U.S. patent application number 15/355993 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-09 for radio frequency identification system.
The applicant listed for this patent is III HOLDINGS 1, LLC. Invention is credited to LEV M. BOLOTIN, SIMON B. JOHNSON.
Application Number | 20170068833 15/355993 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37889411 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170068833 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BOLOTIN; LEV M. ; et
al. |
March 9, 2017 |
RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
Abstract
A radio frequency identification system, and method of operation
thereof, provides: a sensor for sensing the absence or presence of
a radio frequency identification transponder at the radio frequency
identification system; a supply system connected to the sensor for
supplying the radio frequency identification transponder to the
radio frequency identification system in the absence of the radio
frequency identification transponder at the radio frequency
identification system; and a programmer connected to the sensor for
writing transponder content to the radio frequency identification
transponder at the radio frequency identification system in the
presence of the radio frequency identification transponder at the
radio frequency identification system.
Inventors: |
BOLOTIN; LEV M.; (KIRKLAND,
WA) ; JOHNSON; SIMON B.; (BONNEY LAKE, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
III HOLDINGS 1, LLC |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
37889411 |
Appl. No.: |
15/355993 |
Filed: |
November 18, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14746343 |
Jun 22, 2015 |
9424452 |
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15355993 |
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13440635 |
Apr 5, 2012 |
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14746343 |
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12067046 |
Mar 15, 2008 |
8179259 |
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PCT/US2006/036239 |
Sep 15, 2006 |
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13440635 |
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60596338 |
Sep 16, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06K 19/07749 20130101;
G06K 7/10366 20130101; Y10T 29/53187 20150115; Y10S 901/07
20130101; G06K 7/10415 20130101; H05K 13/084 20180801; B65C
2009/0003 20130101; H05K 1/0266 20130101; B25J 9/0093 20130101;
H05K 2201/10098 20130101; H05K 13/0417 20130101; G06K 15/021
20130101; G06K 19/08 20130101; H05K 1/16 20130101; B25J 9/1694
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06K 7/10 20060101
G06K007/10; B25J 9/00 20060101 B25J009/00; H05K 1/16 20060101
H05K001/16; H05K 13/04 20060101 H05K013/04; H05K 13/08 20060101
H05K013/08; H05K 1/02 20060101 H05K001/02; G06K 15/02 20060101
G06K015/02; B25J 9/16 20060101 B25J009/16 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: feeding, with a feeder, a radio frequency
identification (RFID) tag to a programming location; while the RFID
tag is at the programming location, programming the RFID tag to
form a programmed RFID tag; and providing, with the feeder, the
programmed RFID tag to a robotic handling system.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said programming the RFID tag is
performed by the feeder.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is programmed
wirelessly.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said programming the RFID tag is
performed through direct contact with the RFID tag.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said programming the RFID tag is
programmed using two contacts that contact two corresponding
contacts on the RFID tag.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein said programming the RFID tag is
performed by directly contacting the RFID tag with an antenna.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the robotic handling system
comprises a pick-and-place robot.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing on a label
included with the RFID tag.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading the RFID tag
or the programmed RFID tag prior to said providing the programmed
RFID tag to a robotic handling system.
10. A system comprising: a feeder configured to feed a radio
frequency identification (RFID) tag to a programming location; and
a programmer configured to program the RFID tag to form a
programmed RFID tag while the RFID tag is at the programming
location; wherein the feeder is further configured to provide the
programmed RFID tag to a robotic handling system.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the programmer is configured to
program the RFID tag wirelessly.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the programmer is configured to
program the RFID tag through direct contact with the RFID tag.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the programmer is configured to
program the RFID tag through two contacts on the RFID tag.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the programmer is configured to
program the RFID tag by directly contacting the RFID tag with an
antenna.
15. The system of claim 10, wherein the robotic handling system
comprises a pick-and-place robot.
16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a printer configured
to print on a label included with the RFID tag.
