RFID TAG DEVICE AND ARTICLES SHELF EQUIPPED WITH SAME

• US 20070109132A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yasuo, Sano, Kouichi, Kiji, Yasuhito, Murofushi, Nobuo, Shimura, Takahiro
• Application Number:
  US11/555,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.800
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

An RFID tag device includes an RFID tag having a directivity of maximum gain of electromagnetic waves therefrom in a specific direction and an RFID tag-supporting base supporting the RFID tag. The RFID tag-supporting base includes a first surface on which the RFID tag is attached and a second surface which is oppositely located with and is positioned not in parallel to the first surface to orient the maximum gain direction of the electromagnetic waves from the RFID tag toward a desired direction.

Claims

1. An RFID tag device comprising:

an RFID tag having a directivity of maximum gain of electromagnetic waves radiated therefrom in a specific direction; and

an RFID tag-supporting base configured to orient the maximum gain direction of electromagnetic waves from the RFID tag toward a desired direction, the RFID tag-supporting base having a first surface on which the RFID tag is supported and a second surface which is oppositely located with and not in parallel to the first surface.

2. The device according to claim 1 further including a reflection plate, located between the first surface and the RFID tag, which reflects the electromagnetic waves from the RFID tag and a spacer located between the reflection plate and the RFID tag, the RFID tag-supporting base, the reflection plate and the spacer being formed as a one piece.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the spacer includes a front and rear surfaces located in parallel to one the other, the RFID tag being attached to the front surface and the reflection plate being fixed to the rear surface.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the front surface and the rear surface of the spacer corresponds to a value selected from a range from λ

/12 to 5λ

/12 wherein λ

is a wave-length of electromagnetic waves to be used.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the front surface and the rear surface of the spacer corresponds to a target value obtained by adding a value selected from a range from λ

/12 to 5λ

/12 and (λ

/2×

N) wherein λ

is a wave-length of an electromagnetic waves to be used and N is an integer.

6. The device according to claim 3, wherein the electromagnetic waves radiated from the RFID tag is a forwarding wave, the forwarding wave reflected by the reflection plate is a reflection wave and the forwarding wave and the reflection wave form a composite wave, a distance between the front surface and the rear surface of the spacer corresponding to a value selected from a range that an amplitude of the composite wave is greater than that of the forwarding wave.

7. An RFID tag device comprising:

an RFID tag having a directivity of maximum gain of electromagnetic waves radiated therefrom in a specific direction;

an RFID tag-supporting base having a first surface on which the RFID tag is supported and a second surface which is located in parallel to the first surface so that a hollow body portion is created between the first and second surfaces; and

a reflection plate located in the hollow body portion of the RFID tag-supporting base to reflect the electromagnetic waves from the RFID tag, the reflection plate being rotatable in a direction intersecting the maximum gain direction of the electromagnetic waves from the RFID tag.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the RFID tag-supporting base has a pair of supporters that the reflection plate is supported to be movable toward the first surface on which the RFID tag is attached.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein a distance between the RFID tag attached to the first surface and the reflection plate corresponds to a value selected from a range from λ

/12 to 5λ

/12 wherein λ

is a wave-length of electromagnetic waves to be used.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein a distance between the RFID tag attached to the first surface and the reflection plate corresponds to a target value obtained by adding a value selected from a range from λ

/12 to 5λ

/12 and (λ

/2×

N) wherein λ

is a wave-length of an electromagnetic waves to be used and N is an integer.

11. The device according to claim 7, wherein the electromagnetic waves radiated from the RFID tag is a forwarding wave, the forwarding wave reflected by the reflection plate is a reflection wave and the forwarding wave and the reflection wave form a composite wave, a distance between the RFID tag attached to the first surface and the reflection plate corresponds to a value selected from a range that an amplitude of the composite wave is greater than that of the forwarding wave.

12. An articles shelf comprising:

a plurality of shelf plates in a vertical direction on which articles are placed, each shelf plate having a receiving surface at its front side; and

a plurality of RFID tag devices attached to the receiving surfaces of the shelf plates,

wherein the RFID tag device includes an RFID tag having a directivity of maximum gain of electromagnetic waves radiated therefrom in a specific direction; and

an RFID tag-supporting base configured to orient the maximum gain direction of the electromagnetic waves from the RFID tag toward a desired direction, the RFID tag-supporting base having a first surface on which the RFID tag is supported and a second surface, attached to the receiving surface of the shelf plate, which is oppositely located with and not in parallel to the first surface

13. The shelf according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of shelf plates have a lower-most plate to which the RFID tag device is attached, and the first surface of the RFID tag-supporting base of the RFID tag device attached to the lower-most plate is oriented in a diagonal-upward direction.

14. The shelf according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of shelf plates have an upper-most plate to which the RFID tag device is attached, and the first surface of the RFID tag-supporting base of the RFID tag device attached to the lower-most plate is oriented in a diagonal-downward direction.