Cordless indicia reader with a multifunction coil for wireless charging and EAS deactivation

• US 9,911,295 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Xie, Zhengyang, Gao, Jianfeng, Liu, Zhongqi, Li, Jian, Huang, Hongfeng, Wang, Lin, Pi, Yunsheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US15/291,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20170032640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 3405723
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• 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 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2411 Tag deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/242 Tag deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2431 Tag circuit details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/246 Check out systems combined with EAS, e.g. price information stored on EAS tag anti-theft systems in point of sale systems G07G3/003
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2871 Pancake coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery

Abstract

A cordless indicia reader including a multifunction coil that can be configured to either transmit or receive electromagnetic energy is disclosed. In this way, the multifunction coil facilitates both the wireless charging of a battery and the wireless deactivation of electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags. The multifunction coil and a plurality of modules to perform these functions are integrated within the cordless indicia reader'"'"'s hand-supportable housing.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a plurality of modules configured for (i) receiving energy wirelessly to charge an energy storage component, and (ii) transmitting energy wirelessly to deactivate electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags; and

a housing substantially enclosing the plurality of modules;

wherein the plurality of modules comprises a coil module, the coil module including one multifunction coil for both (i) wirelessly receiving energy to facilitate the charging of the energy storage component and (ii) wirelessly transmitting energy to facilitate the deactivation of EAS tags.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of modules comprise:

a control module for generating signals to configure the electronic device'"'"'s modes of operation, the modes of operation comprising (i) an indicia-reading mode, (ii) a wireless charging mode, and (iii) an EAS-deactivation mode;

a battery module, comprising an energy storage component, for storing energy and supplying energy to enable the electronic device'"'"'s modes of operation;

a switching module, comprising one or more switches, controlled by the control module, configured to route energy and electronic signals between modules to facilitate the electronic device'"'"'s modes of operation;

an indicia-reading module enabled to acquire and decode indicia when the electronic device is configured in the indicia reading mode;

a charging module enabled to generate a charging signal when the electronic device is configured in the wireless charging mode; and

an EAS-deactivation module enabled to generate an EAS deactivation signal when the electronic device is configured in the EAS deactivation mode.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the control module facilitates the indicia-reading mode by signaling the switching module to electrically interconnect the battery module and the indicia-reading module.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the control module is triggered to facilitate the indicia-reading mode when an operator presses a scan button on the electronic device'"'"'s housing.

5. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the control module facilitates the wireless-charging mode by signaling the switching module to electrically interconnect the battery module, wireless-charging module, and the coil module.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the coil module'"'"'s multifunction coil receives an electromagnetic charging signal wirelessly from a host charging coil via magnetic induction.

7. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the control module facilitates the EAS-deactivation mode by signaling the switching module to electrically interconnect the battery module, EAS-deactivation module, and coil module.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the EAS-deactivation module is triggered to send the EAS deactivation signal upon sensing an EAS tag.

9. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the control module is triggered to enable the electronic device'"'"'s EAS-deactivation mode after an indicium is acquired and decoded.

10. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the control module is triggered to enable the electronic device'"'"'s wireless-charging mode after an EAS-deactivation signal is transmitted.

11. An indicia reader, comprising:

a plurality of modules enclosed by a housing, wherein the plurality of modules comprises;

a control module for generating signals to configure a switching module, the switching module having a one or more electrical switches for electrically configuring the plurality of modules to perform a plurality of functions;

an indicia-reading module for acquiring and decoding indicia information;

a charging module for generating a charging signal for a battery module, the battery module for storing energy and supplying energy to enable the plurality of modules;

an electronic article surveillance (EAS) deactivation module for generating an EAS deactivation signal to deactivate an EAS tag; and

a coil module, the coil module including a multifunction coil for (i) wirelessly receiving energy for the charging module and (ii) wirelessly transmitting energy from the EAS deactivation module to facilitate the deactivation of the EAS tag.

12. The indicia reader according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of functions comprises (i) indicia reading, (ii) wireless charging, and (iii) EAS-tag deactivation.

13. The indicia reader according to claim 12, wherein the control module is configured to generate a signal to adjust the switching module to electrically join the plurality of modules in order to enable indicia reading when an operator presses a scan button on the housing.

14. The indicia reader according to claim 12, wherein the control module is configured to generate a signal to adjust the switching module to electrically join the plurality of modules in order to enable the wireless charging of the battery module when the indicia reader is not engaged in indicia reading or EAS deactivation functions.

15. The indicia reader according to claim 12, wherein the control module is configured to generate a signal to adjust the switching module to electrically join the plurality of modules in order to enable EAS-tag deactivation after performing the indicia reading function.

16. The indicia reader according to claim 12, wherein the EAS deactivation module has circuitry to generate a tag signal when an active EAS tag is in proximity to the multifunction coil, the tag signal triggering the EAS deactivation module to generate the EAS deactivation signal.

17. A method, comprising:

electrically connecting, with an electronic device, (i) a battery module to a charging module and (ii) the charging module to a multifunction coil, wherein the electronic device comprises the battery module, the charging module, and the multifunction coil;

in response to a trigger signal, electrically connecting, with the electronic device, the EAS-deactivation module to the multifunction coil, wherein the electronic device comprises the EAS-deactivation module; and

generating an EAS deactivation signal with the EAS-deactivation module.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising, in response to the signal, electrically connecting, with the electronic device, the battery module to the EAS-deactivation module.

19. The method according to claim 17, comprising, while the battery module is electrically connected to the charging module, adjusting voltage levels and current levels of an electromagnetic charging signal, with the electronic device, to charge an energy storage device in the battery module.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the trigger signal indicates that the electronic device has sensed an activated EAS tag and/or read an indicia.