Sirit broadens its patent portfolio with three additional applications
Designed to enhance functionality and performance of readers in the
supply chain
TORONTO, March 15 /CNW/ - Sirit Inc. (TSX:SI), a leading provider of
embedded RFID reader technology, announced today that it has filed three new
patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All three
patent filings are related to UHF radio frequency identification technology;
two of the patents are in the area of RFID reader architecture with the third
addressing high-efficiency RFID antenna technology.
"Sirit continues to believe that the success of UHF RFID will depend on
exhibiting superior reader performance, coupled with simple installation
requirements and cost-effectiveness for the end user," said William Staudt,
President and CEO. "The patents filed today are all linked to those goals. Our
team of dedicated RFID engineers continues to push the envelope of advanced
RFID techniques that will position Sirit to deliver best-in-class,
next-generation RFID reader technology designed to meet increasing market
demands for higher performance and more robust functionality."
The first patent covers a method of generating extremely linear amplitude
and phase modulation as used by the reader's transmitter. The method allows
for such linear modulation while at the same time maintaining a high DC
efficiency for the transmitter power amplifier. Requirements for linear
modulation combined with a high DC efficiency for the power amplifier are
traditionally difficult to unite. As a result of this method, Sirit is able to
deliver superior reader performance while simultaneously supporting Power over
Ethernet (PoE) for the RFID reader. PoE readers do not require a separate
local power infrastructure for the customer, thus facilitating faster RFID
infrastructure installations ("plug and play" with standard networking
equipment), resulting in minimized downtime and lower installation and
maintenance costs.
In addition to enabling PoE support, the ultra-linear modulation
performance minimizes reader-to-reader interference especially in "high-
density reader environments", without sacrificing performance where multiple
readers must coexist in confined warehouse or distribution environments.
Although this feature is key in geographic regions governed by FCC regulations
(e.g. North America), it is especially advantageous in regions governed by
ETSI regulations (e.g. Europe,) as the characteristics of such regulations
make effective operation in "dense reader environments" even more difficult.
The second patent covers a transmitter power control method that allows
for a highly controlled RF power setting by the user while also minimizing the
impact of potential transmitter phase-noise behavior. The method results in
enhanced reader performance through heightened reader sensitivity, which
allows for more tags to be read in real-life situations where RF tagged
objects absorb some of the RF energy. The accurate power control also allows
the user to set power levels for the RFID reader without the need to verify
the results, thus allowing for faster installations with reproducible results.
The third patent covers a reader antenna concept that allows for improved
antenna gain conservation, and subsequently enhanced performance not realized
through traditional antenna concepts. As a result, the Sirit antenna concept
allows for improved tag read performance and read rates (at any random spatial
orientation) that are less susceptible to possible degradation resulting from
frequency hopping.
Sirit expects these patents, along with other filed and proprietary
innovations to be implemented in Sirit's forthcoming next generation UHF
products.
About Sirit Inc.
Founded in 1993, Sirit Inc. (TSX:SI) is a leading provider of Radio
Frequency Identification ("RFID") solutions to customers worldwide. The
company designs, manufactures, integrates and sells RFID solutions with an
emphasis in several vertical markets including Supply Chain Management,
Product Authentication, Asset Tracking, Security and Access Control and
Automatic Vehicle Identification. Building upon years of success deploying
traditional RFID products, Sirit continues to capitalize on the growing demand
for next generation RFID solutions. For more information on Sirit visit
www.sirit.com or call 1-800-498-8760.
