Patent ID: 8922346
Filing Date: 2014-12-30
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. In an RFID system including an RFID reader and a container group including a plurality of containers arranged in three dimensions, the system comprising: the RFID reader including a power-supply antenna and a link antenna, each spaced apart from the container group, the plurality of containers including one or more power-supply containers facing the power supply antenna and one or more data containers facing the link antenna; the RFID reader adapted to transmit a power-supply RF signal via the power-supply antenna to a first subset of power-supply containers and to transmit a data RF signal via the link antenna to a first subset of data containers while transmitting the power-supply RF signal; each of the plurality of containers including a power-supply relay and a data relay, each relay including an upstream antenna arranged on a side of the container facing the corresponding antenna of the RFID reader and a downstream antenna arranged on a side of the container facing away from the corresponding antenna of the RFID reader; the containers arranged so that the upstream power-supply antenna of each container other than the first subset of power-supply containers is adjacent to the downstream power-supply antenna of another of the containers, and the upstream data antenna of each container other than the first subset of data containers is adjacent to the downstream data antenna of another of the containers; each power-supply relay adapted to receive RF energy via its upstream antenna, transmit some of the received energy via its downstream antenna, and provide some of the received RF energy to the respective data relay; each data relay adapted to relay RF energy between its upstream and downstream antennas using the RF energy received from the respective power-supply relay; the container group further including a masked container including an RFID tag adapted to receive RF signals and transmit RF responses and an antenna coupled to the RFID tag, the masked container oriented so that the antenna thereof is adjacent to the downstream data antenna of one of the plurality of containers; and so that the data RF signal from the RFID reader is retransmitted by at least one of the data containers to the RFID tag, and a response signal from the RFID tag is retransmitted by at least one of the data containers to the link antenna of the RFID reader.