Radio communication system

• US 20060278706A1
• Filed: 06/09/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamayaki, Shigeru, Murayama, Hiroki, Hatakeyama, Shigeru, Hirano, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794

Abstract

It is to provide a radio communication system capable of performing highly reliable reading/writing communication even though the RFID tags face in the random directions. The radio communication system comprises an RFID tag used for identification, a reader/writer for performing transmission and reception of information between the RFID tag by radio waves, and a plurality of reflecting plates in a space where a plurality of RFID tags are accumulated. The reflecting plates direct traveling direction of the radio wave irradiated from the reader/writer towards the RFID tags. A part of the radio waves irradiated from an antenna of the reader/writer is directed to travel three-dimensionally towards the space by the effect of the reflecting plates. Moreover, the radio waves traveling in the same direction among the reflected radio waves by the plurality of reflecting plates together allow attenuation caused due to distance to be reduced extremely.

Claims

1. A radio communication system, comprising:

a radio IC chip used for identification;

a transmitting/receiving device for performing transmission and reception of information between the radio IC chip by a radio wave; and

a radio-wave directive unit provided in a space where a plurality of the radio IC chips are accumulated, wherein

the radio-wave directive unit directs traveling direction of the radio wave irradiated from the transmitting/receiving device towards the radio IC chips.

2. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio-wave directive unit directs the radio wave from the transmitting/receiving device to travel in three-dimensional directions within the space.

3. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the radio-wave directive unit directs the radio wave from the transmitting/receiving device towards the space by reflection.

4. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the radio-wave directive unit is constituted with a plurality of reflecting plates having reflecting surfaces for reflecting the radio wave, wherein

the plurality of reflecting plates are arranged at positions surrounding the space.

5. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of reflecting plates are a combination of reflecting plates with the reflecting surfaces formed as planes.

6. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of reflecting plates are a combination of reflecting plates with the reflecting surfaces formed as concave surfaces.

7. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of reflecting plates are a combination of reflecting plates with the reflecting surfaces formed as convex surfaces.

8. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of reflecting plates are a combination of reflecting plates having a different reflecting surface from each other.

9. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio IC chip is an RFID tag for identifying an object.

10. The radio communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting/receiving device is a reader/writer for managing the RFID tag as the radio IC chip.