Method and system for acquiring maintenance information by an RFID tag

• US 7,683,762 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Platforms, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Vernal U
• Application Number:
  US11/041,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.54, 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.51, 340/10.4, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/825.72, 340/5.64, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 340/572.4
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

A control apparatus 10 has a housing containing an IC memory 25 of an RFID tag 20 as a memory element. The RFID tag 20 has an antenna 21 so as to close the housing. The antenna 21 may be attached to an outside of the housing so as to transmit and receive a radio wave to and from the outside of the housing and is connected to the inside of the housing in a closed state via a lead wire insulated from the housing. The housing may be made of a metal with a removable metallic cover formed at a part thereof to allow transmission and reception of the radio wave. The control apparatus 10 may have an RFID tag counterpart section 14 with an antenna 16 so that the RFID tag 20 is electrically insulated from a control circuit of the control apparatus 10.

Claims

1. A system for acquiring maintenance information, comprising a control apparatus and a reader,

said control apparatus comprising:

an RFID tag including a first antenna and an IC memory and allowing data to be written in and read from the IC memory through the first antenna;

a second antenna; and

a historical data memory for storing the maintenance information;

said reader comprising a third antenna and sending a read request via the third antenna by using the radio wave to acquire the maintenance information from the first antenna,

wherein a housing of said control apparatus has a radio wave shielding structure, the housing of the radio wave shielding structure having a removable radio wave shielding cover allowing transmission/reception of the radio wave at least at a portion corresponding to the first antenna.

2. A system for acquiring maintenance information, comprising a control apparatus and a reader,

said control apparatus comprising:

an RFID tag including a first antenna and an IC memory and allowing data to be written in and read from the IC memory through the first antenna;

a second antenna; and

a historical data memory for storing the maintenance information;

said reader comprising a third antenna and sending a read request via the third antenna by using the radio wave to acquire the maintenance information from the first antenna,

wherein a housing of said control apparatus has a radio wave shielding structure, the first antenna of the RFID tag being disposed on an outer surface of the housing of the radio wave shielding structure for transmitting and receiving data to and from the third antenna, the RFID tag further having a fourth antenna disposed inside the housing of the radio wave shielding structure for transmitting and receiving data to and from the second antenna.

3. A system for acquiring maintenance information, comprising a control apparatus and a reader,

said control apparatus comprising:

an RFID tag including a first antenna and an IC memory and allowing data to be written in and read from the IC memory through the first antenna;

a second antenna; and

a historical data memory for storing the maintenance information;

said reader comprising a third antenna and sending a read request via the third antenna by using the radio wave to acquire the maintenance information from the first antenna,

wherein a housing of said control apparatus has a radio wave shielding structure, the second antenna and the RFID tag of the control apparatus being disposed on an outer surface of the housing.