Having "soft" Magnetic Element (e.g., Permalloy) Patents (Class 340/572.6)
  • Patent number: 6275153
    Abstract: A system for tracking a plurality of recreational items for sliding on snow-covered surfaces of a hill. The system comprises, for each item in the plurality of recreational items, an associated integral ID storing device for storing an associated item ID, the associated item ID being electronically readable from the associated integral ID storing device. The system also comprises an interrogator for reading the associated item ID stored on the associated integral ID storing device for each item in the plurality of recreational items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Inventor: Andrew Brooks
  • Patent number: 6259368
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an element for electronically securing articles or for sensor technology, comprising a striplike or wirelike Barkhausen material of given length, which in an external alternating magnetic field is excited to emit a characteristic signal, and a soft magnetic material which is associated with the Barkhausen material. The soft magnetic material comprises individual portions of a predetermined length, which are disposed at a predetermined spacing from one another, and that the portions of the soft magnetic material are positioned relative to the Barkhausen material such that the magnetic stray fields they generate couple with the magnetization of the Barkhausen material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Meto International GmbH
    Inventor: Manfred Ruhrig
  • Patent number: 6252508
    Abstract: A radio frequency identification tag system (10) utilizes a radio frequency identification tag (16) that includes stored tag information. The tag includes an antenna element (30) and a common electrode (28). The antenna element electrostatically receives an exciter signal (34) from a proximately-located electrostatic exciter (12). Upon receiving the exciter signal, the tag becomes energized, thereby causing it to generate a read signal (36) based on the stored tag information. The antenna element then electrostatically sends the read signal to a proximately-located reader (14), which detects the stored tag information. In addition, exactly one of the tag common electrode and the tag antenna element is arranged to magnetically store tag state information. The tag state information represents exactly one state of two possible states and is read by a proximately-located magnetic reader (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Allen Vega, Noel H. Eberhardt
  • Patent number: 6232879
    Abstract: A sensor for remote detection of objects (20), preferably for use in an article surveillance system, comprises a wireshaped element (22), which is arranged to be excited and detected electromagnetically. The wireshaped element (22) has a diameter less than 30 &mgr;m. The element is arranged to transmit an electromagnetic reply signal, the amplitude of which is modulated in response to an externally applied and time-varying magnetic field. According to a method of detecting the presence of an object (20) in a surveillance zone (10), the object is provided with at least one wireshaped element (22) of amorphous or nanocrystalline metal alloy with magnetic properties and with a diameter less than 30 &mgr;m. Electromagnetical signals are generated in the surveillance zone for exciting the wireshaped element. Furthermore, a time-varying magnetic modulating field is generated in the surveillance zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: RSO Corporation N.V.
    Inventor: Carl Tyrén
  • Patent number: 6229444
    Abstract: A theftproof tag which is effective regardless of the material of the article to which it is attached. There is neither a change in resonance of a resonance circuit nor a decrease in the Q value due to the material of the surface of a theft monitored article, thereby decreasing errors in the operation of a theft monitor. The theftproof tag has a resonance circuit resonating to an electric wave at a specified frequency transmitted from a transmitting antenna, and having a coil unit and a capacitor electrically connected to both ends of the coil unit. The coil unit has a magnetic core member made of a composite material composed of a powder or flakes of a soft magnetic metal, and a plastic, and a winding wound around the periphery of the magnetic core member and connected to the capacitor, a portion of the magnetic core member facing the attaching surface of the article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
    Inventors: Takanori Endo, Masami Miyake, Takashi Tsuchida, Tomohiro Mori, Seiro Yahata
  • Patent number: 6225905
    Abstract: A sensor for remote detection of objects in a surveillance zone (10) is preferably intended to be used in an article surveillance zone, which further has at least one transmitter means (11, 13) and at least one receiver means (12, 15) for transmitting and receiving, respectively, electromagnetic radio-frequency signals in the surveillance zone, and at least one modulating means (16) for generating a modulation field in the surveillance zone. The sensor is arranged to transmit an electromagnetic reply signal at the reception of electromagnetic energy from the transmitter means, said reply signal being dependent on the modulation field and being receivable by the receiver means. A magnetic element (23) is arranged in a sensor body (21; 101, 102), the magnetic properties of the element being controllable by a magnetic field acting as the modulation field, wherein the amplitude of the reply signal from the sensor is controllable through the magnetic modulation field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: RSO Corporation N.V.
    Inventors: Carl Tyrén, Christian Quinones
  • Patent number: 6218944
    Abstract: A label for marking and remote detection of objects has a capsular housing (10, 11) of a material, which in non-magnetic, electrically non-conductive as well as resistant against external influence, the housing consisting of a lower portion (10) and a cover (11), between which a cavity (12) is formed, and at least one elongated sensor element (13) arranged in the cavity (12), the sensor element being made from an amorphous magneto-elastic material with high magneto-mechanical coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Inventors: Lothar Kiesewetter, Harald Zillessen, Carl Tyren
  • Patent number: 6211786
    Abstract: This invention relates to a battery-free circuit device for RF identifying tag. It is advantageous that the electric potential across the antenna coil induced by the change of the alternating magnetic field of the radio wave signals is independent of the modulational switching of the RF identifying tag during the positive half cycles when the antenna is receiving the radio wave signals from the card reader, and that the efficiency of the voltage-charging rectifier circuit remains constant when the data are delivered into the card reader. Furthermore, in this invention, the modulational amplitude of the signals is larger than that in the prior art, thus the propagating distance is longer and it shows better accuracy and reliability in data reading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Holtek Semiconductor Inc.
    Inventors: Jeng-Rern Yang, Tsung-Han Yang
  • Patent number: 6204766
    Abstract: A magnetic marker or tag is disclosed which comprises (a) a first magnetic material characterised by high permeability, low coercivity and a non-linear B-H characteristic; and (b) a second magnetic material which is capable of being permanently magnetised, said first and second magnetic materials being superimposed one on the other and advantageously being substantially coterminous. The second magnetic material is preferably of medium coercivity. Selected regions of said second magnetic material can carry magnetisation such as to magnetically divide the first magnetic material into a series of magnetically discrete zones, the length of said magnetically discrete zones and/or the lengths of said magnetised regions (“gaps”) of said second material constituting elements of a code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Flying Null Limited
    Inventors: Michael David Crossfield, Christopher John Coggill
  • Patent number: 6181249
    Abstract: A device for deactivating a magnetomechanical electronic article surveillance (EAS) marker includes a deactivation coil array and a coil driving circuit. The coil driving circuit repetitively energizes the deactivation coil array according to a predetermined timing to generate a magnetic field for deactivating the EAS marker. The driving circuit includes at least one storage capacitor, circuitry for charging the at least one storage capacitor and a switching circuit for selectively forming a resonant circuit which includes the storage capacitor and at least some of the coils of the coil array to generate a ring-down signal in the coils. A timing circuit controls the switching circuit to generate the ring-down signal repetitively at the predetermined timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Steven R. Maitin, Ronald B. Easter