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US 10,948,562 B2Granted
RFID antenna array for gaming
AssigneeFortiss, LLC
InventorsForrest S. Seitz, Joshua K. Hoyt, Bartley A. Johnson, Tyler J. Seitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An RFID system includes multiple antennas and uses amplitude and phase information of the RFID signals received by each antenna to determine the position of RFID tags in the vicinity. More than one antenna can receive the RFID signals during a single read cycle, enabling the RFID system to operate more quickly than a system that energizes antennas separately.
Claims20
A system for determining locations of objects in a gaming environment, the system comprising:
- a main antenna associated with an area on a gaming table;
- a first plurality of antennas oriented in a first direction and associated with the area on the gaming table;
- a second plurality of antennas oriented in a second direction, wherein the second direction differs from the first direction, wherein the second plurality of antennas overlaps the first plurality of antennas, and wherein the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas intersect at a plurality of locations within the area;
- a main radio frequency identification (RFID) transmitter coupled to the main antenna;
- an RFID receiver;
- and
- a controller that controls the main RFID transmitter to generate an RFID inventory command, wherein each of a plurality of RFID tags in the area responds to the RFID inventory command according to an anti-collision process,
- wherein in response to the RFID inventory command, the RFID receiver receives a first plurality of responses from the plurality of RFID tags via the first plurality of antennas and a second plurality of responses from the plurality of RFID tags via the second plurality of antennas,
- wherein the controller determines an identifier for each of the plurality of RFID tags using at least one of the first plurality of responses and the second plurality of responses, and
- wherein the controller determines a position of each of the plurality of RFID tags by correlating phase information of the first plurality of responses, and phase information of the second plurality of responses.
7 more elements
A method of determining locations of objects in a gaming environment, the method comprising:
- generating, by a main radio frequency identification (RFID) transmitter coupled to a main antenna, an RFID inventory command, wherein the main antenna is associated with an area on a gaming table;
- responding, by each of a plurality of RFID tags in the area, to the RFID inventory command according to an anti-collision process;
- receiving, by an RFID receiver, a first plurality responses from the plurality of RFID tags via a first plurality of antennas in response to the RFID inventory command, wherein the first plurality of antennas is oriented in a first direction and is associated with the area on the gaming table;
- receiving, by the RFID receiver, a second plurality of responses from the plurality of RFID tags via a second plurality of antennas in response to the RFID inventory command, wherein the second plurality of antennas is oriented in a second direction that differs from the first direction, wherein the second plurality of antennas overlaps the first plurality of antennas, and wherein the first plurality of antennas and the second plurality of antennas intersect at a plurality of locations within the area;
- determining, by a controller, an identifier for each of the plurality of RFID tags using at least one of the first plurality of responses and the second plurality of responses;
- and
- determining, by the controller, a position of each of the plurality of RFID tags by correlating phase information of the first plurality of responses, and phase information of the second plurality of responses.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.