Systems and methods for operating a reader. The methods comprise: supplying power from the reader to an external sensor using a single cable that (A) connects the reader to both an external antenna and the external sensor and (B) is used for data communications between the reader, the external antenna and the external sensor; receiving, by the reader via the single cable, a sensor signal comprising information indicating the external sensor's detection of an individual's presence in proximity thereto, where the sensor signal has a frequency that is outside the antenna's transmit frequency; initiating tag read operations of the reader in response to the sensor information's reception at the reader; and communicating an interrogation signal for tag reading from the reader to the external antenna via the single cable, where the interrogation signal has a frequency which is outside the external sensor's receive frequency band.

A method is for determining a value of an electromagnetic field strength by means of a chip card, having the steps of: providing a chip card having a coil and an integrated circuit; calibrating the chip card by means of different values of an electromagnetic field strength, wherein a power of the integrated circuit is determined in each case for a specific value of the electromagnetic field strength; correlating the different values of the electro-magnetic field strengths with a corresponding power of the integrated circuit in each case; applying an electromagnetic field strength of an unknown value to the chip card; determining a power of the integrated circuit; and determining the value of the electromagnetic field strength corresponding to this power by means of the correlation.

A scanning device includes: a motion sensor to detect motion imparted to the scanning device; a distance detector to determine a distance between the scanning device and a surface; an infrared detector to capture a temperature of the surface; an image sensor to capture an image of an indicia encoding data on the surface; and a processor configured to store the captured image and temperature, configured to operate the motion sensor to detect motion being imparted to the scanning device when in a low power state, and configured to transition the scanning device out of the low power state in response to such imparted motion by: operating the distance detector to determine the distance to the surface; and determining whether to operate the infrared detector to capture the temperature of the surface and whether to operate the image sensor to capture the image of the indicia, based on the distance.

A wireless tag communication device includes an antenna configured to transmit a carrier wave and receive a response wave output from a wireless tag with respect to the carrier wave and to specify a position of the wireless tag to be searched based on a radio wave intensity of the response wave received by the antenna. The device includes: a radio wave controller configured to switch the carrier wave between a first and second carrier wave to be transmitted in a first and second polarization direction respectively; and a comparator configured to compare a first and second radio wave intensity of a first and second response wave respectively output from the wireless tag with respect to the first and second carrier waves respectively, and the radio wave controller switches the carrier wave between the first carrier wave and the second carrier wave based on a comparison result of the comparator.

Systems and methods for radiolocation using backscatter RFID tags and a special-purpose reader that produces a SFCW RF interrogation signal comprising N carrier frequencies. A backscattered interrogation signal from a backscatter RFID tag is down-converted using at least a portion of the generated SFCW RF interrogation signal. RSP corresponding to the N carrier frequencies are determined. RSS may be determined to improve performance. A distance between the RFID reader and the backscatter RFID tag may be estimated based on at least a summation of differences between RSPs corresponding to adjacent carrier frequencies.

A radio frequency identification tag at a plurality of detection locations is detected and an expected location of the radio frequency identification tag is determined. A confidence level for each of the detection locations that detected the radio frequency identification tag is determined based on a relative location of the corresponding detection location as compared to the expected location. The determined confidence levels of the detection locations is analyzed to select at least one of the detection locations and an action based on the at least one selected detection location is performed.

Methods, systems, and devices are described herein for calibrating displacement of a platform for throwing dice in a dice gaming system. In one aspect, a method may include obtaining a configured platform displacement during a throw of one or more dice by the dice gaming system. The throw of the dice may be associated with at least one dice throw parameter. The method may also include measuring an actual platform displacement during the throw of dice by the dice gaming system, and comparing the configured platform displacement with the measured actual platform displacement to determine a displacement delta. The method may additionally include adjusting at least one dice throw parameter based on the comparison to decrease the displacement delta for future throws of the one or more dice.

The invention provides method for organizing the disinfection of one or more items contaminated with biological agent(s) comprising (a) attaching a radio-frequency ID (RFID) tag to an item(s) to be disinfected; exposing the item(s) of (a) to a disinfecting means for a period sufficient to disinfect the item; and (c) obtaining a signal from the tagged item when disinfection is complete thereby organizing the disinfection of one or more items.

Example embodiments of systems, methods, and devices for transaction card alignment are provided. In one example embodiment, a mobile device may include a first component and a second component foldable with respect to one another between a first configuration and a second configuration. The mobile device may further include a screen interface on an interior side of the first component, and an alignment feature along the interior side, the alignment feature providing alignment for a contactless card with respect to the screen interface, wherein the contactless card is uncovered by the second component in the first configuration and covered by the second component in the second configuration.

A scanning device is disclosed for enabling radio frequency identification (RFID) sessions based on imager based object detection. The scanning device includes an optical imaging assembly having an optical field of view (FOV) and an effective reading range for capturing image(s) corresponding to product code(s). The scanning device includes an RFID reader having an RFID antenna configured to emit a radiation pattern extending over at least the optical FOV and the effective reading range of the optical image assembly for reading RFID tag(s). During a scanning session, initiated when a product enters the effective reading range and optical FOV, or the radiation pattern, a processor activates the optical imaging assembly, activates the RFID reader, and terminates the scanning session upon the occurrence of either: the optical imaging assembly scanning a product code associated with the product, or the RFID reader reading an RFID tag associated with the product.