Apparatus, system and method for data transfer by thermal variations

• US 20080111681A1
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rathbone, Thomas, Loh, Weng Wah, Dickin, Fraser John
• Application Number:
  US11/490,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/540
• 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 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves

Abstract

The invention provides a receiver 120 having a sensor 114 configured to output a signal representative of temperature variation detected at the sensor 114. A decoder 118 connected to the sensor 114 decodes the signal detected by the sensor 114 and outputs a stream of data which has been encoded in the temperature variation. The receiver 120 may be for use with a microprocessor 202, for example the microprocessor 202 of a memory tag 200 which includes a voltage regulator 210 in power circuitry 206. A system 100 and method 300 for transferring data are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of transferring data, comprising:

encoding data in a signal;

generating a temperature variation at a surface of a memory device which corresponds to the original;

generating a signal indicative of the detected thermal variation at a sensor in the memory device;

decoding the data from the signal indicative of the detected thermal variation; and

outputting the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature variation is generated by transmitting electromagnetic radiation from a heat source and the step of encoding comprises encoding the data in the electromagnetic radiation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation is in the range of 3×

10³ to 4.3×

10⁵ GHz.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of decoding comprises filtering the generated signal to remove a background temperature response of the sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of encoding comprises encoding the data using amplitude shift keying.

6. A memory device comprising:

a temperature sensor configured to detect temperature variation at a surface of the memory device and output a signal corresponding to the temperature variation;

a decoder connected to the sensor configured to decode data encoded in the temperature variation and output the decoded data;

a processor for receiving the decoded data from the decoder; and

an array of non-volatile memory for storing data output by the processor.

7. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to detect temperature variation through thermal conduction from the surface.

8. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the data is encoded in the temperature variation at a data transfer rate greater than 2 Mbits per second.

9. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the data is encoded in the temperature variation at a data transfer rate greater than 5 Mbits per second.

10. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the data is encoded in the temperature variation at a data transfer rate greater than 10 Mbits per second.

11. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the data is encoded in the temperature variation using amplitude shift keying.

12. The memory device of claim 6, further comprising a voltage regulator which includes the sensor.

13. The memory device of claim 12, wherein the voltage regulator is adapted to generate a constant output voltage from thermal energy received at the sensor, thereby providing a constant voltage power supply for the microprocessor.

14. A data transfer system comprising the memory device of claim 6 and further comprising:

a heat source adapted to generate the temperature variation at the surface of the memory device.

15. The data transfer system of claim 14, wherein the heat source generates the temperature variation by transmitting electromagnetic radiation to the surface.

16. The data transfer system of claim 15, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the temperature variation through conduction of heat from the surface.