RFID reader-writer

• US 10,346,650 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso PS Corporation (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso PS Corporation (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Maruyama, Kentarou, Tsubota, Keita
• Primary Examiner(s): Trail, Allyson N
• Application Number:
  US15/318,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20170185813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 235451, 23546246, 23547202, 713186
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader

Abstract

An RFID reader-writer includes a housing in which an antenna and a wireless tag processor are housed. The housing includes a front surface, a rear surface facing the front surface, and plural side surfaces connected to the front surface and the rear surface. A reading surface and a front-side gripping surface are formed on the front surface. The antenna is disposed at a position inside the housing which faces the reading surface, such that the antenna can transmit and receive electromagnetic waves via the reading surface. A part of the rear surface which faces the front-side gripping surface is formed as a rear-side gripping surface. The front-side gripping surface and the rear-side gripping surface are configured as a handgrip for gripping the RFID reader-writer with a thumb and a finger.

Claims

1. An RFID reader-writer comprising:

an antenna configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves;

a reader configured to read out at least information stored in an RF tag via the electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the antenna;

a housing in which the antenna and the reader are housed, the housing including external surfaces which are exposed outward, the external surfaces including;

a first surface, the first surface providing a front of the RFID reader-writer in a front-rear orientation, the first surface including;

a part formed as a reading surface enabling the electromagnetic waves to be transmitted and received therethrough in the front-rear orientation;

a finger-grip groove; and

one of a pair of grip surfaces, the finger-grip groove being located between the reading surface and the one surface and adjacent to both the reading surface and the one surface, the reading surface and the one surface being positioned side by side to each other in the first surface;

a second surface facing the first surface back to back in the front-rear orientation of the RFID reader-writer, the second surface providing a rear of the RFID reader-writer in the front-rear orientation, the rear including a placing surface, a finger attaching groove, and the other of the pair of grip surfaces, the other surface being faced with the one surface back to back in the front-rear orientation, the finger-attaching groove being located between the placing surface and the other surface and adjacent to both the placing surface and the other surface, the placing surface being provided for stationary use of the RFID reader-writer; and

a plurality of side surfaces each being continuous to both the first and second surfaces,

wherein the pair of grip surfaces and the one of the side surfaces configure a handgrip used by a user for gripping the RFID reader-writer with a finger of the user, and

the antenna is disposed inside the housing so as to be faced with the reading surface, such that the antenna enables transmitting and receiving the electromagnetic waves through the reading surface.

2. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 1, further comprising a finger-grip structure formed on the one of the pair of grip surfaces such that one or plural fingers of a hand of the user gripping the handgrip is allowed to be hooked on the finger-grip structure.

3. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 2, further comprising a step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the step.

4. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 2, further comprising:

a first step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a right hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the first step; and

a second step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a left hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the second step.

5. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 1, further comprising a step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces such that a ball of a thumb of a hand of the user gripping the handgrip is allowed to be put on the step.

6. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a right hand of a user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the first step; and

a second step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a left hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the second step.

7. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 1, wherein the thumb-attaching groove is formed as a thumb-attaching groove to which a thumb of the user is allowed to be attached, and

the pair of grip surfaces and the one of the side surfaces configure the handgrip gripped by the user with the thumb and fingers, other than the thumb, of the user.

8. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 7, further comprising a trigger switch configured to act as a trigger of causing the reader to start readout processing when being operated by a user,

wherein the trigger switch is positioned at the one of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that the trigger switch can be operated by an index finger of a hand of the user gripping the handgrip.

9. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 8, further comprising a finger-grip structure formed on the one of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that one or plural fingers of a hand of the user gripping the handgrip is allowed to be hooked on the finger-grip structure.

10. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 9, further comprising a step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces such that a ball of a thumb of a hand of the user gripping the handgrip is allowed to be put on the step.

11. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 10, further comprising:

a first step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a right hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the first step; and

a second step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a left hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the second step.

12. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 7, further comprising at least two trigger switches configured to act as triggers of causing the reader to start readout processing when being operated by a user,

wherein one of the at least two trigger switches is disposed at such a position that the user can operate the one of the at least two trigger switches with an index finger of a right hand of the user while gripping the handgrip with the right hand;

and

another of the at least two trigger switches is disposed at such a position that the user can operate the one of the at least two trigger switches with an index finger of a left hand of the user while gripping the handgrip with the left hand.

13. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 12, further comprising a finger-grip structure formed on the one of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that one or plural fingers of a hand of the user gripping the handgrip is allowed to be hooked on the finger-grip structure.

14. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 13, further comprising a step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the step.

15. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 13, further comprising:

a first step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a right hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the first step; and

a second step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a left hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the second step.

16. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first trigger switch and a second trigger switch which are configured to act as triggers of causing the reader to start readout processing when being operated by a user; and

a controller configured to control the reader according to a pressing operation on the first trigger switch and the second trigger switch,

wherein

the first trigger switch is disposed on the one of the pair of grip surfaces at such a position that the user can operate the first trigger switch with an index finger of a hand by which the handgrip is gripped;

the second trigger switch is disposed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces at such a position that the user can operate the second trigger switch with at least one of a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger of the hand by which the handgrip is gripped; and

the controller is configured to cause the reader to start readout processing when the first trigger switch is pressed and the second trigger switch is pressed.

17. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 16,

wherein the controller comprises

standby control means for causing the reader to become in a standby state in response to a pressing operation on one of the first trigger switch and the second trigger switch, the standby state being a state in which the reader can immediately start the readout processing in response to a pressing operation on another of the first trigger switch and the second trigger switch, and

power control means for causing the reader to become in a power-saving state in which power consumption of the reader is more reduced than the standby state, when neither the first trigger switch nor the second trigger switch is pressed.

18. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 16, further comprising a finger-grip structure formed on the one of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that one or plural fingers of a hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be hooked on the finger-grip structure.

19. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 18, further comprising a step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the step.

20. The RFID reader-writer according to claim 18, further comprising:

a first step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a right hand of the user who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the first step; and

a second step formed on the other of the pair of grip surfaces in such a manner that a ball of a thumb of a left hand of the use who grips the handgrip is allowed to be put on the second step.