Radio and optical identification tags

• US 20050116813A1
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Information Technology Center America, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Raskar, Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US11/030,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116813A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• 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 19/0728 the arrangement being an optical or sound-based communication interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/145 at least one of the further markings being adapted for galvanic or wireless sensing, e.g. an RFID tag with both a wireless and an optical interface or memory, or a contact type smart card with ISO 7816 contacts and an optical interface or memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1097 Optical sensing of electronic memory record carriers, such as interrogation of RFIDs with an additional optical interface

Abstract

An identification tag is formed with a single microcircuit. The microcircuit includes an optical transceiver, a radio transceiver, both connected to a memory storing an identification code. At least one of the transceivers operates in receive mode, and at least one of the transceivers operates in transmit mode. The identification code is transmitted by the transceiver operating in the transmit mode in response to receiving a predetermined signal by the transceiver operating in the receive mode.

Claims

1. An identification tag comprising:

a memory storing an identification code;

an optical communication portion configured to receive a predetermined optical signal; and

a radio communication portion configured to transmit the identification code stored in the memory when receiving the predetermined optical signal by the optical communication portion.

2. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the optical communication portion transmits an optical signal, the radio communication portion receives a radio signal, and further comprising:

means for operating at least one of the communication portions in receive mode while operating at least one of the communication portions in transmit mode; and

means for transmitting the identification code by the communication portions operating in the transmit mode in response to receiving a predetermined signal by the communication portions operating in the receive mode.

6. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the predetermined optical signal has a predetermined level.

7. The identification tag of claim 6 further comprising:

a determining portion for determining whether the received optical signal is the predetermined optical signal based on a level of the received optical signal; and

wherein the radio communication portion transmits the identification code based on the determination by the determination portion.

8. An identification tag of claim 1, wherein the predetermined optical signal is modulated by a predetermined Gray code.

9. The identification tag of claim 8 further comprising:

a determining portion for determining whether the received optical signal is the predetermined optical signal based on a Gray code demodulated from the received optical signal; and

a radio communication portion transmitting the identification code based on the determination by the determination portion.

10. The identification tag of claim 1, wherein the radio communication portion receives a command radio frequency signal and the optical communication portion transmits an identification code stored in the memory when receiving the command radio frequency signal by the radio communication portion.

3. An identification method, comprising:

receiving a predetermined optical signal at an optical communication portion in an identification tag; and

transmitting an identification code stored in memory by a radio communication portion when receiving the predetermined optical signal by the optical communication portion.

4. The identification method of claim 4, further comprising:

operating at least one of the communication portions in receive mode while operating at least one of the communication portions in transmit mode; and

transmitting the identification code by the communication portions operating in the transmit mode in response to receiving a predetermined signal by the communication portions operating in the receive mode.

5. An identification reader, comprising:

an optical communication portion transmitting a predetermined optical signal; and

a radio communication portion receiving an identification code transmitted when receiving the predetermined optical signal by an identification tag.