Method of inventorizing a plurality of data carriers

• US 20050173526A1
• Filed: 04/09/2003
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Amtmann, Franz
• Granted Patent: US 8,022,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• 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 7/10039 interrogator driven, i.e. synchronous

Abstract

In a method of inventorizing a plurality of data carriers (2) with the aid of a communication station (1) communicating in a contact-free way with the data carriers (2), a set (TS(1), TS(2), . . . TS(N), TS(N+1), . . . (TS(K)) of transmission parameters, preferably of time slots (TS) is available, which set comprises a first subset (TS(1) . . . TS(N)) and a second subset (TS(N+1) . . . (TS(K)) wherein inventorizing procedures (MP1, MP2, MP3, . . . ) are performed consecutively and wherein uninventorized data carriers (2) transmit their identification data (ID) to the communication station (1) for the purpose of inventorization only using transmission parameters contained in the first subset and wherein already inventorized data carriers (2) transmit their identification data (ID) to the communication station (1) only using transmission parameters contained in the second subset.

Claims

1. A method of inventorizing a plurality of data carriers (2) with the aid of a communication station communicating in a contact-free way with the data carriers, wherein inventorizing procedures are performed consecutively, and wherein data carriers that are present in a communication area of the communication station generate an identification signal (IDS) and deliver the identification signal (IDS) using transmission parameters selectable from a plurality of transmission parameters to the communication station, and wherein the delivered identification signals (IDS) are received by the communication station and wherein, for an unambiguous reception of an identification signal (IDS) of a data carrier in an inventorizing procedure, the communication station generates and delivers an acknowledgement command (QUITCO) and said data carrier receives and processes the acknowledgement command (QUITCO), and wherein, as a consequence of the processed acknowledgement command (QUITCO), every data carrier that has received and processed an acknowledgement command (QUITCO) delivers, during a subsequent inventorizing procedure a response signal (IDS) utilizing a certain predetermined transmission parameter to the communication station, which certain predetermined transmission parameter is different from the plurality of transmission parameters from which a transmission parameter can be selected for transmitting an identification signal (IDS) to the communication station.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification signal is generated as the response signal.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication station delivers an inventorization command by means of which a time reference is produced between time slots used as transmission parameters, and wherein, as a consequence of the processed acknowledgement command every data carrier that has received and processed an acknowledgement command delivers, during a subsequent inventorizing procedure its response signal in a certain time-slot range to the communication station.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, as a consequence of the processed acknowledgement command, every data carrier that has received and processed an acknowledgement command delivers, in a subsequent inventorizing procedure its response signal in a single time slot to the communication station.

5. A data carrier, that is designed for the contact-free communication with a communication station and that comprises an integrated circuit, which integrated circuit comprises the means listed below, namely identification signal generation means for generating an identification signal and acknowledgement-command detecting means for detecting an acknowledgement command generated by the communication station and transmitted to the data carrier, and transmission-parameter selection means by means of which a transmission parameter can be selected from a plurality of transmission parameters, wherein the generated identification signal can be transmitted to the communication station using the selected transmission parameters, and response signal generation means for generating a response signal and control means that interact with the response command detecting means and with the transmission-parameter selection means and by means of which, as a consequence of the detection of an acknowledgement command by the acknowledgement-command detecting means, the transmission-parameter selection means can be controlled in such a way that the transmission-parameter selection means select a certain predetermined transmission parameter, which certain predetermined transmission parameter is different from the plurality of transmission parameters from which a transmission parameter can be selected for transmitting the identification signal to the communication station, wherein the generated response signal can be transmitted to the communication station using the certain predetermined transmission parameter.

6. A data carrier as claimed in claim 5, wherein the response-signal-generating means are formed by the identification-signal-generating means.

7. A data carrier as claimed in claim 5, wherein inventorization-command detecting means are provided for detecting an inventorization command, by which means a time reference can be produced between time slots used as transmission parameters, and wherein the transmission-parameter selection means are designed to select a certain predetermined time-slot range as a consequence of detecting an acknowledgement command.

8. A data carrier as claimed in claim 5, wherein the transmission-parameter selection means are designed to select a single certain specified time slot as a consequence of detecting an acknowledgement command.

9. An integrated circuit for a data carrier that is designed for the contact-free communication with a communication station, which integrated circuit comprises the means listed below, namely identification signal generation means for generating an identification signal, and acknowledgement-command detecting means for detecting an acknowledgement command generated by the communication station and transmitted to the data carrier, and transmission-parameter selection means by means of which a transmission parameter can be selected from a plurality of transmission parameters, wherein the generated identification signal can be transmitted to the communication station using the selected transmission parameter, and response-signal generating means for generating a response signal and control means that interact with the acknowledgement-command detecting means and with the transmission-parameter selection means and by means of which, as a consequence of the detection of an acknowledgement command by the acknowledgement-command detecting means, the transmission-parameter selection means can be controlled in such a way that the transmission-parameter selection means select a certain predetermined transmission parameter, which certain predetermined transmission parameter is different from the plurality of transmission parameters, from which a transmission parameter can be selected for transmitting the identification signal to the communication station, wherein the generated response signal can be transmitted to the communication station using the certain predetermined transmission.

10. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the response-signal-generating means are formed by the identification-signal-generating means.

11. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 9, wherein inventorization-command detecting means are provided for detecting an inventorization command, by which means a time reference can be produced between time slots used as transmission parameters, and wherein the transmission-parameter selection means are designed to select a certain predetermined time-slot range as a consequence of detecting an acknowledgement command.

12. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 9, wherein the transmission-parameter selection means are designed to select a single certain predetermined time slot as a consequence of detecting an acknowledgement command.