Programmatic control of RFID tags

• US 20080006696A1
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Piersol, Kurt, Gudan, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 9,342,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07381 with deactivation or otherwise incapacitation of at least a part of the circuit upon detected tampering
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0739 the incapacitated circuit being part of an antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07773 Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field

Abstract

Techniques that enable a device to advertise its mode of operation using an RFID tag attached to the device. Techniques are provided for programmatically controlling an RFID tag. An RFID tag attached to a device is programmatically enabled or disabled depending upon the mode(s) of operation of the device. The RFID tag is able to transmit a signal when enabled and not able to transmit a signal when disabled. Using such a controllable RFID tag, a device can efficiently indicate or advertise its mode of operation to an RFID reader or sensor.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a device, the device capable of operating in at least a first mode and a second mode, the method comprising:

enabling transmission of signals from the RFID tag when the device is operating in the first mode; and

disabling transmission of signals from the RFID tag when the device is operating in the second mode, wherein the second mode is different from the first mode.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the disabling comprises disabling an antenna used by the RFID tag for transmitting signals when the device is operating in the second mode.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein disabling the antenna comprises clamping poles of the antenna to disable the antenna when the device is operating in the second mode.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the disabling comprises interrupting power of the RFID tag when the device is operating in the second mode.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the enabling comprises generating a first signal that causes transmission of signals from the RFID tag to be enabled when the device is operating in the first mode; and

the disabling comprises generating a second signal that causes transmission of signals from the RFID tag to be disabled when the device is operating in the second mode.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a mode of operation of the device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a signal from the RFID tag when the device is operating in the first mode.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the transmitting comprises:

receiving, at the RFID tag, an interrogation signal from a reader; and

transmitting the signal from the RFID tag in response to the interrogation signal using energy harvested from the interrogation signal.

9. A device comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag; and

a controller apparatus configured to enable transmission of signals from the RFID tag when the device is operating in a first mode, and configured to disable transmission of signals from the RFID tag when the device is operating in a second mode different from the first mode.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the controller apparatus is configured to disable an antenna used by the RFID tag for transmitting signals when the device is operating in the second mode.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the controller apparatus is configured to clamp poles of the antenna to disable the antenna when the device is operating in the second mode.

12. The device of claim 9 wherein the controller apparatus is configured to interrupt power of the RFID tag when the device is operating in the second mode.

13. The device of claim 9 further comprising:

a processing module configured to generate a first signal that causes transmission of signals from the RFID tag to be enabled when the device is operating in the first mode, and configured to generate a second signal that causes transmission of signals from the RFID tag to be disabled when the device is operating in the second mode.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the processing module is further configured to determine a mode of operation of the device.

15. The device of claim 9 wherein the RFID tag is configured to transmit a signal when the device is operating in the first mode.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the RFID tag is configured to:

receive an interrogation signal from a reader;

harvest energy from the interrogation signal; and

transmit the signal in response to the interrogation signal using the energy harvested from the interrogation signal.

17. A method of determining a mode of operation of a device, the method comprising:

transmitting a radio frequency (RF) interrogation signal; and

determining that the device is operating in a first mode if a signal is received from the device in response to the RF interrogation signal.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising determining that the device is operating in a second mode if a signal is not received from the device in response to the RF interrogation signal.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising initiating an action upon determining that the device is operating in the first mode.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a radio frequency (RF) interrogation signal;

a receiver configured to receive RF signals; and

a processor configured to determine that a device is operating in a first mode if a signal is received from the device in response to the RF interrogation signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the processor is configured to determine that the device is operating in a second mode if a signal is not received from the device in response to the RF interrogation signal.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the processor is configured to initiate an action upon determining that the device is operating in the first mode.