Aerial inventory antenna

• US 9,780,435 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2016
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADASA Inc.
• Original Assignee: ADASA Inc.
• Inventors: McAllister, Clarke William
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US15/286,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20170025736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 342448, 343895
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/015 Aligning or centering of the sensing device with respect to the record carrier
• 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 7/10376 the interrogation device being adapted for being moveable
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/02 using mechanical movement of antenna or antenna system as a whole

Abstract

The present invention relates to radio frequency identification antennae for automatically reading and locating inventory when moved and rotated by an inventory-scanning robot having three dimensions of position mobility.

Claims

1. An antenna for scanning RFID transponders, comprising:

a toroidal reflector loop having a diameter about 4.6 inches;

a first helical exciter element having a diameter similar to the toroidal reflector with about 1.2 inches between the turns and located above the reflector loop;

a second helical exciter element having a diameter similar to the toroidal reflector with about 1.2 inches between the turns and located above the first helical exciter element;

a first balun having a balanced port connected to the first helical exciter element;

a second balun having a balanced port connected to the second helical exciter element; and

a toroidal director loop having a diameter about 3.8 inches wherein the director loop is located above the second helical exciter element.

2. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the reflector, the exciters, and the director are made of 16 AWG brass wire.

3. The antenna of claim 1, wherein the reflector, the exciters, and the director are made of half-hard brass wire.

4. The antenna of claim 1, wherein each balun further comprises an impedance-matching circuit attached to their respective unbalanced ports.