Radio Frequency Identification Sensor Tag Apparatuses

• US 20080030306A1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Inventors: O'Toole, James, Higgins, Brian, Lowrey, Tyler, Tuttle, Mark, Pax, George, Yu, Shu-Sun, Ovard, David, Rotzoll, Robert, Devereaux, Kevin, Tuttle, John
• Application Number:
  US11/847,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• 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 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• 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 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• 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 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• 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 7/10059 transponder driven
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0995 the oscillator comprising a ring oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/148 said digital means comprising a counter or a divider

Abstract

A radio frequency identification device includes an integrated circuit including a receiver, a transmitter, and a microprocessor. The receiver and transmitter together define an active transponder. The integrated circuit is preferably a monolithic single die integrated circuit including the receiver, the transmitter, and the microprocessor. Because the device includes an active transponder, instead of a transponder which relies on magnetic coupling for power, the device has a much greater range.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. :

A radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag apparatus, comprising;

a flexible substrate;

one or more antennas disposed adjacent the substrate;

a monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit disposed adjacent the substrate and coupled to at least one of the antennas, comprising a radio frequency receiver, a transmitter, control logic, a memory for persistent storage of data, and a random number generator;

a thin, flexible battery coupled to supply power to the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit; and

a sensor for sensing a physical characteristic and having an output coupled to the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit.

3. :

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit further comprises an analog-to-digital converter having an input coupled to the sensor.

4. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the RFID tag has a thickness of less than forty thousandths of an inch.

5. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor.

6. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit receiver is operable to receive spread spectrum modulated radio frequency signals.

7. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit transmitter is operable to communicate by backscatter reflection.

8. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit transmitter is operable to communicate spread spectrum modulated radio frequency signals by actively transmitting spread spectrum modulated radio frequency signals.

9. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the random number generator comprises a linear feedback shift register.

10. :

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the logic circuitry is operable to configure the linear feedback shift register to generate a random number responsive to a command received as a portion of a radio frequency signal received in the receiver.

11. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the monolithic the radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit receiver is operable to generate a random number using the random number generator and is further operable to transmit the random number by communicating signals from the transmitter, responsive to a command received in the receiver.

12. :

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the analog-to-digital converter is operable to provide a digital signal indicative of a sensed characteristic and the digital signal is stored in the memory.

13. :

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit is operable to transmit data indicative of a sensed characteristic by communicating signals from the transmitter, responsive to a command received in the receiver.

14. :

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the memory of the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit further comprises a non-volatile memory.

15. :

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the memory of the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit further comprises a readable and writeable memory.

16. :

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the memory of the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit further comprises unalterable indicia uniquely assigned to the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit.

17. :

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the memory of the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit further comprises a portion partitioned to form a user memory portion.

18. :

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control logic of the monolithic radio frequency transceiver integrated circuit further comprises one selected from the group of a microprocessor, a microcontroller, and combinations thereof.

19. :

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the flexible substrate has a thickness of less than ten thousandths of an inch.

20. :

The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the RFID tag has a thickness of less than forty thousandths of an inch.