WIRELESS TAG READING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ARRANGING READER ANTENNA OF WIRELESS TAG READING APPARATUS

• US 20100328038A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: KATO, Masakazu
• Application Number:
  US12/790,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20100328038A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

A wireless tag reading apparatus comprising: an electric field-type reader antenna which has an electromagnetic wave radiating side arranged toward a wireless tag for both near-field and far-field operation and which transmits and receives a signal to and from the wireless tag by an electric field; a magnetic field-type reader antenna which has an electromagnetic wave radiating side arranged toward the wireless tag from a different direction from the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the electric field-type reader antenna and not orthogonally to an antenna side of the wireless tag and which transmits and receives a signal to and from the wireless tag by a magnetic field; and an antenna switching unit which switches use of the magnetic field-type reader antenna and the electric field-type reader antenna.

Claims

1. A wireless tag reading apparatus comprising:

an electric field-type reader antenna which has an electromagnetic wave radiating side arranged toward a wireless tag for both near-field and far-field operation and which transmits and receives a signal to and from the wireless tag by an electric field;

a magnetic field-type reader antenna which has an electromagnetic wave radiating side arranged toward the wireless tag from a different direction from the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the electric field-type reader antenna and not orthogonally to an antenna side of the wireless tag and which transmits and receives a signal to and from the wireless tag by a magnetic field; and

an antenna switching unit which switches use of the magnetic field-type reader antenna and the electric field-type reader antenna.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric field-type reader antenna is arranged with the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the electric field-type reader antenna oppositely to the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the magnetic field-type reader antenna.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric field-type reader antenna is arranged along a direction of stack of the wireless tags and with the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the electric field-type reader antenna intersecting the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the magnetic field-type reader antenna.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field-type reader antenna is arranged in a lower part in a gravitational direction with the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the magnetic field-type reader antenna facing upward in the gravitational direction.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an interrogator which generates a query signal to make an inquiry to the wireless tag, outputs the query signal to the electric field-type reader antenna or the magnetic field-type reader antenna, receives a response signal from the wireless tag received by the electric field-type reader antenna or the magnetic field-type reader antenna, and demodulates and decodes the response signal, and

wherein the interrogator includes the antenna switching unit and switches between the electric field-type reader antenna and the magnetic field-type reader antenna by the antenna switching unit, transmits the query signal to the wireless tag, and receives the response signal.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna switching unit switches between the electric field-type reader antenna and the magnetic field-type reader antenna every predetermined time period.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna switching unit does not switch while data is received from the wireless tag via one reader antenna of the electric field-type reader antenna and the magnetic field-type reader antenna, and switches to the other reader antenna when data can no longer be received from the wireless tag.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the total number of the wires tags as a reading target is known in advance and reading cannot be done from the total number of the wireless tags via one reader antenna of the electric field-type reader antenna and the magnetic field-type reader antenna, the antenna switching unit switches to the other reader antenna.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric field-type reader antenna and the magnetic field-type reader antenna are provided on a housing article which houses an article having the wireless tag attached thereto.

10. A method for arranging a reader antenna of a wireless tag reading apparatus comprising, in a wireless tag reading apparatus having an electric field-type reader antenna which transmits and receives a signal to and from a wireless tag for both near-field and far-field operation by an electric field, a magnetic field-type reader antenna which transmits and receives a signal to and from the wireless tag by a magnetic field, and an antenna switching unit which switches use of the magnetic field-type reader antenna and the electric field-type reader antenna:

arranging an electromagnetic wave radiating side of the magnetic field-type reader antenna toward the wireless tag arranged and not to be orthogonal to an antenna side of the wireless tag; and

arranging an electromagnetic wave radiating side of the electric field-type reader antenna oppositely to the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the magnetic field-type reader antenna.

11. A method for arranging a reader antenna of a wireless tag reading apparatus comprising, in a wireless tag reading apparatus having an electric field-type reader antenna which transmits and receives a signal to and from a wireless tag for both near-field and far-field operation by an electric field, a magnetic field-type reader antenna which transmits and receives a signal to and from the wireless tag by a magnetic field, and an antenna switching unit which switches use of the magnetic field-type reader antenna and the electric field-type reader antenna:

arranging an electromagnetic wave radiating side of the magnetic field-type reader antenna toward the wireless tag arranged and not to be orthogonal to an antenna side of the wireless tag; and

arranging an electromagnetic wave radiating side of the electric field-type reader antenna along a direction of stack of the wireless tags and to intersect the electromagnetic wave radiating side of the magnetic field-type reader antenna.