Antenna device and method for operating the same

• US 10,141,628 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Strauss, Wolfram, Mayordomo, Iker, Weisgerber, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US15/234,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20160351993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 105, 3405721, 3405722, 235376, 235377, 2353825, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/248 provided with an AC/DC converting device, e.g. rectennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/004 providing two or four symmetrical beams for Janus application
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence

Abstract

An active antenna device includes a terminal for receiving a signal to be transmitted, and an antenna for generating a radio signal based on the signal to be transmitted. The active antenna device further includes a controller that is configured to control the antenna depending on the intended properties of the radio signal. The active antenna device includes a coupler between the terminal and the antenna that is configured to decouple a signal portion from the signal to be transmitted. The active antenna device further includes an energy converter that is connected between the coupler and the controller and configured to provide a power signal for the operation of the controller based on the decoupled signal portion.

Claims

1. An active antenna device for sending RFID signals, comprising:

a terminal for receiving an RFID signal to be transmitted;

an antenna for generating a radio signal based on the RFID signal to be transmitted;

a controller that is configured to control properties of the antenna;

a coupler between the terminal and the antenna that is configured to decouple a signal portion from the RFID signal to be transmitted;

an energy converter that is connected between the coupler and the controller and configured to provide a power signal for the operation of the controller based on the decoupled signal portion; and

an energy storage device between the energy converter and the controller that is configured to at least partially receive the electric energy from the energy converter and to provide the controller with the same;

wherein the active antenna device is an energy self-sufficient device.

2. The active antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the antenna such that the radio signal comprises one or more radiation lobes and/or is configured to adjust a radiation angle of one or more radiation lobes of the radio signal.

3. The active antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements and at least one switch that is connected to an antenna element, and wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one switch such that, based on the properties of the radio signal or the antenna, the RFID signal to be transmitted can be applied to at least one of the antenna elements.

4. The active antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is connectable to an antenna terminal of a signal source providing the RFID signal to be transmitted.

5. The active antenna device according to claim 4, with a mounting element that is connected to the terminal and that is connectable to the antenna terminal of the signal source providing the RFID signal to be transmitted.

6. The active antenna device according to claim 1, with a connection element that is connectable to the signal source providing the RFID signal to be transmitted.

7. The active antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a transmit-receive antenna that is configured to radiate the radio signal, and to receive a receive signal and to provide the same at the terminal.

8. The active antenna device according to claim 1, with a receive antenna in order to receive a receive signal and to provide the same at a receive terminal.

9. The active antenna device according to claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to control the receive antenna.

10. The active antenna device according to claim 1 that is coupled to a signal source comprising a radio-frequency signal generator and being configured to provide the RFID signal to be transmitted based on a signal received by means of a wireless communication interface.

11. The active antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is an accumulator or an electrical capacitor.

12. The active antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the energy converter is a radio-frequency direct current converter.

13. The active antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the coupler is configured to decouple at least 0.1% of the power of the RFID signal to be transmitted.

14. A radio-frequency identification system, comprising:

a radio-frequency identification reader; and

at least one active antenna device according to claim 1.

15. A method for an energy self-sufficient operation of an active antenna device for sending RFID signals, comprising:

receiving an RFID signal to be transmitted;

generating a radio signal based on the RFID signal to be transmitted;

controlling antenna properties;

decoupling a signal portion between a terminal and an antenna from the RFID signal to be transmitted; and

providing a power signal for the energy self-sufficient operation of a controller based on the decoupled signal portion using an energy storage device between the energy converter and the controller that is configured to at least partially receive the electric energy from the energy converter and to provide the controller with the same.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the energy storage device is an accumulator or an electrical capacitor.