Backscatter devices and systems providing backscattered signals including OFDM packets

• US 10,652,073 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2017
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Washington
• Original Assignee: University of Washington
• Inventors: Talla, Vamsi, Smith, Joshua R., Gollakota, Shyamnath, Kellogg, Bryce
• Primary Examiner(s): Tayong, Helene E
• Application Number:
  US16/091,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20190158341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 375261
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0278 Arrangements for impedance matching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0002 analog front ends; means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line duplex arrangements H04L5/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26 Systems using multi-frequency codes H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2626 Arrangements specific to the transmitter only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/34 Amplitude- and phase-modulated carrier systems, e.g. quadrature-amplitude modulated carrier systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/36 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/365 Modulation using digital generation of the modulated carrier (not including modulation of a digitally generated carrier)
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space

Abstract

Examples described herein include backscatter devices which may transmit orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals. Techniques for complex analog backscatter are described. Examples of impedance circuitry are described which may be used to provide real and imaginary components of impedance in accordance with inphase and quadrature bits.

Claims

1. A backscatter device comprising:

an antenna;

baseband circuitry configured to provide inphase bits and quadrature bits corresponding to data for transmission, wherein the baseband circuitry includes a first combiner configured to upconvert by combining at least some of the data with a first subcarrier square wave and a second combiner configured to upconvert at least some of the data with a second subcarrier square wave having a 90 degree phase shift from the first subcarrier square wave;

first circuitry coupled to the antenna and the baseband circuitry and configured to provide a real component of antenna impedance corresponding to the inphase bits; and

second circuitry coupled to the antenna and the baseband circuitry and configured to provide an imaginary component of the antenna impedance corresponding to the quadrature bits, and wherein the backscatter device is configured to provide a backscatter signal including orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) packets in accordance with the inphase bits and the quadrature bits.

2. The backscatter device of claim 1, wherein the first circuitry comprises a plurality of binary weighted transistors connected in parallel, and wherein the plurality of binary weighted transistors are each configured to receive a respective one of the inphase bits at their gate.

3. The backscatter device of claim 1, wherein the first circuitry comprises a plurality of transistors, each configured to couple a respective one of a plurality of resistors to the antenna based on a respective gate voltage, and wherein the plurality of transistors are each configured to receive a respective one of the inphase bits at their gate.

4. The backscatter device of claim 1, wherein the second circuitry comprises a transistor coupled to the antenna and a varactor coupled between the antenna and a reference voltage, wherein the transistor includes a gate configured to receive a voltage based on an analog conversion of the quadrature bits.

5. The backscatter device of claim 1, wherein the second circuitry, comprises a plurality of transistors, each configured to couple a respective one of a plurality of capacitors to the antenna based on a respective gate voltage, and wherein the plurality of transistors are each configured to receive a respective one of the quadrature bits at their gate.

6. The backscatter device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of capacitors comprise a plurality of binary weighted capacitors.

7. A backscatter device comprising:

an antenna;

baseband circuitry configured to provide inphase bits and quadrature bits corresponding to data for transmission;

first circuitry coupled to the antenna and the baseband circuitry and configured to provide a real component of antenna impedance corresponding to the inphase bits; and

second circuitry coupled to the antenna and the baseband circuitry and configured to provide an imaginary component of the antenna impedance corresponding to the quadrature bits, wherein the first circuitry comprises a transistor coupled to the antenna and wherein the transistor includes a gate configured to receive a voltage based on an analog conversion of the inphase bits, and wherein the backscatter device is configured to provide a backscatter signal including orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) packets in accordance with the inphase bits and the quadrature bits.

8. A backscatter device comprising:

an antenna;

baseband circuitry configured to provide inphase bits and quadrature bits corresponding to data for transmission;

first circuitry coupled to the antenna and the baseband circuitry and configured to provide a real component of antenna impedance corresponding to the inphase bits; and

second circuitry coupled to the antenna and the baseband circuitry and configured to provide an imaginary component of the antenna impedance corresponding to the quadrature bits, wherein the second circuitry comprises a transistor coupled to the antenna and a capacitor coupled between the antenna and a reference voltage, wherein the transistor includes a gate configured to receive a voltage based on an analog conversion of the quadrature bits, and wherein the backscatter device is configured to provide a backscatter signal including orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) packets in accordance with the inphase bits and the quadrature bits.

