Directional wire antennas for radio frequency identification tag system
First Claim
1. A directional wire antenna for radio frequency identification tag systems, the antenna including a wire body having first and second legs extending angularly outwardly from opposite ends of a generally central member, said second leg having inner and outer segments which are angularly oriented relative to one another such that a portion of said central member and said second leg are in somewhat of a u-shaped configuration with said portion of said central member and said outer segment of said second leg being connected by said inner segment of said second leg and said outer segment of said second leg extending at a compound angle relative to a longitudinal axis of said portion of said central member and terminating in a free end.
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Abstract
Directional wire antennas for use in article or personal tracking and/or inventory monitoring or control systems wherein the antennas are specifically configured to provide a tunable vertical beam angle which is less than their horizontal beam angle. The antennas are modified or non-balanced dipole or monopole structures having non-symmetrical wire legs wherein at least one leg has segments extending angularly in a linear manner in two separate planes. In preferred embodiments the antennas are designed to receive signals from active RFID (radio frequency identification) tags placed on objects to be monitored within confined or defined structures without bleed over of signals from tags placed on objects at different vertical levels of the structure.
49 Citations
19 Claims
- 1. A directional wire antenna for radio frequency identification tag systems, the antenna including a wire body having first and second legs extending angularly outwardly from opposite ends of a generally central member, said second leg having inner and outer segments which are angularly oriented relative to one another such that a portion of said central member and said second leg are in somewhat of a u-shaped configuration with said portion of said central member and said outer segment of said second leg being connected by said inner segment of said second leg and said outer segment of said second leg extending at a compound angle relative to a longitudinal axis of said portion of said central member and terminating in a free end.
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18. A method for reading radio frequency identification tags within a structure having multiple vertically spaced levels wherein objects on the multiple levels have radio frequency tags applied thereto, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a directional wire antenna for a radio frequency identification tag system wherein the antenna includes a wire body having first and second leas extending angularly outwardly from opposite ends of a generally central member and wherein the second lea has inner and outer segments which are angularly oriented relative to one another such that a portion of the central member and said second leg are in somewhat of a u-shaped configuration with the portion of said central member and the outer segment of the second leg being connected by the inner segment of the second leg and the outer segment of the second leg extending at a compound angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the portion of said central member and terminating in a free end and placing the directional antenna along one of the plurality of levels and orienting the antenna to receive RF signals from tags on the one of the plurality of levels, and b) communicating the directional antenna with means for reading signals received by the antenna to identify objects only located on the one of the plurality of levels whereby the directional antenna effectively receives radio frequency signals from the tags on the one of the plurality of levels without bleed-over from signals from tags on other levels.
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19. A method for reading radio frequency identification tags within a structure having multiple vertically spaced levels wherein objects on the multiple levels have radio frequency identification tags applied thereto, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) placing at least one antenna having a limited vertical beam bandwidth which is generally less than a distance between floors of adjacent vertical levels on one of the plurality of levels and orienting the at least one antenna to receive RF signals from tags on the one of the plurality of levels, and b) communicating the at least one antenna with means for reading signals received by the at least one antenna to identify objects only located on the one level whereby the at least one antenna effectively receives radio frequency signals from the tags on the one level without bleed-over from signals from tags on other levels.
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Specification