Telescopic mast with rfid antennas for warehouse inventories

An apparatus for inventorying items by reading attached identifying RFID tags stored on palette racks comprising at least one vertical reference post equipped with at least one post marker, characterized in that it comprises:

• at least one telescopic mast, which can be vertically deployed and folded,
• at least one RFID antenna mounted onto said telescopic mast for emitting RFID signals towards said identifying RFID tags and for receiving response messages from said identifying RFID tags,
• a RFID reader for energizing said at least one RFID antenna and for reading said identifying RFID tags,
• a computer communicatively coupled to control said RFID reader and storing data, and
• at least one height sensor for detecting said at least one post marker.

A method for inventorying items with an apparatus by reading attached identifying RFID tags stored on palette racks comprising at least one vertical reference post equipped with at least one post marker within a warehouse comprising:

• deploying vertically a telescopic mast of said apparatus,
• reading said identifying RFID tags by said apparatus with RFID antennas mounted onto said telescopic mast, wherein said RFID antennas are energized by a RFID reader,
• when said at least one post marker attached onto said at least one vertical reference post is detected by height sensors of said apparatus,
• identifying said at least one vertical reference post based on the reading of said at least one post marker, and
• adjusting the vertical deployment of said telescopic mast before continuing reading said identifying RFID tags, and
• folding vertically said telescopic mast when all items are inventoried.