Homodyne single mixer receiver and method therefor

• US 20060109127A1
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neology Incorporated (OEP Technologie BV)
• Original Assignee: Sirit Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: d'Hont, Loek J., Barink, Bernard, Bishop, Gary M., Havlicek, Gregory G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,199,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.200
• 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: H03D 1/2245 using two quadrature channels H03D1/2209 takes precedence

Abstract

An RFID circuit comprises an RF carrier signal source, a hybrid coupled to the RF carrier signal source operable to generate an in-phase and a quadrature phase component of the RF carrier signal, a switch coupled to the hybrid operable to pass one of the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the RF carrier signal to its output, and a mixer coupled to the output of the switch operable to multiply one of the in-phase and quadrature phase component of the carrier signal and a received modulated carrier signal and generate a baseband signal.

Claims

1. An RFID circuit, comprising:

an RF carrier signal source;

a hybrid coupled to the RF carrier signal source operable to generate an in-phase and a quadrature phase component of the RF carrier signal;

a switch coupled to the hybrid operable to pass one of the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the RF carrier signal to its output; and

a mixer coupled to the output of the switch operable to multiply one of the in-phase and quadrature phase component of the carrier signal and a received modulated carrier signal and generate a baseband signal.

2. The RFID circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

an information signal source;

a transmitter receiving the RF carrier signal and the information signal and operable to modulate the RF carrier signal according to the information signal; and

an antenna transmitting the modulated RF carrier signal.

3. The RFID circuit of claim 2, further comprising a splitter coupled to the RF carrier signal source and operable to pass the RF carrier signal to the hybrid and the transmitter.

4. The RFID circuit of claim 1, wherein the switch is operable to pass the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the RF carrier signal in alternate polling cycles.

5. The RFID circuit of claim 1, further comprising a filter to remove unwanted signals from the received modulated carrier signal.

6. The RFID circuit of claim 1, further comprising a bandpass filter receiving the received modulated carrier signal and passing RF signals within a predetermined bandwidth to the mixer.

7. An RFID circuit, comprising:

an RF carrier signal source;

a hybrid coupled to the RF carrier signal source operable to generate an in-phase and a quadrature phase component of the RF carrier signal;

an RF switch coupled to the hybrid operable to pass one of the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the RF carrier signal to its output;

a mixer coupled to the output of the switch operable to multiply one of the in-phase and quadrature phase component of the carrier signal and a received modulated carrier signal and generate a baseband signal; and

a processor operable to generate a control signal to the RF switch for selectively passing one of the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the RF carrier signal to the mixer.

8. The RFID circuit of claim 7, further comprising:

a transmitter receiving the RF carrier signal and an information signal generated by the processor and operable to modulate the RF carrier signal according to the information signal; and

an antenna transmitting the modulated RF carrier signal.

9. The RFID circuit of claim 7, further comprising a splitter coupled to the RF carrier signal source and operable to pass the RF carrier signal to the hybrid and the transmitter.

10. The RFID circuit of claim 7, wherein the switch is operable to pass the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the RF carrier signal in alternate polling cycles.

11. The RFID circuit of claim 7, further comprising a filter to remove unwanted signals from the received modulated carrier signal.

12. The RFID circuit of claim 7, further comprising a bandpass filter receiving the received modulated carrier signal and passing RF signals within a predetermined bandwidth to the mixer.

13. The RFID circuit of claim 7, further comprising a demodulator operable to demodulate the received modulated carrier signal.

14. A circuit, comprising:

a carrier signal source;

a mixer operable to selectively multiply one of an in-phase and quadrature phase component of the carrier signal and a received modulated carrier signal and generate a baseband signal for demodulation and decoding.

15. The circuit of claim 14, further comprising:

a hybrid coupled to the carrier signal source operable to generate an in-phase and a quadrature phase component of the carrier signal;

a switch coupled to the hybrid operable to selectively pass one of the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the carrier signal to the mixer.