9. A system comprising:

a helper device configured to transmit a carrier signal; and

a backscatter device configured to receive the carrier signal, the backscatter device comprising;

an antenna positioned such that the carrier signal is incident on the antenna;

baseband circuitry configured to provide inphase bits and quadrature bits based on data for transmission, wherein the baseband circuitry includes an analog to digital converter configured to convert the inphase and quadrature bits to converted analog inphase and quadrature bits; and

impedance circuitry configured to provide a real component of antenna impedance corresponding to the inphase bits and a complex component of the antenna impedance corresponding to the quadrature bits, such that the backscatter device is configured to backscatter the carrier signal to form a backscatter signal including orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) packets, and wherein the impedance circuitry is further configured to receive the converted analog inphase and quadrature bits as input.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the impedance circuitry comprises a transistor coupled to the antenna, the transistor configured to receive the converted analog inphase bits at a gate of the transistor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the impedance circuitry comprises an inductor coupled to the antenna and a varactor coupled between the antenna and a reference voltage, and wherein the inductor is configured to receive the converted analog quadrature bits.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the transistor comprises a first transistor and wherein the impedance circuitry further comprises a second transistor coupled to the antenna and a capacitor coupled between the second transistor and a reference voltage, and wherein the second transistor is configured to receive the converted quadrature bits at a gate of the second transistor.

13. A system comprising:

a helper device configured to transmit a carrier signal; and

a backscatter device comprising;

an antenna positioned such that the carrier signal is incident on the antenna;

baseband circuitry configured to provide inphase bits and quadrature bits based on data for transmission; and

impedance circuitry configured to provide a real component of antenna impedance corresponding to the inphase bits and a complex component of the antenna impedance corresponding to the quadrature bits, such that the backscatter device is configured to backscatter the carrier signal to form a backscatter signal including orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) packets, wherein the baseband circuitry is configured to provide the inphase and quadrature bits as digital bits to the impedance circuitry.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the impedance circuitry comprises a first plurality of transistors coupled to the antenna and a plurality of capacitors, each coupled between a respective one of the first plurality of transistors and a reference voltage, the first plurality of transistors configured to receive the quadrature bits at respective gates of the first plurality of transistors and couple selected ones of the plurality of capacitors to the antenna based on the quadrature bits.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the impedance circuitry comprises a second plurality of transistors coupled to the antenna and a plurality of resistors, each coupled between a respective one of the second plurality of transistors and the reference voltage, the second plurality of transistors configured to receive the inphase bits at respective gates of the second plurality of transistors and couple selected ones of the plurality of resistors to the antenna based on the inphase bits.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the impedance circuitry comprises a second plurality of transistors coupled to the antenna, each coupled between the antenna and the reference voltage, the second plurality of transistors configured to receive the inphase bits at respective gates of the second plurality of transistors and provide an amount of resistance using the second plurality of transistors based on the inphase bits.

17. A method comprising:

generating data for transmission at a backscatter device;

performing baseband operations on the data to generate inphase and quadrature bits corresponding to the data; and

modulating an impedance of an antenna to backscatter an incident carrier signal in accordance with the inphase and quadrature bits to provide a backscattered signal including OFDM packets corresponding to the data, wherein said modulating the impedance comprises coupling an amount of resistance to the antenna based on the inphase bits.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said generating data comprises sensing data from an environment proximate the backscatter device.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising converting the inphase and quadrature bits to converted analog inphase and quadrature bits, and wherein said modulating comprises modulating the impedance in accordance with the converted analog inphase and quadrature bits.

20. A method of comprising:

generating data for transmission at a backscatter device;

performing baseband operations on the data to generate inphase and quadrature bits corresponding to the data; and

modulating an impedance of an antenna to backscatter an incident carrier signal in accordance with the inphase and quadrature bits to provide a backscattered signal including OFDM packets corresponding to the data, wherein said modulating the impedance comprises coupling an amount of capacitance to the antenna based on the quadrature bits.