RFID SYSTEM

• US 20090072949A1
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nishino, Hitoshi, Kimura, Yoshinori, Fukuda, Kaoru, Matsueda, Tsuyoshi, Sakamoto, Shiroh
• Granted Patent: US 8,120,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

An RFID system according to the present invention includes an RFID antenna system including: a first antenna that can communicate with an external reader/writer; an antenna selector for connecting with the first antenna; and a plurality of second antennas that can connect with the first antenna in order via the antenna selector, each of the second antennas can communicate with an IC tag that is attached to an article placed in a region defined by the second antenna.

Claims

1. An RFID antenna system comprising:

a first antenna for communicating with an external reader/writer;

an antenna selector for connecting with the first antenna; and

a plurality of second antennas for connecting in order with the first antenna via the antenna selector, each of the second antennas communicating with an IC tag that is attached to an article placed in a region defined by the second antenna.

2. The RFID antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the antenna selector comprises a radio-frequency switch.

3. The RFID antenna system according to claim 1, further comprising an IC tag for identifying a region that is defined by each of the second antennas in the region.

4. The RFID antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the region is a region in which the IC tag attached to an article placed in the region and wherein the external reader/writer device communicates with the corresponding second antennas via the corresponding first antenna.

5. The RFID antenna system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of second antennas include either or both of a group of antennas for communicating with an IC tag related to an article in the region and a group of antennas for communicating with two or more IC tags related to two or more articles in the region.

6. An item management system comprising:

an RFID antenna system comprising;

a first antenna for communicating with an external reader/writer;

an antenna selector for connecting with the first antenna; and

a plurality of second antennas for connecting in order with the first antenna via the antenna selector, each of the second antennas communicating with an IC tag that is attached to an article placed in a region defined by the second antenna;

a reader/writer for communicating with the first antenna of the RFID antenna system; and

a control unit for communicating with the reader/writer.

7. A cabinet with an RFID antenna, comprising:

a housing forming the cabinet;

a first antenna attached on an outside surface of the housing for communicating with an external reader/writer;

an antenna selector attached on the surface of the housing for connecting with the first antenna; and

a plurality of second antennas, provided on at least one holder inside the housing, for connecting in order with the first antenna via the antenna selector, each of the second antennas communicating with an IC tag that is attached to an article placed in a region defined by the second antenna.

8. The cabinet with an RFID antenna according to claim 7, wherein the antenna selector includes a radio-frequency switch.

9. The cabinet with an RFID antenna according to claim 7, further comprising an IC tag for identifying a region that is defined by each of the second antennas in the region.

10. The cabinet with an RFID antenna according to claim 7, wherein the region is a region in which the IC tag attached to an article placed in the region and wherein the external reader/writer communicates with the corresponding second antennas via the corresponding first antenna.

11. The cabinet with an RFID antenna according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of second antennas include either or both of a group of antennas for communicating with an IC tag related to an article in the region and a group of antennas for communicating with two or more IC tags related to two or more articles in the region.

12. An item management system, comprising:

a cabinet with an RFID antenna, comprising;

a housing forming the cabinet;

a first antenna attached on an outside surface of the housing for communicating with an external reader/writer;

an antenna selector attached on the surface of the housing for connecting with the first antenna; and

a plurality of second antennas, provided on at least one holder inside the housing, for connecting in order with the first antenna via the antenna selector, each of the second antennas communicating with an IC tag that is attached to an article placed in a region defined by the second antenna;

a reader/writer for communicating with the first antenna that forms the cabinet with an RFID antenna; and

a control unit for communicating with the reader/writer.