Low power wireless display tag systems and methods

• US 20070040025A1
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agile Displays LLC
• Original Assignee: Altierre Corp.
• Inventors: Goel, Anurag, Saxena, Sunit, Saxena, Ashwin, McDonald, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• 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 19/07703 the interface being visual
• 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 7/10475 arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices

Abstract

A low-power system for use with Wireless Display Tags (WDTs) includes, in one or more exemplary arrangements, various power management techniques, including receiver wake-up, RF logic sharing, RF repeaters and a frequency doubling power amplifier which operates on the absolute value of the input signal.

Claims

1. A shelf-area network comprising:

a plurality of displays configured to fit at a shelf edge;

one or more shared radio frequency (RF) receivers adapted to receive transmissions for a host, the transmissions from the host comprising data for the displays; and

digital logic responsive to the one or more shared RF receivers for controlling the plurality of displays in accordance with the data from the host.

2. A shelf-area network, as recited in claim 1, further including a housing for enclosing the plurality of displays.

3. A shelf-area network, as recited in claim 1, further including a plurality of housings, each housing enclosing a display and each display further comprising control logic responsive to the digital logic for displaying the data on the display.

4. A shelf-area network, as recited in claim 3, wherein the digital logic communicates with the control logic of each display by wireless techniques.

5. A shelf-area network, as recited in claim 3, wherein the digital logic communicates with the control logic of each display by optical techniques.

6. A shelf-area network, as recited in claim 3, wherein the digital logic communicates with the control logic of each display by a wired connection.

7. A power management for tags comprising:

a host system for generating a wake up signal;

transmission means for communicating the wake up signal to a plurality of tags;

a tag including,

wake-up logic for detecting the wake up signal; and

digital logic responsive to the wake-up logic for determining whether the wake-up signal is for the intended tag.

8. A power management system for wireless tags comprising:

a plurality of wireless tags which transmit a near-field signal in accordance with a first protocol,

a central receiving station which communicates in accordance with a second protocol, and at least one RF repeater, the RF repeater adapted to receive signals in accordance with the first protocol and to transmit signals in accordance with the second protocol.

9. A power management system for wireless display tags having a range of radio frequency (RF) communications comprising:

a plurality of wireless display tags which transmit a near-field signal in accordance with a first protocol,

a central receiving station which communicates in accordance with a second protocol, and

at least one radio frequency (RF) repeater, the RF repeater adapted to receive signals in accordance with the first protocol and to transmit signals in accordance with the second protocol,

wherein the range of RF communications of the system is extended.

11. A wireless display tag, as recited in claim 9, further comprising a nonlinear power amplifier responsive to the digital logic for transmitting signals, the power amplifier including an absolute value circuitry for taking the absolute value of the signal from the digital logic, and frequency doubling circuitry for restoring the input waveform pulses at the output of the power amplifier.

10. A wireless display tag comprising:

a receiver; and

digital logic responsive to the receiver.