one or more data files corresponding to the tagged item can be is positioned. In a typical system configuration, the ONS is accessible by a computer local to the RF reader (and which provides user access to the system). The ONS is based on the concept of a standard Domain Name Service (DNS) for identifying website addresses corresponding to website names. For example, in a manner similar to that employed by the DNS, the ONS analyzes the EPC to decode specific information in specific fields of the EPC (e.g., the Manufacturer ID, as shown in FIG. 1 ) to return (eg to a processor local to the RF reader) the appropriate address where the data is located. the

The Physical Markup Language (PML) is a standardized language protocol in which network information about physical objects is written. PML is essentially an XML-based language for codifying information about physical objects, and is designed to standardize the description of physical objects for use by both humans and machines. On the one hand, PML serves as a common basis for software applications, data storage and analysis tools for industry and trade. Once the ONS decodes the EPC as discussed above, it returns (e.g. to a local processor) one or more addresses to a PML server comprising one or more databases containing information about the tagged item One or more files of information. The local processor may then forward all or part of the EPC to the PML server, which in turn further processes the EPC to access information about the tagged item in the database. The PML server provides a standardized data output of the information using PML, which is typically forwarded back to the location of the RF reader (eg a local processor) for user analysis. the

Additional details of the automatic identification techniques can be found in the following publications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference:

"The Electronic Product Code (EPC), A Naming Scheme for Physical Objects," David L. Brock, MIT Auto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 4490, Cambridge, MA 02 139-4307, Published on January 1, 2001;

"The Compact Electronic Product Code, a 64-bit Representation of the Electronic Product Code," David L. Brock, MIT Auto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 449G, Cambridge, MA02139-4307 , published on November 1, 2001;

"The Virtual Electronic Product Code," David L. Brock, MIT Auto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 4490, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, published February 1, 2002;

"The Object Name Service, Version 0.5 (Beta)," Oat Systems and MITAuto-ID Center White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 449G, Cambridge, MA 02 139-4307, published February 2002 1 day;

"The Savant, Version 0.1 (Alpha)," Oat Systems and MIT Auto-IDCenter White Paper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 4490, Cambridge, MA 02 139-4307, published February 1, 2002; as well as

"On the design A Global Unique Identification Scheme," Daniel W. Engels, MIT Auto-ID Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 3, 4490, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, published June 1, 2002. the

Contents of the invention

One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a radio frequency (RF) identification tag configured to transmit at least one dynamic Electronic Product Code (EPC) associated with at least one item, said at least one dynamic EPC being configured to include At least a portion of the at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item described above is variable. the

Detailed ways

One embodiment of the present invention extends the concept of a fixed Electronic Product Code (EPC) to allow it to convey information about one or more conditions associated with an item. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of dynamic EPC according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, besides manufacturer or source information, product type, product serial number, etc., the dynamic EPC can include variable parts that are dynamically updated (e.g., by a processor in the RFID tag) to Contains information about one or more conditions associated with the item. The variable part can be any one or more of the manufacturer/source, product type or serial number fields. As shown in Figure 1, it is a variable serial number field. According to various aspects, this variable portion may be substantially real-time, periodically at some predetermined interval, upon the occurrence of a particular event (such as one or more conditions exceeding a predetermined threshold), and/or when storing the EPC An RFID tag is updated when queried by an RF reader. Thus, in various aspects of this embodiment, the EPC may vary based on one or more conditions associated with the item or its environment. Although the dynamic EPC shown in FIG. 1 includes separate fields for manufacturer/source ID and product type, the dynamic EPC can alternatively combine manufacturer/source ID and product type into a single field , known as a Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). the

Additionally, it should be understood that the present invention of making variable and dynamic portions of a field or fields of an EPC may be applied to any now known or hereafter accepted EPC. For example, an EPC now under consideration that includes fields with location, vehicle identification number (VIN), other product identification number, or the like can employ the dynamic EPC concept of the present invention. One or more of these fields may include variable and dynamic portions to indicate a change in state or condition. the

In another embodiment of the present invention, such dynamic EPCs can be processed with the same reader and network infrastructure as used for existing RFID tags (eg configured for use with static EPCs). In particular, as discussed above, like static EPCs, dynamic EPCs can be analyzed in a manner similar to that conventionally employed for Internet website addresses (ie, using incremental/ranked analysis). For example, ONS can decode special fields of the dynamic EPC related to manufacturer or source ID and return address to PML server for further processing of the dynamic EPC. At the PML server, one or more other fields of the EPC may be decoded, which may provide information to the PML server on how to subsequently decode one or more remaining fields of the dynamic EPC. These remaining fields may have variable length and/or content. For example, referring again to FIG. 1, the PML server may look at the serial number field of the EPC to determine a way to analyze/decode/interpret one or more subsequent fields containing information about the condition of the item or related to the Additional information about the item described. the

