Method of determining the position of an RFID transponder

• US 10,393,855 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Terhoerst, Dietmar
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US15/383,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20170176571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411
• 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 5/0273 using multipath or indirect path propagation signals in position determination
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

A method is disclosed for determining the position of an RFID transponder. Separate signals of at least two electromagnetic alternating fields are emitted from at least two antenna to one RFID transponder. The antenna are spaced at a distance from each other so that the two electromagnetic alternating fields are emitted at a distance from one another. The emitted electromagnetic alternating fields to the one RFID transponder are reflected so that the reflected electromagnetic alternating fields are sent back to the antenna. The transit times of the electromagnetic alternating fields are determined from emission to receiving back at the antenna. The distances between the antenna and the RFID transponder are determined, and the position of the RFID transponder from the at least two distances is determined relative to the at least two antenna.

Claims

1. A method of determining the position of an RFID transponder comprising:

separately emitting at least two electromagnetic alternating fields from at least two antenna to an RFID transponder, wherein the at least two antenna are at a distance from one another so that the two electromagnetic alternating fields are emitted at a distance from one another;

activating reflection properties of an antenna of the RFID transponder;

modifying, after activating the reflection properties, the emitted at least two electromagnetic alternating fields;

reflecting the modified at least two electromagnetic alternating fields to the RFID transponder so that the reflected electromagnetic alternating fields are sent back to the at least two antenna;

determining at least two transit times of the modified at least two electromagnetic alternating fields from the start of emission of each modified electromagnetic alternating field to receiving back each respective modified electromagnetic alternating field;

determining at least two distances between the at least two antenna and the RFID transponder; and

determining the position of the RFID transponder from the at least two distances relative to the at least two antenna.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein further comprising determining with two antenna the position of the RFID transponder two-dimensionally from the at least two distances relative to the at least two antenna.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein further comprising determining with three antenna the position of the RFID transponder three-dimensionally from the at least two distances relative to the at least three antenna.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two antenna are disposed on a motor vehicle that has a drive motor and comprising:

determining whether the RFID transponder is located within an interior space of the motor vehicle; and

enabling, only when the RFID transponder is located within an interior space, starting of the drive motor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the emitted at least two electromagnetic alternating fields are reflected on only one identical antenna of the RFID transponder.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising emitting an electromagnetic alternating field is emitted from at least one antenna of at least one reader for the activation of the reflection properties of the antenna of the RFID transponder, wherein the reflection properties of the antenna of the RFID transponder are then activated so that at least two electromagnetic alternating fields are reflected on the antenna of the RFID transponder.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein modifying the emitted at least two electromagnetic alternating fields comprises modifying, by a first change in amplitude, one of the emitted at least two electromagnetic alternating fields and modifying, by a second change in amplitude, another of the emitted at least two electromagnetic alternating fields, wherein the first and second changes in amplitude differ from one another.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein modifying the emitted at least two electromagnetic alternating fields further comprises modifying the emitted electromagnetic alternating fields in that each x^th wave has a different amplitude from the other waves outside the x^th wave.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the received back modified electromagnetic alternating fields are differentiated by at least one reader from unchanged electromagnetic alternating fields.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising cryptographically securing at least one of the emitted electromagnetic alternating fields and the activation alternating fields.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the position of several RFID transponders, and differentiating the RFID transponders with a transmitted identification code.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising emitting different electromagnetic alternating fields by different antenna of the at least one reader, and determining the transit time of each electromagnetic alternating field from emission to receiving back at an identical antenna of the at least one reader.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising differentiating the received back, different electromagnetic alternating fields emitted by the different antenna of the at least one reader by the at least one reader, and recording, in each case one different electromagnetic alternating field, by the reader from which it was emitted.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising issuing an authorized command when the RFID transponder is located relative to a motor vehicle on the basis of the determined position of the RFID transponder within an area of a notional plane.

15. A system with a motor vehicle and an RFID transponder comprising:

a vehicle body defining an internal space for accommodating persons enclosed within the vehicle body;

at least one drive motor;

at least two antenna disposed onboard the motor vehicle; and

wherein the system is configured to;

separately emit at least two electromagnetic alternating fields from at least two antenna to an RFID transponder, wherein the at least two antenna are at a distance from one another so that the two electromagnetic alternating fields are emitted at a distance from one another;

activate reflection properties of an antenna of the RFID transponder;

modify, after activating the reflection properties, the emitted at least two electromagnetic alternating fields;

reflect the modified at least two electromagnetic alternating fields to the RFID transponder so that the reflected electromagnetic alternating fields are sent back to the at least two antenna;

determine at least two transit times of the at least two electromagnetic alternating fields from the emission received back at the at least two antenna from the start of emission of each modified electromagnetic alternating field to receiving back each respective modified electromagnetic alternating field;

determine the at least two distances between the at least two antenna and the RFID transponder; and

determine the position of the RFID transponder from the at least two distances relative to the at least two antenna.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the RFID transponder comprises an RFID transponder for starting the least one drive motor and the at least one drive motor can only be started if the RFID transponder is located relative to the motor vehicle on the basis of the determined position of the RFID transponder within an area of a notional plane.