Microwave barcode reader using dipole antenna

Abstract

A microwave barcode system is provided wherein the barcode comprises a plurality of conductive wires, mounted on a surface, or embedded beneath the surface of the object. A transmitter, comprising a dipole antenna, radiates microwave signals in the direction of the surface, and a microwave reader, comprising a dipole antenna positioned to receive the microwave signals passing through the surface, senses an attenuation of the microwave signal caused by a resonant interaction between the microwave signals and the conductive wires. The conductive wires of the present invention can be mounted in a stand-up fashion, wherein each wire is mounted adjacent to and parallel to, but not touching, its at least one neighbor, or in a lay-down fashion, wherein each wire is mounted coincident with an imaginary line which is also coincident with the remaining wires, and wherein the wires are mounted end-to-end with a gap surrounding each wire end. Both stand-up and lay-down versions of the barcode may be employed simultaneously without interference between the two versions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.