Patent ID: 8680970

Claim:
An RFID system configured to manipulate RFID tags, comprising: an RFID receiver system configured to read RFID tag information from activated RFID tags within a receive coverage area; and a plurality of exciters defining a plurality of interrogation spaces within the receive coverage area of the RFID receiver system, where at least one of the plurality of exciters is able to activate an RFID tag within the plurality of interrogation spaces and the plurality of interrogation spaces are contained within the receive coverage area of the RFID receiver system; wherein one of the plurality of exciters is a wired exciter with which the RFID receiver system communicates via a wired connection, where the wired excitor comprises: a coupler configured to split a received RF signal; an RF chain including a receive low noise amplifier, and an automatic level control loop; and a transmit antenna; wherein the RFID receiver system is configured to transmit a control signal that identifies one of the plurality of exciters and includes an RFID tag interrogation signal; wherein the wired exciter is configured to receive the control signal; when the wired exciter is identified in the control signal, the wired exciter is configured to couple the control signal into the RF chain to amplify the RFID tag interrogation signal received via the control signal and illuminate an interrogation space with the amplified RFID tag interrogation signal using the transmit antenna and thereby activate an RFID tag within the interrogation space; wherein the RFID receiver system controls the size of the interrogation space by providing a control message to the wired exciter containing transmit power control information and the exciter is configured to control the automatic level control loop to amplify the RFID tag interrogation signal to set the transmit power of the RFID tag interrogation signal in accordance with the transmit power control information; and wherein the RFID receiver system is configured to read RFID tag information from an RFID tag activated by an RFID tag interrogation signal generated by one of the plurality of exciters.