RFID System and Method of Communication Therein

• US 20090040047A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Posamentier, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US11/836,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040047A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• 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 7/0008 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

Abstract

Disclosed is an RFID system. The RFID system comprises a plurality of RFID tags and an RFID reader. The RFID reader communicates with the plurality of RFID tags. The RFID reader is capable of sending a signal, which represents a time gap required in successive responses of each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags to the RFID reader. Each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags is capable of maintaining the time gap in successive responses to the RFID reader.

Claims

1. An RFID system comprising:

a plurality of RFID tags; and

an RFID reader configured to communicate with the plurality of RFID tags and capable of sending a signal representative of a time gap required in successive responses from each tag of the plurality of RFID tags to the RFID reader;

wherein the each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags maintains the time gap in successive responses to the RFID reader based on the signal representative of the time gap.

2. The RFID system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RFID tags are present in field of view of the RFID reader.

3. The RFID system of claim 1, wherein the signal representative of the time gap depends upon number of RFID tags in the plurality of RFID tags.

4. The RFID system of claim 1, wherein the RFID reader comprises:

a processor configured to generate the signal representative of the time gap;

a transmitter circuit configured to send the signal representative of the time gap to the each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags; and

a receiver circuit configured to receive the successive responses from the each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags.

5. The RFID system of claim 4, wherein the processor comprises:

a bit rate generator configured to generate a first signal in response to the number of RFID tags in the plurality of RFID tags; and

a modulator capable of modulating the first signal to generate the signal representative of the time gap.

6. The RFID system of claim 5, wherein the signal representative of the time gap is amplitude modulated signal.

7. The RFID system of claim 1, wherein the each RFID tag comprises:

a transceiver for communicating with the RFID reader, the transceiver configured to receive the signal representative of the time gap and to send corresponding ID of the each RFID tag to the RFID reader;

a control logic for generating a control signal in response of the signal representative of the time gap; and

a timing circuitry for maintaining the time gap in the successive responses to the RFID reader based on the control signal.

8. The RFID system of claim 7, wherein the each RFID tag further comprises a memory for storing the corresponding ID.

9. An RFID reader capable of communicating with a plurality of RFID tags, the RFID reader comprising:

a processor configured to generate a signal representative of a time gap required in successive responses of each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags to the RFID reader;

a transmitter circuit configured to send the signal representative of the time gap to the each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags; and

a receiver circuit configured to receive the successive responses from the each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags.

10. The RFID reader of claim 9, wherein the plurality of RFID tags are present in the field of view of the RFID reader.

11. The RFID reader of claim 9, wherein the processor comprises:

a bit rate generator configured to generate a first signal in response to the number of RFID tags in the plurality of RFID tags; and

a modulator capable of modulating the first signal to generate the signal representative of the time gap.

12. The RFID reader of claim 11, wherein the modulator performs an amplitude modulation to generate the signal representative of the time gap.

13. A method of communication in an RFID system, the RFID system comprising an RFID reader and a plurality of RFID tags, the method comprising:

generating a signal representative of a time gap required in successive responses of each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags to the RFID reader, at the RFID reader;

sending the signal representative of the time gap to the each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags, at the RFID reader;

receiving the signal representative of the time gap, at the each RFID tag of the plurality of RFID tags; and

maintaining the time gap in the successive responses of the each RFID tag based on the signal representative of the time gap, at the each RFID tag.

14. The method of communication of claim 13, wherein the plurality of RFID tags are present in the field of view of the RFID reader.

15. The method of communication of claim 13, wherein the signal representative of the time gap is generated based on number of RFID tags in the plurality of RFID tags.

16. The method of communication of claim 15, wherein the signal representative of the time gap is amplitude modulated signal.