16. The RFID circuit of claim 14, further comprising:

an information signal source;

a transmitter receiving the carrier signal and the information signal and operable to modulate the carrier signal according to the information signal; and

an antenna transmitting the modulated carrier signal.

17. The RFID circuit of claim 16, further comprising a splitter coupled to the carrier signal source and operable to pass the RF carrier signal to the hybrid and the transmitter.

18. The RFID circuit of claim 14, wherein the switch is operable to pass the in-phase and quadrature phase components of the RF carrier signal in alternate polling cycles.

19. The RFID circuit of claim 14, further comprising a filter to remove unwanted signals from the received modulated carrier signal.

20. A method comprising:

generating a carrier signal;

receiving a modulated carrier signal;

multiplying the modulated carrier signal and an in-phase phase component of the carrier signal and generating a baseband signal;

demodulating the baseband signal;

decoding the demodulated baseband signal; and

repeating the above steps and multiplying using a quadrature phase component of the carrier signal in response to the decoded signal being invalid.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating an information signal;

modulating the carrier signal according to the information signal;

transmitting the carrier signal modulated according to the information signal; and

receiving the modulated carrier signal generated in response to the carrier signal modulated according to the information signal.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising multiplying the modulated carrier signal and the in-phase phase component of the carrier signal in one polling cycle, and multiplying the modulated carrier signal and the quadrature phase component of the carrier signal in a next polling cycle in response to the decoded signal being invalid.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising removing unwanted signals from the received modulated carrier signal.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising examining an error-checking code of the decoded data to determine validity of the received modulated signal.

25. A method comprising:

generating a carrier signal;

modulating the carrier signal and transmitting the modulated carrier signal;

receiving a backscattered modulated carrier signal;

multiplying the backscattered modulated carrier signal and an in-phase phase component of the carrier signal and generating a baseband signal;

demodulating the baseband signal;

decoding the demodulated baseband signal;

determining validity of the decoded signal; and

in response to the decoded signal being invalid, repeating the above steps and multiplying the received backscattered modulated carrier signal using a quadrature phase component of the carrier signal to generate a valid decoded signal.

26. A method comprising:

in a polling cycle;

generating a carrier signal;

modulating the carrier signal with an information signal and generating a query signal;

receiving a backscattered modulated carrier signal in response to the query signal;

multiplying the backscattered modulated carrier signal and an in-phase phase component of the carrier signal and generating a baseband signal;

demodulating the baseband signal;

decoding the demodulated baseband signal;

in response to an invalid decoded signal;

in a next polling cycle;

generating the carrier signal;

modulating the carrier signal with the information signal and generating a second query signal;

receiving a second backscattered modulated carrier signal in response to the second query signal;

multiplying the backscattered modulated carrier signal and a quadrature phase component of the carrier signal and generating a second baseband signal;

demodulating the second baseband signal; and

decoding the demodulated second baseband signal and generating a valid decoded signal.

27. An RFID device comprising:

means for generating a carrier signal;

means for receiving a modulated carrier signal;

means for multiplying the modulated carrier signal and an in-phase phase component of the carrier signal and generating a baseband signal;

means for demodulating the baseband signal;

means for decoding the demodulated baseband signal; and

means for repeating the above steps and multiplying using a quadrature phase component of the carrier signal in response to the decoded signal being invalid.

28. A method comprising:

generating a carrier signal;

receiving a modulated carrier signal;

generating an in-phase component of the received modulated carrier signal;

multiplying the modulated received in-phase component of the carrier signal and the carrier signal and generating a baseband signal;

demodulating the baseband signal;

decoding the demodulated baseband signal; and

repeating the above steps and multiplying using a quadrature phase component of the received modulated carrier signal in response to the decoded signal being invalid.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising multiplying the modulated received in-phase component of the carrier signal and the carrier signal in one polling cycle, and multiplying the modulated received quadrature phase component of the carrier signal and the carrier signal in a next polling cycle in response to the decoded signal being invalid.