Interrogation device and method for scanning

• US 20040036626A1
• Filed: 08/04/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MSD International GmbH (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Destron Fearing Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Vincent K., Mejia, Ezequiel
• Granted Patent: US 7,432,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.17
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/006 Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals identification systems for access to feeding pens A01K1/0209; ear tags with electronic identification means A01K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/00 Other apparatus for animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/015 using microstructures, e.g. made of silicon
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• 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: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/75 by polling or interrogating the sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A radio frequency identification system includes an interrogator for generating and transmitting an interrogation signal to a transponder. One or more transponders of the system receive the interrogation signal and return a data signal which includes identification and/or body characteristic information in one of multiple formats. The interrogator receives the data signal, determines the format of the data signal, and decodes the data signal to obtain the identification and/or body characteristic information. The interrogator operates to decode data signals from transponders not capable of transmitting body characteristic information and transponders which are-capable of transmitting body characteristic information.

Claims

1. An interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, comprising:

an antenna portion operable to transmit an interrogation signal to the transponder and to receive a data signal from the transponder;

a processing portion operably interconnected to said antenna portion operable to receive the data signal, determine a data format of the data signal, determine the presence or absence of body characteristic data within the data signal, and when the presence of body characteristic information is detected, decode the data signal to obtain said body characteristic information; and

an output portion operable to output, when the presence of body characteristic information is detected, said body characteristic information.

2. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing portion is further operable to determine the presence of absence of identification information within the data signal, and when the presence of identification information is detected, decode the data signal to obtain said identification information;

and

wherein said output portion is further operable to output said identification information when the presence of identification information is detected.

3. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing portion is operable to detect at least two different formats of data within said data signal and operable to detect the presence or absence of temperature information within each format of data.

4. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data format conforms to an existing standard for transmission of identification information from a transponder to an interrogator.

5. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data format conforms to ISO standard 11785.

6. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said data format is FDXA.

7. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said data format is FDXB.

8. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said output portion includes a display.

9. The interrogation apparatus for reading a transponder, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said output portion includes a connection to an external storage medium.