Interrogator and Interrogation System Employing the Same
First Claim
1. A metal instrument, comprising:
- a metal foundation;
a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip; and
a coupler configured to couple said RFID chip to said metal foundation to allow at least a portion of said metal foundation to serve as an antenna, thereby forming at least a portion of an RFID tag with said RFID chip.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An interrogator, methods of discerning the presence of an object, and interrogation systems employing the same. In one embodiment, the interrogation systems include multiple interrogators that communicate with a base command unit to track a location of an object. In another embodiment wherein the object is an RFID object (e.g., an object with an RFID tag), the interrogators employ signal processing techniques such as precharging the RFID object, and correlating a reference code with a reply code from the RIFD object using selected techniques to increase a sensitivity of the interrogator, especially for adverse environments. In other embodiments, the interrogation systems include variations of metal instruments and sponges employed therewith. In yet another embodiment, the interrogation system includes metal interrogators capable of discerning the presence of a metal object, especially in a presence of another metal object.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A metal instrument, comprising:
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a metal foundation;
a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip; and
a coupler configured to couple said RFID chip to said metal foundation to allow at least a portion of said metal foundation to serve as an antenna, thereby forming at least a portion of an RFID tag with said RFID chip. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An interrogation system, comprising:
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a metal instrument, including;
a metal foundation, a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip, and a coupler configured to couple said RFID chip to said metal foundation to allow at least a portion of said metal foundation to serve as an antenna, thereby forming at least a portion of an RFID tag with said RFID chip;
a sensing subsystem configured to provide a signal having at least one of a metal signature representing a presence of said metal foundation and an RFID signature representing a presence of said RFID tag; and
a control and processing subsystem configured to process said signal to discern a presence of at least one of said metal foundation and said RFID tag. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A metal instrument, comprising:
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a metal foundation with a cavity;
an insulator within said cavity; and
a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag separated from said metal foundation within said cavity by said insulator, said cavity configured to act as a reflector of radio frequency energy associated with said RFID tag. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An interrogation system, comprising:
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a metal instrument, including;
a metal foundation with a cavity, an insulator within said cavity, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag separated from said metal foundation within said cavity by said insulator, said cavity configured to act as a reflector of radio frequency energy associated with said RFID tag;
a sensing subsystem configured to provide a signal having at least one of a metal signature representing a presence of said metal foundation and an RFID signature representing a presence of said RFID tag; and
a control and processing subsystem configured to process said signal to discern a presence of at least one of said metal foundation and said RFID tag. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification