Near-field and far-field antenna-assembly and devices having same

• US 7,843,347 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Ackley, Sprague, Lam, For Sander, Nikitin, Pavel, Kodukula, Venkata
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/022,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20090189816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 3405721-5726, 3405728-5729, 340/539.1, 340/568.1, 340/10.1, 340/539.11, 340/825.36, 340/7.2, 340/7.51, 340/7.54
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/30 the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices wirelessly communicate in a near-field region and a far-field region. A device may include a near-field antenna and a far-field antenna. The device may be configured to selectively operate in a near-field mode, employing the near-field antenna, and/or in a far-field mode, employing the far-field antenna, and/or in a joint mode, employing both the near-field antenna and the far-field antenna separately or concurrently. One type of device may be a wireless communications data-reader device configured for both near-field and far-field communications. Another type of device may be a wireless communications data-provider device configured for both near-field and far-field communications.

Claims

1. A wireless data-reader communications device, comprising:

a near-field antenna-structure including a first near-field antenna configured to be near-field operable;

a far-field antenna-structure including a far-field antenna configured to be far-field operable, the far-field antenna carrying the first near-field antenna;

a processor in communication with the near-field antenna-structure and the far-field antenna-structure that executes instructions; and

a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored therein that cause the processor to interrogate a respective wireless data provider communications device with at least one of the near-field and the far-field antenna-structures.

2. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1, comprising:

a power splitter/combiner that communicatively couples the processor to the near-field antenna-structure and to the far-field antenna-structure.

3. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1, comprising:

a controllable switch that flips the wireless data-reader communications device between a near-field operational mode and a far-field operational mode, wherein in near-field operational mode the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor, and wherein in far-field operational mode the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor; and

wherein the memory stores further instructions that cause the processor to;

toggle the controllable switch from one of the near-field operational mode or the far-field operational mode to the other operational mode.

4. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1 wherein the wireless data-reader communications device conforms to at least one standard for a radio frequency identification reader that reads data from a radio frequency identification device.

5. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1, comprising:

a pair of antenna feedpoints communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the first near-field antenna and the far-field antenna are electrically coupled in parallel to the pair of antenna feedpoints.

6. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1, comprising:

a pair of antenna feedpoints communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the first near-field antenna and the far-field antenna are electrically coupled in series to the pair of antenna feedpoints.

7. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1 wherein the near-field antenna-structure includes a second near-field antenna carried by the far-field antenna, the first near-field antenna arranged having a central axis aligned in a first direction, the second near-field antenna arranged having a central axis aligned in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

8. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1 wherein the far-field antenna comprises a patch antenna with a first plate and the first near-field antenna comprises a coil antenna, which is carried by the first plate.

9. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 1 wherein the near-field antenna-structure includes a second near-field antenna, the first and the second near-field antennas comprising first and second coil antennas, the far-field antenna comprises a dipole antenna that carries the first and the second coil antennas, the first coil antenna arranged having a central axis aligned in a first direction, the second coil antenna arranged having a central axis aligned in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

10. A wireless data-reader communications device, comprising:

a near-field antenna-structure including a first near-field antenna configured to be near-field operable;

a far-field antenna-structure including a far-field antenna configured to be far-field operable;

a processor in communication with the near-field antenna-structure and the far-field antenna-structure that executes instructions;

a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored therein that cause the processor to interrogate a respective wireless data provider communications device with at least one of the near-field and the far-field antenna-structures; and

a switch configured to be physically manipulated by a user and configured to switch the wireless data-reader communications device between a near-field operational mode and a far-field operational mode, wherein in near-field operational mode, the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor, and wherein in far-field operational mode, the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor.

11. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 10, comprising:

a pair of antenna feedpoints communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the first near-field antenna and the far-field antenna are electrically coupled in parallel to the pair of antenna feedpoints, and wherein the far-field antenna carries the first near-field antenna.

12. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 10, comprising:

a pair of antenna feedpoints communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the first near-field antenna and the far-field antenna are electrically coupled in series to the pair of antenna feedpoints, and wherein the far-field antenna carries the first near-field antenna.

13. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 10 wherein the near-field antenna-structure includes a second near-field antenna carried by the far-field antenna, the first near-field antenna arranged having a central axis aligned in a first direction, the second near-field antenna arranged having a central axis aligned in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

14. The wireless data-reader communications device of claim 10 wherein the far-field antenna comprises a patch antenna with a first plate and the first near-field antenna comprises a coil antenna, which is carried by the first plate.

15. A method of operating a wireless data-reader communications device that comprises a processor, a near-field antenna and a far-field antenna carrying the near-field antenna and that wirelessly reads data from wireless data-provider communications devices, comprising:

selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device;

electrically coupling the processor of the wireless data-reader communications device to at least one of the near-field antenna carried by the far-field antenna and the far-field antenna;

interrogating at least one wireless data-provider communications device with the near-field antenna when a near-field operational mode is the selected operational mode; and

interrogating at least one wireless data-provider communications device with the far-field antenna when a far-field operational mode is the selected operational mode.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device includes:

determining whether the selected operational mode and a current operational mode are the same;

electrically coupling the processor to one of the near-field antenna or the far-field antenna; and

electrically decoupling the processor from the other of the near-field antenna or the far-field antenna.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device includes:

selecting a joint operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device, and further comprising;

emitting electromagnetic energy from the near-field antenna to interrogate a first at least one wireless data-provider communications device within a near-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device; and

emitting electromagnetic energy from the far-field antenna to interrogate a second at least one wireless data-provider communications device within a far-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device which is outside of the near-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising

receiving electromagnetic energy at the near-field antenna from the first at least one wireless data-provider communications device within the near-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device;

and

receiving electromagnetic energy at the far-field antenna from the second at least one wireless data-provider communications device within the far-field region of the wireless data-reader communications device.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device includes:

wirelessly receiving a reader-mode command indicative of an operational mode via a third antenna that is different from both the near-field antenna and the far-field antenna; and

selecting the operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device based at least partially on the received reader-mode command.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

wirelessly providing a provider-mode command indicative of an operational mode of at least one wireless data-provider communications device.