Information encoded in the dynamic EPC regarding one or more conditions associated with the item may be used for an overall quality assessment of the item based on such factors including, but not limited to, for example perishable products Temperature monitoring, weight monitoring, shock monitoring, remaining shelf life prediction, and downtime indicated by the refrigerator. More generally, information encoded in a dynamic EPC according to various embodiments of the invention may relate to any one or more aspects or characteristics of the item itself, including elements of item history, environment, geographic location, and the like. In various aspects of the invention, the implementation of the dynamic EPC particularly facilitates the monitoring of perishable products, products intended for human or animal consumption or use, agricultural products, medical products as they pass through the manufacturing and supply/distribution chain (such as medicines, vaccines, etc.) and the status of other products. the

An overall system for handling such a dynamic EPC is shown in FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 2, the tag processor of the RFID tag may periodically monitor one or more sensors to obtain information about conditions associated with the item. In various embodiments, one or more sensors may be built-in with the tag itself. The tag processor can be configured to use this information to determine if any alarm conditions have been triggered. If so, the tag processor may modify one or more appropriate bits in the EPC stored in memory to indicate that an alarm condition has occurred. For example, the tag processor may use sensor values to update any counters represented in one or more bits of the EPC to indicate refrigerator downtime, trip length, etc. the

More generally, various examples of information that may be encoded in a dynamic EPC as "raw" data or as information that has been generated by a tag processor based on one or more measured conditions include, but are not limited to, temperature-related information (such as actual temperature, average temperature, mean kinetic temperature, time above or below a specific temperature or temperature range or within a specific temperature range), from some event (such as a tag being used by a user or being RF elapsed time since reader activation e.g. to indicate start of a monitoring period), weight related information, geographic/location related information, information related to physical conditions (e.g. impact/vibration/deformation, etc.), Stored container/package information (e.g. was the container/package opened at some point, where, for how long, etc.), and various alarms related to any one or more of the foregoing or other factors associated with the item instruct. From the foregoing, it should be understood that a tag processor of an RFID tag configured to support dynamic EPC may perform a number of processing functions associated with one or more pieces of raw/measured/sensed data to generate the final dynamic EPC Information represented in some form. It should be understood that the foregoing examples are provided primarily for purposes of illustration, and that the invention is not limited in these respects. the

Turning again to FIG. 2, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when a dynamic EPC RFID tag is entered into the field of an RFID reader, the reader transmits a signal to the tag requesting its EPC. The RF interface in the tag reads the current value of the EPC and transmits it to the reader. The reader receives the tag's transmission and passes the EPC to a local processor. The local processor then queries an ONS resolver to find the Internet IP address of the PML server storing data related to the item represented by the dynamic EPC. For example, as discussed above, the ONS resolver decodes part of the dynamic EPC (e.g., the manufacturer ID), uses it to determine the IP address of the appropriate PML server, and communicates this IP address back to The local processor, which then sends the dynamic EPC to the PML server. the

In addition to the foregoing, the local processor may also transmit to the PML server some information related to the RF reader receiving the EPC; for example, in one embodiment, the RF reader may be communicated with associated with some form of identification passed by the local processor to the PML server. This identification could be, for example, the serial number of the RF reader or some indication of geographic location. In an aspect, the RF reader identification itself may be in the form of a static or dynamic EPC; in the case of a dynamic EPC, information about the status/operating conditions of the RF reader itself Identification/geographical information associated with the RF reader may be added to or replaced. In the case of a dynamic EPC for the reader, part of a field or fields of that dynamic reader EPC will be variable. That section will contain information that can be changed dynamically to indicate a change in the state of the reader itself. Additionally, information related to the version of software or firmware running on the RF reader may be communicated in the RF reader identification. In this manner, it should be understood that according to an embodiment, the local processor may provide the PML server with the first dynamic EPC related to the item, accompanied by additional information, such as the second dynamic EPC, related to obtaining the The RF reader of the first dynamic EPC. the

Upon receiving a communication from the local processor, the PML server next decodes the dynamic EPC associated with the item to determine tag identification and information (e.g., status information) associated with the item to which the tag is attached . The dynamic EPC PML server can also store the current date and time, the tag identification, and the status information in a database for later reporting and analysis. If the local processor also provides the PML server with some information about the RF reader (eg identifier, static or dynamic EPC, etc.), the PML server can similarly store this information. the

The PML server then sends back to the local processor an XML packet based on the dynamic EPC, which includes the item ID and the information related to the item and/or its environment (if such information is provided including the RF reader described above). The local processor causes the information to be either displayed (eg to an operator) or forwarded to another computer for further processing. the

