Signal line structure for a radio-frequency identification system
First Claim
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1. A radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled shelf comprising:
- a substrate providing a shelf for items having RFID tags; and
a signal line structure comprising;
a plurality of signal lines affixed to a first side of the substrate to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags, wherein the plurality of signal lines extend longitudinally along the shelf;
an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines, wherein the electrical ground plane extends longitudinally along the length of the substrate; and
an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines and the ground plane.
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Abstract
The invention provides one or more signal line structures that produce an electromagnetic field having a magnitude of at least an interrogation threshold of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for a substantial portion of an interrogation region. The signal lines may be made from copper and laid across a shelf in a storage area. The electromagnetic field may cause the tag to backscatter radio frequency (RF) signals to an RFID reader via the signal line.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled shelf comprising:
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a substrate providing a shelf for items having RFID tags; and a signal line structure comprising; a plurality of signal lines affixed to a first side of the substrate to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags, wherein the plurality of signal lines extend longitudinally along the shelf; an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines, wherein the electrical ground plane extends longitudinally along the length of the substrate; and an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines and the ground plane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14)
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10. A radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled shelf comprising:
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a substrate providing a shelf for items having RFID tags; and a signal line structure comprising; a plurality of signal lines affixed to a first side of the substrate to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags; an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines; and an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines and the ground plane; wherein the plurality of signal lines are substantially equally spaced apart and located at different depths of the shelf.
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11. A radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled shelf comprising:
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a substrate providing a shelf for items having RFID tags; and a signal line structure comprising; a plurality of signal lines affixed to a first side of the substrate to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags; an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines; and an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines and the ground plane, wherein at least one of the plurality of signal lines is a parasitic signal line that is not electrically coupled to the ground plane.
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15. A radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled shelf comprising:
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a substrate providing a shelf for items having RFID tags; and a signal line structure comprising; a plurality of signal lines affixed to a first side of the substrate to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags; an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines; and an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines and the ground plane wherein the plurality of signal lines extend along a width of the shelf in a direction from a front of the shelf to a back of the shelf, wherein the plurality of signal lines are substantially equally spaced a lateral distance apart along a length of the shelf and are configured for selective powering for determining a longitudinal position of an item placed on the shelf.
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16. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system, comprising:
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a plurality of RFID-enabled shelves for storing items having RFID tags, each of the shelves having a substrate and signal line structure that includes a plurality of signal lines on a first side of the substrate to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags and an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines, wherein the plurality of signal lines extend longitudinally along each of the shelves, and further wherein the electrical ground plane extends longitudinally along each of the shelves; and an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines of a last one of the shelves to the ground plane of the last shelf, wherein each of the shelves is physically connected to at least one adjacent shelf, wherein at least one of the plurality of signal lines of each of the shelves is coupled to at least one of the plurality of signal lines of at least one adjacent shelf, and wherein the ground plane of each of the shelves is coupled to a ground plane of at least one adjacent shelf. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:
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an RFID reader; a radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled shelf electrically coupled to the RFID reader to generate a radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic field when powered by the RFID reader, the RFID-enabled shelf comprising; a substrate providing a shelf for items having RFID tags; a signal line structure comprising; a plurality of signal lines affixed to a first side of the substrate to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags; an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines, wherein the plurality of signal lines extend longitudinally along the substrate and wherein the ground plane extends longitudinally along the second side of the substrate; and an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines and ground plane.
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19. A method for detecting the presence of a particular item of interest within a radio frequency identification (RFID) system, comprising:
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outputting a first output signal from an RFID reader to a signal line structure of an RFID-enabled shelf to generate one or more radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields for interrogating one or more of the RFID tags associated with items located on a shelf, the signal line structure comprising a plurality of signal lines affixed to a first side of the shelf, the plurality of signal lines extending longitudinally along the shelf, an electrical conductor providing an electrical ground plane on a second side of the substrate opposite the plurality of signal lines, the electrical ground plane extending longitudinally along the second side of the substrate, and an electrical load coupling at least one of the plurality of signal lines and ground plane, wherein the first output signal is outputted to a first signal line of the plurality of signal lines; receiving a response RF signal from at least one of the RFID tags via the signal line structure; and determining, based on the response RF signal, whether an item of interest is stored on the shelf. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification