NEAR-FIELD AND FAR-FIELD ANTENNA-ASSEMBLY AND DEVICES HAVING SAME

• US 20090189816A1
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Lam, For Sander, Nikitin, Pavel, Kodukula, Venkata, Ackley, Sprague
• Granted Patent: US 7,843,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/30 the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices wirelessly communicate in a near-field region and a far-field region. A device may include a near-field antenna and a far-field antenna. The device may be configured to selectively operate in a near-field mode, employing the near-field antenna, and/or in a far-field mode, employing the far-field antenna, and/or in a joint mode, employing both the near-field antenna and the far-field antenna separately or concurrently. One type of device may be a wireless communications data-reader device configured for both near-field and far-field communications. Another type of device may be a wireless communications data-provider device configured for both near-field and far-field communications.

Claims

1. A wireless data-reader communications device, comprising:

a near-field antenna-structure including a near-field antenna configured to be near-field operable;

a far-field antenna-structure including a far-field antenna configured to be far-field operable;

a processor in communication with the near-field antenna-structure and the far-field antenna-structure that executes instructions; and

a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored therein that cause the processor to interrogate a respective wireless data provider communications device with at least one of the near-field and the far-field antenna-structures.

2. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1, comprising:

a power splitter/combiner that communicatively couples the processor to the near-field antenna-structure and to the far-field antenna-structure.

3. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1, comprising:

a controllable switch that flips the wireless data communications device between a near-field operational mode and a far-field operational mode, wherein in near-field operational mode the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor, and wherein in far-field operational mode the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor; and

wherein the memory stores further instructions that cause the processor to;

toggle the controllable switch from one of the near-field operational mode or the far-field operational mode to the other operational mode.

4. The wireless data-reader communications device claim 1, comprising:

a switch configured to be physically manipulated by a user and configured to switch the wireless data communications device between a near-field operational mode and a far-field operational mode, wherein in near-field operational mode, the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor, and wherein in far-field operational mode, the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor.

5. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1 wherein the wireless data communications device conforms to at least one standard for a radio frequency identification reader that reads data from a radio frequency identification device.

6. A method of operating a wireless data-reader communications device that wirelessly reads data from wireless data-provider communications devices, comprising:

selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device;

interrogating at least one wireless data-provider communications device with a near-field antenna when a near-field operational mode is the selected operational mode; and

interrogating at least one wireless data-provider communications device with a far-field antenna when a far-field operational mode is the selected operational mode.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device includes:

determining whether the selected operational mode and a current operational mode are the same;

electrically coupling a processor to one of the near-field antenna or the far-field antenna; and

electrically decoupling the processor from the other of the near-field antenna or the far-field antenna.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device includes:

selecting a joint operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device, and further comprising;

emitting electromagnetic energy from a near-field antenna to interrogate a first at least one wireless data-provider communications device within a near-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device; and

emitting electromagnetic energy from a far-field antenna to interrogate a second at least one wireless data-provider communications device within a far-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device which is outside of the near-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising

receiving electromagnetic energy at the near-field antenna from the first at least one wireless data-provider communications device within the near-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device;

and

receiving electromagnetic energy at the far-field antenna from the second at least one wireless data-provider communications device within the far-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device includes:

wirelessly receiving a reader-mode command indicative of an operational mode via a third antenna that is different from both the near-field antenna and the far-field antenna; and

selecting the operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device based at least partially on the received reader-mode command.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

wirelessly providing a provider-mode command indicative of an operational mode of at least one wireless data-provider communications device.