An automatic inventory tracking and control system tracks the inventory of medical articles in an enclosure by providing a robust electromagnetic (EM) field within the enclosure. The enclosure has electrically-conductive walls. Wireless identification devices such as RFID tags, attached to each medical article respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting unique data identified with each medical article. A probe or probes are used to generate transverse electromagnetic modes in the enclosure.

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 communication node and method therein for generating beamformed signals by means of backscattering in a wireless communication network are disclosed. The wireless communication node receives a radio frequency signal at a plurality A of antennas. Each antenna is coupled to one of a number of impedance matrices by one of a plurality A of switches. The wireless communication node generates a first baseband signal based on data symbols to be transmitted in a baseband signal generator. The states of each switch are controlled based on its specific switch control signal such that each antenna impedance is selected among a number M of impedances, and thereby the received RF signal at each antenna is modulated by the first baseband signal with its specific phase and reflected. The beamformed signals are generated by the plurality A of antennas by reflecting the modulated RF signals from each antenna.

A method for controlling an actuatable restraining device includes sensing a plurality of crash event indications in response to a crash event. The method also includes classifying the crash event in response to comparing the sensed crash event indications against one another to identify an oblique moving deformable barrier crash event. The method further includes controlling deployment timing of the actuatable restraining device in response to the classification of the crash event.

A booster antenna for enabling ID information, code information, or the like to be reliably and easily read from an IC card or the like with a portable terminal without bringing the IC card or the like directly close to the portable terminal. The booster antenna includes: an inner coil wound twice into a circular shape; an outer coil surrounding the outer side of the inner coil and wound twice into a rectangular shape; and a terminal-side coil wound four times into a circular shape. One end of the inner and outer coils are electrically connected to each other. The diameter of the inner coil is 93% or more of the short sides of the outer coil. The booster antenna includes a connection cord connecting the other end of the inner coil and one end of the terminal-side coil and electrically connecting the other end of the outer coil and the other end of the terminal-side coil.

A wireless communication node and method therein for generating beamformed signals by means of backscattering in a wireless communication network are disclosed. The wireless communication node receives a radio frequency signal at a plurality A of antennas. Each antenna is coupled to one of a number of impedance matrices by one of a plurality A of switches. The wireless communication node generates a first baseband signal based on data symbols to be transmitted in a baseband signal generator. The states of each switch are controlled based on its specific switch control signal such that each antenna impedance is selected among a number M of impedances, and thereby the received RF signal at each antenna is modulated by the first baseband signal with its specific phase and reflected. The beamformed signals are generated by the plurality A of antennas by reflecting the modulated RF signals from each antenna.

A system that exploits collaboration between a plurality of spatially distributed RFID readers to enhance the range of commercial passive RFID tags, without alteration to the tags. The system uses distributed MIMO to coherently combine signals across geographically separated RFID readers. It is capable of inferring the optimal beamforming parameters to beam energy to a tag without any initial knowledge of the location or orientation of the tags.

An antenna device includes a coil antenna including a coil conductor wound around a winding axis, and a planar conductor. The coil antenna includes a first region in which the coil conductor overlaps the planar conductor in a plan view of the planar conductor (when viewed from the Z-direction) and a second region in which the coil conductor does not overlap the planar conductor in the plan view of the planar conductor. The line width of the coil conductor in the first region is wider than the line width of a portion (portion extending in the X-direction) of the coil conductor in the second region. Accordingly, an inductance per unit length in the circumferential direction of the coil conductor in the first region is lower than the inductance per unit length in the circumferential direction of the coil conductor in the second region.

A method of optimizing a RFID reader system to increase the percentage of RFID tags successfully inventoried in a container comprising a relatively large number of RFID tagged items in close proximity to one another. To achieve the greater percentage of successfully inventoried RFID tagged items, a transmitting system capable of reading an RFID tag and a receiving system capable of determining how much of the transmitted power propagates through the volume of RFID tagged items is positioned on either side of the container. A host system in communication with both the transmitting and receiving systems then utilizes one or more parameters of the transmitting system to maximize propagation of the RFID signal through the container and, therefore, increase the percentage of RFID tags successfully inventoried with the ultimate goal being 100%.

This application discloses example radio frequency identification systems and example methods for constructing a relay network, a reader, and a repeater. One example radio frequency identification system includes a reader, a repeater, and a target tag. The reader can be configured to send a first signal to the repeater. The repeater can be configured to send an excitation signal to the target tag based on the first signal. The target tag can be configured to send a target backscatter signal based on excitation of the excitation signal, where the target backscatter signal carries electronic product code information. The reader can be further configured to receive the target backscatter signal and obtain the electronic product code information in the target backscatter signal.