Beam shaping near field communication device

• US 9,513,856 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Hampson, Derek J., Monnier, Dan E., Rehberger, James M., Ehrhardt, Robert A., Gawelczyk, Robert S., Urban, Mark B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Menberu, Beniyam
• Application Number:
  US14/565,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20160162228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/40 Details not directly involved in printing, e.g. machine management, management of the arrangement as a whole or of its constitutive parts computer driven print job management G06F3/1237
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4025 Managing optional units, e.g. sorters, document feeders
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Systems, devices, and related methods for shaping near field interrogation signals are discussed herein. Some embodiments may provide for a printer that includes a housing and a beam shaping near field communication (NFC) device secured with the interior surface. The beam shaping NFC device may include a ferromagnetic component including a core portion and a bottom flange portion. The beam shaping NFC device may further include a wire coil disposed around the core portion. The ferromagnetic component may concentrate near field interrogation signals generated by the wire coil toward a near field interrogation region and away from nearby conductive components, such as the interior surface of the printer.

Claims

1. A printer, comprising:

a housing defining an interior surface of the printer;

a beam shaping near field communication (NFC) device mechanically secured with the interior surface, the beam shaping NFC device including;

a substrate defining a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite the first substrate surface, wherein the first substrate surface faces an interior side of the printer and the second substrate surface faces a near field interrogation region of the beam shaping NFC device;

a ferromagnetic component, including;

a core portion; and

a flange portion mechanically attached with the second substrate surface; and

a wire coil disposed around the core portion, wherein the ferromagnetic component concentrates near field interrogation signals generated by the wire coil toward the near field interrogation region and away from the interior surface of the printer; and

a ribbon supply spool to mount a ribbon supply roll to the interior side of the housing, the ribbon supply roll including;

a ribbon supply core;

a ribbon;

a foil trailer attached to an end of the ribbon, wherein the foil trailer is wrapped around the ribbon supply core and the ribbon is wrapped around foil trailer; and

an RFID tag disposed between the ribbon supply core and the foil trailer, wherein the ribbon supply roll is disposed at the interior side of the housing proximate to the beam shaping NFC device such that the RFID tag is located at the near field interrogation region of the beam shaping NFC device.

2. The printer of claim 1, wherein:

the beam shaping NFC device further includes a non-conductive bobbin component including;

a bobbin core portion defining a cavity configured to receive the core portion of the ferromagnetic component; and

a bobbin flange portion, wherein the bobbin flange portion and the flange portion of the ferromagnetic component are disposed at opposite ends of the core portion of the ferromagnetic component; and

the wire coil is disposed around the bobbin core portion between the bobbin flange portion and the flange portion of the ferromagnetic component.

3. The printer of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic component concentrates the near field interrogation signals generated by the wire coil at the near field interrogation region such that the near field concentrations, after propagating through the ribbon and foil trailer, satisfy an activation level of the RFID tag.

4. The printer of claim 1, wherein the beam shaping NFC device is secured with the interior surface such that the second substrate surface of the beam shaping NFC device faces perpendicular to an outer surface of the RFID tag.

5. The printer of claim 1, wherein the interior surface of the printer is metallic and the ferromagnetic component concentrates the near field interrogation signals generated by the wire coil away from the interior surface, thereby reducing degradation of the near field interrogation signals when the beam shaping NFC device is disposed at the metallic interior surface of the printer.

6. The printer of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver connected the wire coil; and

a controller connected with the transceiver and configured to;

energize the transceiver to cause the wire coil to generate the near field interrogation signals;

subsequent to energizing the transceiver, receive a response signal from the RFID tag; and

determine a ribbon type for the ribbon supply roll based on the response signal.

7. The printer of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to:

receive a tag identifier from the RFID tag of the ribbon supply roll;

determine a print control parameter based on the tag identifier; and

configure the printer for a print operation based on the print control parameter.

8. The printer of claim 1, further comprising a holder mounted to the interior surface of the printer and configured to removably receive the beam shaping NFC device.

9. A method, comprising:

securing a beam shaping NFC device with an interior surface of a housing of a printer and proximate to a ribbon supply roll mounted to the interior side of the housing such that an RFID tag of the ribbon supply roll is at a near field interrogation region of the beam shaping NFC device;

energizing a transceiver connected with the beam shaping NFC device to cause a wire coil of the beam shaping NFC device to generate near field interrogation signals; and

concentrating, with a ferromagnetic component, the near field interrogation signals generated by the wire coil at the near field interrogation region and away from the interior surface of the printer, wherein;

the ribbon supply roll includes;

a ribbon supply core;

a ribbon; and

a foil trailer attached to an end of the ribbon, wherein the foil trailer is wrapped around the ribbon supply core and the ribbon is wrapped around foil trailer; and

the RFID tag is disposed between the ribbon supply core and the foil trailer, wherein the ribbon supply roll is disposed at an interior side of the housing proximate to the beam shaping NFC device such that the RFID tag is located at the near field interrogation region of the beam shaping NFC device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the beam shaping NFC device includes a substrate defining a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite the first substrate surface, wherein the first substrate surface faces the interior side of the printer and the second substrate surface faces the near field interrogation region of the beam shaping NFC device;

the ferromagnetic component includes;

a core portion; and

a flange portion mechanically attached with the second substrate surface; and

the wire coil is disposed around the core portion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the beam shaping NFC device further includes a non-conductive bobbin component including;

a bobbin core portion defining a cavity configured to receive the core portion of the ferromagnetic component; and

a bobbin flange portion, wherein the bobbin flange portion and the flange portion of the ferromagnetic component are disposed at opposite ends of the core portion of the ferromagnetic component; and

the wire coil is disposed around the bobbin core portion between the bobbin flange portion and the flange portion of the ferromagnetic component.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein concentrating the near field interrogation signals generated by the wire coil at the near field interrogation region includes concentrating the near field interrogation signals such that the near field concentrations, after propagating through the ribbon and foil trailer, satisfy an activation level of the RFID tag.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein securing the beam shaping NFC device with the interior surface of the housing includes securing the beam shaping NFC device such that the second substrate surface of the beam shaping NFC device faces perpendicular to an outer surface of the RFID tag.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the interior surface of the printer is metallic; and

concentrating the near field interrogation signals generated by the wire coil away from the interior surface reduces degradation of the near field interrogation signals when the beam shaping NFC device is disposed at the metallic interior surface of the printer.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

subsequent to energizing the transceiver, receiving, by a controller, a response signal from the RFID tag; and

determining, by the controller, a ribbon type for the ribbon supply roll based on the response signal.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising, by a controller:

receiving a tag identifier from the RFID tag of the ribbon supply roll;

determining a print control parameter based on the tag identifier; and

configuring the printer for a print operation based on the print control parameter.

17. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

mounting a holder to the interior surface of the printer; and

disposing the beam shaping NFC device within the holder.