RFID BRIDGE ANTENNA
First Claim
1. A machine comprising, in combination:
- at least a first module and a second module for operating said machine, each said module including a tag associated therewith, the tag including a tag antenna coupled to an integrated circuit device having data related to said module, the tag being configured to superimpose the data from the integrated circuit device onto an electromagnetic carrier signal generated by a reader having a reader antenna; and
a first RFID bridge antenna and a separate second RFID bridge antenna associated with the first module and the second module respectively, each said RFID bridge antenna including two RF antenna elements coupled together by a conductor, one of the RF antenna elements in each said RFID bridge antenna being located proximate to said tag antenna of its respective module and the other RF antenna element in each said RFID bridge antenna being located proximate to said reader antenna, therebyincreasing the distance over which the tag of each said module can communicate with the reader andpermitting communication between the first module and the second module via the reader antenna,and wherein said RF antenna elements of the RFID bridge antenna associated with each respective module are tuned to a resonate frequency by at least one of stray capacitance in the antenna and capacitance associated with a charge storage element electrically coupled to the antenna, so that said RF antenna elements resonate at substantially the same frequency, a first RF antenna element proximate to the reader antenna is tuned to approximately the same resonate frequency as the reader antenna, and a second RF antenna element proximate to the tag antenna of said module is tuned to approximately the same resonate frequency as the tag antenna, andsaid conductor comprises a balanced transmission line having a load impedance and a characteristic impedance, the load impedance and the characteristic impedance being substantially equal.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A package for at least two objects includes RFID bridge antennas, having RF antenna elements, for wirelessly communicating data between a tag associated with each object and a reader. An electromagnetic carrier signal transmitted by the reader antenna is received by one of the RF antenna element and retransmitted to the tag antenna by the other RF antenna element, increasing the distance over which the tag can communicate with the reader. Where the tag is attached to a packaged object, the RFID bridge antenna may be included in the package to allow wireless data communication between the tag and a reader. The reader may also be located external to the package. For example, one of the RF antenna elements may be attached to a label on the package, allowing data stored in the tag to be extracted by the external reader.
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A machine comprising, in combination:
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at least a first module and a second module for operating said machine, each said module including a tag associated therewith, the tag including a tag antenna coupled to an integrated circuit device having data related to said module, the tag being configured to superimpose the data from the integrated circuit device onto an electromagnetic carrier signal generated by a reader having a reader antenna; and a first RFID bridge antenna and a separate second RFID bridge antenna associated with the first module and the second module respectively, each said RFID bridge antenna including two RF antenna elements coupled together by a conductor, one of the RF antenna elements in each said RFID bridge antenna being located proximate to said tag antenna of its respective module and the other RF antenna element in each said RFID bridge antenna being located proximate to said reader antenna, thereby increasing the distance over which the tag of each said module can communicate with the reader and permitting communication between the first module and the second module via the reader antenna, and wherein said RF antenna elements of the RFID bridge antenna associated with each respective module are tuned to a resonate frequency by at least one of stray capacitance in the antenna and capacitance associated with a charge storage element electrically coupled to the antenna, so that said RF antenna elements resonate at substantially the same frequency, a first RF antenna element proximate to the reader antenna is tuned to approximately the same resonate frequency as the reader antenna, and a second RF antenna element proximate to the tag antenna of said module is tuned to approximately the same resonate frequency as the tag antenna, and said conductor comprises a balanced transmission line having a load impedance and a characteristic impedance, the load impedance and the characteristic impedance being substantially equal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification