Patent Publication Number: US-2009218393-A1

Title: Method for disposing rfid tag and system thereof

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
     This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application No. 097107056, filed on Feb. 29, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a method for disposing an RFID (Radio-frequency identification) tag and a system thereof, and more particularly to a method for disposing an RFID tag on a revolving region of a product or a transporting platform and a system thereof. 
     2. Related Art 
     In recent years, there is an increasingly high demand for tracking products in the electronics manufacturing industry, in order to reduce a manufacturing cost and improve product quality and competitiveness as well. Therefore, if it lacks a balance for checking the product, and the acquired information of the products is complete and correct, thus the tracking of the products is meaningless. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a current product tracking manner is shown. An RFID tag  101  is disposed on an edge of a product  10 , and then the product information transmitted by the RFID tag  101  is read by using an RFID reader. Unfortunately, when the RFID tag  101  of the product  10  rolls or rotates together with the product  10 , reading errors or misreading of the RFID reader often occur, thereby resulting in inconveniences in use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, the present invention is directed to a method for disposing an RFID tag and a system thereof, which are adapted to dispose the RFID tag on a revolving region of a product or a transporting platform, thereby improving the reading accuracy of the RFID tag. 
     In order to solve the above problems, one of the solutions proposed by the present invention is to provide a method for disposing an RFID tag, which mainly includes the following steps. A revolving region of a product is calculated, and an RFID tag is disposed on the revolving region of the product. The product is loaded to a transporting platform, and once the transporting platform is turned by an electric motor to drive the product to roll on the transporting platform, the product rotates around the revolving region, which enables an RFID reader to read a signal data sent by the RFID tag built on the revolving region. Thus, the information of the product is acquired without producing a multi-directional signal due to the rolling of the product on the transporting platform. 
     The method for disposing an RFID tag of the present invention can also be applied to a configuration that a product wraps a revolving axis of a transporting platform. The method mainly includes the following steps. The product wraps the revolving axis of the transporting platform, then a revolving region of the revolving axis of the transporting platform is calculated, and the RFID tag is disposed on the revolving region of the revolving axis. When the transporting platform is turned by an electric motor to rotate the revolving axis of the transporting platform rotates around the revolving region, which enables an RFID reader to read a signal data sent by the RFID tag disposed on the revolving region. Thus, the information of the product is acquired without producing a multi-direction signal due to the rotation of the revolving axis. 
     In addition, in an RFID tag system of the present invention, an RFID tag is disposed on a revolving region of a product or a revolving axis of a transporting platform. The product or the revolving axis of the transporting platform rotates around the revolving region, and an RFID reader merely reads a signal data sent by the RFID tag disposed on the revolving region. Thus, the information of the product is acquired without producing a multi-direction signal due to the rotation. The product or the revolving axis of the transporting platform is cylindrical-shaped. 
     In the method for disposing an RFID tag and the system thereof of the present invention, an RFID tag is disposed on a revolving region of a product or a revolving axis of a transporting platform, which enables energy of a signal transmitted by the RFID tag to become more centralized and the signal has a relatively narrow antenna beam width feature. Therefore, when an RFID reader reads the signal transmitted by the RFID tag, fewer reading errors or reading failures occur due to the rolling of the product or the rotation of the revolving axis of the transporting platform. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, which thus is not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a method for disposing an RFID tag and a system thereof in the prior art; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart of a method for disposing an RFID tag according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic structural view of an RFID system according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart of a method for disposing an RFID tag according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic structural view of an RFID system according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6A  is an axial ratio diagram of a tag in a method for disposing an RFID tag and a system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6B  is a beam width diagram of an RFID tag in a method for disposing an RFID tag and a system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to further understand the disclosure of the present invention, a detailed illustration is made below with reference to related embodiments and the drawings. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow chart of a method for disposing an RFID tag according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 3  is a schematic structural view of an RFID tag system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the method mainly includes the following steps. 
     A revolving region of a product is calculated, and an RFID tag is disposed on the revolving region of the product (Step S 100 ). A signal transmitted by the RFID tag  202  on the product  201  is often interfered and cannot be delivered correctly due to different disposing positions of the RFID tag  202  on the product  201 . The reason mainly lies in that a multi-direction signal is produced due to the rolling of the product  201  on a transporting platform  20 . Therefore, the present invention first calculates the revolving region of the rolling surface of the product  201 , and disposes the RFID tag  202  on the revolving region, so that the RFID tag  202  can improve the reading accuracy of an RFID reader  203  through the antenna radiation field property. Then, the product is placed on the transporting platform, and the transporting platform is turned by an electric motor to drive the product to roll on the transporting platform (Step S 110 ). 
     An RFID reader is disposed to read a signal data transmitted by the RFID tag on the revolving region (Step S 120 ). When the product  201  rolls on the transporting platform  20 , the product rotates around the revolving region, so that the RFID reader  203  reads sequentially the signal data sent by the RFID tag  202  on the revolving region of the product  201 , thereby acquiring the information of the product  201 . 
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart of a method for disposing an RFID tag according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 5  is a schematic structural view of an RFID tag system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the method mainly includes the following steps. 
     A revolving region of a revolving axis of a transporting platform is calculated, and an RFID tag is disposed on the revolving region of the revolving axis of the transporting platform (Step S 200 ). A signal transmitted by the RFID tag  302  disposed on the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30  is often interfered and cannot be delivered correctly due to different disposing positions of the RFID tag  302  on the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30 . The reason mainly lies in that the product  201  produces a multi-direction signal on the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30 . Therefore, the present invention first calculates the revolving region of the rotating surface of the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30 , and disposes the RFID tag  302  on the revolving region of the rotating surface of the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30 , so that the RFID tag  302  can improve the reading accuracy of an RFID reader  303  through the antenna radiation field property. Then, the transporting platform is further turned by an electric motor to drive the revolving axis of the transporting platform to rotate (Step S 210 ). 
     An RFID reader is disposed to read a signal data transmitted by the RFID tag on the revolving region (Step S 220 ). When the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30  rotates around the revolving region, the RFID reader  303  reads the signal data sent by the RFID tag  302  disposed on the revolving region of the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30 , thereby acquiring the information of the product placed on the revolving axis  301  of the transporting platform  30 . 
     In the above embodiments, the product or the revolving axis of the transporting platform is cylindrical-shaped. As for an RFID tag system of the present invention, an RFID tag is disposed on a revolving region of a product or a revolving axis of a transporting platform. The product rolls around the revolving region or the revolving axis of the transporting platform rotates around the revolving region, which enables an RFID reader to read a signal data sent by the RFID tag disposed on the revolving region. Thus, the information of the product is acquired without producing a multi-direction signal due to the rolling of the product or the rotation of the revolving axis of the transporting platform. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B ,  FIG. 6A  is an axial ratio diagram of a tag in a method for disposing an RFID tag and a system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 6B  is a beam width diagram of an RFID tag in a method for disposing an RFID tag and a system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     Antenna patterns exhibited by the antennas of the RFID tag are shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . Curves Y 1  and Y 2  in  FIG. 6A  represent antenna patterns of an RFID tag, which the antenna member is arranged orthogonal, and as known from the curves, the antenna energy of the RFID tag is centralized in a direction perpendicular to an antenna surface and is most centralized close to a central position. Curves Y 3  and Y 4  in  FIG. 6B  represent of an RFID tag, which the antenna member is arranged orthogonal, and as known from the curves, the antenna patterns of antennas of the RFID tag is approximately ellipse-shaped, and the energy is most strong in the central position. Therefore, according to the results shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , when the RFID tag, disposed on the revolving region of the product or the revolving axis of the transporting platform, rotates together with the product or the revolving axis of the transporting platform, the antenna energy of the RFID tag may be centralized on a center position and a front surface, thereby improving the reading accuracy and reliability of the RFID reader. 
     To sum up, in the method for disposing an RFID tag and the system thereof of the present invention, an RFID tag is disposed on a revolving region of a product or a revolving axis of a transporting platform, so as to avoid the defects of failing to read accurately or misreading caused by the rolling of the product or the rotation of the revolving axis of the transporting platform when an RFID reader reads a signal transmitted by the RFID tag. 
     The present invention has been particularly described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, so that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the system of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.