Apparatus for identifying an article

摘要

An apparatus for identifying an article including an interrogator to enable a tag to be identified, even if the tag is overlapped with another tag or a metal plate. The tag is attached to the article, and a memory for storing data about the article is provided in an RFID element connected to an antenna coil of the tag. The tag is activated by transmitting a radio wave of a frequency with which the tag resonates from a transmitting/receiving antenna of the interrogator. Data is read from the memory in response to a reading command, and data is writing into the memory in response to a writing command from the interrogator. The interrogator also includes an oscillation circuit for sweeping a radio wave transmitted from the transmitting/receiving antenna over a predetermined frequency range. The predetermined frequency range is a frequency range which includes all resonance frequencies of a plurality of the tags that vary based on plurality of overlapped articles to which the tags are attached.