SENSOR DEVICES WITH RFID COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20080084304A1
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Yarvis, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,400,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• 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 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

A sensor device may use battery power to operate a sensor node by taking sensor readings and transferring data into or out of a set of queues. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag may be used to wirelessly communicate data into and/or out of the sensor device without using power from the battery. The sensor node may be placed in a low-power mode without respect whether the RFID tag is communicating. In some embodiments, the sensor device may be used as a store-and-forward node for other devices by placing data received from one RFID reader into the set of queues and later transmitting the data from the set of queues in response to a poll from another RFID reader.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensor node having a timer to control a length of time for the sensor node to be in a low-power mode;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

a first queue coupled between the sensor node and the RFID tag to facilitate a transfer of first data from the sensor node to the RFID tag;

a second queue coupled between the sensor node and the RFID tag to facilitate a transfer of second data from the RFID tag to the sensor node;

a third queue coupled to the RFID tag, to store third data received by the RFID tag from a first RFID reader and to provide the stored third data for transmission by the RFID tag to a second RFID reader.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor node is configured to write sensor data into the first queue when the sensor node is not in the low-power mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor node is to process the second data from the second queue.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor node is to be powered by a battery, but the RFID tag is not to be powered by the battery.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is configured to respond to a wireless addressed poll.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the RFID tag is configured to recognize a particular address in the wireless addressed poll and to transmit the first data in response to said recognition of the particular address.

37. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is to:

store the third data received from the first RFID reader in response to a first poll from the first RFID reader; and

transmit the third data to the second RFID reader in response to a second poll from the second RFID reader.

2. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

11-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method, comprising:

taking a sensor reading with a sensor node;

placing first data representing the sensor reading into a first queue;

using a timer to place the sensor node in a low-power mode for a pre-determined time;

transmitting the first data in the first queue from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag while the sensor node is in the low-power mode;

receiving an RFID poll containing second data;

placing the second data in a second queue; and

reading the second data from the second queue when the sensor node is not in a low-power mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting in response to an RFID poll.

16-26. -26. (canceled)