As described in FIG. 2, one or both of the ONS parser and the PML server may be located at various locations relative to the RFID reader and local processor. the

It should be appreciated that the various aspects of the invention as discussed above may be implemented in any number of ways, as the invention is not limited to any particular way of being implemented. Examples of specific implementations are provided here for illustrative purposes only. the

For example, it should be understood that in other embodiments of the invention, the concept of a dynamic EPC is extended to a more general item identifier having at least one portion of variable content and or length based on one or more conditions associated with the item. . In particular, in one embodiment, a method for monitoring one or more sensed raw conditions (e.g., temperature, time, location, other environmental conditions, etc.), processing said sensed conditions, and modifying dynamic The intelligence of the identifier is fully contained in the identification tag to be affixed, attached, integrated or otherwise associated with the item. Additionally, in other embodiments, such a dynamic identifier may be communicated from the identification tag using techniques other than RF. the

Additionally, it should be understood that such identification tags may be associated with a wide range of items including, but not limited to, individual items, collections of items (a stock of items), containers for one or more items (such as shipping containers) , vehicles, people, etc. Additionally, examples of various types of conditions that may be sensed and processed by such tags and encoded with dynamic identifiers include, but are not limited to, various environmental conditions, including temperature and humidity, geographic location, pressure (e.g. vibration or impact), time, movement, speed, direction, lighting conditions, etc. Additionally, one or more processors integrated with such identification tags may be configured to monitor raw conditions and provide information encoded with dynamic identifiers based on predetermined thresholds being exceeded by one or more monitored conditions. the

Based on the more general concepts outlined above, a wide range of applications for dynamic identifiers are contemplated in accordance with various aspects of the invention. For example, in one embodiment, a food item such as a bottle of milk may include a tag configured with a dynamic identifier that can indicate whether the milk has been exposed to undesirable temperature conditions. In one aspect of this embodiment, when a label attached to the bottle of milk is scanned, for example at a checkout counter, a local processor at the checkout counter can indicate based on the scanned identity whether the milk are exposed to suboptimal temperature conditions, and the result is likely to be of poor quality. In yet another embodiment, an electronic record sticker with a variable color display can be configured with a label that includes a dynamic identifier capable of indicating an elapsed time from a certain date. In one aspect of this embodiment, a counter may be employed to change one or more bits of the dynamic identifier to indicate the passage of a particular time period. For example, the record sticker may be configured to cause a processor integrated with the sticker to periodically monitor the dynamic identifier, and to cause the sticker when the dynamic identifier indicates that eleven months have passed yellow when the dynamic identifier indicates that twelve months have elapsed (for example indicating expiration of the sticker). the

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a dynamic identifier (eg, a dynamic EPC) may change based on changing conditions throughout the supply/distribution chain. In particular, in various applications, dynamic identifiers may be changed to indicate late shipments, early shipments or duplicate shipments. the

For example, in one scenario, a box of goods is ordered from a supplier, and two identical boxes are inadvertently shipped by the supplier. Each box is configured with a label including a dynamic identifier. The first box is received and accepted. The second box is received at a later time, such as the next day, and the recipient realizes that it is a duplicate. At this point the tag is configured to enable the recipient to program the dynamic identifier to indicate that the recipient is now the sender, and that the original sender is now the recipient, so the Duplicate boxes can be shipped back to their original location. In another scenario, a box of shipments arrives at their destination early, and a label attached to the shipment, including a dynamic identifier, is programmed so that the dynamic identifier can be used at a later time period (e.g., three days, three weeks) etc.) indicates that the early arrival should be put back into the flow of goods in the supply chain. the

It should be understood that the foregoing examples are provided primarily for purposes of illustration and that all combinations of the foregoing concepts are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of said inventive subject matter. the

Having thus described a few illustrative embodiments of the invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to be limiting. It should be understood that, although not described here, the present invention contemplates covering EPCs having additional memory for identifying said tags and having additional memory for storing additional information. This is selectable by the 64-bit or 96-bit embodiments described.

Claims (24)