17. The system of claim 10, further comprising a reader configured
to read the RFID tag or the programmed RFID tag prior to the feeder
providing the programmed RFID tag to a robotic handling system.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 14/746,343 filed Jun. 22, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 13/440,635 filed Apr. 5, 2012, now abandoned,
which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/067,046,
filed Mar. 15, 2008, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,179,259, which
claims the benefit of PCT Application No. PCT/US2006/036239, filed
Sep. 15, 2006, now expired, and the subject matters thereof are
hereby incorporated herein by reference thereto.
[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 60/596,338 filed on Sep. 16, 2005, and
the subject matter thereof is hereby incorporated by reference
thereon.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The present invention relates generally to radio frequency
identification (RFID) system, and more particularly to high volume
application RFID systems.
BACKGROUND ART
[0004] Currently, various products are tracked through the use of
barcodes which are identification labels having a series of
different width vertical stripes, which are capable of being
scanned using hand scanners to provide computer readable numerical
codes. Generally, the scanner must be within a specific close
distance and in a specific relationship to the barcodes to be able
to read them. Barcodes are used on products as diverse as
electronic equipment, clothing, and produce.
[0005] As technology evolved, small electronic circuits have been
developed that are capable of sending and receiving radio signals,
which may be used to identify different products. These circuits
are called RFID circuits, or radio frequency identification
circuits.
[0006] In one application, barcode labels (and labels with unique
part numbers) are applied to circuit boards during the
manufacturing process for the purpose of tracking inventory and
configuration control. Such labels are mostly "preprinted" and
currently applied manually or by dedicated label applicator
machines. Label sizes are getting smaller and barcodes are becoming
obsolete. There has been a desire to replace barcodes with RFID
circuits and some experimentation has been carried out in this
area.
[0007] Currently, labels with embedded RFID circuits that can be
"written" to with unique ID information are starting to be
introduced. RFID printers (that include readers/writers) are
becoming available that allow a customer to print/read/write an
RFID label and apply the printed RFID label manually or "off-line"
to a product. This approach is acceptable in low production
environments where quality/consistency requirements are not
high.
[0008] Currently also, there are manufacturing environments where
high production and quality/consistency requirements are very high.
In these environments, assemblies (especially, electronic printed
circuit board (PCB) assemblies) must be built in huge quantities
and many different configurations.
[0009] In addition to the many different configurations, high
quality oriented processes require unique hardware and software
tracking methods/mechanisms for each and every assembly for the
purpose of the configuration control and inventory tracking. A
unique ID number is encoded in a barcode and printed on a label
that needs to be affixed to the assembly.
[0010] With the huge number of electronic and other assemblies
produced, there is a need to simplify this process, which until now
has been essentially a manual process.
[0011] One approach has been to integrate mechanized manual
equipment into a distinct assembly cell (as a part of the automated
production line) with a dedicated function: print and apply the
printed/written labels (using label applicator(s)).
[0012] Unfortunately, this approach consumes valuable production
floor space.
[0013] Also, from uptime and reliability points of view, if the
dedicated assembly cell goes down, it takes down the whole assembly
line. A manufacturer cannot easily "replace" the whole assembly
cell within minutes and replacement could result in substantial and
expensive downtime.
[0014] Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior
developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus,
solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the
art.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention provides a method of operation of a
radio frequency identification system that includes: providing a
radio frequency identification transponder; sensing the absence or
presence of the radio frequency identification transponder at the
radio frequency identification system; supplying the radio
frequency identification transponder to the radio frequency
identification system in the absence of the radio frequency
identification transponder at the radio frequency identification
system; and writing transponder content to the radio frequency
identification transponder at the radio frequency identification
system in the presence of the radio frequency identification
transponder at the radio frequency identification system.
[0016] The present invention provides a radio frequency
identification system that includes: a sensor for sensing the
absence or presence of a radio frequency identification transponder
at the radio frequency identification system; a supply system
connected to the sensor for supplying the radio frequency
identification transponder to the radio frequency identification
system in the absence of the radio frequency identification
transponder at the radio frequency identification system; and a
programmer connected to the sensor for writing transponder content
to the radio frequency identification transponder at the radio
frequency identification system in the presence of the radio
frequency identification transponder at the radio frequency
identification system.
[0017] Certain embodiments of the invention have other aspects in
addition to or in place of those mentioned above. The aspects will
become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the
following detailed description when taken with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an assembly line in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an RFID system in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an RFID system in
accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an RFID system in
accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 5 a schematic diagram of the internal circuit
architecture of a RFID system;
[0023] FIGS. 6A and 6B are plan views of RFID tags in accordance
with embodiments of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a plan view of a portion of the assembly line of
FIG. 1 having a first PCB and a second PCB; and
[0025] FIG. 8 is a radio frequency identification system disclosing
the operation of the radio frequency identification system of FIG.
1 in an embodiment of the present invention.
BEST MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0026] The following embodiments are described in sufficient detail
to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention,
and it is to be understood that other embodiments would be evident
based on the present disclosure and that process or mechanical
changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present
invention. The numbering of the embodiments as first, second, etc.
is merely for convenience in description.
[0027] In the following description, numerous specific details are
given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.
However, it will be apparent that the invention may be practiced
without these specific details. In order to avoid obscuring the
present invention, some well-known circuits, system configurations,
and process steps are not disclosed in detail.
[0028] Likewise, the drawings showing embodiments of the
apparatus/device are semi-diagrammatic and not to scale and,
particularly, some of the dimensions are for the clarity of
presentation and are shown greatly exaggerated in the drawing
FIGs.
[0029] For purposes of the present invention, a "feeder" means any
electromechanical (or pneumatic, or "pure" mechanical") device that
supplies components to a pick and place robot for assembling
circuit boards. The term "system" is used to describe both the RFID
apparatus and method, and the context determines which of the two
is being described.
[0030] Most PCB (printed circuit board) components are delivered to
the customer in tape (sometimes in trays, tubes, or bulk). A tape
feeder removes the cover tape from the packaging carrier tape to
expose each component within a tape pocket in the packaging tape.
The component is positioned so that an assembly machine robotic
Pick-and-Place (PNP) mechanism can pick it up and place it on a
PCB. Once a component is picked up from a pocket, the feeder
advances the tape to expose the next component. Most of the
components are capacitors, resistors, ICs, micro-controllers
etc.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 1, therein is shown an isometric view
of an assembly line 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. The assembly line 100 includes a platform 102
supporting a conveyor belt 104 for conveying printed circuit boards
(PCBs) 106.
[0032] The conveyor belt 104 moves the PCBs 106, which may be
unpopulated or partially populated with components, past a robotic
handling system 108 mounted on a support frame 110 over the
conveyor belt 104.
[0033] A feeder table 112 is attached to the platform 102 to
support a number of input feeders 114. The input feeders 114
provide electronic components in line to the robotic handling
system 108. The input feeders 114, exemplarily, may be tape
feeders. The robotic handling system 108 moves a PNP head 116 along
an X-Y-Z and .theta. coordinate system (with X and Y being
horizontal movements, Z being vertical, and .theta. being
rotational) to take components from the input feeders 114 and place
them on the PCBs 106 to form populated or filled PCBs 118.
[0034] Adjacent to the input feeders 114 is an RFID system 120 in
accordance with a first or second embodiment of the present
invention and an RFID system 122 in accordance with a third
embodiment of the present invention. The RFID system 120 also
includes an assembly line RFID reader/writer 124 (optional)
connected to the assembly line 100 for reading and/or writing RFID
tags (described hereinafter) during various processing steps. The
RFID systems 120 and 122 are generally connected to the feeder
table 112 to feed RFID tags in a first direction perpendicular to a
second direction in which the conveyor belt 104 of the assembly
line 100 moves as shown in FIG. 1.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 2, therein is shown a schematic
diagram of a cross-sectional view of an RFID system 200 in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The
RFID system 200 may be described as an automated in-line RFID
supply/reader/writer/feeder because the supply, reader, writer, and
feeder are sequentially in line along a first axis as shown in FIG.
2. As shown in FIG. 1, the assembly line 100 moves products such as
the PCBs 106 on the conveyor belt 104 along a second axis
perpendicular to the axis of the RFID system 200.
[0036] The RFID system 200 includes a frame 202 carrying a control
system 204, shown in more detail in FIG. 5, for controlling
operations and for reading and writing (programming) an RFID tag
containing a transponder and an exemplary antenna as shown in FIG.
6A and described hereinafter. The frame 202 is connected to the
feeder table 112 of FIG. 1.
[0037] A RFID tag supply system 206 supported by the frame 202
supplies a continuous tape 212 of labels 208 with each label 208
having a RFID tag 210. The labels 208 can be pre-printed or blank
in which case a printer (optional, not shown on FIG. 2; shown as
optional 314 on FIG. 3) would be used to print the blank labels.
The RFID tag supply system 206 may be any type of media feeder in
addition to the continuous tape 212, such as bulk feeders, tubes,
trays, tray stackers, etc.
[0038] A RFID reader/writer 216 is mounted on the frame 202
adjacent to the tape to read and/or write the RFID tag 210. The
RFID reader/writer 216 is generically referred to as a RFID
programmer and is capable of reading, writing, or reading and
writing to RFID tags.
[0039] In one embodiment, the RFID tag 210 has an integral antenna
and it has been discovered that it is possible to wirelessly read
and/or write the RFID tag 210 without contact, which eliminates a
source of wear on the RFID system 200. It is even possible to read
and write the RFID tag 210 without removing it from the label 208.
This allows a rejected RFID tag to remain on a label going into a
wastebasket or cutter mechanism 218 (usually mounted on the feeder
table 112 or assembly machine).
[0040] The labels 208 and the RFID tag 210 are separated from the
tape 212 of labels 208 and are fed to a pick-up point 220 for pick
up by the PNP head 116 of the robotic handling system 108 of FIG.
1. The labels 208 can have a heat setting adhesive on the bottom or
the pick-up point 220 optionally has a non-stick surface to allow
adhesive to be placed on the back of the RFID tag 210 so it may be
placed on the PCB 106 to be held by a backing adhesive on the RFID
tag 210. A sensor 222 is positioned adjacent the pick-up point 220
for sensing the presence of the label 208 or the RFID tag 210 and
its removal by the PNP head 116.
[0041] The RFID system 200 is considered an "in-line" system
because the RFID tag supply system 206, the tape 212 of labels 208,
the RFID reader/writer 216, and the pick-up point 220 are all
directly in line. It also works as an inline RFID feeder system as
a part of the assembly line.
[0042] In operation, the RFID system 200 is positioned on the
feeder table 112 of the assembly line 100 of FIG. 1. The RFID
system 200 may optionally be connected to the computer controlling
the assembly line 100. The tape 212 is wound around various feed
rollers (some of them not shown).
[0043] The RFID reader/writer 216 reads the RFID tag 210 to make
sure that the RFID tag 210 is not defective, writing to put the
correct information on the RFID tag 210, or correcting any
incorrect information on the RFID tag 210 to assure that the
information on the label 208 corresponds to the information in the
transponder of the RFID tag 210. The RFID tag 210 is then fed by a
feeder 219 to the pick-up point 220.
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 3, therein is shown a schematic
diagram of a cross-sectional view of an RFID system 300 in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. The
RFID system 300 may be described as an automated in-line RFID
supply/reader/writer/label printer/feeder. Please note that printer
could be optional here as well.
[0045] The RFID system 300 includes a frame 302 carrying a control
system 304, shown in more detail in FIG. 5, for controlling
operations and for reading and writing a "bare" RFID tag containing
a transponder without an antenna as shown in FIG. 6B and described
hereinafter. The frame 302 is connected to the feeder table
112.
[0046] An RFID tag supply system 306 supported by the frame 302
supplies a carrier tape 308 having pockets with each pocket
containing a RFID tag 310.
[0047] The RFID tags 310 may come provided with labels 312 or
optionally a label feeder system (not shown) may supply the
labels
[0048] A printer (optional) 314, which may be a thermal, inkjet,
dot-marker, or other printer, is mounted on the frame 302 adjacent
to the tape 308 to print on the labels 312.
[0049] A RFID reader/writer 316 is mounted on the frame 302
adjacent to the tape to read and/or write the RFID tag 310.
[0050] It has been discovered that it is also possible to provide
the RFID tag 310 without an antenna, which makes the RFID tag 310
much less expensive and much smaller since the antenna is usually
one of the more expensive parts of an RFID tag and often the
largest. In such an embodiment, the reading and writing may be
performed by direct contact by the RFID reader/writer 316 with
contacts provided on the RFID tag 310. In another such embodiment,
an antenna 315 on the radio frequency (RF) reader/writer 316
contacts the contacts provided on the RFID tag 310.
[0051] Where the RFID tag 310 is without an antenna, the PCB 106 of
FIG. 1 will be provided with an antenna, which will connect with
the contacts provided on the RFID tag 310. Antennas may be easily
added to PCBs or made on PCBs when making the electrical traces on
the PCBs. The reflow soldering process used to solder components on
the PCB 106 will also connect the RFID tag 310 to the antenna on
the PCB 106.
[0052] A cover tape 313 over the pockets containing the RFID tags
310 is peeled and directed by a peel bar 318 and goes back in the
opposite direction and collected by a cover tape spool 313S
(optional) or a cover tape dispenser (optional, not shown). The
RFID tag 310 then is fed by a feeder 319 to a pick-up point 320 for
pick up by the PNP head 116 of the robotic handling system 108 of
FIG. 1. The pick-up point 320 optionally has a non-stick surface to
allow adhesive to be placed on the back of the RFID tag 310 so it
may be placed on the PCB 106 to be held by a backing adhesive on
the RFID tag 310.
[0053] A sensor 322 is positioned adjacent the pick-up point 320
for sensing the presence of the RFID tag 310 and its removal by the
PNP head 116 of FIG. 1.
[0054] Defective RFID tags are fed to a defect bin 324 or just come
out with the empty tape 308 out of the feeder into a
wastebasket.
[0055] The RFID system 300 is considered an "in-line" system
because the RFID tag supply system 306, the tape 308, the printer
314, the RFID reader/writer 316, and the pick-up point 320 are all
directly in line.
[0056] In operation, the RFID system 300 is positioned on the
feeder table 112 of the assembly line 100 of FIG. 1. The RFID
system 300 may optionally be connected to the computer controlling
the assembly line 100. The tape 308 is wound around various feed
rollers.
[0057] The printer 314 prints text, part numbers, etc. on the
labels 312 and the RFID tag 310 is fed to the RFID reader/writer
316.
[0058] The RFID reader/writer 316 reads the RFID tag 310 to make
sure that the RFID tag 310 is not defective, writes to put the
correct information on the RFID tag 310, or corrects any incorrect
information on the RFID tag 310 to assure that the information on
the label 312 corresponds to the information in the transponder of
the RFID tag 310.
[0059] Referring now to FIG. 4, therein is shown a schematic
diagram of a plan view of an RFID system 400 in accordance with a
third embodiment of the present invention. The RFID system 400 may
be described as an automated vibratory bowl (bulk feeder) to feed
RFID reader/writer/feeder. The RFID system 400 can be especially
useful for RFID tags that have a self-contained antenna and
packaged in a "hard plastic" body.
[0060] The RFID system 400 includes a frame 402 carrying a control
system 404, shown in more detail in FIG. 5, for controlling
operations and for reading and writing a "bare" RFID tag containing
a transponder without an antenna as shown in FIG. 6B and described
hereinafter.
[0061] A RFID vibratory bowl supply system 406 supported by the
frame 402 provides a RFID tag 410 oriented by a feeder/orientation
mechanism 408. In one embodiment, each RFID tag 410 may have an
attached pre-printed label 413 (optional).
[0062] A RFID reader/writer 416 is mounted on the frame 402
adjacent to the feeder orientation system 408 to read and/or write
the RFID tag 410.
