Transmission apparatus for a wireless device using delta-sigma modulation

• US 10,419,254 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2018
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manku, Tajinder
• Primary Examiner(s): Panwalkar, Vineeta S
• Application Number:
  US16/103,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20180351772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/756 using a signal generator for modifying the reflectivity of the reflector G01S13/758 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/758 using a signal generator powered by the interrogation signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/825 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/45 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/04 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/20 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2626 Arrangements specific to the transmitter only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/36 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits

Abstract

A transmission apparatus for a wireless device, comprising: an antenna for receiving an original signal and for backscattering a modulated signal containing information from the wireless device; a variable impedance coupled to the antenna, the variable impedance having an impedance value; a delta-sigma modulator coupled to the variable impedance for modulating the impedance value, and thereby a backscattering coefficient for the antenna, in accordance with the information to generate the modulated signal; and, a decoder coupled to the delta-sigma modulator for generating the impedance value from the information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via an antenna of a wireless device, an original signal transmitted by a detecting device;

receiving, at a decoder of the wireless device, an N-bit digital waveform representing information within the wireless device, wherein the decoder is coupled to a variable impedance circuit of the wireless device; and

responsive to the received N-bit digital waveform, modulating a variable impedance value of the variable impedance circuit, wherein the N-bit digital waveform has a modulation type,

wherein a backscattering coefficient of the antenna changes responsively to the modulated variable impedance value to backscatter the original signal as a modulated signal that is a frequency offset form of the N-bit digital waveform, and

wherein the N-bit digital waveform received by the decoder produces a control signal for the variable impedance circuit that is related to the N-bit digital waveform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable impedance circuit is coupled in series with the antenna.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising powering the wireless device with energy received from the original signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable impedance circuit includes an array of impedances and respective switches.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoder includes a backscattering coefficient to impedance value decoder.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching, via the control signal for the variable impedance circuit, an array of impedances within the variable impedance circuit and thereby change the modulated variable impedance value and characteristics of the backscattering coefficient of the antenna.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the N-bit digital waveform to compensate for errors in at least one of the decoder and the variable impedance.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering, via a filter in the variable impedance circuit, noise generated by the decoder.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated signal is an arbitrary signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the original signal is received from an RFID reader.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising correcting for errors in at least one of the decoder and the variable impedance circuit.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the method of claim 1 with a processor; and

storing the N-bit digital waveform in a memory device.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, via an inductor coupled to an antenna, an original signal transmitted by a detecting device;

transmitting by mutual inductance a modulated signal containing information from a wireless device;

coupling a variable impedance circuit to the inductor, the variable impedance circuit having an impedance element with an impedance value;

modulating the impedance value and thereby a value of the mutual inductance, comprising;

controlling a decoder to generate a control signal in accordance with the information; and

coupling the decoder and thereby the control signal to the variable impedance circuit; and

generating the information as a complex modulate signal using an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the complex modulation signal alternates between an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal via a control signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the complex modulation signal is offset in frequency from the original signal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the complex modulation signal is one of a GMSK signal, a nPSK signal, a 8PSK signal, a nQAM signal, and an OFDM signal.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the variable impedance element switches between impedance values that are 90 degrees offset from each other depending on whether the complex modulation signal is the in-phase signal or the quadrature signal.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

operating a digital signal generator to apply an up-convert signal to an in-phase circuit and to a quadrature circuit;

operating the in-phase circuit to multiply an in-phase input signal by the up-convert signal to generate the in-phase signal with an offset in carrier frequency; and

operating the quadrature circuit to multiply a quadrature input signal by the up-convert signal to generate the quadrature signal with an offset in carrier frequency.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

operating a digital signal generator to apply a constant value signal to an in-phase circuit and to a quadrature circuit;

operating the in-phase circuit to multiply an in-phase input signal by the constant value signal to generate the in-phase signal; and

operating the quadrature circuit to multiply a quadrature input signal by the constant value signal to generate the quadrature signal.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

operating a digital signal generator to apply a sine wave to an in-phase circuit and a cosine wave to a quadrature circuit;

operating the in-phase circuit to multiply an in-phase input signal by the sine wave to generate the in-phase signal; and

operating the quadrature circuit to multiply a quadrature input signal by the cosine wave to generate the quadrature signal.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the complex modulation signal is a sum of an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

operating a digital signal generator to apply an up-convert signal to an in-phase circuit and to a quadrature circuit;

operating the in-phase circuit to multiply an in-phase input signal by the up-convert signal to generate the in-phase signal with an offset in carrier frequency; and

operating the quadrature circuit to multiply a quadrature input signal by the up-convert signal to generate the quadrature signal with an offset in carrier frequency.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

operating a digital signal generator to apply a constant value signal to an in-phase circuit and to a quadrature circuit;

operating the in-phase circuit to multiply an in-phase input signal by the constant value signal to generate the in-phase signal; and

operating the quadrature circuit to multiply a quadrature input signal by the constant value signal to generate the quadrature signal.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

operating a digital signal generator to apply a sine wave to an in-phase circuit and a cosine wave to a quadrature circuit;

operating the in-phase circuit to multiply an in-phase input signal by the sine wave to generate the in-phase signal; and

operating the quadrature circuit to multiply a quadrature input signal by the cosine wave to generate the quadrature signal.