Wireless Inlay Indexing for High-Throughput Singulation Reading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in simultaneously testing multiple Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) inlays without requiring isolation devices that are larger than the inlay pitch, leading to inefficiencies in reading and identifying individual inlays due to their proximity and the need for precise isolation mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A system employing a plurality of singulation readers spaced apart by a multiplier (M) greater than 1, allowing simultaneous interrogation of inlays on a web, with each reader indexing a specific number of inlays, ensuring each inlay is read once and only once, and using waveguides for isolation to reduce cross-talk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If isolation devices such as waveguides are used to isolate individual inlays, then reading accuracy is improved, but device size becomes much larger than the pitch of the inlays
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the reading task into multiple segments by using multiple readers spaced apart from each other. Each reader is responsible for reading a specific subset of inlays, allowing the use of smaller, less intrusive isolation devices while maintaining accurate individual inlay reading through distributed measurement points.
2Productivity
If multiple inlays are tested simultaneously, then productivity is improved, but isolation between readers becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs asymmetric spacing between readers and inlays, where readers are positioned at specific intervals that are not uniform across all inlays. This asymmetric arrangement, combined with the indexing method, enables simultaneous reading of multiple inlays while maintaining sufficient isolation to prevent cross-talk between adjacent readers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary indexing of inlays into groups before the actual reading process. This pre-organization of inlays into indexed groups allows the system to systematically assign reading tasks to different readers, enabling simultaneous testing while managing isolation requirements through predetermined reading sequences.
3Ease of manufacture
If readers are spaced closer together to reduce device size, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but cross-talk between readers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous reading operation across multiple inlays by coordinating multiple readers to read different inlays simultaneously. This continuous action approach allows readers to be spaced closer together while maintaining effective isolation, as each reader is actively reading a specific subset of inleys without interfering with adjacent readers' operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient, high-throughput testing of multiple inlays by ensuring each inlay is read accurately and rejected if malfunctioning, reducing response time and operational costs compared to current methods.
Implementation Method 1
devices used to isolate inlays such as waveguides (or any other device) require shielding
Implementation Method 2
BLE inlays harvest the ubiquitous Bluetooth Rf energy, and using this energy, can perform much like active RFID inlays
Implementation Method 3
The inlays have no internal power supply and rely on backscatter to 'reflect' a modulated signal back to a specific reader (radio transceiver)
Data Source
AI summary
A system for carrying out a testing procedure on wireless inlays carried on a web and spaced at a pitch (P) includes a group of singulation readers that simultaneously interrogate a group of inlays during a read operation, each reader interrogating a single inlay during each read operation. The inlays are indexed into groups, with each index group constituting a number of inlays equal to a number (N) of the readers. The readers are spaced apart by a distance equal to the pitch (P) of the inlay spacing times a multiplier (M), where the multiplier (M) is a whole number between 1 and the number (N) of readers. The multiplier (M) is selected such that it is not a number evenly divisible into the number (N) of readers or a multiple of a number evenly divisible into the number (N) of readers.