Backscatter transponder

• US 20080136646A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Friedrich, Ulrich
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• 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 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28

Abstract

A backscatter transponder for an HF communication system with modulated reradiation, is provided that includes an antenna for receiving high-frequency carrier signals, wherein the antenna has reflective characteristics, a control unit for providing transponder-specific parameters, and a modulator that can be driven by the control unit. The modulator altering the reflective characteristics of the antenna in accordance with at least one transponder-specific parameter.

Claims

1. A transponder for a HF communication system, the transponder comprising:

an antenna for receiving high-frequency carrier signals, the antenna having reflective characteristics;

a control unit for providing transponder-specific parameters; and

a modulator being controlled by the control unit, the modulator altering the reflective characteristics of the antenna in accordance with at least one transponder-specific parameter.

2. The transponder according to claim 1, wherein, in order to change the reflective characteristics of the antenna, the control unit generates at least one control signal for controlling the modulator.

3. The transponder according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has at least one oscillator having frequency control, wherein a voltage signal that characterizes a transponder-specific parameter is supplied to the oscillator as a control quantity to set the oscillator frequency, and wherein the oscillator produces therefrom a control signal at its output.

4. The transponder according to claim 3, wherein the oscillator is a voltage-controlled oscillator or a current-controlled oscillator.

5. The transponder according to claim 3, wherein a supply voltage extracted from an electromagnetic field and/or a band gap voltage and/or an RSSI output voltage is provided as the voltage signal for characterizing transponder-specific parameters.

6. The transponder according to claim 3, further comprising a power supply device for supplying energy to the transponder, the power supply device being designed to extract a supply voltage from an electromagnetic field surrounding the transponder, wherein the control unit obtains the control signal from the extracted supply voltage.

7. The transponder according to claim 6, wherein the power supply device produces a stabilized and/or rectified supply voltage.

8. The transponder according to claim 3, further comprising a divider device having a first number of divider stages, the divider device being arranged between an output of the oscillator and a control output of the modulator, which follows the oscillator, the divider device dividing down an oscillator frequency produced by the oscillator in order to provide a divided-down control signal.

9. The transponder according to claim 8, wherein the divider device has a reset device that resets the divider device when a signal level falls below a threshold.

10. The transponder according to claim 9, wherein the reset device has a control input for coupling in a POR control signal, which sets the threshold at which the divider device is reset.

11. The transponder according to claim 1, wherein the modulator is a backscatter modulator or a load modulator, and has a variably adjustable load coupled to the antenna, and wherein a backscatter cross-section of the antenna can be changed by varying this load.

12. The transponder according to claim 11, wherein the modulator has a capacitively variable load, and wherein the phase angle of a signal backscattered by the antenna is changed by changing the capacitance of the capacitive load.

13. The transponder according to claim 12, wherein the capacitively variable load is a controllable varactor or a CMOS varactor.

14. The transponder according to claim 12, wherein the capacitive load is a micromechanical component whose capacitance varies as a function of a change in an ambient temperature and/or ambient pressure of the transponder.

15. The transponder according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor device that is coupled to the control unit or is a part of the control unit and that supplies measured sensor data to the control unit.

16. The transponder according to claim 15, wherein the sensor device is integrated on a single semiconductor chip together with a transmitting/receiving device of the transponder.

17. The transponder according to claim 15, wherein the sensor device has at least one capacitively and/or ohmically acting sensor.

18. The transponder according to claim 15, wherein the sensor device has at least one sensor that functions as a current source and/or as a voltage source.

19. The transponder according to claim 1, further comprising an additional control unit that controls the control unit and that sets a modulation signal generated by the modulator such that the transponder can communicate with a base station.

20. The transponder according to claim 19, wherein the control unit is part of the additional control unit.

21. The transponder according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting/receiving device that represents the external interface of the transponder, that has the antenna in the form of a transmitting/receiving antenna, and that has the modulator, wherein the transmitting/receiving antenna is provided to receive high frequency carrier signals from a base station and to transmit back appropriate response signals.

22. The transponder according to claim 21, wherein the transmitting/ receiving device has an RSSI circuit for providing an RSSI voltage.

23. The transponder according to claim 21, wherein the transmitting/receiving device has a rectifier path in which a rectifying element is present to provide a rectified voltage.

24. The transponder according to claim 1, wherein the transponder is a component of an HF identification communication system or an RFID system.

25. The transponder according to claim 1, wherein the transponder is a backscatter transponder that backscatters the high-frequency carrier signals.