A method and apparatus for tracking items automatically is described. A passive RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag is used with a material tracking system capable of real-time pinpoint location and identification of thousands of items in production and storage areas. Passive RFID tags are attached to the item to be tracked, remote sensing antennas are placed at each remote location to be monitored, interrogators with several antenna inputs are connected to the sensing antennas to multiplex the antenna signals, and a host computer communicates with the interrogators to determine item locations to an exacting measure.

RFID material tracking method and apparatus

We have disclosed a modular personal network (MPN) that includes multiple devices that may be worn, carried, or used in close proximity to a user. The devices communicate wirelessly. Functions of the MPN may be modified by adding or removing components. The MPN may communicate with a personal computer. General purpose devices may include a control unit, a display, a user input, and an audio output. The MPN may provide a variety of functions, including time, communication, entertainment, organization, guidance, athletic, medical, travel, outdoors, identity, security and military. The wireless protocol is preferrably based on the Bluetooth or IEEE 802.15 standards.

Modular personal network systems and methods

There is described an indicia reading terminal that can be operative to capture a succession of frames of image data and that can be operative so that a certain frame of the succession of frames is subject to quality evaluation processing where a result of the quality evaluation processing is responsive to one or more of an incidence and sharpness of edge representations of the frame of image data.

Indicia reading terminal including frame quality evaluation processing

A portable data terminal including a multi-core processor having at least a first core and a second core, at least one illumination assembly and at least one imaging assembly and data storage means configured to store a plurality of program instructions, the program instructions including at least one one-dimensional decoder and at least one two-dimensional decoder.

Low power multi-core decoder system and method

A system and method for identifying a specific RFID tag includes RFID reader circuitry, such as within an RFID reader, configured for sending and receiving RF signals to detect RFID tags and for obtaining signal parameter information associated with the RFID tags. Processing circuitry is configured for using the signal parameter information for one or more tags of the RFID tags and calculating a tag score for the one or more RFID tags. The processing circuitry is further configured for determining a specific RFID tag using the tag scores for the one or more RFID tags.

Method and system for correctly identifying specific RFID tags

An optical scanning system for reading indicia of differing light reflectivity has an optical scan module including a light emitter for emitting light onto the indicia and a light detector for detecting the reflection of light from the indicia. The scan module is adapted to be mounted on at least one finger of a user. A first peripheral module has a receiver for receiving a first signal corresponding to the detected reflection of light from the optical scan module. The first peripheral module is adapted to be mounted on an arm or wrist of the user. A second peripheral module includes a receiver for receiving a second signal corresponding to the first signal from the first peripheral module by radio frequency transmission. According to other aspects of the invention, the light detector is located in a housing separate and apart from the optical scan module.

A portable optical scanning system worn by a user for reading indicia of differing light reflectivity

A universal interface system for use with a data acquisition system including a data acquisition device such as a bar code scanner or scanner integrated terminal for providing digital data signals indicative of acquired data for transmission to a host device such as a computer, and a host device having host-specific input/output data format requirements. The universal interface system comprises universal data exchange means located in the data acquisition device for providing digital data signals in a universal data exchange format independent of the data format requirements of the host device; and a host interface cable coupled to the data acquisition device and to said host device, for transmitting acquired digital data from the data acquisition device to the host device, the interface cable comprising means for translating digital data from the universal data exchange format to the host-specific input/output data format requirements. The interface cable comprises a buffer for storing a host parameter data word used in communications with the host device. The universal data exchange means comprises a memory for storing a plurality of host parameter data words, each of the host parameter data words being associated with one of a plurality of different host interface modules; and means for reading from the memory and transmitting to the host interface module the host parameter data word associated with the particular host interface module operatively connected thereto.

Universal host interface for data acquisition systems

A data processing system includes a head for electro-optically reading coded indicia to generate digital decoded data in a predetermined data exchange format. An interface arrangement is used for connecting the head to any selected one of a plurality of electronic devices having individual data processors. Thus, a common data exchange format is established for all the devices, and conversion circuitry is employed for converting the predetermined data exchange format to the common format. The conversion circuitry is operatively connected between the head and the selected device.

Interface arrangement for use with consumer devices

A dual motor speed control circuit for providing independent speed control of two motors in a laser scanning device is disclosed herein. This apparatus utilizes a single input signal having variable frequency and duty cycle components. The speed of the first motor is controlled by utilizing the frequency component of said input signal while the speed of the second motor is controlled by utilizing the frequency and duty cycle components of said input signal. Specifically, a DC signal is generated that is dependent upon the duty cycle component of said input signal and said DC signal is utilized to offset the speed of the second motor from the speed value as determined by the frequency component of said input signal.

Laser scanner using two scan motors independently controlled by a single signal

A system for processing output signals of an electro-optical scanner adapted for reading a bar code indicia having parts of different light reflectivity and non bar code indicia adjacent the bar code on an article being scanned comprises a decoder for decoding content of signals input thereto and signal processing circuitry for receiving the scanner output signals and generating input signals for input to the decoder by deleting signals having non bar code indicia content from the received scanner output signals by examining characteristics of the received scanner output signals. The signal processing circuitry is adapted to generate input signals for input to the decoder for bar code indicia of respective different bar code symbologies. The signal processing circuitry includes deletion circuitry for deleting, from the received scanner output signals, signals having less time duration than a predetermined time duration. The signal processing circuitry also includes one or both of first ratio computation means for computing a ratio of characteristics of adjacent of the received scanner output signals and second ratio computation means for computing a ratio of characteristics of non-adjacent of the received scanner output signals.

Anthony Fama

Papers

A portable optical scanning system worn by a user for reading indicia of differing light reflectivity

Universal host interface for data acquisition systems

Interface arrangement for use with consumer devices

Laser scanner using two scan motors independently controlled by a single signal

Bar code scanning system with the pre-decoding signal processing and method for bar code candidate selection for decoding