A surgical system is disclosed including an end effector, a control circuit, a closure member, and a firing member. The end effector includes a first jaw, a second jaw, and an electrode. The first jaw is rotatable relative to the second jaw between an open position and a close position to capture tissue therebetween. The electrode is configured to conduct a sub-therapeutic RF current to the tissue. The control circuit is operably coupled to the electrode. The control circuit is configured to measure impedance of the tissue over time based on the sub-therapeutic RF current. The closure member is configured to move the first jaw towards the second jaw at a closure rate based on the impedance of the tissue. The firing member is configured to move within the end effectors towards a fired position at a firing rate based on the impedance of the tissue.

According to one or more embodiments, a wireless tag reader includes a first shield member, a second shield member, an antenna, and a reader. The first and second shield members face each other across a reading area through which a wireless tag can pass. Each of the first and second shield members has a reflective surface that reflects a radio wave incident thereon toward the reading area. The antenna is between the reading area and the reflective surface of one of the first and second shield members. The antenna radiates and receives radio waves to communicate with the wireless tag. The reader reads data stored in the wireless tag based on radio waves received from the wireless tag by the antenna.

A wireless tag reader that is attachable to a basket used for storing an object to which a wireless tag is attached includes a body portion that houses a processor configured to read tag information stored in the wireless tag, an antenna extending from or included in the body portion and through which radio waves are transmitted to and received from the wireless tag, and a holding portion attachable to an upper edge part of the basket and including an upper plate part rotatably connected to the body portion, a lower plate part facing the upper plate part, and a biasing member between the upper and lower plate parts and by which one of the upper and lower plate parts is biased towards the other while the upper edge part is sandwiched by the upper and lower plate parts.

Various switchable devices including inductive antennas are disclosed. These switchable devices may include one or more RFID tags and one or more switches. Some of these one or more switches are optionally wireless and/or manual. In various embodiments, the switchable devices include are included within cellular phones, security devices, identity devices, financial devices, remote controls, and the like. The switchable devices are optionally configured to perform financial transactions.

A wireless electromagnetic coupler arrangement for reactive near field coupling comprising a sequential array of coupling elements which are geometrically arranged one-or two-dimensionally. By means of feeding an unmodulated wave of electromagnetic energy to each of the coupling elements and a respective associated harvester element, in an initial sensing state, an automatic selection of a single coupling element or plural coupling elements which establish a particularly strong and efficient interaction with an inlay is performed. By means of a respective feedback loop, a switchable array of resistances is used to activate the selected coupling element(s) for coupling of information to/from the loop and to de-activate the remaining coupling elements.

The present disclosure relates to an inventory system that can include a tagged inventory item, wherein the tagged inventory item includes a radio field tag attached to an inventory item; and an inventory device, wherein the inventory device includes a weighing surface, an array of force sensing resistors, and at least one radio field antenna, wherein the array of force sensing resistors and the at least one radio field antenna are configured to weigh and identify the tagged inventory item through the weighing surface, and methods of using the same. One benefit of the system and method disclosed herein can be monitoring inventory having changing amounts of content in real time.

A tag communication device includes a communication device and one or more control processors configured to cause the communication device to transmit a first command for notifying selection of a wireless tag including an identification code including a mask pattern that is a part of the common portion of identification codes. The one or more control processors are configured to cause the communication device to transmit a second command for requesting a response to the selected wireless tag and to cause the communication device to transmit a third command for requesting rewriting to the wireless tag that transmits data in response to receiving the data transmitted from one wireless tag. The one or more control processors are configured to cause a repeat of transmission of the second command if a third command is transmitted until the third commands are transmitted to each of a predetermined number of the wireless tags.

Systems and methods to selectively attach and control antennas via diodes. In one embodiment, a system includes: a reader having a plurality of reader antennas of different polarizations to transmit radio frequency signals; and at least one radio frequency device. The radio frequency device includes: a plurality of tag antennas of different polarizations; a plurality of diodes coupled to the plurality of tag antennas respectively; a receiver coupled to the plurality of diodes to receive the radio frequency signals from the tag antennas when the diodes are forward biased; and a set of one or more current controllers coupled to the plurality of diodes. In a receiving mode the controllers selectively forward bias the diodes to receive the signals from the reader. In a transmitting mode the controllers selectively change the state of the tag antennas to transmit data via backscattering the radio frequency signals.

A document reader including a housing having a lower portion and a rotatable upper lid; an optical reader located in the lower portion; a first RFID chip reader located in the lower portion, including a first RFID antenna configured for a first frequency of operation; a second RFID chip reader located in the rotatable, including a second RFID antenna configured for a second frequency of operation. The document reader first turns on the optical reader to detects and analyze a document placed between the lower portion and the rotatable upper lid, then turns on the second RFID chip reader to detect a second RFID chip in the document to read data from it at the second frequency, and then shuts off the second RFID chip reader, and then turns on the first RFID chip reader to detect a first RFID chip in the document to read data from it.

A method for detecting receivers includes a step of detecting a receiver, in which step a general controller detects an adjustable receiver when a general antenna receives a secondary wave emitted by the adjustable receiver, followed by a reconfiguration step in which the general controller commands a controller of the detected adjustable receiver to switch to an interaction mode in which the impedance of the adjustable receiver is alternated between a first configuration impedance and a second configuration impedance in order to detect other receivers. The reconfiguration step is of a duration that is an order of magnitude higher than the duration of each alternation of the first and second configuration impedances.