Radio frequency identification (RFID) tag response modulation

• US 20080079579A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Posamentier, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 7,911,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• 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 7/10029 the collision being resolved in the time domain, e.g. using binary tree search or RFID responses allocated to a random time slot
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10069 the collision being resolved in the frequency domain, e.g. by hopping from one frequency to the other frequency hopping or spread spectrum techniques H04B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Embodiments of radio frequency identification (RFID) tag response modulation are described.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter; and

a module to form a request to be transmitted by the transmitter, the request to indicate a number of timeslots and a number of modulation modes supported by the module to process one or more responses to the request from one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

2. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein each said modulation mode corresponds to a particular data transfer rate.

3. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the request is to configure the one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to select a respective said timeslot and a respective said, modulation mode and to transmit a respective said response using the selected said timeslot and the selected said modulation mode.

4. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein at least one said radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is a passive tag such that a respective said response is formed, at least in part, using power harvested from the transmitter.

5. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the module includes a plurality of modulation filters to demodulate the response.

6. An apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein the plurality of modulation filters are executable in parallel.

7. An apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein the module includes a digital signal processor to execute the modulation filters in parallel.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver;

a power harvester to harvest power from a request received by the receiver;

a transmitter; and

control logic to;

select one of a plurality of timeslots;

select one of a plurality of modulation modes; and

to form a response to the request to be transmitted by the transmitter in the selected said timeslot using the selected said modulation mode, the response being formed at least in part from power harvested by the power harvester.

9. An apparatus as described in claim 8, wherein each said modulation mode corresponds to a particular data transfer rate.

10. An apparatus as described in claim 8, wherein the receiver, power harvester, transmitter and control logic form a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

11. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein:

the radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is associated with a product; and

the control logic is to return an identification of the product in the response.

12. One or more computer readable media comprising processor executable instructions that, when executed, direct a processor to process a plurality of responses received from a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags by executing a plurality of modulation filters in parallel.

13. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 12, wherein the plurality of responses are processed to obtain data stored by each said radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

14. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 12, wherein:

each said modulation filter corresponds to one of a plurality of modulation modes; and

each said modulation mode corresponds to a particular data transfer rate.

15. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 12, wherein at least one said response is received using a timeslot and modulation mode that is different than a timeslot and modulation mode used by another said response.

16. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 12, wherein the processor executable instructions further configure the processor to form a request and the plurality of responses are received in response to the request.

17. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 12, wherein the processor is configurable as a digital signal processor (DSP).

18. A system comprising:

a transmitter to transmit a request;

a receiver to receive a plurality of responses to the request from a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags;

a module to execute a plurality of modulation filters in parallel to process the plurality of responses received in a plurality of timeslots; and

a display device to display a result of the processing.

19. A system as described in claim 18, wherein the request indicates a number of the timeslots and a number of the modulation modes supported by the module.

20. A system as described in claim 19, wherein each said response is received in a respective said timeslot using a respective said modulation mode that is selected by a respective said radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.