An antenna includes a power supply point on a substrate, a termination resistor on the substrate, and first and second lines connecting the power supply point and the termination resistor. The first line is disposed on a first surface of the substrate. The second line is disposed on a second surface of the substrate. The first line includes a plurality of loop portions arranged along a longitudinal direction of the substrate and separated from each other. The second line includes a plurality of relay portions connecting the power supply point to one of the loop portions closest thereto, connecting adjacent pairs of the loop portions to each other, and connecting the termination resistor and one of the loop portions closest thereto.

A communication device for communicating with wireless communication devices is provided that includes a shield device defining a plurality of shield spaces arranged along a transport path transporting a sheet on which a plurality of wireless communication devices are arrayed; and a plurality of reader/writer antennas arranged in each of the plurality of shield spaces. Moreover, the plurality of shield spaces are juxtaposed corresponding to an array pitch between the wireless communication devices on the sheet, a part of the shield device is arranged between the plurality of reader/writer antennas, and the plurality of reader/writer antennas are arranged at a side facing a transport surface of the transport path.

According to an embodiment, a control device for an image forming apparatus includes a controller that acquires reference information corresponding to expected signal strength values from a wireless tag on a sheet moving along a conveyance path and also acquires measured signal strength values for a first wireless tag on a sheet from a wireless tag communication device. The controller calculates a similarity value from the measured signal strength values and the expected signal strength values to determine whether the first wireless tag is on a sheet moving along the conveyance path. The controller controls the wireless tag communication device to write information to the first wireless tag when the calculated similarity value is above a threshold similarity value.

A wireless tag processing device includes a wireless tag reader-writer and a processor configured to acquire first and second sets of parameter values, control the reader-writer to transmit a radio wave using each parameter value of the first set and acquire a first intensity of a response wave from a wireless tag, when a highest first intensity satisfies a first condition, determine a parameter value of the first set corresponding to the highest intensity as a parameter value to be used by the reader-writer, and when the highest intensity does not satisfy the condition, control the reader-writer to transmit a radio wave using each parameter value of the second set and acquire a second intensity, and when a highest second intensity satisfies a second condition, determine a parameter value of the second set corresponding to the highest second intensity as the parameter value to be used by the reader-writer.

A wireless tag processing device includes a wireless tag reader-writer and a processor configured to acquire first and second sets of parameter values, control the reader-writer to transmit a radio wave using each parameter value of the first set and acquire a first intensity of a response wave from a wireless tag, when a highest first intensity satisfies a first condition, determine a parameter value of the first set corresponding to the highest intensity as a parameter value to be used by the reader-writer, and when the highest intensity does not satisfy the condition, control the reader-writer to transmit a radio wave using each parameter value of the second set and acquire a second intensity, and when a highest second intensity satisfies a second condition, determine a parameter value of the second set corresponding to the highest second intensity as the parameter value to be used by the reader-writer.

According to an embodiment, a wireless tag writing apparatus includes a wireless reader, a wireless reader/writer, and a processor. The wireless reader reads tag information from wireless tags at a position in the vicinity of a transport path of a label release liner. The wireless tags are disposed on the label release liner. The wireless reader/writer reads the tag information from the wireless tags at a position on a downstream side of the transport path from a position of the wireless reader. The processor controls the wireless reader/writer to write information to the wireless tag if the tag information that has been read by the wireless reader/writer is the same as the tag information that has been read by the wireless reader.

An electrical conveyance assembly includes a substrate that may include an electrically insulating material. The electrical conveyance assembly may include a plurality of electrical conductors connected to the substrate via additive manufacturing. The substrate may include an internal lattice structure formed via additive manufacturing. The substrate may include an internal fluid channel.

A system for detecting a specific relative position between a reader and a receiver, including: an inductive contactless receiver including an antenna winding and a circuit for selectively modulating a load; an inductive contactless reader including: a transceiver antenna circuit having nonzero mutual inductance with the antenna winding for the position, a communication circuit connected to the transceiver antenna circuit, a receiver antenna circuit having mutual inductance with the antenna winding that exhibits a minimum for the position, and a processing circuit for: identifying presence of a receiver by detecting nonzero mutual inductance between the transceiver antenna circuit and an antenna winding, and detecting a mutual inductance minimum between the receiver antenna circuit and an antenna winding.

A system for detecting a specific relative position between a reader and a receiver, including: an inductive contactless receiver including an antenna winding and a circuit for selectively modulating a load; an inductive contactless reader including: a transceiver antenna circuit having nonzero mutual inductance with the antenna winding for the position, a communication circuit connected to the transceiver antenna circuit, a receiver antenna circuit having mutual inductance with the antenna winding that exhibits a minimum for the position, and a processing circuit for: identifying presence of a receiver by detecting nonzero mutual inductance between the transceiver antenna circuit and an antenna winding, and detecting a mutual inductance minimum between the receiver antenna circuit and an antenna winding.

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to track objects on a moving conveyor system. In some embodiments, an RFID based tracking system comprises a conveyor system to move and transport objects along a conveyance path, wherein each object includes a near field only RFID tag associated therewith and identifying the object. Each near field only RFID tag is not coupled to a far field antenna such that it is not readable in a far field of RFID communication and communicates only in a near field of RFID communication. An RFID tag reader is positioned to attempt to read the near field only RFID tag of each object. And a control circuit processes reads of the near field only RFID tags by the first RFID reader to determine an order of the objects being conveyed.