Method and Apparatus Pertaining to the Use of Statistics-Based RFID-Tag Information

摘要

A control circuit has access to coverage information that maps the coverage area for each of a plurality of RFID-tag readers to physical locations within a given monitored facility. The control circuit then uses those readers to read, over time, a population of RFID tags and to store historical-read information comprising corresponding RFID-system metrics along with tag-specific information and corresponding timestamps regarding when the reads occurred. The control circuit uses that historical-read information as corresponds to a given period of time and the aforementioned coverage information to determine sub-groups of the population of RFID tags and then uses the historical-read information to calculate at least one aggregated RFID-system metric on a sub-group level basis for at least some of the sub-groups. The control circuit can use the aggregated RFID-system metric to determine the location of a particular RFID tag by comparing that metric to read-based information regarding that RFID tag.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
by a control circuit having access to coverage information that maps coverage for each of a plurality of RFID-tag readers to physical locations within a given monitored facility:
using the plurality of RFID-tag readers to read, over time, a population of RFID tags and storing historical-read information comprising corresponding RFID-system metrics along with tag-specific information and corresponding timestamps;using the historical-read information as corresponds to a given period of time and the coverage information to determine sub-groups of the population of RFID tags;using the historical-read information to calculate at least one aggregated RFID-system metric on a sub-group level basis for at least some of the sub-groups.