1. A radio frequency identification tag, comprising: at least one storage element for storing at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) associated with at least one item; at least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory element, and configured to periodically monitor information related to at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item, process information related to the at least one detectable condition, and at least in part Updating the at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC based on the processed information; Wherein said radio frequency identification tag is configured to transmit said at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC, said at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC configured to include at least a portion variable at least in part based on said at least one detectable condition. 2. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein said at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) further comprises a fixed portion, said fixed portion comprising at least one of the following: a first identifier relating to the source of at least one of the items mentioned above; a second identifier of the type of product that relates to at least one of the above items; and A third identifier relating to the serial number of said at least one item. 3. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein said at least one detectable condition includes at least one temperature associated with said at least one item, and wherein at least one variable portion of said at least one dynamic Electronic Product Code (EPC) includes said at least one At least one representation of a temperature. 4. The RF identification tag of claim 3, wherein said at least one detectable condition includes at least one freeze condition associated with said at least one item, and wherein at least one variable portion of said at least one Dynamic Electronic Product Code (EPC) includes said at least one At least one indication of a freezing condition. 5. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein said at least one detectable condition relates to the shelf life of said at least one item, and wherein at least one variable portion of said at least one dynamic Electronic Product Code (EPC) includes at least one variable portion related to said shelf life. a representation. 6. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein said at least one detectable condition relates to at least one collision to which said at least one item is subjected, and wherein at least one variable portion of said at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) includes At least one representation of a collision. 7. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein said at least one storage element is configured to store said at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) as a variable binary number. 8. The RF identification tag of claim 7, wherein said variable binary number comprises at least 64 bits. 9. The RF identification tag of claim 7, wherein said variable binary number comprises at least 96 bits. 10. The RF identification tag of claim 7, wherein said variable binary number comprises at least 128 bits. 11. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein at least one variable portion of said at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) includes at least one first field to include at least one indication of an alarm condition. 12. The RF identification tag of claim 11, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to determine based on said processed information whether said alarm condition has occurred, and to provide an indication in said first field based on said alarm condition. 13. The RF identification tag of claim 12, wherein at least one variable portion of said at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) includes a second field to include a counter related to at least one time-based parameter associated with said at least one item At least one representation. 14. The RF identification tag of claim 13, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to update at least one representation of the counter based on said processed information. 15. The RF identification tag of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor coupled to said at least one processor to provide information related to said at least one detectable condition. 16. The RF identification tag of claim 15, further comprising an RF interface circuit coupled to said at least one processor and configured to generate at least one RF signal to transmit said at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) by wireless transmission . 17. The RF identification tag of claim 16, wherein said tag is configured as an integrated circuit chip. 18. The RF identification tag of claim 17, wherein said RF identification tag is associated with said at least one item. 19. The RF identification tag of claim 18, wherein said RF identification tag is integrated with said at least one item. 20. The RF identification tag of claim 19, wherein said RF identification tag is affixed to said at least one item. 21. The RF identification tag of claim 19, wherein said RF identification tag is embedded in said at least one item. 22. A radio frequency identification tag signal processing system, comprising: at least one local processor configured to process at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) associated with at least one radio frequency (RF) identification tag of an item, wherein said radio frequency (RF) identification tag associated with said at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC is configured to include: at least one memory element for storing said at least one dynamic electronic product code having a variable portion based at least in part on at least one detectable condition associated with said at least one item, and a tag processor coupled to the memory element and configured to periodically monitor information related to the at least one detectable condition, process the information related to the at least one detectable condition, and update the At least one Dynamic Electronic Product Code (EPC); and Said at least one local processor comprises a Physical Markup Language PML parser to decode said at least one dynamic Electronic Product Code EPC and obtain information relating to at least one detectable condition associated with said at least one item. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein said Physical Markup Language PML parser is configured to be identified by at least one address, wherein said at least one Dynamic Electronic Product Code (EPC) includes an address related to said Physical Markup Language PML parser at least one fixed portion, and wherein the above system further comprises: at least one RF identification tag reader to receive at least one signal conveying said at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC; an Object Naming Service ONS parser coupled to said at least one RF identification tag reader to decode at least a portion of received at least one dynamic Electronic Product Code EPC to determine at least one address of said Physical Markup Language PML parser; and At least one router to direct said at least one Dynamic Electronic Product Code EPC to said Physical Markup Language PML parser based on at least one address determined by said Object Naming Service ONS parser. 24. A radio frequency identification tag comprising: at least one storage device storing at least one dynamic identifier associated with at least one item, said at least one dynamic identifier being configured to include at least one variable portion having at least one detectable At least one of variable content and variable length of the status, wherein the at least one dynamic identifier includes at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC; at least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory device, and configured to periodically monitor information related to the at least one detectable condition, process the information related to the at least one detectable condition, and based at least in part on the processed information to updating said at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC so as to refresh said at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC based on at least one change in at least one detectable condition associated with said at least one item; said at least one detectable condition includes at least one temperature associated with said at least one item; at least one variable portion of said at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC comprising at least one representation of said at least one temperature; The at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC further includes a fixed part, and the fixed part includes at least one of the following: a first identifier relating to the source of at least one of the items mentioned above; a second identifier of the type of product that relates to at least one of the above items; and a third identifier relating to the serial number of at least one of the items mentioned above; The at least one storage device is configured to store the at least one dynamic electronic product code EPC as a variable binary number; and The variable binary number described above includes at least 64 bits.