Configuring Signal Devices in Thermal Processing Systems

Abstract

In some aspects, material processing head can include a body; an antenna disposed within the body; a first tag, associated with a first consumable component, disposed within a flux communication zone of the body at a first distance from the antenna, the first tag having a first resonant frequency; and a second tag, associated with a second consumable component, disposed within the flux communication zone of the body at a second distance from the antenna, the second tag having a second resonant frequency that is different than the first resonant frequency, where the first and second resonant frequencies are tuned based upon at least one of: i) a difference between the first distance and the second distance; or ii) a characteristic (e.g., shape) of the flux communication zone in which the first tag and/or the second tag is disposed.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A material processing head for reducing communication interference between data tags and an antenna, the material processing head comprising:
 a body;   the antenna disposed within the body;   a first tag, associated with a first consumable component, disposed within a flux communication zone of the body at a first distance from the antenna, the first tag having a first resonant frequency; and   a second tag, associated with a second consumable component, disposed within the flux communication zone of the body at a second distance from the antenna, the second tag having a second resonant frequency that is different than the first resonant frequency,   wherein the first and second resonant frequencies are tuned based upon at least one of: i) a difference between the first distance and the second distance; or ii) a characteristic (e.g., shape) of the flux communication zone in which the first tag and/or the second tag is disposed.   
     
     
         2 . The material processing head of  claim 1  wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance. 
     
     
         3 . The material processing head of  claim 1  wherein the second tag absorbs more energy available from the antenna than the first tag. 
     
     
         4 . The material processing head of  claim 1  wherein the second resonant frequency is closer in frequency to a broadcast frequency than the broadcast frequency. 
     
     
         5 . The material processing head of  claim 1  wherein the first tag comprises a first coil having a first number of turns and the second tag comprises a second coil having a second number of turns, the second number of turns being greater than the first number of turns. 
     
     
         6 . The material processing head of  claim 1  wherein the first distance and the second distance are each between 1 mm and 6 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The material processing head of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the first tag or the second tag is configured to resonate at about 13 MHz. 
     
     
         8 . The material processing head of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the first consumable component or the second consumable component is removably coupled to the material processing head. 
     
     
         9 . A method of facilitating communication, and reducing communication interference, between an RFID tag reader of a material processing head of a material processing system and two or more RFID tags associated consumable components disposed within the material processing head, the method comprising:
 positioning a first RFID tag attached to a first consumable component within the material processing head at a first distance from the RFID tag reader, the first RFID tag having a first resonant frequency;   positioning a second RFID tag attached to a second consumable component within the material processing head at a second distance from the RFID tag reader that is greater than the first distance, the second RFID tag having a second resonant frequency;   broadcasting a reader frequency from the RFID tag reader to the first and second RFID tags, the reader frequency being closer to the second resonant frequency than to the first resonant frequency.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising tuning at least one of: the first resonant frequency or the second resonant frequency. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the tuning the at least one of: the first resonant frequency or the second resonant frequency comprises: i) selecting a number of turns of a conductive antenna coil within the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag; ii) selecting a diameter of the coil of the first RFID tag that is different than the diameter of the coil of the second RFID tag; or iii) selecting an IC capacitor for the first RFID tag that has a different capacitance than the capacitor of the second RFID tag. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the second RFID tag absorbs more energy available to it from the antenna. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the first resonant frequency deviates more from the broadcast frequency than does the second resonant frequency. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  where the first RFID tag comprises a first coil having a first number of turns and the second RFID tag comprises a second coil having a second number of turns, the second number of turns being greater than the first number of turns. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the first consumable component or the second consumable component is removably coupled to the material processing head. 
     
     
         16 . A material processing head having a consumable component with a ring-shaped RFID tag, for reducing communication interference between the ring-shaped RFID tag and an antenna, the processing head comprising:
 a processing head body;   the antenna located on or within the body;   a consumable removably installed in the processing head body; and   a ring-shaped RFID tag associated with the consumable and located adjacent a substantially metallic component, wherein the tag:
 a) is removable from the processing head body, 
 b) comprises a conductive coil that can be energized by the antenna, and 
 c) is located within a flux communication zone defined by at least one of: (a) a region unobstructed by magnetic field inhibiting materials between the antenna and the tag, or (b) the presence of a magnetic field amplifier. 
   
     
     
         17 . The processing head of  claim 16  wherein the flux communication zone comprises a toroidal shape. 
     
     
         18 . The processing head of  claim 16  wherein the material processing head further comprises a second tag and a consumable within the flux communication zone. 
     
     
         19 . The processing head of  claim 16  wherein the flux communication zone comprises an unobstructed flux path between the RFID tag and the antenna. 
     
     
         20 . The processing head of  claim 16  wherein the magnetic field amplifier comprises a ferrite material. 
     
     
         21 . The processing head of  claim 20  wherein the ferrite material comprises a flux tape material or a ferrite coating. 
     
     
         22 . The processing head of  claim 16  wherein a distance between the RFID tag and the antenna is between 1 mm and 6 mm. 
     
     
         23 . The processing head of  claim 16  wherein the RFID tag resonates at about 13 MHz. 
     
     
         24 . The processing head of  claim 16  wherein the region unobstructed by magnetic field inhibiting materials comprises a region absent of magnetic field inhibiting material. 
     
     
         25 . A method for improving RFID communication, and reducing communication interference, between a data tag of a consumable component of a material processing system and a data tag reader of a material processing head of the material processing system, the method comprising:
 establishing a flux communication zone in a region of the material processing head adjacent a site for an antenna coil of the data tag reader by at least one of:
 reducing a volume of magnetic field inhibiting materials in the region adjacent the site for the antenna coil; or 
 disposing a magnetic field amplifying materials along one or more surfaces of the magnetic field inhibiting materials in the region surrounding the site for the antenna coil, 
   the flux communication zone reorienting a magnetic field produced by the antenna coil disposed in the site to be substantially toroidal about the antenna coil.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  further comprising disposing the consumable component into the material processing head to position a conductive coil of the data tag within the reoriented magnetic field of the flux communication zone. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the flux communication defines flux path between the conductive coil of the data tag and the antenna coil of the data tag reader. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25  further comprising disposing a second consumable component having a second data tag into the material processing head to position a second conductive coil of the second data tag within the reoriented magnetic field of the flux communication zone. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the decreasing the volume of magnetic field inhibiting materials in the region adjacent the site for the antenna coil comprises removing metal from the material processing head adjacent the site for the antenna coil. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the decreasing the volume of magnetic field inhibiting materials in the region adjacent the site for the antenna coil comprises replacing at portion of the magnetic field inhibiting materials in the region adjacent the site for the antenna coil with non-conductive materials. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the magnetic field amplifier comprises a ferrite material. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the ferrite material comprises a flux tape material.