Sato Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha

Sato Corporation

Ganesh Nagendra

Graham Murdoch

Tai Wai Pong

George Rezk

Yuxin Sun

A radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna system () is adapted to receive and implement firmware programming from an RFID reader. The RFID antenna system comprises a plurality of antenna coils () for reading RFID tags, a selection circuit () configured to activate an active antenna coil from the plurality of antenna coils (), and a processor () configured to control operation of the selection circuit (). The RFID antenna system also includes a data transceiver () configured to provide bidirectional data communication between the processor () and the RFID reader so that the RFID antenna system () receives and implements firmware programming from the RFID reader.

RFID antenna system

An inventory tracking system () for use with an agitator () comprises an RFID antenna system () for detecting RFID tags located in the agitator and an RFID reader () in communication with the RFID antenna system (). The inventory tracking system () also comprises a sensor system () configured to monitor a state of the agitator. The RFID reader () receives a signal indicative of an agitator state from the sensor system (), and the RFID reader () controls operation of the RFID antenna system () responsive to said received signal. The sensor system may be configured to monitor motion of the agitator, for example the signal received by the RFID reader may be indicative of the agitator starting or restarting motion.

Inventory tracking

An RFID read antenna assembly () for use on a metal substrate () is used to read an RFID tag () carried by an article () positioned relative to the metal substrate. The antenna assembly comprises a high permeability layer () mountable to the metal substrate, an elongate carrier () mounted to the high permeability layer and defining a longitudinal axis (), and at least one antenna coil () carried by the elongate carrier. The at least one antenna coil has a plurality of uniformly spaced transversely arranged portions () defining a sequence of antenna loops () of substantially constant width. The width of each antenna loop is substantially the same as the spacing between adjacent transversely arranged portions.

Antenna assembly

An RFID system () includes an RFID reader (), an antenna array () and a length compensation unit (). The RFID reader () is configured to interrogate RFID antennas. The antenna array () includes two or more RFID antennas () connectable to the RFID reader () via a series of cable links (). Each RFID antenna () is associated with a respective cable link (), and each cable link () has a cable length. The length compensation unit () is associated with each RFID antenna (), and is configured to adjust a total cable length between the RFID reader () and a respective RFID antenna () to be an effective cable length.

Growing community of inventors

St Peters, Australia

Ganesh Nagendra