APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH A RFID TAG

• US 20090045919A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: FUKUI, Tomoyasu, YASUI, Kunihiro, TAKI, Kazunari
• Granted Patent: US 8,068,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

An apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag that can improve versatility of the apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag, and further simplify equipment configuration and reduce costs of users by enabling information transmission/reception with a RFID circuit element in and outside the apparatus is provided. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag is provided with a housing constituting an outer profile of an apparatus main body and communicable regions both inside and outside the housing and has a loop antenna LC that can transmit/receive information with a RFID circuit element for a label production and a RFID circuit element for an information reading provided with an IC circuit part storing information and a loop antenna that transmits/receives information and a driving roller provided in the housing and configured to feed a tag label tape with print.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag comprising:

a housing constituting an outer profile of an apparatus main body;

an apparatus antenna device provided with communicable regions both on an inside and an outside of said housing and capable of information transmission/reception with respect to a RFID circuit element provided with an IC circuit part storing information and a tag antenna for information transmission/reception; and

a feeding device provided inside said housing and configured to feed a feeding medium.

2. An apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein:

said apparatus antenna device is a single antenna having a directivity communicable both to a RFID circuit element for a label production provided at a tag medium as said feeding medium located inside said housing and to a RFID circuit element for a information reading located outside said housing.

3. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 2, further comprising a directivity control portion configured to control a direction of a main lobe by said single antenna.

4. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein:

said apparatus antenna device includes a first antenna provided with a communicable region inside said housing and capable of information transmission/reception with respect to said RFID circuit element for a label production provided at a tag medium as said feeding medium and a second antenna provided with a communicable region outside said housing and capable of information transmission/reception with respect to said RFID circuit element for an information reading located outside said housing.

5. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 4, further comprising:

a command-information generating portion configured to generate command information for access to said IC circuit parts of said RFID circuit element for a label production and of said RFID circuit element for an information reading; and

a switching connection portion for connection by selectively switching said command-information generating portion to said first antenna or said second antenna.

6. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 4, wherein:

said first antenna is arranged on one side and said second antenna is arranged on the other side through a shield member provided with a function to shield or attenuate a communication signal.

7. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 2, further comprising a mode control portion including a scan mode configured to perform information transmission/reception with said RFID circuit element for an information reading located outside said housing through said single antenna and a tag-label production mode configured to perform information transmission/reception with said RFID circuit element for a label production provided at said tag medium fed by said feeding device in said housing through said single antenna, said mode control portion configured to control said apparatus antenna device corresponding to either one of said scan mode or said tag-label production mode.

8. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 7, wherein:

said mode control portion controls said apparatus antenna device corresponding to said scan mode in a usual time and corresponding to said tag-label production mode in production of a RFID label.

9. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 7, wherein:

said housing has an opening/closing portion configured capable of opening/closing;

an opening/closing detecting device that detects an open/closed state of said opening/closing portion is provided; and

said mode control portion performs mode switching control of said scan mode and said tag-label production mode according to a detection result of said opening/closing detecting device.

10. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 7, further comprising:

a container holder that detachably installs a container for including at least a RFID tag containing said tag medium capable of continuous supply on which a plurality of said RFID circuit elements for a label production is arranged; and

a container-presence/absence detecting device that detects presence or absence of said container for including at least a RFID tag in said container holder, wherein

said mode control portion performs mode switching control of said scan mode and said tag-label production mode according to a detection result of said container-presence/absence detecting device.

11. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 7, further comprising:

an information acquisition portion configured to obtain RFID tag information provided at said IC circuit parts of said RFID circuit element for a label production and of said RFID circuit element for an information reading; and

a prohibition processing portion configured to prohibit a post processing using the obtained RFID tag information when said RFID tag information of said RFID circuit element for a label production provided at said tag medium is obtained by said information acquisition portion through said single antenna during control by said mode control portion in said scan mode; and

configured to prohibit a tag label production processing using the obtained RFID tag information when said RFID tag information of said RFID circuit element for an information reading located outside said housing is obtained by said information acquisition portion through said single antenna during the control by said mode control portion in said tag-label production mode.

12. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 11, further comprising a container-information detecting device configured to detect container information of an object to be detected provided at said container for including at least a RFID tag installed in said container holder, wherein:

said prohibition processing portion performs said prohibition processing based on a detection result of said container-information detecting device.

13. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claims 2, further comprising:

a printing device configured to make a print on said tag medium or a print-receiving medium to be bonded said tag tape according to said information transmission/reception contents with said RFID circuit element for a label production of said tag medium through said apparatus antenna device; and

a first print-control portion configured to operate said printing device when detecting that said apparatus antenna device is controlled in correspondence with said tag-label production mode.

14. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 1, further comprising a second print-control portion configured to control said printing device so that a print is applied on said feeding medium or a print-receiving medium to be bonded said feeding medium according to said information transmission/reception contents with said RFID circuit element for an information reading located outside said housing through said apparatus antenna device.

15. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 14, further comprising a cutter configured to cut a label medium to a predetermined length so as to form a label, said label medium being formed by using said feeding medium or said print-receiving medium after printing by said printing device.

16. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 14, further comprising an information processing portion configured to perform predetermined information processing to said RFID circuit element for an information reading based on said information transmission/reception result with said RFID circuit element for an information reading located outside said housing, wherein:

said second print-control portion controls said printing device so that the print corresponding to the information processing by said information processing portion is made on said feeding medium or said print-receiving medium.

17. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein:

an antenna included in said apparatus antenna device is at least one of a planar antenna, a dipole antenna provided extending substantially in a straight line, and a loop antenna configured to transmit/receive information by a magnetic induction.

18. The apparatus for communicating with a RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein:

said apparatus main body is constituted substantially in a hexagonal shape and is provided with a carry-out exit that discharges said feeding medium to outside said housing on one side face other than the bottom face; and

said apparatus antenna device is provided in the vicinity of any of both side faces adjacent to one side face having said carry-out exit or of an upper face.