Wireless synchronized operation of pulsed EAS systems
First Claim
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1. A method for controlling transmissions between a plurality of electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems, the EAS systems including detectors and controllers, said method comprising:
- transmitting, from a detector of a first EAS system, an excitation signal into an interrogation zone during a transmit phase of the first EAS system;
receiving signals, at the detector, from excited EAS tags in the interrogation zone;
determining noise information during a noise detection phase of the first EAS system, wherein the excitation signal does not occur during the noise detection phase, the noise information representative of a noise level experienced at the detector of the first EAS system;
processing the received signals during a detection processing phase; and
wirelessly communicating messages between the controllers of the plurality of EAS systems during a communications phase of the first EAS system that occurs outside the transmit phase.
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Abstract
A system and method for providing wireless synchronized operation of electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems are provided. The method may include communicating wirelessly between each of a plurality of controllers connected to a plurality of detectors of the plurality of EAS systems and receiving with a communications receiver of each of the controllers wireless communications from at least some of the other plurality of controllers. The communications receiver may be separate from a tag detection receiver.
21 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for controlling transmissions between a plurality of electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems, the EAS systems including detectors and controllers, said method comprising:
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transmitting, from a detector of a first EAS system, an excitation signal into an interrogation zone during a transmit phase of the first EAS system; receiving signals, at the detector, from excited EAS tags in the interrogation zone; determining noise information during a noise detection phase of the first EAS system, wherein the excitation signal does not occur during the noise detection phase, the noise information representative of a noise level experienced at the detector of the first EAS system; processing the received signals during a detection processing phase; and wirelessly communicating messages between the controllers of the plurality of EAS systems during a communications phase of the first EAS system that occurs outside the transmit phase. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. An electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, said system comprising:
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detectors configured to monitor associated interrogation zones for EAS tags; controllers connected to the corresponding detectors, the controllers each having a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter configured to transmit an EAS excitation signal into the interrogation zones during a first window, the receiver connected to the detectors and configured to receive a signal generated by an EAS tag; and a communications channel configured to convey wireless communication messages, outside the first window, between the controllers, the messages being used by the controllers to control transmission of the EAS excitation signals. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for synchronizing operation of detectors within an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, the method comprising:
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providing controllers that are connected to detectors of at least one EAS system, the detectors configured to monitor associated interrogation zones for EAS tags, the controllers configured to cause the detectors to transmit EAS excitation signals into the interrogation zones during a first window and receive signals from excited EAS tags; providing a wireless communications channel between the controllers; transmitting, outside the first window, messages between the controllers over the wireless communications channel, the messages being used by the controllers to control transmission of the EAS excitation signals. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification