In some implementations, a system may receive, from a motion sensor, an inactivity indication that indicates a period of inactivity within a physical environment. The system may store, in a data structure, identifiers of a plurality of RFID tags that a tag reader read during the period of inactivity. The system may receive, from the motion sensor, a motion notification that indicates a period of activity within the physical environment. The system may cause the tag reader to collect an identifier of an RFID tag in the physical environment during the period of activity. The system may determine, based on the identifier and the identifiers of the plurality of RFID tags, a movement status associated with the RFID tag during the period of activity and perform an action associated with the movement status of the RFID tag.

According to an embodiment, a tag reading apparatus acquires tag data of a wireless tag to be learned without transmission from the wireless tag to be learned. The tag reading apparatus extracts a data signal from a reception signal output from an antenna that has received a radio wave from the wireless tag to be learned. The tag reading apparatus learns the extracted data signal in association with correct answer data of the wireless tag to be learned.

Various embodiments of the teachings herein include a tag identification method. Some embodiments comprise: receiving a tag signal in a time slot; and determining whether a tag collision occurs in the time slot. If a tag collision occurs, the method includes selecting one tag signal from a plurality of received tag signals to identify a corresponding tag and recording a quantity of unidentified tags in the time slot.

The invention relates to local positioning and more particularly to methods of searching and registering tags in a local positioning system. A method of registering tags in a local positioning system is provided. Registering is performed in near-field mode. Tag stores identifying data of the local positioning system. Positioning unit stores identifying data of the tag. Furthermore, a method of searching a tag registered in a local positioning system is provided. Positioning units send address search packets into the space of the local positioning system. Desired tag responds with a positioning pulse. There is also provided a method of searching identifying data of a tag not registered in a local positioning system. Positioning units send broadcast search packets into the space of the local positioning system. Bisection method is used to detect identifying data of the tag. The invention can reduce power consumption by the tag and the positioning unit, and eliminate overlapping the signals received from a plurality of tags.

A method for bulk encoding of RFID tags. The method may include printing a plurality of unencoded RFID labels, coupling each of the plurality of unencoded RFID labels to each of a plurality of products, packaging like products from the plurality of products coupled with the unencoded RFID labels together in a container, scanning the container holding the products with an RFID antenna, and encoding each of the unencoded RFID labels coupled to each of the plurality of like products in a container simultaneously with identical information for each container.

A multi-protocol RFID interrogating system employs a synchronization technique (step-lock) for a backscatter RFID system that allows simultaneous operation of closely spaced interrogators. The multi-protocol RFID interrogating system can communicate with backscatter transponders having different output protocols and with active transponders including: Title 21 compliant RFID backscatter transponders; IT2000 RFID backscatter transponders that provide an extended mode capability beyond Title 21; EGO™ RFID backscatter transponders, SEGO™ RFID backscatter transponders; ATA, ISO, ANSI AAR compliant RFID backscatter transponders; and IAG compliant active technology transponders. The system implements a step-lock operation, whereby adjacent interrogators are synchronized to ensure that all downlinks operate within the same time frame and all uplinks operate within the same time frame, to eliminate downlink on uplink interference.

Disclosed are a method, an apparatus, and a system for collecting tags which may reduce recognition time and energy consumption as compared with a tag collection technology in an active radio frequency identification (RFID) system standard according to the related art. The method for collecting tags by an apparatus for collecting the tags in a RFID system, one collection round including: recognizing tags; and collecting data from recognized tags, wherein the recognizing of the tags comprises one scan period, and comprises repeatedly performing a scan process until the tags are recognized using a bit map indicating a recognition status of the tags within one scan period.

A method of choosing an object from multiple objects using a wireless device includes receiving a backscatter communication signal from each of the objects, determining one or more analog parameter of each backscatter communication signal, and, using the wireless device, selecting one object based at least in part on the analog parameter of each backscatter communication signal. Each of the objects includes an RF interface configured to communicate using backscatter communication.

A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader sequentially carries out inventory rounds with passive RFID sensor tags. Each RFID sensor tag has at least one sensing element arranged to sense a predetermined quantity. The reader reads one value of the predetermined quantity based on a backscattering modulation frequency used by the passive RFID sensor tag during each inventory round and releases the RFID sensor tag prior to reading next value of the predetermined quantity based on a backscattering modulation frequency used by the passive RFID sensor tag during a subsequent inventory round. If the passive RFID sensor comprises two or more sensing elements having different sensor characteristics, the reader reads one of the sensing elements of the passive RFID tag during one inventory round and releases the passive RFID sensor tag prior to reading another one of the sensing elements of the passive RFID sensor tag during a subsequent inventory round.

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for efficiently interconnecting RFID interrogator elements. Each interrogator element is configured to function as both an RFID interrogator and an RFID tag. The RFID interrogator function enables one interrogator element to perform a read or write data operation to a second interrogator element functioning as an RFID tag. Two-way communications between interrogator elements is facilitated by read and write operations. A data backhaul network may be advantageously implemented as a wireless mesh network, comprising a plurality of interrogator elements, to transmit data from each interrogator element to a server for processing.