Collaborating Rfid Devices

• US 20080309463A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Godzwon, Krzysztof Leszek, Husakowski, Jerzy
• Granted Patent: US 9,524,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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 7/10019 resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. collision between the communication channels used by wireless communication devices, where the solution is not particularly adapted for RFIDs or the like, H04W74/08

Abstract

Cooperative RFID devices are provided that are aware of other RFID devices in their near vicinity (field range), and their operational pattern depends on presence of these other devices. If a cooperative RFID device is alone in the RF field of a reader terminal, it will allow operation of a first type (e.g. not allowing complex communication, but only allowing responses to requests for non-sensitive data or completely concealing its presence by not allowing any transmission at all) and when another defined and known RFID device is detected in the same RF field, operation of a second type is allowed (e.g. allowing any data transfer, responding to requests for any data, including sensitive data, etc.).

Claims

1. A method for controlling communication in an RFID system (100, 200, 400) between a first device (102, 202, 402) and a reader/writer terminal (104, 204, 404), comprising:

performing operation of a first type,

detecting whether broadcasting is performed from at least a second device (220, 420, 430) in the RFID system (100, 200, 400) and determining whether a detection state exists,

if said detection state exists, allowing said first device to perform operation of a second type.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first device (102, 202, 402) is arranged to continue performing operation of said first type only, if said detection state does not exist.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a first type comprises receiving data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a first type comprises broadcasting a first data sequence.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a second type comprises communication with a device (204, 220, 404, 420, 430) in the RFID system (100, 200, 400).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a second type comprises responding to a request from said reader terminal for an identifier of said first device (102, 202, 402).

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if said detection state exists, receiving at least one data item broadcast from at least said second device and configuring said first device (102, 202, 402) to operate depending on said received at least one data item.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said data item comprises an identifier.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a first type of access to data storage means (112) in said first device (102, 202, 402).

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising providing a second type of access to data storage means (112) in said first device (102, 202, 402).

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein further comprising providing receiving a plurality of data items from a plurality of respective devices (420, 430).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the configuring of said first device (102, 202, 402) comprises providing a first type of access to said storage means (112) in case a first data item is received and providing a second type of access to said storage means (112) in case a second data item is received.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said first type of access is read access and said second type of access is write access.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a second type comprises changing a state of the first device (102, 202, 402).

15. An RFID device (102, 202, 402) comprising control and communication means (110, 112, 114) configured to perform operation of a first type, to detect whether broadcasting is performed from at least a second device and to determine whether a detection state exists, if said detection state exists, to allow said first device to perform operation of a second type.

16. The RFID device according to claim 15, said RFID device being arranged as an RFID tag.

17. The RFID device according to claim 15, said RFID device being arranged as an RFID transponder.

18. The RFID device according to claim 15, said RFID device being arranged as a contact-less smart card.

19. (canceled)