[0063] It has been discovered as for other embodiments that it is
also possible to provide the RFID tag 410 without an antenna, which
makes the RFID tag 410 much less expensive and much smaller since
the antenna is usually one of the more expensive parts of an RFID
tag and often the largest. In such an embodiment, the reading and
writing may be performed by direct contact by the RFID
reader/writer 416 with contacts provided on the RFID tag 410. In
another such embodiment, an antenna 415 on the RFID reader/writer
416 contacts the contacts provided on the RFID tag 410.
[0064] Where the RFID tag 410 is without an antenna, the PCB 106 of
FIG. 1 will be provided with an antenna, which will connect with
the contacts provided on the RFID tag 410. Antennas may be easily
made on PCBs when making the electrical traces on the PCBs. The
reflow soldering process used to solder components on the PCB 106
will also connect the RFID tag 410 to the antenna on the PCB
106.
[0065] The RFID tag 410 is fed to a pick-up point 420 for pick up
by the PNP head 116 of the robotic handling system 108 of FIG. 1.
The pick-up point 420 optionally has a non-stick surface to allow
adhesive to be placed on the back of the RFID tag 410 so it may be
placed on the PCB 106 to be held by a backing adhesive on the RFID
tag 410.
[0066] A sensor 422 is positioned adjacent the pick-up point 420
for sensing the presence of the RFID tag 410 and its removal by the
PNP head 116 of FIG. 1.
[0067] Defective RFID tags are fed to a defect bin 424.
[0068] In operation, the RFID system 400 is positioned on the
feeder table 112 of the assembly line 100 of FIG. 1. The RFID
system 400 may optionally be connected to the computer controlling
the assembly line 100.
[0069] The RFID tag 410 is fed to a RFID reader/writer 416.
[0070] The RFID reader/writer 416 reads the RFID tag 410 to make
sure that the RFID tag 410 is not defective, writing to put the
correct information on the RFID tag 410, or correcting any
incorrect information on the RFID tag 410. Please note that
additional devices like optical sensors/scanners (not shown) may be
used to read the information on the label 413 and to assure it
corresponds to the information in the transponder of the RFID tag
410, if necessary.
[0071] Referring now to FIG. 5, therein is shown a schematic
diagram of the internal circuit architecture 500 of a RFID system.
The internal circuit architecture 500 would be in the control
system 204 of FIG. 2, the control system 304 of FIG. 3, and the
control system 404 of FIG. 4.
[0072] The internal circuit architecture 500 includes a
microprocessor or process controller 502, which is compatible to
interface with a multitude of different types of pick-and-place
machines, such as those from Siemens, Universal Instruments,
Panasonic, Juki, Fuji, etc.
[0073] A process controller 502 is connected to a communication
port 504 to accept label content and formatting from a memory card,
memory stick, the Internet, etc. The process controller 502
provides mechanisms for handshaking interface among the printer,
reader, writer, and pick-and-place head of the assembly line.
[0074] The process controller 502 controls a tag supply system 506,
which would be the RFID tag supply system 206 in FIG. 3, the RFID
tag supply system 306 in FIG. 4, and the vibratory bowl supply
system 406 in FIG. 4.
[0075] Another processor such as a content writer controller 508 is
further connected to the process controller 502 to control a
printer 510, such as the printer 314 of FIG. 3, and an RFID
writer/writer 512, such as the RFID reader/writer 216 of FIG. 2,
the RFID reader/writer 316 of FIG. 3, or the RFID reader/writer 416
of FIG. 4. The communication protocols of the content writer
controller 508 adhere to existing syntax used by popular desktop
labelers to minimize impact on manufacturing processes.
[0076] A label content bit memory 514 for storing label information
is accessed both by the process controller 502 and the content
writer controller 508.
[0077] Various sensors 516 provide information to the process
controller 502 to allow it to coordinate operations of the internal
circuit architecture 500, such as advancing RFID tags to the
pick-up point and the condition of the tag supply system 506.
[0078] The sensors 516 allow the process controller 502 to deliver
RFID tags on-demand for just-in-time operation whenever the robotic
handling system removes an RFID tag.
