Gate antenna device

• US 7,227,504 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshinaga, Hiroshi, Tanaka, Masahiko, Deguchi, Futoshi, Haruyama, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIH CHAO
• Application Number:
  US10/929,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20050057422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/855, 343/866, 343/867, 343/742
• US Class Current: 343/742
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/005 Patch antenna using one or more coplanar parasitic elements
• 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

A gate antenna device has a plurality of loop antennas which supplies power and transmission data to an IC-integrated medium through electromagnetic induction and acquires reception data in the form of a fluctuation of a load from the IC-integrated medium. The plurality of loop antennas include a power-fed loop antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed loop antenna to which no signal current is supplied. The gate antenna device expands the distance and range of communication with an IC-integrated medium and improves the accuracy of communication while suppressing power consumption and leakage electric fields.

Claims

1. A gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas include a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied, wherein the power fed loop antenna is surrounded by a bag-shaped comb-type conductive line having a comb-type arrangement.

2. A gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas include a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied, wherein the plurality of antennas are loop antennas having an open plane and wherein the plurality of loop antennas include a power-fed loop antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed loop antenna to which no signal current is supplied, wherein the power fed loop antenna is surrounded by a bag-shaped comb-type conductive line having a comb-type arrangement.

3. A gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas include a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied, wherein the plurality of antennas are loop antennas having an open plane and wherein the plurality of loop antennas include a power-fed loop antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed loop antenna to which no signal current is supplied, wherein at least one power-fed loop antenna is provided such that it is sandwiched by a plurality of the non-power-fed loop antennas.

4. A gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas include a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied, wherein the plurality of antennas are loop antennas having an open plane and wherein the plurality of loop antennas include a power-fed loop antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed loop antenna to which no signal current is supplied, said gate antenna device further comprising another power fed loop antenna and another non-power fed loop antenna, wherein the power-fed loop antennas and the non-power-fed loop antennas are alternately provided.

5. A gate antenna device comprising one or more antenna sets, wherein each antenna set is constituted by a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied, the antennas being provided adjacent to each other to form a pair, wherein the one or more antenna sets are provided in a space having X, Y, and Z axes which are orthogonal to each other, the antenna sets being provided on two or more of the X, Y, and Z axes.

6. The gate antenna device according to claim 5, wherein adjoining ones of the antenna sets cross each other at an angle of about 90 deg when the antenna sets are disposed on four planes in an imaginary space formed on the X, Y, and Z axes and wherein the signal current supplied to the power-fed antennas included in the antenna sets is supplied at a sequential phase difference of 90 deg each time it is switched from one of the four planes on which the antenna sets are provided to another.

7. The gate antenna device according to claim 5, wherein the antenna set is a loop antenna set comprising a power-fed loop antenna having a loop-like configuration to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed loop antenna having a loop-like configuration to which no signal is supplied.

8. The antenna device according to claim 7, wherein a non-power-fed loop antenna having the greatest opening is provided at least on a plane along one axis among a plurality of planes in the imaginary space formed by the X, Y, and Z axes and wherein one or more loop antenna sets are provided on the planes along the remaining axes.

9. A gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas, wherein:

the plurality of antennas include a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied;

each of the plurality of antennas is provided on two or more planes in an imaginary space formed by X, Y, and Z axes which are orthogonal to each other; and

the power-fed antenna is provided on at least one of the planes in the imaginary space and the non-power-fed antenna is provided on another of the planes.

10. The gate antenna device according to claim 9, wherein the antennas are provided on the planes in the imaginary space formed by the X, Y, and Z axes except one or more of the planes.

11. The gate antenna device according to claim 9, wherein:

a box-like body is formed in the imaginary space formed by the X, Y, and Z axes;

the plurality of antennas are provided on two or more planes of the box-like body; and

at least one of the plurality of antennas provided on the plane is the power-fed antenna, and another is the non-power-fed antenna.

12. The gate antenna device according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the planes of the box-like body is an open plane.

13. The gate antenna device according to claim 11, wherein the box-like body is a commodity case.

14. The gate antenna device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of antennas are loop antennas having a loop-like configuration and wherein the plurality of loop antennas include a power-fed loop antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed loop antenna to which no signal current is supplied.

15. The gate antenna device according to claim 9, wherein the non-power-fed antenna having the greatest opening is provided at least on a plane along one axis among a plurality of planes in the imaginary space formed by the X, Y, and Z axes and wherein one or more of power-fed antennas and non-power-fed antennas are provided on the planes along the remaining axes.

16. A radio communication media processing apparatus comprising:

a gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas and communicating with a radio communication medium, the plurality of antennas including a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied;

a modulation unit for modulating data to be transmitted to the radio communication medium;

a demodulation unit for performing data demodulation on a signal from the radio communication medium received by the gate antenna device; and

a control unit for controlling the modulation unit and the demodulation unit,

wherein the plurality of antennas are provided on two or more planes in an imaginary space formed on X, Y, and Z axes which are orthogonal to each other.

17. A radio communication media processing apparatus comprising:

a gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas and communicating with a radio communication medium, the plurality of antennas including a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied;

a modulation unit for modulating data to be transmitted to the radio communication medium;

a demodulation unit for performing data demodulation on a signal from the radio communication medium received by the gate antenna device; and

a control unit for controlling the modulation unit and the demodulation unit,

wherein the plurality of antennas are provided on two or more planes of a box-like body formed on X, Y, and Z axes.

18. A radio communication media processing apparatus comprising:

a gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas and communicating with a radio communication medium, the plurality of antennas including a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied;

a modulation unit for modulating data to be transmitted to the radio communication medium;

a demodulation unit for performing data demodulation on a signal from the radio communication medium received by the gate antenna device; and

a control unit for controlling the modulation unit and the demodulation unit,

said radio communication media processing apparatus further comprising a determination unit for determining data demodulated by the demodulation unit.

19. A radio communication media processing apparatus comprising:

a gate antenna device having a plurality of antennas and communicating with a radio communication medium, the plurality of antennas including a power-fed antenna to which a signal current is supplied and a non-power-fed antenna to which no signal current is supplied;

a modulation unit for modulating data to be transmitted to the radio communication medium;

a demodulation unit for performing data demodulation on a signal from the radio communication medium received by the gate antenna device; and

a control unit for controlling the modulation unit and the demodulation unit,

said radio communication media processing apparatus further comprising an error detection unit for detecting an error in data demodulated by the demodulation unit.