Apparatus and method for communicating with an RFID transponder

• US 9,613,242 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZIH Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Torchalski, Karl, Donato, Daniel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stanford, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, TAE W
• Application Number:
  US14/069,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20140132399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 235432
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• 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: H04B 5/45 Transponders

Abstract

A system having a UHF RFID transceiver is adapted to communicate exclusively with a single electro-magnetically coupled transponder located in a predetermined confined transponder operating region. The system includes a near field coupling device comprising a plurality of lines connected in parallel with an unmatched load. The near field coupling device may be formed, for example on a printed circuit board with a plurality of electrically interconnected traces and a ground plane. The system establishes, at predetermined transceiver power levels, a mutual electro-magnetic coupling which is selective exclusively for a single transponder located in a defined transponder operating region. Also included are methods for selective communication with the transponder in an apparatus such as a printer-encoder.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a transponder on a carrier substrate in a printer, comprising:

energizing a transceiver to a plurality of power levels to communicate with the transponder, as the transponder is moving along a media feed path and being disposed at a plurality of distances from the transceiver,

wherein;

when energized to each of the power levels, the transceiver is configured to generate ultra-high frequency (UHF) signals for near field effect communication with the transponder; and

each of the power levels is independent of frequency of the UHF signals;

determining rates of successful communication between the transceiver and the transponder for the power levels and for the distances between the transceiver and the transponder; and

selecting a first power level associated with a relatively high rate of successful communication between the transceiver and the transponder for a limited range of distances between the transceiver and the transponder.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining rates of successful communication includes determining a plurality of read success rates and a plurality of write success rates for the power levels and for the distances between the transceiver and the transponder, and further comprising selecting a select distance, the first power level, and a second power level, the first power level being associated with the relatively high write success rate at the limited range of distances including the select distance and the second power level being associated with relatively high read success rate at the limited range of distances including the select distance.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the ultra-high frequency signals at the first power level; and

generating ultra-high frequency near field concentrations based on the ultra-high frequency signals for the near field effect communication with the transponder at the limited range of distances between the transceiver and the transponder.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the ultra-high frequency signals at the first power level includes generating the ultra-high frequency signals at one or more frequencies within a band of ultra-high frequencies.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the ultra-high frequency signals at the first power level includes generating at a nominal frequency of about 915 MHz and within a range of frequencies between about 902 MHz and 928 MHz.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transponder is an ultra-high frequency transponder.