Visual RFID Tags and Interactive Visual RFID Networks
RFID driven display system components such as wireless displays (visual RFID tags) and multi-antenna wireless RFID readers that monitor/control the RFID driven displays in order to provide visual real-time information to display viewers and/or provide useful information to a central processing station that monitors the status of and/or updates the RFID driven displays, networks including one or more of the components, and methods for using the RFID driven display system components to monitor assets in applications such as inventory control and manufacturing.
1 . A mesh communications network comprising:
one or more readers each reader including an RFID tag reader; a plurality of spaced antennas and a communication device;
a central control station; and
one or more visible RFID tags each associated with a moving asset wherein the location of the moving asset is identified as the location of a first antenna associated with the one or more RFID tag readers that is in the read range of unique identifying information about the visible RFID tag associated with the moving asset.
2 . The mesh communications network of claim 1 wherein a communication hub relays communications from the central control station to the one or more visible RFID displays.
3 . The mesh communications network of claim 1 wherein a communications hub relays communications from the one or more readers to the central control station.
4 . The mesh communications network of claim 1 wherein the visible RFID tags further include a visible display
5 . The mesh communications network of claim 1 wherein the plurality of spaced antennas include one or more unique antennas.
6 . The mesh communications network of claim 1 wherein the plurality of spaced antennas include one or more edge readers.
7 . A mesh communications network comprising:
a plurality of moving assets, each moving asset associated with a visual RFID tag, each visual RFID tag including an display, an RFID tag having RFID tag information, a communications module, a display microcontroller and an internal energy source, the visual display being capable of displaying information related to the moving asset to which the visual display is associated;
a plurality of spaced readers, each reader including a plurality of mesh antennas for collecting RFID tag information and a communications device; and
a central control station for receiving RFID tag information from the reader communication device.
8 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 wherein the mesh antennas are selected from unique antennas, edge readers and combinations thereof.
9 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 wherein information about a moving asset associate with a first visual RFID tag is input into the central control station.
10 . The mesh communications network of claim 9 wherein the central control station identifies a first location of the moving asset associated with a first visual RFID tag based upon identifying the location of at least one mesh antenna that collects the first visual RFID tag information
11 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 wherein the visual RFID tag displays information on the display based upon instructions from the central control station.
12 . The mesh communications network of claim 10 wherein when the central control station identifies that moving asset associated with a first visual RFID tag has moved to a second location when at least a second mesh antenna collects the first visual RFID tag information.
13 . The mesh communication network of claim 12 wherein the central control station directs the first visual RFID tag to alter the information on visual display in response to the movement of the moving asset to the second location.
14 . The mesh communications network of claim 12 including a wireless hub wherein the central control station and wireless communications hub operate together to transmit information to the one or more visible displays to update information displayed on the visible display.
15 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 including a wireless hub wherein the central control station and wireless hub operate together to transmit instructions to the one or more visible RFID displays to update information displayed on the visible display.
16 . The mesh communications network of claim 15 wherein the wireless hub is hard wired to the control station.
17 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 wherein the control station is a personal computer.
18 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 wherein the visible RFID tag includes a persistent display.
19 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 including one or more trigger emitters.
20 . The mesh communications network of claim 7 wherein the visual RFID tags are battery powered.