HK1034344A - Rf identification process and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Radio frequency identification method and device

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for tracking an object. In particular, the present invention relates to a system for tracking people for security purposes, and for monitoring the movement of personnel's belongings or other items for security reasons.

There are many situations where it is desirable to monitor a person or a group of persons. An obvious example is the use of the whereabouts of a secret object that must be monitored in law enforcement, or during the time when a low-risk criminal is judged to be in home arrest. There are also many applications for monitoring items. For example, the act of law enforcement officers tracing criminals with illicit drugs must track the drug whereabouts to obtain a list of occupants.

Another example is the tracking of baggage and passengers within the area of responsibility at a designated airport. In particular, there is a need for a system for initially identifying a passenger in an airport inspection procedure, handling the passenger's extra luggage, including carrying items with them, and then checking the person and items (luggage/packages) upon arrival at the destination. The system can be used in any public transportation vehicle, including at train stations and bus stops. In terms of airport security, this system can fulfill all of the responsibilities required by airports, flights, and federal agencies that manage them. Examples of airport security are used herein to facilitate disclosure of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to this particular application but is designed for any use in tracking persons or items for any purpose.

The present invention utilizes a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) method based on RFID tags to perform the tracking function. The tag has a substrate which may be in the form of a plastic card, much like a credit card or identification badge, in the form of a heavy paper card, such as an airline ticket or luggage tag, or in any other non-conductive material. The small metal particles are distributed on, preferably embedded in, the substrate. These small particles are preferably metal-coated glass rods cut to a size suitable for use as a dipole antenna matched to a predetermined frequency. The particles are distributed in a random manner on the substrate, and the physical dimensions of the finished RFID tag, along with the unique random distribution of the metal particles, make each RFID tag completely different from any other RFID tag. The tag is then placed in a radio frequency energy field, which reacts with randomly distributed antennas in the tag to create a feature of the tag. Due to the random distribution of the antennas on the tags, and the resulting unique properties of each individual tag, each tag will exhibit a unique signature when excited by energy. Thus, each time a tag is irradiated with energy at a particular frequency, its associated reflected energy signature can be read to uniquely identify the tag. This tag can be attached to luggage, passenger tickets, and employee badges to track these objects within the airport.

The frequency used to irradiate the sign may be selected to suit a particular implementation. For example, in airports, there are already a considerable number of communication devices operating, frequencies of 25GHz or higher being preferred. There appears to be no or little interference with existing equipment at this frequency. Further, the structural characteristics of the high-frequency waveguide are designed such that the caliber of the bell mouth device limits its own cutoff frequency to 18GHz or less. Thereby, a field can be generated to illuminate a predetermined area at a selected frequency. When a tag is formed, a portion of the energy generated and directed to the tag is reflected by particles in the tag to produce a unique signature for the tag. This signature is recorded as a reference signature, stored and indexed as a known pattern and value. In the future, when using tags and moving within the area of interest (e.g., at airports), radio frequency irradiation fields may be generated to form a known constant cone of reflected energy. When a particular tag enters the established energy cone, the tag is illuminated and can be identified by its unique identifier. Since the sign is physically stable and since the reflected energy is a constant frequency, the signal reflection is also consistent. In the GHz frequency range, the identification process is not blocked by materials in the line of sight. The high frequency irradiation signal serves as a window to track the movement of the particular tag and the resulting signature can be "seen" through the clothing and body. For example, a tag made on an airline ticket can be placed in a shirt pocket at a distance of about 10 meters and recognized. Thus, the system according to the present invention utilizes radio frequency energy to uniquely identify a passive tag.

Tracking digital information in this manner is a significant improvement over the bar code and hand-written labeling methods used today for baggage handling, by giving the tag an index number associated with a travel ticket, which is also indexed as a sales number or a transaction number. To make the individual identification part of the entire liability process more reliable, a sort-specific operation (preferably biometric) can definitively identify the individuals associated with the tickets and baggage. The analog identification process may preferably be in a concealed manner without the imposter.

