Radio frequency identification tag identification system

• US 9,262,657 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2014
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Datalogic Automation Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Goidas, Peter J., Liu, Zhong-Min, Brockmole, Jeffrey M., Kulakkunnath, Kapilkumar N.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, MIRZA F
• Application Number:
  US14/507,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20150091701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 340/572.3, 340/928, 340/551, 340/572.9, 340/505, 340/506, 340/539.13, 343/742, 343/866, 343/745, 343/748, 343/893, 343/726, 343/855, 235/385, 235/384, 235/375, 235/382, 705/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10435 the interrogation device being positioned close to a conveyor belt or the like on which moving record carriers are passing conveying in accordance with bodily destination marks, see B65G47/46, sorting of objects carrying identity markings, see B07C5/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10445 the record carriers being fixed to further objects, e.g. RFIDs fixed to packages, luggage, mail-pieces or work-pieces transported on a conveyor belt
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001

Abstract

A conveyor system for processing items on which radio frequency identification tags are disposed has a conveyor that conveys items through a path of travel, and an antenna disposed proximate the path of travel. Circuitry in communication with the antenna may associate RFID tag data with a package on the conveyor based on a difference signal from elements in the antenna.

Claims

1. A method for processing items on which radio frequency identification tags are disposed, comprising:

providing a conveyor that conveys items through a path of travel, each item having at least one respective radio frequency identification tag disposed thereon;

providing an antenna disposed proximate the path of travel, wherein the antenna comprises at least one first element and at least one second element, and wherein the at least one first element is disposed upstream from the at least one second element with respect to the path of travel;

radiating radio frequency signals into the path of travel from the antenna and receiving, at the antenna, responses to the radio frequency signals from radio frequency identification tags disposed on the items being conveyed by the conveyor through the path of travel;

at circuitry that is in communication with the conveyor, receiving signals from the at least one first element and the at least one second element corresponding to the responses;

at the circuitry, determining a difference between magnitude of a said signal corresponding to the response from the at least one first element and magnitude of a said signal corresponding to the response from the at least one second element; and

at the circuitry, associating information corresponding to a said radio frequency tag with a said item based upon when the difference reaches a minimum.

2. A method for processing items on which radio frequency identification tags are disposed, comprising:

providing a conveyor that conveys items through a path of travel, each item having at least one respective radio frequency identification tag disposed thereon;

providing a sensor disposed proximate the path of travel so that the sensor detects presence of items in the path of travel;

providing an antenna disposed proximate the path of travel so that the antenna radiates radio frequency signals into the path of travel, including to a predetermined position in the path of travel, wherein the antenna comprises at least one first element and at least one second element, and wherein the at least one first element is disposed upstream from the at least one second element with respect to the path of travel;

radiating radio frequency signals into the path of travel, including the predetermined position, from the antenna and receiving, at the antenna, responses to the radio frequency signals from radio frequency identification tags disposed on the items being conveyed by the conveyor through the path of travel;

at circuitry that is in communication with the conveyor, receiving signals from the at least one first element and the at least one second element corresponding to the responses;

at the circuitry, determining a difference between magnitude of a said signal corresponding to the response from the at least one first element and magnitude of a said signal corresponding to the response from the at least one second element,

wherein the antenna is disposed with respect to the path of travel so that the difference is at a minimum when the radio frequency identification tag from which the at least one first element and the at least one second element receive the responses is at the predetermined position; and

at the circuitry, associating information corresponding to a said radio frequency identification tag with a said item based upon proximity of the item to the predetermined position when the difference reaches the minimum.

3. The method as in claim 2, comprising receiving, at the circuitry, said signals from the at least one first element and the at least one second element correspondingly to responses from radio frequency identification tags at a plurality of positions in the path of travel, and identifying, for an individual said radio frequency identification tag, a said minimum corresponding to the individual radio frequency identification tag.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the identifying step comprises identifying the minimum for the individual radio frequency identification tag after a first period of time without receiving a said signal from the at least one first element or the at least one second element correspondingly to a response from the individual radio frequency identification tag after having received said signals from the at least one first element or the at least one second element correspondingly to responses from the individual radio frequency identification tag.

