Systems and methods for controlling serially connected RFID transmitters and receivers
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring a plurality of RFID tags, the system comprising:
- a plurality of serially connected transmitters along a transmit path, a serially connected transmitter configured to;
identify a position of the serially connected transmitter in a transmit path by measuring a signal strength of a calibration signal at the serially connected transmitter;
relay a received transmitter selection signal when the transmitter selection signal identifies a selected transmitter as being further along the transmit path than the serially connected transmitter; and
transmit an identification impulse using a transmit antenna when the transmitter selection signal identifies the serially connected transmitter as being the selected transmitter;
a control unit responsive to a plurality of transmit paths, the control unit being configured to send the transmitter selection signal along a selected transmit path, the transmitter selection signal identifying one of the plurality of serially connected transmitters along the selected transmit path as the selected transmitter for transmitting the identification impulse; and
a receiver configured to receive an RFID response signal generated in response to the transmitted identification impulse using a receive antenna.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for monitoring a plurality of RFID tags. A system includes a plurality of serially connected transmitters along a transmit path, where each of the serially connected transmitters are configured to relay a received transmitter selection signal when the transmitter selection signal identifies a selected transmitter as being further along the transmit path than the serially connected transmitter and transmit an identification impulse using a transmit antenna when the transmitter selection signal identifies the serially connected transmitter as being the selected transmitter. A system further includes a control unit responsive to a plurality of transmit paths, the control unit being configured to send the transmitter selection signal along a selected transmit path, where the transmitter selection signal identifies one of the plurality of serially connected transmitters along the selected transmit path as the selected transmitter for transmitting the identification impulse.
39 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring a plurality of RFID tags, the system comprising:
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a plurality of serially connected transmitters along a transmit path, a serially connected transmitter configured to; identify a position of the serially connected transmitter in a transmit path by measuring a signal strength of a calibration signal at the serially connected transmitter; relay a received transmitter selection signal when the transmitter selection signal identifies a selected transmitter as being further along the transmit path than the serially connected transmitter; and transmit an identification impulse using a transmit antenna when the transmitter selection signal identifies the serially connected transmitter as being the selected transmitter; a control unit responsive to a plurality of transmit paths, the control unit being configured to send the transmitter selection signal along a selected transmit path, the transmitter selection signal identifying one of the plurality of serially connected transmitters along the selected transmit path as the selected transmitter for transmitting the identification impulse; and a receiver configured to receive an RFID response signal generated in response to the transmitted identification impulse using a receive antenna. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for monitoring a plurality of RFID tags, the plurality of RFID tags including a plurality of first-protocol RFID tags and a plurality of second-protocol RFID tags, a first protocol using passive RFID tags, a second protocol using battery-assisted RFID tags, the system comprising:
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a plurality of serially connected transmitters along a transmit path, a serially connected transmitter configured to; identify a position of the serially connected transmitter in a transmit path by measuring a signal strength of a calibration signal at the serially connected transmitter; receive a transmitter selection signal that identifies a selected protocol according to which of the first protocol and the second protocol the identification impulse is to be transmitted, the transmitter selection signal further identifying a selected transmitter; relay the received transmitter selection signal when the transmitter selection signal identifies the selected transmitter as being further along the transmit path than the serially connected transmitter; and transmit two identification impulses using two orthogonal linear-polarized transmitter antennas when the transmitter selection signal identifies the serially connected transmitter as being the selected transmitter; a control unit responsive to a plurality of transmit paths, the control unit being configured to send the transmitter selection signal along a selected transmit path, the transmitter selection signal identifying one of the plurality of serially connected transmitters along the selected transmit path as the selected transmitter for transmitting the identification impulse, the control unit including a computer-readable memory storage device containing a transmit order data structure; and a receiver configured to receive an RFID response signal generated in response to the transmitted identification impulse using a receive antenna. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification