Techniques are provided to estimate the location of an RFID tag using tag read information, such as a tag read count or a tag read rate, and an opportunity metric, such as an inventory cycle duration, inventory cycle rate, or inventory cycle count. A tag tracking system determines read information for a tag in a zone and an opportunity metric associated with the tag and the zone. The tag tracking system then computes a success rate based on the tag read information and opportunity metric, and uses the success rate to estimate the location of the tag.

An industrial system includes an electronic badge worn or otherwise transported by an industrial vehicle operator. The electronic badge has a housing, a processor, and a transceiver coupled to the processor that communicates on a personal-area network with a badge communicator that is provided on an industrial vehicle when the electronic badge and the badge communicator are in range of each other. Further, an activity sensor collects activity information about the industrial vehicle operator as the industrial vehicle operator performs work tasks. The electronic badge exchanges data collected by the activity sensor with the industrial vehicle, for communication to a remote server. An electronic message is communicated to the industrial vehicle for output to a display thereon, and the electronic message defines an assigned task that is based upon previously collected data from the activity sensor.

Disclosed in the present application is a wireless power receiver comprising: a power pickup unit configured to receive, in a power transfer phase, wireless power generated by magnetic coupling from a wireless power transmitter; and a communications/control unit configured to transfer, in a negotiation phase, a first end-of-power-transfer (EPT) packet to the wireless power transmitter for detecting an RFID/NFC card, and to detect the RFID/NFC card during a re-ping time secured on the basis of the first EPT packet, wherein the first EPT packet instructs requesting the removal of a power signal for a predetermined time. As the process for detecting communication cards, such as RFID or NFC, between the wireless power transmitter and receiver is clearly defined, such RFID/NFC cards can be protected against getting destroyed by the wireless power, and a stable wireless power transfer can be achieved.

Approaches for determining a location of an animal based on RSSI. An embodiment includes a method, comprising: receiving a first reading of an electronic animal identification tag attached to an animal from a first electronic tag reader; calculating a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for the first reading; and determining a location of the animal based on the RSSI. Another embodiment includes a method, comprising: receiving a first reading of a first electronic animal identification tag attached to a first animal; calculating a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for the first reading; receiving a second reading of a second 10 electronic animal identification tag attached to a second animal; calculating an RSSI for the second reading; and determining the location of the first animal based on the RSSI of the first reading and the RSSI of the second reading.

Disclosed is a method for determining a type of an object arranged in a radio frequency, RF, field transmitted by an NFC reader device. This method involves analyzing the oscillatory behavior in the NFC reader device, after the RF field transmitted by the reader has been switched off, using a decomposition scheme with a degree M for decomposing a decay signal trace into M superimposed components. The method involves predetermining the decomposition scheme with a degree M for decomposing a decay signal trace into M superimposed components, e.g. weighted oscillation components, wherein each one of said M superimposed components is defined by a predetermined superimposition function, which in turn is determined by an associated set of characteristic parameters, and storing, e.g. in a database that is accessible for the P&E unit, an indication of the decomposition scheme and the M predetermined superimposition functions.

More flexible contactless communication is made possible. There is provided an information processing apparatus including a detection unit that detects a position of a device to be detected relative to a detection surface, a first communication unit that performs contactless communication with the device on the basis of the position, and a second communication unit that performs predetermined communication with an information processing terminal on the basis of acquisition of identification information of the device based on the contactless communication.

A wireless tag communication device includes an antenna, a communication control circuit, a camera, a sensor, and a processor. The antenna has directivity. The communication control circuit communicates with a wireless tag via the antenna. The camera captures an image in which a direction in which the directivity of the antenna is maximized coincides with a capturing direction. The sensor detects brightness in a first image captured by the camera. The processor calculates a detection position of a wireless tag as a search target in the first image and displays on a display the first image and a second image in which the first image is masked with a mask density according to a sensor value detected by the sensor in an area other than an explicit area with the detection position of the wireless tag as a base point.

An adaptive inventory management system for use in a materials handling facility storing a plurality of items that are each associated with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The management system including a global inventory database subsystem and a RFID interrogator subsystem comprising a plurality of RFID interrogators that are each configured to read the unique identifier of the RFID tag associated with each of the plurality of items that are within a defined boundary of at least one scan zone generated by the respective RFID interrogator and to communicate the unique identifier of the each scanned RFID tag identified within each scan zone of the respective RFID interrogator to the global inventory database subsystem. The management system being selectively configured to effect user desired levels of fidelity and/or resolution with respect to the generated unique identifier of each scanned RFID tag within a defined space of the materials handling facility.

An animal tracking system comprising a first LoRa receiver configured as a gateway to receive transmissions on a first set of channels or a second set of channels and forward said transmissions to a first remote server, and a transmitting tag configured to be affixed to an animal. The transmitting tag includes a memory configured to store digital information, a passive RFID receiver configured to detect a close proximity to an RFID transmitter and store detection of the close proximity in comprising in the memory, a processor configured to determine an alarm status according to a frequency of detection of the close proximity, an internal energy source, and a LoRa transmitter configured to transmit signals for a distance greater than 100 meters via energy from the internal energy source.

Devices and methods for reading multiple types of RFID tags having different frequencies and/or encoding schemes are disclosed. One or more search signals covering a plurality of RFID bands are transmitted. A presence indication of an RFID tag in one of the plurality of RFID bands is detected. An interrogating signal having a carrier frequency tuned to a frequency at which the presence indication is detected is transmitted. A tag response signal comprising tag information associated with the RFID tag is received. A digital response signal based on the tag response signal is digital signal processed to obtain the tag information.