Phase coupler for rotating fields
First Claim
1. An electronic article surveillance system comprising:
- a plurality of antenna structures, each antenna structure including three or more loops and wherein each antenna structure is connected to a single transmission driver, for generating respective electromagnetic fields from each antenna structure, and wherein said single transmission driver is arranged to drive said loops of said antenna structure in such a way that the vector sum of said electromagnetic fields of said antenna structures is null in a far field and wherein no vector is separated by another vector by 180°
of phase;
a plurality of electronics boards and wherein each electronics board has two independent transmission drivers thereon, and wherein one of said transmission drivers drives a first antenna structure and wherein the other one of said transmission drivers drives a second antenna structure; and
wherein each of said antenna structures is coupled to said single transmission driver via a phase coupler, said phase coupler converting a transmission driver signal into two distinct phase driver signals for driving a first set of loops and a second set of loops for an antenna structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to dynamically controlled, electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems whereby an array of antenna elements is digitally phased and actively driven for concurrent transmission, and digitally phased and combined in the receiver unit to improve detection. In particular, the individual frequency and phase of the plurality of the transmit/receive signals are rapidly varied to allow for automated manipulation (steering) of the transmit field pattern and receive field sensitivity. The invention achieves the following features via means of digital phasing and dynamic computer control: sufficient far-field cancellation, null-free detection and uncompromised detection performance regardless of tag'"'"'s orientation while using single transmission drivers to drive entire antenna structures, whether loop antenna or ferrite core antenna, using a phase coupler, thereby allowing more efficient system operation or additional features such as deactivator antenna operation.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. An electronic article surveillance system comprising:
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a plurality of antenna structures, each antenna structure including three or more loops and wherein each antenna structure is connected to a single transmission driver, for generating respective electromagnetic fields from each antenna structure, and wherein said single transmission driver is arranged to drive said loops of said antenna structure in such a way that the vector sum of said electromagnetic fields of said antenna structures is null in a far field and wherein no vector is separated by another vector by 180°
of phase;a plurality of electronics boards and wherein each electronics board has two independent transmission drivers thereon, and wherein one of said transmission drivers drives a first antenna structure and wherein the other one of said transmission drivers drives a second antenna structure; and wherein each of said antenna structures is coupled to said single transmission driver via a phase coupler, said phase coupler converting a transmission driver signal into two distinct phase driver signals for driving a first set of loops and a second set of loops for an antenna structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 10, 11)
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5. An electronic article surveillance system comprising:
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a plurality of antenna structures, each antenna structure including three or more loops which are wound around an electromagnetic core structure and wherein each antenna structure is connected to a single transmission driver, for generating respective electromagnetic fields from each antenna structure, and wherein said single transmission driver is arranged to drive said loops wound around said electromagnetic core structure of said antenna structure in such a way that the vector sum of said electromagnetic fields of said antenna structures is null in a far field and wherein no vector is separated from another by 180°
of phase;a plurality of electronics boards and wherein each electronics board has two independent transmission drivers thereon, and wherein one of said transmission drivers drives a first antenna structure and wherein the other one of said transmission drivers drives a second antenna structure; and wherein each antenna structure is coupled to said single transmission driver via a phase coupler, said phase coupler converting a transmission driver signal into two distinct phase driver signals for driving a first set of loops and a second set of loops for each antenna structure. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification