Antenna arrangement for RFID smart tags

• US 6,943,688 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avante International Technology
• Original Assignee: Amerasia International Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Shuiwang, Chung, Kevin Kwong-Tai
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US10/784,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20040164864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/572.2, 340/551, 343/745, 343/748, 343/893, 343/894, 343/866
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2471 Antenna signal processing by receiver or emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2474 Antenna or antenna activator geometry, arrangement or layout loop antennae H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2477 Antenna or antenna activator circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2482 EAS methods, e.g. description of flow chart of the detection procedure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1221 onto a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/29 Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q25/00 takes precedence
• 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: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32

Abstract

An antenna arrangement comprises at least two antenna loops disposed and overlapping in a plane to define a detection region adjacent thereto in which the antenna loops transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals and through which a wireless article may pass. The antenna arrangement may be coupled to a processor and/or utilization system for performing a desired function.

Claims

1. An antenna arrangement for detecting a wireless article comprising:

a first antenna loop disposed in a first plane for transmitting and/or receiving electromagnetic signals;

a first tunable circuit connected to said first antenna loop for coupling at least received signals therefrom;

a second antenna loop disposed at least in part in the first plane and overlapping at least in part said first antenna loop therein,

wherein said first and second antenna loops overlap at least in part in the first plane and define a detection region adjacent thereto in which said first and second antenna loops transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals and in which a wireless article may be;

a second tunable circuit connected to said second antenna loop for coupling at least received signals therefrom; and

a processor coupled to said first and second tunable circuits for processing at least received signals from said first and second antenna loops for detecting a wireless article in detection region.

2. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 wherein at least part of said second antenna loop is in a second plane and the angle at which the first and second intersecting planes intersect is between about 80°

and about 100°

.

3. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 wherein said first and second tunable circuits each includes at least one of a tuning circuit and a filter for selectively connecting said first and second antenna loops and said processor.

4. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 in combination with a wireless article including a loop antenna and an electronic device including a memory, wherein said processor processes received signals of a type produced by the electronic device and transmitted via the wireless article loop antenna.

5. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 wherein said processor processes transmitted signals and the received signals, wherein the transmitted signals are coupled by said first and second tunable circuits to said first and second antenna loops to be transmitted thereby.

6. The antenna arrangement of claim 5 in combination with a wireless article including a loop antenna and an electronic device including a memory, wherein said processor processes transmitted signals of a type received by the electronic device via the wireless article loop antenna and processes received signals of a type produced by the electronic device and transmitted via the wireless article loop antenna.

7. The antenna arrangement of claim 6 wherein the signals received by the electronic device activate, operate, and/or control the electronic device and cause storing of information in the memory and/or reading of information from the memory.

8. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 in combination with a utilization system operable in conjunction with transmitted signals and the received signals for toll collection, object identification, stolen object identification, theft prevention, object tracking, package tracking, baggage tracking, medication dispensing and/or usage, medical device dispensing and/or usage, retailing, inventory tracking, factory and/or warehouse inventory, security identification, and/or access control.

9. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 wherein the detection region includes a portal, a passage, a passageway, a doorway, an access, an egress, a security gate, a toll gate, an electronic gate, a retail check-out station, a hospital, a medical facility, a pharmacy, a location at which medication and/or a medical device is dispensed and/or used, a corridor, a tunnel, a conveyor, a trough, a baggage cart, an enclosure, a storage space, a container, a shipping container, a pallet, a cargo bay, a truck, a trailer, a loading area, and/or a warehouse.

10. An antenna arrangement for detecting a wireless article in a detection region comprising:

a first antenna loop disposed in a first plane for transmitting and/or receiving electromagnetic signals;

a first tunable circuit connected to said first antenna loop for coupling at least received signals therefrom;

a second antenna loop disposed at least in part in the first plane and overlapping at least in part said first antenna loop therein,

wherein said first and second antenna loops overlap at least in part in the first plane and define a detection region adjacent thereto in which said first and second antenna loops transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals and in which a wireless article may be;

a second tunable circuit connected to said second antenna loop for coupling at least received signals therefrom; and

electrical conductors connected to said first and second tunable circuits for coupling at least received signals from said first and second antenna loops for detecting a wireless article in the detection region.

11. The antenna arrangement of claim 10 wherein at least part of said second antenna loop is in a second plane and the angle at which the first and second intersecting planes intersect is between about 80°

and about 100°

.

12. The antenna arrangement of claim 10 wherein said first and second tunable circuits each includes at least one of a tuning circuit and a filter for selectively connecting said first and second antenna loops and said electrical conductors.

13. The antenna arrangement of claim 10 in combination with a wireless article including a loop antenna and an electronic device including a memory, wherein said first and second antenna loops receive signals of a type produced by the electronic device and transmitted via the wireless article loop antenna.