[0079] A memory stick port 518, for flash or other type of portable
memories, is connected to the process controller 502 to allow
programming of the process controller 502.
[0080] An operator control panel 520 further connects to the
process controller 502 to allow direct control of the process
controller 502 by an operator to make adjustments during setup.
[0081] Referring now to FIG. 6A, therein is shown an RFID tag 600
with an antenna 602. The RFID tag 600 contains a transponder 604,
which is an integrated circuit that can respond to radio frequency
signals to read and write to a memory chip 606 that is part of or
connected to the transponder 604.
[0082] The RFID tag 600 also has a label 608, which allows data to
be read visually as well as electronically. In some embodiments,
the RFID tag 600 is thin enough to be sandwiched within the label
608.
[0083] The RFID tag 600 also comes in different embodiments, such
as passive, as shown, active, and semi-active.
[0084] Passive RFID tags have no internal power supply, such as a
battery, and can have an unlimited life span. The minute electrical
current induced in the antenna by the incoming radio frequency
signal provides just enough power for an integrated circuit in the
RFID tag to power up and transmit a response. Most passive RFID
tags signal by reflecting a carrier signal from a reader. This
means that the antenna has to be designed to both collect power
from the incoming signal and also to reflect the signal. Passive
RFID tags have practical read distances ranging from about a few
inches to a few feet depending on the chosen radio frequency and
antenna design/size. The RFID tag integrated circuit can contain
nonvolatile memory for storing data. Lack of an onboard power
supply means that the device can be quite small. The addition of
the antenna creates a tag that varies from the size of a postage
stamp to the size of a post card.
[0085] Semi-active RFID tags have their own internal power source
which is used to power the integrated circuits that generate the
outgoing signal. Active RFID tags are typically much more reliable
(e.g. fewer errors) than passive RFID tags due to the ability to
communicate in both directions with a RFID reader/programmer.
Semi-active RFID tags typically have much longer range of hundreds
of feet and larger memories than passive RFID tags so as to store
additional information sent by the transceiver. Semi-active RFID
tags, due to their onboard power supply, also transmit at higher
power levels than passive tags, and a battery life of up to 10
years.
[0086] Active RFID tags have their own internal power source and an
active radio transmitter, which provides longer ranges of thousands
of feet. As more sensitive RFID reader/programmers are developed,
the ranges are expected to increase.
[0087] Referring now to FIG. 6B, therein is shown an RFID tag 610
with contacts and without an antenna. The RFID tag 610 contains a
transponder 614, which is an integrated circuit that can respond to
radio frequency signals to read and write to a memory chip 616,
which in some embodiments is part of the same integrated circuit as
the transponder. The RFID tag 610 has two contacts 618 and 620. The
RFID tag 610 can also be passive, semi-active, and active.
[0088] Referring now to FIG. 7, therein is shown a plan view of a
portion of the assembly line 100 of FIG. 1 having a first PCB 702
and a second PCB 704. The first PCB 702 has a first type of
built-in antenna 706 and the second PCB 704 has a second type of
built-in antenna 708 with a RFID tag 710 connected to it.
[0089] Referring now to FIG. 8, therein is shown a radio frequency
identification system 800 disclosing the operation of the radio
frequency identification system 120 of FIG. 1 in an embodiment of
the present invention. The radio frequency identification system
800 includes: supplying a radio frequency identification tag
including providing a radio frequency identification transponder
and writing transponder content to the radio frequency
identification transponder in a block 802; and feeding the radio
frequency identification tag for an assembly line in a block
804.
[0090] The term radio frequency identification system is used to
describe both the system 120 and the system 800 as a matter of
convenience and the determination of whether apparatus or method is
being disclosed can easily be determined from context.
[0091] While the invention has been described in conjunction with a
specific best mode, it is to be understood that many alternatives,
modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in
the art in light of the aforegoing description. Accordingly, it is
intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and
variations that fall within the scope of the included claims. All
matters hithertofore set forth herein or shown in the accompanying
drawings are to be interpreted in an illustrative and non-limiting
sense.
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