Chip-scale radio-frequency localization devices and associated systems and methods

• US 10,074,889 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Inventors: Charvat, Gregory L., Mindell, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alkassim, Jr., Ab Salam
• Application Number:
  US15/469,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0215 Interference
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/247 with frequency mixer, e.g. for direct satellite reception or Doppler radar
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/525 between emitting and receiving antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/10 Resonant antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0428 radiating a circular polarised wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0492 circularly polarised
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/26 with folded element or elements, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of operating wavelength resonant loop antennas H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 : for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 : Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 : locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A device comprising: a substrate; a semiconductor die mounted on the substrate; a transmit antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to transmit radio-frequency (RF) signals at least at a first center frequency; a receive antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to receive RF signals at least at a second center frequency different than the first center frequency; and circuitry integrated with the semiconductor die and configured to provide RF signals to the transmit antenna and to receive RF signals from the receive antenna.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a substrate;

a first transmit antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals at least at a first center frequency;

a first receive antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to receive RF signals at least at a second center frequency different than the first center frequency;

a second receive antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to receive RF signals at least at the first center frequency; and

a second transmit antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to transmit RF signals at least at the second center frequency;

a semiconductor die mounted to the substrate and coupled to the first transmit antenna, the first receive antenna, the second transmit antenna, and the second receive antenna, the semiconductor die comprising;

interrogator circuitry configured to provide a first RF signal having the first center frequency to the first transmit antenna, to receive a second RF signal having the second center frequency from the first receive antenna, and to determine a distance between the device and an external device that transmitted the second RF signal using the first RF signal and the second RF signal; and

target device circuitry configured to receive RF signals having the first center frequency from the second receive antenna and provide RF signals having the second center frequency to the second transmit antenna.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein the interrogator circuitry comprises a frequency mixer configured to generate, using the first RF signal and the second RF signal, a mixed RF signal indicative of the distance between the device and the external device that transmitted the second RF signal.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the target device circuitry comprises a frequency multiplier, and wherein the target device circuitry is configured to:

receive a third RF signal having the first center frequency from the second receive antenna,

generate a fourth RF signal having the second center frequency from the third RF signal at least in part by using the frequency multiplier; and

provide the fourth RF signal to the second transmit antenna.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second transmit antennas is configured to transmit microwave RF signals, and wherein each of the first and second receive antennas is configured to receive microwave RF signals.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit board having at least one conductive layer, and wherein the first transmit antenna, the second transmit antenna, the first receive antenna and the second receive antenna are fabricated on the substrate by patterning the at least one conductive layer.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first transmit antenna and the second transmit antenna and at least one of the first receive antenna and the second receive antenna are isotropic.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first transmit antenna and the second transmit antenna and at least one of the first receive antenna and the second receive antenna are directional.

8. A device, comprising:

a substrate;

a first transmit antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals circularly polarized in a first rotational direction;

a first receive antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to receive RF signals circularly polarized in a second rotational direction different from the first rotational direction;

a second receive antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to receive RF signals circularly polarized in the first rotational direction; and

a second transmit antenna fabricated on the substrate and configured to transmit RF signals circularly polarized in the second rotational direction;

a semiconductor die mounted to the substrate and coupled to the first transmit antenna, the first receive antenna, the second transmit antenna, and the second receive antenna, the semiconductor die comprising;

interrogator circuitry configured to provide a first RF signal having the first rotational direction to the first transmit antenna, to receive a second RF signal having the second rotational direction from the first receive antenna, and to determine a distance between the device and an external device that transmitted the second RF signal using the first RF signal and the second RF signal; and

target device circuitry configured to receive RF signals from the second receive antenna and provide RF signals to the second transmit antenna.