Systems and methods for a material handling vehicle include a controller and a near field communication reader adapted to communicate with the controller. The controller is configured to activate at least one of a software option and a hardware option when a near field communication device encoded with option information is placed within an operable range to the near field communication reader.

A system having a mobile key unit (2) for reading and writing data from at least one external device (3) of a facility (4), wherein the data at least comprise identification data for the device (3) to be checked, and wherein the mobile key unit (2) has a first transmission/reception unit (5) by means of which the data can be transmitted wirelessly between the device (3) and the key unit (2), wherein the key unit (2) has a first memory (6), the key unit (2) has at least one secure channel (7) having a first evaluation unit (8) and the first transmission/reception unit (5) and has at least one second channel (12) having a second evaluation unit (13) and a second transmission/reception unit (10) by means of which data can be wirelessly transferred between the device (3) and the key device (2), wherein the data can at least be transmitted using one of the transmission/reception units.

A license plate validation system for a vehicle is disclosed. This license plate validation system includes: a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader located inside the vehicle and configured to read from an RFID-enabled license plate on the vehicle upon detecting an attempt to start the vehicle; and a microcontroller coupled to the RFID reader and configured to receive, from the RFID reader, information obtained from the RFID-enabled license plate and subsequently determine, based at least on the received information, whether the vehicle is properly registered. In some embodiments, the microcontroller and the RFID reader are integrated as a single electronic module.

A method for transporting a parcel comprises a marine unmanned vehicle (MUMV) receiving a waterproof tote, coupling the tote to a tether, and towing the tether and the tote, with the tether floating on the transport waterway and the tote immersed in the the transport waterway, to a delivery location. The method can include an MUMV receiving the tote from, and/or delivering the tote to, an aerial vehicle. An unmanned water transport system (UWTS) comprises an MUMV, a floating tether, and a waterproof tote containing a parcel for transport on a transport waterway. The MUMV and tether are configured to tow the tether, with the tether floating on the transport waterway, and the tote coupled to the tether and immersed in the water of the transport waterway, to transport the tote from a source location to a delivery location on the transport waterway. The UWTS can perform the method.

A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader identifies in which room among several rooms the RFID reader is more likely to be located. The RFID reader includes a transmitter for transmitting an interrogating radio frequency (RF) signal. It includes a receiver for receiving RF signals generated in corresponding pairs of RFID tags. The RFID tag pairs are attached to corresponding regions of each of the rooms. Each of said RFID tag pair including a first RFID tag and a second RFID tag that are spaced from each other by a distance that is larger or equal to λ/4 and smaller than or equal to λ/2 with respect to a frequency of a responding RF signal originated in the pair of RFID tags. A processor selects a larger RSSI of the RSSPs of the signal pair. The processor determines a corresponding sum of the RSSI's selected from each signal pair associated with each room. The processor evaluates in accordance with determined sums, the location in which said RFID reader is more likely to be located.

A clipboard is realised as a base for a sheet of paper and with a fastening therefor, with the base provided with at least one RFID transponder. It comprises a marking on the base, which indicates, where exactly the paper is to be placed, as well as at least one sheet of paper with a RFID transponder, wherein a RFID transponder each of the base and of the paper are arranged so as to be close to each other for communication, when the sheet of paper is fixed to the fastening. The base includes a plurality of switches, which are preferably arranged in a matrix, whereas the sheet is provided with various information, instructions and/or choice variants as well as with a number of marking fields, which are respectively arranged at the locations of the switches of the clipboard, when the sheet is fastened on the marking of the base.

A position locating system includes: a position locating tag provided in an indoor space, the position locating tag being associated with position information in the indoor space in advance; a tag information acquisition unit provided on a mobile body moving in the indoor space, the tag information acquisition unit being configured to read a signal transmitted from the position locating tag; and a mobile-body position locating unit configured to locate a position of the mobile body based on the signal from the position locating tag read by the tag information acquisition unit.

System and method for simulating the operation of an enterprise inventory management system. The general method includes instantiating at least a first instance of a simulated RFID interrogator subsystem on a computing system; generating, by the simulated RFID interrogator subsystem, data representative of the simulated reading of RFID tags associated with virtual inventory items and reporting the data to a global inventory database subsystem; receiving, at the global inventory database subsystem, the data from the simulated RFID interrogator subsystem; generating one or more performance metrics for the global inventory database subsystem based on the receipt of the data from the simulated RFID interrogator subsystem; and, in response to the one or more performance metrics, altering the generation rate of the data by the first instance of the simulated RFID interrogator subsystem, or instantiating additional instances of the simulated RFID interrogator subsystem to generate additional data, until a performance metric of the global inventory database system reaches a predefined limit.

An electronic pen includes: a receiver that receives tag information transmitted from an electronic tag transmitter; a transmitter that transmits a position detection signal for detecting an instruction position in a sensor of a position detection apparatus to the position detection apparatus; and a control circuit that controls the transmitter to transmit the tag information to the position detection apparatus along with the position detection signal when the receiver receives the tag information. The position detection apparatus receives a signal transmitted from the electronic pen, the signal including the tag information and the position detection signal from the electronic tag transmitter, and stores information of the position instructed by the electronic pen detected by the detection circuit in a storage device in association with the tag information from the electronic pen received by the sensor.

A method of associating data with a physical location comprises receiving, by at least two receiver antennae, a radiofrequency (RF) signal transmitted by a mobile device, the RF signal conveying data collected by the mobile device from an external source; calculating, for each of the at least two receiver antennae, a phase of the RF signal received by each receiver antennae; calculating, based on the calculated phases, a physical location from where the mobile device transmitted the RF signal; and associating the data conveyed by the RF signal and the external source from which the data were collected with the calculated physical location from where the mobile device transmitted the RF signal.