READING RFID TAG USING ANTENNA WITHIN ENCLOSURE

• US 20130342320A1
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Hinman, Mark P., Zogg, Edward, Sharma, Abhishek
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07327 Passive means, e.g. Faraday cages Faraday-type protection of electric circuits in general H05K9/00

Abstract

A method of reading an RFID tag using an RFID reader includes providing an RF-blocking enclosure having a port. The RFID reader has an antenna located within the enclosure. The enclosure is positioned so that the port is adjacent to a conductive surface and the RFID tag is within the enclosure. The RFID reader is activated at a selected read power level to read the tag in the enclosure.

Claims

1. A method of reading an RFID tag using an RFID reader, comprising:

providing an RF-blocking enclosure having a port, wherein an antenna of the RFID reader is located within the enclosure;

positioning the enclosure so that the port is adjacent to a conductive surface and the RFID tag is within the enclosure; and

activating the RFID reader at a selected read power level to read the tag in the enclosure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RFID reader transmits on a selected wavelength, the enclosure is configured so that the port and the antenna are separated by a distance substantially equal to a multiple of one-quarter of the selected wavelength, and the positioning step includes positioning the RFID tag in the port.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RFID reader transmits on a selected wavelength, further including selecting a tag position within the enclosure, the enclosure is configured so that the tag position and the antenna are separated by a distance substantially equal to a multiple of one-quarter of the selected wavelength, and the positioning step includes positioning the RFID tag at the tag position.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is attached to a non-RFID-active object and the positioning step includes positioning the enclosure with respect to the object.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the enclosure-providing step includes providing the enclosure having a second port and a curtain of RF-attenuating material over the second port, wherein the conductive surface is a curtain of RF-attenuating material over the port;

the method further including passing the object through the port and the second port; and

the activating step including activating the RFID reader while the object is in the enclosure.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the passing step includes bearing the object on a conveyor through the port and the second port.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the object is a container.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the object is a smart label or a smart card.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure is electrically connected to the conductive surface, so that the enclosure and the conductive surface together attenuate RF signals from outside the enclosure by at least 60 dB.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the positioning step includes operating the reader to transmit a bait signal at a selected bait power level greater than the read power level and at a selected reader frequency, and the method includes a subsequent skimmer-detection step of monitoring the selected reader frequency, wherein a skimmer is determined to be present if a skimmer RFID signal is detected.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the skimmer-detection step further includes attempting to read the tag at the read power level and determining a received signal strength from the tag, so that monitoring is discontinued when the received signal strength exceeds a selected threshold.

12. The method according to claim 13, wherein the attempting during skimmer-detection step includes attempting to read only some, but not all, data stored in the tag.