RFID READER AND RANGE INDICATING METHOD FOR THE RFID READER

• US 20080061937A1
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Psion PLC (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Psion Teklogix (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Park, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,786,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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

Abstract

An RFID reader and range indicating method for the RFID reader is provided. The RFID reader includes an RF antenna for communicating with one or more than one tag using RF signals, a module for operating on the tag, a module for analyzing a range of the RFID reader; and a module for indicating, based on the analysis, a potential area where the RFID reader is capable of implementing the operation on the tag.

Claims

1. A Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) reader, comprising:

an RF antenna for communicating with one or more than one tag using RF signals;

a module for operating on the tag;

a module for analyzing a range of the RFID reader; and

a module for indicating based on the analysis a potential area where the RFID reader is capable of implementing the operation on the tag.

2. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 1, wherein the module for analyzing includes a module for measuring a distance to a target object and a module for determining the coverage area of the RF antenna at the position of the target object.

3. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 2, wherein the module for indicating projects on the target object a multi-dimensional visual indicator associated with the potential area, and wherein the indicator is calibrated based on the analysis result.

4. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 1, wherein the module for analyzing determines one or more than one dimension of a visual indicator associated with the potential area.

5. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 4, wherein the module for analyzing analyzes the coverage area of the RF antenna at a position of a target object, and determines the one or more than one dimension of the visual indicator, based on the analysis result.

6. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 5, wherein the module for indicating projects the visual indicator on the target object.

7. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 1, wherein the module for indicating provides a visual indicator having a multi-dimensional pattern associated with the potential area.

8. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 7, wherein the module for analyzing analyzes the coverage area of the RF antenna at a position of a target object, and wherein the module for indicating is calibrated such that the multi-dimensional pattern is associated with the coverage area of the RF antenna at the position of the target object.

9. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 7, wherein one or more than one dimension of the multi-dimensional pattern is determined by the module for analyzing, based on a distance to a target object and the coverage area of the RF antenna.

10. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 9, wherein the analyzer includes a module for determining the distance between the target object and the RFID reader

11. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 1, wherein the module for indicating illuminates the potential area, and wherein one or more than one dimension of the potential area is determined by the module for analyzing, based on a function of the RFID range with a distance to a target object.

12. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one or more than one dimension of the potential area is determined based on a function of the distance to the target object and power output.

13. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one or more than one dimension of the potential area is determined based on a function of the distance to the target object, power output, and one or more than one environmental condition factor.

14. An RFID reader as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a feedback device for providing feedback to the user of the RFID reader based on the analysis result.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 S, wherein the step of analyzing includes the step of measuring a distance to a target object and the step of determining the coverage area of the RF antenna at the position of the target object.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step of indicating includes the step of projecting on the target object a multi-dimensional visual indicator associated with the potential area, and wherein the step of analyzing includes the steps of calibrating the multi-dimensional visual indicator based on the analysis result.

15. A method for a Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) reader, the RFID reader including an RF antenna for communicating with one or more than one tag using RF signals and a module for operating on the tag, the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing a range of the RFID reader; and

indicating based on the analysis a potential area where the RFID reader is capable of implementing the operation on the tag.

18. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of analyzing includes the step of determining one or more than one dimension of a visual indicator associated with the potential area.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the step of analyzing includes the step of analyzing the coverage area of the RF antenna at a position of a target object and the step of determining the one or more than one dimension of the visual indicator, based on the analysis result.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of indicating includes the step of projecting the visual indicator on the target object.

21. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of indicating includes the step of providing a visual indicator having a multi-dimensional pattern associated with the potential area.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the step of analyzing includes the step of analyzing the coverage area of the RF antenna at a position of a target object and the step of calibrating the multi-dimensional pattern such that the multi-dimensional pattern is associated with the coverage area of the RF antenna at the position of the target object.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the step of analyzing includes the step of determining one or more than one dimension of the multi-dimensional pattern, based on a distance to a target object and the coverage area of the RF antenna.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the step of analyzing includes the step of determining the distance between the target object and the RFID reader.

25. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of indicating includes the step of illuminating the potential area, and the step of analyzing includes the step of determining one or more than one dimension of the potential area based on a function of the RFID range with a distance to a target object.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the step of determining includes the step of determining the one or more than one dimension of the potential area based on a function of the distance to the target object and power output.

27. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the step of determining includes the step of determining the one or more than one dimension of the potential area based on a function of the distance to the target object, power output, and one or more than one environmental condition factor.

28. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of providing feedback to the user of the RFID reader based on the analysis result.

29. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of analyzing includes the step of determining whether the object is within the range of the RF antenna, and wherein the step of indicating is enabled when the target object is within the range of the RF antenna.