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EP-4494213-B1 - IMPROVED RFID ANTENNA

EP4494213B1EP 4494213 B1EP4494213 B1EP 4494213B1EP-4494213-B1

Inventors

  • DAVIS, Alan Wesley
  • MAHONY, John Francis

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230419

Claims (10)

  1. A device comprising: an antenna grid panel (130); one or more antennas (135) having a square shape structure with a ceramic material attached on the front of the square shape structure; one or more reflectors (136) each positioned behind each of the antennas (135); a base (137) positioned behind the one or more reflectors (136), the base (137) is attached to the antenna grid panel (130); one or more antenna shafts (145); and the one or more reflectors (136) connected to the each of the antennas (135) by a plurality of antenna mounts (140); wherein the antenna shafts (145) extend from the base (137) through the center of each reflector (136), the reflector (136) is configured to rotate around the antenna shaft (145), and the antenna shaft (145) is configured to move outward from the base.
  2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more reflectors (136) include a circular shape.
  3. The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna grid panel (130) includes a rectangular shape.
  4. The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna (135) is mounted on the reflector (136) via the plurality of antenna mounts (140) located at each corner of the antenna (135).
  5. The device of claim 1, wherein the each reflector (136) includes copper material.
  6. The device of claim 1, wherein the each reflector (136) includes bronze material.
  7. The device of claim 1, wherein the each reflector (136) includes steel.
  8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further includes one or more collars (150) attached to the antenna grid panel (130) and one or more shields (155) attached to the collars (140).
  9. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises two antennas (135).
  10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises four antennas (135).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to an RFID (radio frequency identification) antenna with improved communication range. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION An RFID antenna with improved communication range is in demand. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) antennas are used to read RFID tags in various environments including warehouses, production lines, stores, medical and personal systems, etc. However, users of RFID antenna often encounter communication range problems. In addition, UHF systems can suffer interference due to reflection or re-radiation of power signals. Thus, it is essential that users need to make careful site planning and antenna or reader tuning. Passive or semi-passive systems create less risk of interference than active ones. Therefore, there is a need to improve RFID antennas to overcome these problems. US2019/252785 A1 discloses a mechanically reconfigurable antenna. The present invention is intended to address problems associated with and/or otherwise improve on conventional devices through an innovative antenna designed to provide a convenient, effective means to ensure extended RFID antenna range while incorporating other problem-solving features. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An improved RFID antenna is disclosed in claim 1. In one embodiment, the plurality of reflectors includes a circular shape and the antenna is mounted on the reflector via a plurality of antenna mounts located at each corner of the antenna. In some embodiments, the reflectors are made from a steel, brass, bronze, copper, or other metal material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the quad antenna grid of the present invention.FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dual antenna grid of the present invention.FIG. 3 is an illustration of one embodiment of the grid panel, antenna, reflector, and base of the present invention.FIG. 4 is a side view of the grid panel, antenna, reflector, and base of the present invention.FIG. 5 is a top view of the grid panel, antenna, reflector, and base of the present invention.FIG. 6 is an illustration of one embodiment of the collar and shield of the present invention.FIG. 7 is an exploded view showing the collar and shield of the present invention. DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention provides a new type of passive RFID antenna. In one embodiment, the present invention can be used to read the passive UHF RFID tags attached to clothing, machines, vehicles, equipment and other gear at long ranges. The Tags are read by UHF RFID antennas and readers. The read range as defined by the RFID industry is the range at which a tag can be read by an antenna. The standard reading range today for Passive UHF RFID antennas is from 3-10 meters. Specialty antennas and readers, referred to by the industry as "long range", can achieve read distances from 10-20 meters with some able to pick up intermittent signals from tags as far as 25-30 meters. For the purposes of the invention these distances were inadequate and very limiting. Because of these limitations new technology would need to be invented that could read Passive UHF RFID tags at a much greater distance and with much more consistency. The invention contains newly invented antennas designed to read Passive UHF RFID tags at very long distances. This newly developed antenna can communicate with built-in redundancy far past distances previously thought impossible for passive RFID. In some embodiments, the present invention may include one or more Long Range UHF RFID Antennas in order to read the invention's Passive UHF RFID Tags at greater distances than the RFID industry's current standards. The Long Range UHF RFID Antennas is designed with multiple layers of metal discs and a base shield behind a ceramic, metal or other material UHF RFID antenna. The metal discs are made from copper and are circular but may also be configured in other metals and shapes. The invention may also use the addition of small metal posts attached to the outer area of second metal disc. These metal posts are made from brass but may be made from other material and can vary in length. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention provides an improved antenna comprising an antenna grid 100. The antenna grid 100 is designed in a grid pattern with a dual 120 and quad antenna grid 110 types. In its preferred embodiment the antenna grid 100 comprises a grid panel 130, a plurality of antennas 135, a plurality of reflectors 136, and a base 137. The plurality of antennas 135 is designed with a square shape structure with a ceramic material on the front of the antenna 135. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the plurality of antenna 135 is mounted to the antenna grid