Radio frequency identification tag for transmitting temperature data and method therefor

• US 20050270153A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Min, Young-hoon, Song, Il-jong, Kwon, Sang-wook, Ku, Ja-nam
• Granted Patent: US 7,268,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.270
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• 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

Abstract

A radio frequency identification tag, used in a radio frequency identification system, includes an antenna unit for receiving an external magnetic wave to generate an induced current; a driving voltage generating unit for converting the induced current into a constant voltage and outputting the constant voltage; and a state detecting unit for detecting information about a change in an operational state of the driving voltage generating unit. The tag further includes a memory for storing temperature data corresponding to the information about the change in the operational state and data needed for identification; and a controlling unit for reading out, from the memory, the temperature data dependent on the information about the change in the operational state detected by the state detecting unit and the identification data. The read temperature and identification data are transmitted via an antenna unit.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification tag comprising:

an antenna unit which receives an external magnetic wave to generate an induced current;

a driving voltage generating unit which converts the induced current into a constant voltage and outputs the constant voltage;

a state detecting unit which detects an operational state of the driving voltage generating unit;

a memory which stores temperature data corresponding to the detected operational state and identification data needed for identification; and

a controlling unit which reads out, from the memory, the temperature data dependent on the operational state detected by the state detecting unit and the identification data, and externally outputs the temperature data and identification data via the antenna unit.

2. The tag as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission signal generating unit which combines the temperature data and the identification data to generate a transmission signal and to externally transmit the transmission signal via the antenna unit.

3. The tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving voltage generating unit comprises at least one schottky diode.

4. The tag as claimed in claim 3, wherein the state detecting unit checks a size of the constant voltage output from the driving voltage generating unit and detects a change in a property of the at least one schottky diode.

5. The tag as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

a state compensating unit which applies a bias signal to the driving voltage generating unit to change a size of the constant voltage output from the driving voltage generating unit.

6. The tag as claimed in claim 5, wherein a size of the bias signal is dependent on the change in the property of the schottky diode.

7. The tag as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor which provides a temperature reading to the controlling unit.

8. The tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stored temperature data is based on a voltage sensitivity change of the output constant voltage or an impedance change of the output constant voltage.

9. A radio frequency identification tag comprising:

an antenna unit which receives an external magnetic wave to generate an induced current;

a driving voltage generating unit which converts the induced current into a constant voltage and outputs the constant voltage;

a temperature sensor which detects a temperature;

a state compensating unit which applies a bias signal to the driving voltage generating unit; and

a controlling unit which controls the state compensating unit to adjust a size of the bias signal depending on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, and to apply an adjusted bias signal to the driving voltage generating unit.

10. The tag of claim 9, further comprising:

a transmission signal generating unit which combines the temperature and identification data obtained from a memory to generate a transmission signal to be externally transmitted via the antenna unit.

11. The tag as claimed in claim 9, wherein the temperature sensor is a schottky diode.

12. A method for radio frequency identification in a radio frequency identification system, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an external magnetic wave and generating an induced current based on the magnetic wave;

(b) converting the induced current into a constant voltage using a constant voltage circuit;

(c) detecting information about a change in an operational state of the constant voltage circuit;

(d) reading out, from a memory, temperature data dependent on the information about the change in the operational state and identification data needed for identification; and

(e) combining the temperature data and the identification data to generate a transmission signal.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising externally transmitting the transmission signal.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the constant voltage circuit comprises at least one schottky diode.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the operation (c) comprises:

checking a size of the constant voltage converted by the constant voltage circuit and detecting a change in a property of a schottky diode to use the change as detected information about the change in the operational state.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

generating a bias signal dependent on the information about the change in the operational state; and

applying the bias signal to the constant voltage circuit to adjust the size of the constant voltage output from the constant voltage circuit.

17. A method for radio frequency identification in a radio frequency identification system, comprising:

(a) receiving an external magnetic wave and generating an induced current based on the magnetic wave;

(b) converting the induced current into a constant voltage using a constant voltage circuit;

(c) measuring a temperature to obtain temperature data;

(d) applying a bias signal to the constant voltage circuit depending on the temperature data to adjust a size of the constant voltage output from the constant voltage circuit; and

(e) reading out data needed for identification from a memory and externally transmitting the identification data as a radio frequency signal.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, where the temperature data is combined with the identification data and transmitted together.