Antennae device for reading electronic labels and system comprising same

• US 20040046698A1
• Filed: 06/05/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales DIS France SA
• Original Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Martin, Philippe, Pic, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 7,646,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/700MS
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil

Abstract

The invention concerns an antennae device (30) for reading electronic labels (2), characterised in that the antennae (30) are passive antennae arranged in the form of an array (3) comprising L lines and C columns and located in accordance with said array (3) by co-ordinates (i, j), i ranging from 1 to L, j ranging from 1 to C and each antenna (ij) is controlled by two control means (31i, 32j), one controlling said antennae (30) located on the line i, the other controlling said antennae (30) located on the column j.

Claims

1. An antenna device (30) for reading electronic labels (2), characterised in that the antennae (30) are passive antennae and in that each antenna (30) is controlled by at least one control means.

2. A device according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the antennae (30) are organised in the form of a matrix (3) comprising L rows and C columns and located according to the said matrix (3) by coordinates (i,j), i varying from 1 to L, j varying from 1 to C, and in that each antenna (i,j) is controlled by two control means (31_i, 32_j), one controlling the said antennae (30) situated on row i, the other controlling the said antennae (30) situated on column j.

3. A device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each control means consists of a logic-control analogue switch.

4. A device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises an indicator light (33) associated with each antenna (30).

5. A device according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the indicator light (33) is connected and controlled by the control means controlling the said antenna (30).

6. A device according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the indicator light (33) is a diode.

7. A device according to claim 4, characterised in that the indicator light (33) is a gas ionisation system supplied and controlled by the antenna (30) with which it is associated.

8. A device according to claim 4, characterised in that it comprises, associated with each antenna (30), a second passive antenna (40) and in that the indicator light (33) is supplied and controlled by the said second passive antenna (40).

9. A device according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the indicator light (33) is a diode.

10. A system for reading electronic labels (2), characterised in that it comprises a reader (1) having at least one antenna (10) and a device according to one of the preceding claims.