Patent ID: 8274390

Claim:
A method of switching optimal radio frequency identification (RFID) reader antennas in a conveyor system to communicate with an RFID tag containing item identification information on each item being transported on a conveyor through said conveyor system, said method comprising: (a) supporting a plurality of RFID reader antennas over said conveyor, and operably connecting said RFID reader antennas to an antenna switch controlled by a programmed central processing unit (CPU) having associated memory, wherein each said RFID reader antenna has a stand-by mode and an interrogation-mode, wherein each said RFID reader antenna is arranged to communicate with each said RFID tag on each said item, and wherein each said RFID reader antenna has at least one of a different interrogation area and operating frequency; (b) storing in said memory, operating specifications and locations of each of said plurality of RFID reader antennas supported over said conveyor; (c) operating one said RFID reader antennas in said interrogation-mode, while the other of said plurality of RFID reader antennas are operated in said stand-by mode; and (d) as each said item is being transported along said conveyor through said conveyor system, each said item has dimensions, a position and a speed, and the following control process is carried out: (i) using an item dimensioning module to automatically acquire dimensions of said item being transported along said conveyor through said system conveyor system, (ii) said programmed CPU automatically determining the position of said item on said conveyor, from said dimensions of the item and the speed of said item being transported along said conveyor, (iii) said programmed CPU automatically determining an optimal RFID reader antenna in said plurality of RFID reader antennas, for communicating with the item being transported along said conveyor through said conveyor system, wherein said optimal RFID reader antenna is optimized for the size of the item and location of said RFID tag attached thereto, and (iv) said programmed CPU automatically sending an instruction to said antenna switch causing said optimal RFID reader antenna to operate in said interrogation-mode.