System, method and computer program product for calibrating interrogator signal strength and/or tag response range setting

摘要

A system, method and computer program product according to one embodiment are provided for calibrating an RFID interrogator. A signal is sent from an interrogator to a calibration device. A backscatter signal is received from the calibration device. The backscatter from the calibration device is analyzed. An outgoing signal strength of the interrogator is adjusted based on the analysis. In a system, method and computer program product according to another embodiment, the interrogator is set to selectively respond to tags returning a backscatter signal strength selected based on the analysis. In a system, method and computer program product according to another embodiment, comparison criteria is selected based on the analysis of the backscatter signal. An RF device is instructed to store the comparison criteria, which is then used by the RF device to selectively respond to an interrogator signal having at least a desired strength.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
sending a plurality of outgoing signals from an interrogator to a calibration device, wherein each of the outgoing signals has a different outgoing signal strength; for each of the outgoing signals, storing in a table the outgoing signal strength of the outgoing signal; for each of the outgoing signals, receiving a corresponding backscatter signal from the calibration device such that a plurality of backscatter signals are received from the calibration device, wherein each of the backscatter signals has a different backscatter signal strength; for each of the received backscatter signals, storing in the table the backscatter signal strength of the backscatter signal, wherein each of the stored backscatter signal strengths is stored in association with the stored outgoing signal strength of the corresponding outgoing signal that prompted the backscatter signal having the backscatter signal strength; analyzing the table; selecting from the table one of the backscatter signal strengths based on the analysis; setting the interrogator to selectively respond to tags returning backscatter responses having at least the selected backscatter signal strength; receiving backscatter responses from several tags that are positioned within an effective communication range of the interrogator, wherein the backscatter responses from the tags that are positioned within the effective communication range of the interrogator comprise:
one or more signals characterized by a signal strength greater than or equal to the selected backscatter signal strength, andone or more signals characterized by a signal strength less than the selected backscatter signal strength; selectively responding only to those of the several tags that a backscatter response having at least the selected backscatter signal strength.