It is possible to provide a replenishment assistance robot and a replenishment assisting system capable of assisting a worker in efficiently replenishing a product. A replenishment assistance robot includes a housing for housing a product, an RFID reader including an antenna capable of reading RFID tags attached to the product on a shelf and capable of reading an RFID tag of the product when the product is housed in the housing, a terminal configured to receive a replenishment instruction of a product on the shelf, and a mobile body containing the housing and the RFID reader and configured to move to a location where a stock of the product is arranged based on location information of the product included in the replenishment instruction.

The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for localization and mapping based on RFID, applicable for real-time mapping of an area to be localized in which at least one RFID tag is arranged, the method comprises: taking a location of a first RFID tag as a coordinate origin of a coordinate system when information of the first RFID tag is obtained by a mobile electronic device which is moving along a certain trajectory for a first time; moving the mobile electronic device with the coordinate origin as a starting point to traverse the entire area to be localized, calculating coordinates of an obstacle based on a location of the mobile electronic device when the mobile electronic device detects the obstacle; constructing a map based on the recorded information and coordinates of the RFID tags and coordinates of each obstacle when the traversal has been finished.

Multiple stationary radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) readers are deployed overhead in a venue and are operated to read RFID tags. A mobile RFID reader is also operated in the venue for reading the RFID tags. The mobile reader is located in the venue, and a host server synchronizes the operation of the stationary readers with the operation of the mobile reader, determines when the mobile reader is in substantially simultaneous, synchronous operation with the stationary readers, and responsively modifies the operation of the stationary and mobile RFID readers to optimize the RFID reading performance.

A racing tracking system and process includes one or more RFID-based tower units connected to a computer. Pairs of tower units may be positioned to provide redundancy of detection so that the front of a participant and the rear of a participant (where bibs may be worn) are detected. The redundancy of RFID-based tower unit detection of front and rear worn bibs assures that all bibs will be read, and improves on the accuracy of a participant's position being confirmed.

The present invention relates to systems, methods, and devices for consumers using RFID-tagged items for multichannel shopping using smartphones, tablets, and indoor navigation, preservation of consumer's privacy related to RFID-tagged items that they leave a retail store with, and automatically reading and locating retail inventory without directly using store labor. Robots and aerial mobile automated RFID reading devices are disclosed.

An RFID tag reading system affixed to a machine bearing housing is provided. The reading system includes a mobile data collector having an RFID reader for reading a unique identity of the RFID tag, an magnet electro-mechanically connected to the mobile data collector and a magnet mounting pad fixed to the machine housing. The magnet mounting pad having a ferromagnetic contact body for housing the magnet mounting pad and an RFID antenna disposed within the RFID tag for transmitting a unique identity of the RFID tag. The RFID tag is disposed within the ferromagnetic contact body. The magnet is magnetically connected to the magnet mounting pad. The mobile data collector automatically reads the unique RFID tag identity transmitted from the antenna of the RFID tag when the combination mobile data collector and magnet are placed onto the RFID mounting pad.

A system and method is provided for delivering electric energy to an electric vehicle via electric charging stations or kiosks where an energy delivery point is configured to provide energy to the electric vehicle via a connector or a wireless energy source. The method involves charging an electric vehicle by detecting, using a RFID tag reader associated with an electric vehicle, signals emanating from a marker positioned on the ground, where the marker includes one or more RFID tags, and where the RFID tag reader is able to recognize the signals despite weather conditions where the ground is covered by snow.

A system and method for determining and tracking a location of a participant traveling along a route wherein the participant being tracked with an RFID tag using an RFID tag reader and a timing system, the system includes a location device associated with the RFID tag and has a location data receiver for receiving location information from a location providing source, and a wireless communication interface and time stamps each received location information, and transmits tag location data over the wireless interface, and a location detection device that is in wireless communication with the location device receives the transmitted tag location data, and transmits the received location data to the timing system, with the timing system associating the received location data with the RFID tag number as provided by the RFID tag reader provided tag reads of the RFID tag associated with the location device.

Systems and methods for predicting, identifying, and/or confirming the presence of an object in a predefined space include communication between the object and a sensor having a detection range. The detection range of the sensor is limited to a predefined space or direction that may be less than its maximum detection range.

In a columnar-shaped magnetic marker including a magnet formed by dispersing a magnetic powder of iron oxide in a polymer material and to be laid in a road without being accommodated in a metal container, one end face of an outer peripheral surface and an entire outer peripheral side surface of magnet are covered with metal foil forming a conductive layer, and an RFID tag which performs wireless communication with a tag reader mounted on a vehicle side is arranged on the end face of magnetic marker provided with metal foil as being in a state of being electrically insulated from metal foil.