Media processing devices with 2-dimensional articulable RF antenna
AssigneeZebra Technologies Corporation
InventorsWai Kean Tham, Yuming Zhang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Media processing devices with two-dimensional articulatable RF antennas are disclosed herein. An example media processing device with a two-dimensional articulatable RF antenna includes a media process path having a feed direction; an RF encoder disposed at a point along the media process path, comprising a programming region; an RF antenna configured to program RF tags; and a driver configured to articulate the RF antenna in a first direction perpendicular to the feed direction and within the programming region, and articulate the RF antenna in a second direction, parallel with the feed direction and within the programming region.
Claims16
A media processing device, configured to process a media web of media elements, each media element comprising an RF tag, the media processing device comprising:
- a media process path having a feed direction;
- an RF encoder disposed at a point along the media process path, comprising:
- a programming region;
- an RF antenna configured to program RF tags;
- and
- a driver configured to articulate the RF antenna in a first direction perpendicular to the feed direction and within the programming region, and articulate the RF antenna in a second direction, parallel with the feed direction and within the programming region;
- and
- wherein the media processing device is configured to drive the media web along the media process path at a predetermined feed rate,
- wherein, during a printing process, the media processing device is configured to control the driver in the first direction to align the RF antenna with an RF tag of an individual media element of the media web entering the programming region on the media process path, and further configured to control the driver in the second direction such that the RF antenna remains aligned with the RF tag as the media web is driven along the media process path through the programming region.
A media processing device, comprising:
- a media driver configured to drive a media web along a media process path in a feed direction;
- a printhead disposed at a first point along the media process path and configured to impart indicia onto media elements of the media web;
- an RF encoder disposed at a second point along the media process path and comprising:
- a programming region aligned with a portion of the media process path;
- an RF antenna configured to program an RF tag of each media element of the media web;
- and
- an antenna driver configured to articulate the RF antenna in a first direction perpendicular to the feed direction and within the programming region, and articulate the RF antenna in a second direction, parallel with the feed direction and within the programming region;
- and
- a logic circuit configured to:
- control the media driver to drive the media web along the media process path;
- control the printhead to impart the indicia on predetermined media elements;
- control the antenna driver to align the RF antenna with the RF tag of each media element in the first direction;
- and
- control the antenna driver to move the RF antenna in the second direction synchronously with the media driver such that the RF antenna remains aligned with the RF tag of each media element in the first direction and in the second direction when each media element is in the programming region.
A method of forming a media processing device, comprising:
- providing a base unit including a printhead, the base unit defining a media process path having a feed direction,
- installing an x-y positioning system at a point along the media process path, defining a two-dimensional programming region which is parallel with the media process path at the point along the media process path, and
- installing an RF antenna to the x-y positioning system, such that the RF antenna is articulatable by the x-y positioning system throughout the two-dimensional programming region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.