5. The method as in claim 3, wherein the identifying step comprises identifying a plurality of local minima in the difference corresponding to the individual radio frequency identification tag and identifying a minimum of the local minima as the minimum of the difference corresponding to the individual radio frequency identification tag.

6. The method as in claim 4, comprising determining, at the circuitry, a second period between occurrence of the minimum of the difference corresponding to the individual radio frequency identification tag and expiration of the first period, determining a position of each item with respect to the path of travel at the expiration of the first period, discounting a present position of each item in the path of travel by the second period, and comparing the discounted present position of each item with the predetermined position to thereby determine a proximity of each item to the predetermined position.

7. The method as in claim 2, comprising associating, at the circuitry, the information with a said item based upon whether the item is at the predetermined position when the difference reaches the minimum.

8. The method as in claim 3, comprising identifying a first position in the path of travel at which a said signal is received from the at least one first element and the at least one second element correspondingly to a response from the individual radio frequency identification tag prior to occurrence of the minimum and identifying a second position in the path of travel at which a said signal is received from the at least one first element and the at least one second element correspondingly to a response from the individual radio frequency identification tag after occurrence of the minimum, based on identification of the minimum and movement of the conveyor.

9. The method as in claim 8, comprising associating the information with a said item based upon whether the item is between the first position and the second position when the magnitude of the difference reaches the minimum.

10. The method as in claim 8, comprising associating the information with a said item based upon whether the item is within a predetermined distance of the first position and a predetermined distance of the second position when the difference reaches the minimum.

11. The method as in claim 2, comprising providing a device in communication with the conveyor that outputs signals corresponding to conveyor position, and receiving, at the circuitry, the signals corresponding to conveyor position and tracking a position of each item with respect to the path of travel based thereon following detection of the presence of said each item in the path of travel by the sensor disposed proximate the path of travel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the device is a tachometer.

13. The method as in claim 11, comprising, upon receipt of the signals from the at least one first element and the at least one second element correspondingly to a said response from an individual radio frequency identification tag, storing the information corresponding to the individual radio frequency identification tag in association with data corresponding to conveyor position from the sensor in communication with the conveyor.

14. A method for processing items on which radio frequency identification tags are disposed, comprising:

providing a conveyor that conveys items through a path of travel, each item having at least one respective radio frequency identification tag disposed thereon;

providing a sensor disposed proximate the path of travel so that the sensor detects presence of items in the path of travel;

providing an antenna disposed proximate the path of travel so that the antenna radiates radio frequency signals into the path of travel, including to a predetermined position in the path of travel, wherein the antenna comprises at least one first element and at least one second element, and wherein the at least one first element is disposed upstream from the at least one second element with respect to the path of travel;

radiating radio frequency signals into the path of travel, including the predetermined position, from the antenna and receiving, at the antenna, responses to the radio frequency signals from radio frequency identification tags disposed on the items being conveyed by the conveyor through the path of travel;

at circuitry that is in communication with the conveyor, receiving signals from the at least one first element and the at least one second element corresponding to the responses,

wherein, for respective said responses, a first magnitude corresponds to a difference between magnitude of a said signal corresponding to the response from the at least one first element and magnitude of a said signal corresponding to the response from the at least one second element, and a second magnitude corresponds to a sum of the magnitude of the signal from the at least one first element and the magnitude of the signal from the at least one second element;

at the circuitry, for respective instances of said signals from the at least one first element and the at least one second element, determining a first difference between the first magnitude and the second magnitude;

at the circuitry, for respective instances of said signals from the at least one first element and the at least one second element received correspondingly to responses from an individual radio frequency identification tag, determining a second difference between the first difference for each said correspondingly received respective instance and the first difference from a preceding said correspondingly received respective instance,

wherein the antenna is disposed with respect to the path of travel so that the first magnitude is at a minimum when the radio frequency identification tag from which the at least one first element and the at least one second element receive the responses is at the predetermined position and the second magnitude is at a maximum when the radio frequency identification tag from which the at least one first element and the at least one second element receive the responses is at the predetermined position; and

at the circuitry, monitoring the first and second magnitudes and associating information corresponding to the individual radio frequency identification tag with a said item based upon change in polarity of the second difference.