Encoded information reading terminal with micro-electromechanical radio frequency front end

An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal comprising:

• a multi-band, metameterial (MTM) antenna;
• a system/data bus;
• a wireless communication interface comprising a radio frequency (RF) front end electrically coupled to the multi-band, MTM antenna, wherein:
• the RF front end comprises a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) filter array comprising a band-pass filter;
• the band-pass filter is electrically coupled to a switch;
• the switch is electrically coupled to either a bias voltage source or an oscillating signal source;
• the RF front end is electrically coupled to an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter electrically coupled to the system/data bus and/or a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter electrically coupled to the system/data bus;
• and
• the wireless communication interface is configured for transmitting radio signals in a frequency regulatory domain and/or receiving radio signals in a frequency regulatory domain;
• a microprocessor electrically coupled to a system/data bus, the microprocessor being configured for executing an operating frequency selector software program;
• a memory communicatively coupled to the microprocessor;
• and
• an EIR device comprising a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, and/or a card reading device, the EIR device being configured for outputting raw message data containing an encoded message and/or outputting decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message;
• wherein the operating frequency selector software program is configured for dynamically controlling the switch based on estimated cost of data transmission.

An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal comprising:

• a multi-band antenna;
• a system/data bus;
• a wireless communication interface comprising a radio frequency (RF) front end electrically coupled to the multi-band antenna, wherein:
• the RF front end comprises a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) filter array comprising a band-pass filter;
• the band-pass filter is electrically coupled to a switch;
• the switch is electrically coupled to either a bias voltage source or an oscillating signal source;
• the RF front end is electrically coupled to an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter electrically coupled to the system/data bus and/or a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter electrically coupled to the system/data bus;
• and
• the wireless communication interface is configured for transmitting radio signals in a frequency regulatory domain and/or receiving radio signals in a frequency regulatory domain;
• a microprocessor electrically coupled to a system/data bus, the microprocessor being configured for executing an operating frequency selector software program;
• a memory communicatively coupled to the microprocessor;
• and
• an EIR device comprising a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, and/or a card reading device, the EIR device being configured for outputting raw message data containing an encoded message and/or outputting decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message;
• wherein the operating frequency selector software program is configured to dynamically control the switch based on an amount of data to be transmitted.