US 11,757,494 B2
RFID reader with configuration for either an internal antenna or external antenna
Charles Joseph Cunningham, IV, Mount Laurel, NJ (US); Gopalakrishnan Rangarajulu, Fort Mill, SC (US); Shashidar Ramamurthy, Fort Mill, SC (US); and Abhay Ravi Chandran, Mount Laurel, NJ (US)
Assigned to HAND HELD PRODUCTS, INC., Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed by Hand Held Products, Inc., Charlotte, NC (US)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/452,273.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/112,892, filed on Nov. 12, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0149896 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. H04B 5/00 (2006.01); H04B 1/3827 (2015.01)
CPC H04B 5/0062 (2013.01) [H04B 1/385 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for selecting antennas in an RFID reader comprising:
determining that at least one external antenna and internal antenna are connected to the RFID reader;
determining a quantity of one or more RFID tags and a distance from the RFID reader to the one or more RFID tags based on interrogating the one or more RFID tags using one or more antennas of the at least one external antenna and internal antenna;
determining requirements of a read operation to read the one or more RFID tags based at least on the quantity of the one or more RFID tags and the distance from the RFID reader to the one or more RFID tags;
performing a duty-cycle usage selection scan of the at least one external antenna and internal antenna;
alternately selecting at least one antenna of the at least one external antenna and internal antenna by switching between one or more external antennas and one or more internal antennas based on the duty-cycle usage selection scan and the requirements of the read operation to read the one or more RFID tags;
performing the read operation to read the one or more RFID tags based on the alternately selected at least one antenna of the at least one external antenna and internal antenna; and
determining that an external antenna of the at least one external antenna and internal antenna is connected in an instance in which a return loss of test signal transmitted from the RFID reader is below a threshold value and that the external antenna of the at least one external antenna and internal antenna is not connected in an instance in which the return loss of test signal transmitted from the RFID reader is above the threshold value and the RFID reader selects an internal antenna to perform the read operation, wherein the return loss of test signal is determined based on a ratio of a reflected power and an incident power of test signal.