RFID-based self-checkout systems using cycle counting
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorsMohammad Khojastepour, Mustafa Arslan, Sampath Rangarajan
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Abstract
A method for employing cycle counting is presented. The method includes interrogating, by an RFID reader, RFID tags by using a plurality of antenna ports, determining, by an activation sequencer, an activation sequence of the plurality of antenna ports that have been enabled, collecting RFID tag responses from each of the RFID tags, and matching one or more of the RFID tag responses to a particular antenna port of the plurality of antenna ports in an activation cycle.
Claims20
A radio frequency identification (RFID)-based self-checkout system using cycle counting, the system comprising:
- a walk-way between a first wall and a second wall defining a walk through gate (WTG) for a checkout process in a retail store, the first wall including an entrance sensor disposed on an outer surface of the first wall at an entrance area of the WTG and an exit sensor disposed on an inner surface of the first wall at an exit area of the WTG;
- an RFID reader disposed on the inner surface of the first wall to interrogate RFID tags within the WTG by using a plurality of antenna polls positioned on inner surfaces, outer surfaces, and side surfaces of the first and second walls;
- an activation sequencer to determine an activation sequence of the plurality of antenna ports positioned on the inner surfaces of the first and second walls that have been enabled;
- a collector to collect RFID tag responses from each of the RFID tags within the WTG;
- and
- a matcher to match one or more of the RFID tag responses to a particular antenna port of the plurality of antenna ports in an activation cycle, and
- indicator lamps disposed on top of the first wall and the second wall closer to the exit area to indicate whether the WTG is in-session for the cycle counting,
- wherein all the received RFID tag responses from all of the plurality of antenna ports are considered to perform the cycle counting of the checkout process.
A method for employing cycle counting for a radio frequency identification (RFID)-based self-checkout system, the method comprising:
- providing a walk-way between a first wall and a second wall defining a walk through gate (WTG) for a checkout process in a retail store, the first wall including an entrance sensor disposed on an outer surface of the first wall at an entrance area of the WTG and an exit sensor disposed on an inner surface of the first wall at an exit area of the WTG;
- interrogating, by an RFID reader disposed on the inner surface of the first wall, RFID tags within the WTG by using a plurality of antenna ports positioned on inner surfaces, outer surfaces, and side surfaces of the first and second walls;
- determining, by an activation sequencer of the RFID-based self-checkout system, an activation sequence of the plurality of antenna polls positioned on inner surfaces of the first and second walls that have been enabled;
- collecting, by a collector of the RFID-based self-checkout system, RFID tag responses from each of the RFID tags within the WTG;
- and
- matching, by a matcher of the RFID-based self-checkout system, one or more of the RFID tag responses to a particular antenna port of the plurality of antenna ports in an activation cycle, and
- activating, by the RFID-based self-checkout system, indicator lamps disposed on top of the first wall and the second wall closer to the exit area of the WTG, to indicate whether the WTG is in-session for cycle counting,
- wherein all the received RFID tag responses from all of the plurality of antenna ports are considered to perform the cycle counting of the checkout process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.