That is, passengers entering areas regulated by federal departments, such as airports, need to be scrutinized for a wide range of safety reasons. The disclosed technology, which utilizes palm prints, fingerprints, and reading neuroretinal eye scans, does not meet the needs of surveillance and reconnaissance required by law enforcement and security personnel. Facial thermograms provide reliable identification information without the need for an offensive data acquisition process. Each person's vascular distribution pattern on the face is unique, and even twins have a distinguishable vascular distribution pattern on the face. Vascular flow is primarily dependent on diet, metabolism, and many other physical attributes specific to the individual. The cooperation of the facial thermogram method and the RFID method provides a combination of recognition and tracking capabilities that can be easily operated in a particular real-world environment, such as an airport.

Thus, a passenger purchases a flight ticket at a ticket counter or registers at the arrival at an airport and issues a flight ticket containing antenna particles, making the ticket simultaneously usable as an RFID tag. Alternatively, the tag may be attached to the ticket in some manner. The passenger's facial vessel map may be thermally scanned at the counter and the information scanned may be correlated to a reference signature associated with the tag. The passenger checks for any baggage carried with it and obtains a tag that is also associated with the thermogram information. Sensors irradiating the signs and detecting their signatures are placed at the exit of the airport. Thus, if a passenger checks the flight baggage or leaves the baggage with him/her at the airport and then leaves the airport without boarding the reserved flight, the baggage corresponding to the passenger may be removed from the airplane or removed from the airport as a potential safety hazard. A particular item of luggage can be easily identified by searching for a unique tag identification associated with the item of luggage.

The system of the present invention can also help prevent theft of his or her luggage if the passenger is a legitimate traveler and is actually completing the flight. The associated signage signature and thermogram information may be electronically provided to the destination airport. At baggage claim this may be used to ensure that the same person that left the baggage and checked the baggage is, providing personal safety to the passenger.

As previously mentioned, the present invention has myriad other applications where tracking of people and/or items is desirable. In all of these applications, the body identification of a person in combination with a reliable method of identifying and tracking an associated target will increase the level of consistency and greatly improve the level of surveillance technology.

Claims (23)

1. A radio frequency identification system comprising:

an identification tag having a unique radio frequency identification symbol;

a source for generating radio frequency energy; and

a detector for recognizing the identification tag when the identification tag is irradiated by radio frequency energy generated by the source.

2. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the identification tag comprises a substrate formed of a non-conductive material.

3. The radio frequency identification system of claim 2, wherein the identification tag comprises metallic particles distributed on a substrate.

4. The radio frequency identification system of claim 3, wherein the metal particles are metal coated glass rods.

5. The radio frequency identification system of claim 3, wherein the metal particles are randomly distributed on the substrate.

6. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1 wherein the source for generating radio frequency energy generates energy at a frequency of at least about 25gigahertz (25 gigahertz).

7. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1 wherein the source for generating radio frequency energy generates energy in a field.

8. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, further comprising a memory device coupled to the detector for storing the identification indicia read by the detector.

9. The radio frequency identification system of claim 8, further comprising a comparison device coupled to the memory device for comparing the signature read by the detector with signatures stored in the memory device.

10. The radio frequency identification system of claim 8, further comprising a biometric reader for reading the biometric data.

11. The radio frequency identification system of claim 8, further comprising a biometric reader for reading the biometric data for storage in the storage device.

12. The radio frequency identification system of claim 11, wherein the storage means includes means for associating the biometric data with the identification tag.

13. A method for providing identification, comprising:

generating radio frequency energy;

placing an identification tag in an area irradiated by radio frequency energy, wherein the identification tag produces a unique identification mark when irradiated by the radio frequency energy; and

recognizing and reading the identification mark.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating radio frequency energy comprises generating a field of radio frequency energy, and placing the identification tag in the area irradiated by the radio frequency energy comprises placing the identification tag in the field.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the identification.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising comparing the read signature to a stored signature.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising reading the biometric data.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing the biometric data read.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising associating the stored identifier with the stored biometric data.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the identification tag comprises a substrate formed of a non-conductive material.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the identification tag comprises metal particles disposed on a substrate.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the metal particles are metal-coated glass rods.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the metal particles are randomly distributed on the substrate.