Patent ID: 7567179

Claim:
A method of generating information for use in configuration and control of an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag data acquisition system, said RFID tag data acquisition system including at least one RFID tag, at least one RF (radio frequency) transmitter, at least one RF receiver, and at least one real-time controller for controlling said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver, said at least one RF transmitter and said at least one RF receiver having at least one antenna associated therewith, each antenna having an associated RF interrogation zone, said method comprising the steps of: obtaining a representation of a physical space in which said RFID tag data acquisition system is to be deployed; in a first specifying step, specifying a plurality of regions within said representation of said physical space; in a second specifying step, specifying an association between each antenna of said at least one RF receiver and said at least one RF transmitter and at least one of said plurality of regions within said representation of said physical space, each association being specified at least in part by portions of the RF interrogation zone of the respective antenna and said at least one of said plurality of regions that overlap; and compiling information derived from said first and second specifying steps into at least one data file, for use by said at least one real-time controller in controlling said at least one RF transmitter for interrogating at least one RFID tag disposed within the overlapping portions of at least one RF interrogation zone and said at least one of said plurality of regions, and in controlling said at least one RF receiver for receiving RFID tag data generated by said at least one RFID tag in response to being interrogated by said at least one RF transmitter.