14. The antenna arrangement of claim 10 in combination with a wireless article including a loop antenna and an electronic device including a memory, wherein said first and second antenna loops transmit signals of a type received by the electronic device via the wireless article loop antenna and receive signals of a type produced by the electronic device and transmitted via the wireless article loop antenna.

15. The antenna arrangement of claim 14 wherein the signals received by the electronic device activate, operate, and/or control the electronic device and cause storing of information in the memory and/or reading of information from the memory.

16. The antenna arrangement of claim 10 in combination with a utilization system operable in conjunction with transmitted signals and the received signals for toll collection, object identification, stolen object identification, theft prevention, object tracking, package tracking, baggage tracking, medication dispensing and/or usage, medical device dispensing and/or usage, retailing, inventory tracking, factory and/or warehouse inventory, security identification, and/or access control.

17. The antenna arrangement of claim 10 wherein the detection region includes a portal, a passage, a passageway, a doorway, an access, an egress, a security gate, a toll gate, an electronic gate, a retail check-out station, a hospital, a medical facility, a pharmacy, a location at which medication and/or a medical device is dispensed and/or used, a corridor, a tunnel, a conveyor, a trough, a baggage cart, an enclosure, a storage space, a container, a shipping container, a pallet, a cargo bay, a truck, a trailer, a loading area, and/or a warehouse.

18. A method for detecting a wireless article in a detection region comprising:

providing at least first and second loop antennas;

disposing the first loop antenna in a first plane and disposing the second loop antenna at least in part in the first plane, wherein said first and second loop antennas overlap at least in part in the first plane, thereby to define a detection region adjacent thereto in which a wireless article may be;

causing the at least first and second loop antennas to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals for signaling with a wireless article in the detection region;

coupling the at least first and second loop antenna and a processor via first and second tunable circuits for receiving signals from the wireless article and/or for transmitting signals to the wireless article; and

processing in the processor the received and/or transmitted signals for detecting a wireless article in the detection region.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said coupling includes tuning, filtering and/or selectively connecting the first and second loop antennas.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said selectively connecting includes one of sequentially connecting ones of the plurality of antenna loops and the processor and alternatingly connecting ones of the plurality of antenna loops and the processor.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

providing at least one wireless article including a loop antenna and an electronic device including a memory,

wherein said processing includes processing transmitted signals of a type received by the electronic device via the loop antenna of the wireless article and processing received signals of a type produced by the electronic device and transmitted via the wireless article loop antenna.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein said processing comprises coupling signals related to the transmitted and/or received signals for performing toll collection, object identification, stolen object identification, theft prevention, object tracking, package tracking, baggage tracking, medication dispensing and/or usage, medical device dispensing and/or usage, retailing, inventory tracking, factory and/or warehouse inventory, security identification, and/or access control.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the detection region includes a portal, a passage, a passageway, a doorway, an access, an egress, a security gate, a toll gate, an electronic gate, a retail check-out station, a hospital, a medical facility, a pharmacy, a location at which medication and/or a medical device is dispensed and/or used, a corridor, a tunnel, a conveyor, a trough, a baggage cart, an enclosure, a storage space, a container, a shipping container, a pallet, a cargo bay, a truck, a trailer, a loading area, and/or warehouse.

24. An antenna arrangement for detecting a wireless article in a detection region comprising:

a loop antenna formed of a loop conductor, wherein the loop conductor of said loop antenna is disposed in a plane and crosses over itself at least at three locations in the plane, thereby to define a pretzel-like shape in the plane,

wherein said loop antenna defines a detection region adjacent the plane in which detection region said loop antenna transmits and/or receives electromagnetic signals with a component of an associated electromagnetic field in each of three mutually orthogonal directions and in which a wireless article may be;

a processor for providing signals to be transmitted by said loop antenna and for processing signals received from said loop antenna for detecting a wireless article in the detection region; and

a tunable filter circuit for coupling said loop antenna and said processor, whereby signals provided by said processor are transmitted by said loop antenna and signals received by said loop antenna are coupled to said processor for detecting a wireless article in the detection region.

25. A method for detecting a wireless article in a detection region of a loop antenna comprising:

providing a loop antenna formed of a loop conductor disposed in a plane and crossing over itself at least twice in the plane,

wherein the loop antenna defines a detection region adjacent the plane in which detection region said loop antenna transmits and/or receives electromagnetic signals with a component of an associated electromagnetic field in each of three mutually orthogonal directions and in which a wireless article may be;

causing the loop antenna to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals having a component of an associated electromagnetic field in each of three mutually orthogonal directions for signaling with a wireless article in the detection region;

providing a processor;

coupling the loop antenna and the processor for receiving signals from the wireless article and/or for transmitting signals to the wireless article; and

processing the received and/or transmitted signals for detecting a wireless article in the detection region.