RFID DEVICE TIME SYNCHRONIZATION FROM A PUBLIC SOURCE

• US 20090128292A1
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Keystone Technology Solutions, LLC
• Inventors: Ovard, David K., Greeff, Roy Edgar, Smith, Freddie W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,889,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• 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 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) device includes an antenna linked to a receiving circuit, the antenna tuned to receive a radio frequency (RF) time-code signal from a public source, a controller circuit and an internal clock linked to the receiving circuit, a microcontroller linked to the receiving circuit, a memory linked to the microcontroller, and a battery linked to and powering the receiving circuit, controller circuit, internal clock, microcontroller and memory.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising:

an antenna linked to a receiving circuit, the antenna tuned to receive a radio frequency (RF) time-code signal from a public source;

a controller circuit and an internal clock linked to the receiving circuit;

a microcontroller linked to the receiving circuit;

a memory linked to the microcontroller; and

a battery linked to and powering the receiving circuit, controller circuit, internal clock, microcontroller and memory.

2. The RFID device of claim 1 wherein the public source is a National institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radio station WWVB.

3. The RFID device of claim 1 wherein the receiving circuit linked to the antenna converts the received RF time-code signal into a digital time-code bit stream and the controller circuit decodes the digital time-code bit stream and sends the decoded time-code bit stream to the internal clock.

4. The RFID device of claim 1 wherein the public source is a Global Positioning System (GPS) source.

5. A radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising:

an antenna linked to a receiving circuit;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver linked to a controller circuit to receive a radio frequency (RF) time-code signal from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS);

an internal clock linked to the receiving circuit;

a microcontroller linked to the receiving circuit;

a memory linked to the microcontroller; and

a battery linked to and powering the receiving circuit, controller circuit, internal clock, microcontroller and memory.

6. The RFID device of claim 5 wherein the receiving circuit linked to the GPS receiver converts the received RF time-code signal into a digital time-code bit stream.

7. The RFID device of claim 6 wherein the controller circuit decodes the digital time-code bit stream and sends the decoded time-code bit stream to the internal clock.

8. A radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising:

an antenna linked to a receiving circuit;

a LORAN-C receiver linked to a controller circuit to receive a radio frequency (RF) time-code signal;

an internal clock linked to the receiving circuit;

a microcontroller linked to the receiving circuit;

a memory linked to the microcontroller; and

a battery linked to and powering the receiving circuit, controller circuit, internal clock, microcontroller and memory.

9. The RFID device of claim 8 wherein the receiving circuit linked to the LORAN-C receiver converts the received RF time-code signal into a digital time-code bit stream and the controller circuit decodes the digital time-code bit stream and sends the decoded time-code bit stream to the internal clock.

10. A radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising:

an antenna linked to a receiving circuit, the antenna tuned to receive a radio frequency (RF) time-code signal from a public source;

a controller circuit and an internal clock linked to the receiving circuit;

a microcontroller linked to the receiving circuit; and

a memory linked to the microcontroller.

11. The RFID device of claim 10 wherein the public source is a National institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radio station WWVB.

12. The RFID device of claim 10 wherein the receiving circuit linked to the antenna converts the received RF time-code signal into a digital time-code bit stream and the controller circuit decodes the digital time-code bit stream and sends the decoded time-code bit stream to the internal clock.

13. The RFID device of claim 10 wherein the public source is a terrestrial radio clock source.

14. The RFID device of claim 10 wherein the public source is a Global Positioning System (GPS) source.

15. A method comprising:

in a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, receiving a radio frequency (RF) time-code signal from a public source.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising converting the received RF time-code signal into a digital time-code bit stream.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising decoding the digital time-code bit stream to update an internal clock.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the public source is a National institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radio station WWVB.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the public source is a terrestrial source.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the public source is a Global Positioning System (GPS) source.

21. A system comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising an antenna tuned to receive a radio frequency (RF) time-code signal from a public source;

a RFID interrogator configured to interrogate the RFID device and receive in response an RFID identification and a time stamp; and

a subsystem linked to the RFID interrogator configured to receive and store the RFID identification and time stamp from the RFID interrogator.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the public source is a National institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radio station WWVB.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the public source is a terrestrial source.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the public source is a Global Positioning System (GPS) source.