PASSIVE VOICE ENABLED RFID DEVICES

• US 20090189739A1
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mobitrum Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mobitrum Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Ray
• Application Number:
  US12/358,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20090189739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/84 Measuring functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/886 using energy harvesting, e.g. solar, wind or mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Passive voice enabled RFID devices. The passive voice enabled RFID devices include a power harvesting circuit that converts natural and artificial energy sources to voltage and current to power the device, thus, the device does not require a battery. It provides a voice capable RFID device with a power harvesting circuit that is powered by harvesting energy from various artificial or energy sources and/or natural energy sources such as: voice signals, other electromagnetic waves, sun light, vibrations, RF noise, etc. and used voice signals received to uniquely identify a generator of the voice signals or other sound signals.

Claims

15. A method for using a passive voice enabled Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) voice network device, comprising:

receiving voice information is received on the passive voice enabled RFID network device, wherein the voice information is used to generate power in a power generating circuit on the device as well as uniquely identify a pre-determined entity generating the voice information;

processing the voice information is processed on the passive voice enabled RFID network device via the voice decoder; and

identifying the pre-determined entity using the processed voice information, wherein the pre-determined entity may be a human or a non-human capable of producing distinct voice information or other distinct sounds.

1. A passive voice enabled radio frequency identifier (RFID) network device, comprising in combination:

a radio frequency (RF) antenna;

a signal demodulator;

a voice decoder;

a signal modulator;

an optional voice encoder;

non-volatile storage;

a power generating circuit, wherein the power generating circuit includes a power harvesting circuit that provides power to the device by harvesting energy from other natural or artificial energy sources received on the RF antenna,

wherein the power harvesting circuit provides power to the device with the need for an internal power source;

a voice identification application stored in the non-volatile storage for uniquely identify an entity producing the voice signals received on the RF antenna,

wherein the voice signals received on the RF antenna to uniquely identify an entity sending voice signals to the device.

2. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the radio frequency antenna includes a wireless personal area network (WPAN) antenna.

3. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the accepts wireless signals, including:

IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.15.4 (ZigBee), 802.16a, 802.16g, “

Wireless Fidelity”

(Wi-Fi), “

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access”

(WiMAX), ETSI High Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Network (HIPERMAN) “

RF Home,”

Bluetooth or infra data association (IrDA) wireless signals.

4. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the radio frequency antenna includes a baseband radio frequency transceiver.

5. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the signal demodulator and signal modulator includes complementary code keying (CCK), differential binary phase shift keying (DBPSK), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA-CA).

6. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the power harvesting circuit includes an N-level charge pump with pre-determined number diodes and a pre-determined number of capacitors in a pre-determined configuration, wherein the pre-determined number of diodes are connected on layers in series so that an output voltage is increased, wherein a voltage doubler circuit is included in each level, and wherein sets of two diodes are connected in series and oriented so that forward current flows from a ground potential to a positive terminal of an output voltage regulator and wherein one or more capacitor connected in parallel with a diode in each layer stores a resulting electrical charge to smooth the output voltage.

7. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the N-level charge pump includes four levels with eight diodes and eight capacitors.

8. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein power generating circuit includes an impedance matching circuit, the power harvester circuit, a voltage regulator, a processor includes a fully programmable 16-bit microcontroller (MCU) with flash memory and one or more high-resolution analog-to-digital (ADC) converters.

9. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the other natural or artificial sources include kinetic, thermal, gravitational, sound, light, chemical and electromagnetic energy sources.

10. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the voice identification application provides speaker recognition based on voice information decoded by the voice decoder.

11. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the entity is a human entity, animal entity or inanimate entity.

12. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein voice signals include human voice signals, non-human voice signals or other radio frequency sound signals.

13. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the passive voice enabled RFID network device includes passive voice enabled RFID tags, passive voice enabled RFID sensors or passive voice enabled RFID biometric tags.

14. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 1 wherein the passive voice enabled RFID network device includes a passive voice enabled RFID sensor, wherein the passive voice enabled RFID sensor includes Data, Information and Knowledge (DIaK) sensors or Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) sensors.

16. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for one or more processors to execute the steps of the method of claim 15.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the passive voice enabled Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) voice network device comprises a radio frequency (RF) antenna;

a signal demodulator;

a voice decoder;

a signal modulator;

an optional voice encoder;

non-volatile storage;

a power generating circuit, wherein the power generating circuit includes a processor and a power harvesting circuit that provides power to the device by harvesting energy from voice signals or other natural or artificial energy sources received on the RF antenna, wherein the power harvesting circuit provides power to the device with the need for an internal power source;

a voice identification application stored in the non-volatile storage for uniquely identify an entity producing the voice signals received on the RF antenna, wherein the voice signals received on the RF antenna are used to power the device and to uniquely identify an entity sending voice signals to the device.

18. A passive voice enabled radio frequency identifier (RFID) network device, comprising in combination:

receiving means for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals;

means for signal demodulation;

means voice decoding;

means for signal modulating;

an optional means for voice encoding;

means for non-volatile storage;

power generating means, wherein the power generating means includes a processor means and power harvesting circuit that provides power to the device by harvesting energy from other natural or artificial electromagnetic energy sources received on the receiving means;

wherein the power harvesting circuit provides power to the device without the need for an internal power source; and

a voice identification means stored in the non-volatile storage means uniquely identify an entity producing the voice signals received on the receiving means.

19. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 18 wherein the N-level charge pump includes four levels with eight diodes and eight capacitors.

20. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 17 wherein the passive voice enabled RFID network device includes passive voice enabled RFID tags, passive voice enabled RFID sensors or passive voice enabled RFID biometric tags.

18-1. The passive voice enabled RFID network device of claim 17 wherein the power harvesting circuit includes an N-level charge pump with a number of pre-determined number diodes and a pre-determined number of capacitors, wherein the pre-determined number of diodes are connected on layers in series so that an output voltage is increased, wherein a voltage doubler circuit is included in each level, and wherein sets of two diodes are connected in series and oriented so that forward current flows from a ground potential to a positive terminal of an output voltage regulator and wherein one or more capacitor connected parallel with a diode in each layer stores a resulting electrical charge to smooth the output voltage.