RFID Devices Using RFID Circuits and Antennas Having Unmatched Frequency Ranges

• US 20090278688A1
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KIDDD, Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Keystone Technology Solutions, LLC
• Inventors: Tuttle, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,852,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.200
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07767 the first and second communication means being two different antennas types, e.g. dipole and coil type, or two antennas of the same kind but operating at different frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles

Abstract

An RFID system in which RFID devices utilize RFID circuits and antennas having unmatched frequency ranges. The system includes an RFID interrogator having multiple interrogator antennas. Each interrogator antenna can be tuned to different respective frequency ranges. The system includes an RFID device having an RFID circuit, and device antennas coupled to the RFID circuit. Each device antenna can be tuned to a respective frequency range that matches only one of the interrogator antennas for communicating with the RFID interrogator according to respective protocols associated with each respective frequency range.

Claims

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

an RFID interrogator having interrogator antennas, each interrogator antenna tuned to different respective frequency range;

an RFID device having an RFID circuit; and

device antennas coupled to the RFID circuit, each device antenna tuned to a respective frequency range matching one of the interrogator antennas, for communicating with the RFID interrogator according to respective protocols associated with each respective frequency range.

2. The RFID system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interrogator is configured to transmit power through at least one interrogator antenna to at least one of the device antennas.

3. The RFID system as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the frequency ranges carries communications according to a respective protocol associated with the respective frequency range.

4. The RFID system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interrogator and device communicate over each frequency range according to a protocol associated with the respective frequency range.

5. The RFID system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the interrogator and device communicate over each frequency range simultaneously.

6. The RFID system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the interrogator and device communicate over each frequency range serially.

7. The RFID system as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the frequency ranges is used for communications according to the protocol corresponding to the frequency range and at least one other frequency range is used to provide power to the RFID device.

8. The RFID system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the frequency range used to provide power to the RFID device is the lowest frequency range.

9. The RFID system as set forth in claim 1, wherein each frequency range is selected to be a non-harmonic, non-integer multiple or non-integer-fraction frequency of the other frequency ranges.

10. The RFID system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the interrogator antennas and RFID device antennas are any one of dipole antennas, log periodic dipole array antennas, triband yagi antennas, quarter wave dipole antennas, monopole antennas, or whip antennas.

11. The RFID system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising additional RFID interrogators having interrogator antennas tuned to separate frequency ranges to permit the RFID interrogators to communicate with the RFID device at the separate frequency ranges according to respective protocols associated with each frequency range.

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

an RFID circuit; and

antennas coupled to the RFID circuit, each antenna tuned to a separate respective frequency range for communicating with at least one RFID interrogator according to respective protocols associated with each respective frequency range.

13. The RFID device as set forth in claim 12, wherein at least one antenna receives a power transmission from the RFID interrogator.

14. The RFID device as set forth in claim 12, wherein each of the frequency ranges carries communications according to the respective protocol associated only with the particular frequency range.

15. The RFID device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the device communicates with the interrogator over each frequency range simultaneously.

16. The RFID device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the device communicates with the interrogator over each frequency range serially.

17. The RFID device as set forth in claim 12, wherein at least one of the frequency ranges is used for communications according to the protocol corresponding to the frequency range and at least one other frequency range is used to simultaneously receive power from the interrogator.

18. The RFID device as set forth in claim 17, wherein the frequency range used to receive power from the interrogator is the lowest frequency range.

19. The RFID device as set forth in claim 12, wherein each frequency range is selected to be a non-harmonic, non-integer multiple or non-integer fraction frequency of the other frequency ranges.

20. A radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator comprising:

a first antenna tuned to a first frequency range for communicating with an RFID device according to a first protocol associated with the first frequency range; and

a second antenna tuned to a second frequency range for communicating with the RFID device according to a second protocol associated with the second frequency range.

21. The RFID interrogator as set forth in claim 20, further comprising additional antennas, each tuned to respective frequency ranges for communicating with the RFID device according to respective protocols associated with the respective frequency ranges.

22. The RFID interrogator as set forth in claim 21, wherein at least one of the antennas transmits power to the RFID device.

23. A method comprising:

receiving radio frequency (RF) signals having different frequency ranges on separate antennas tuned to the different frequency ranges;

selecting protocols, each protocol associated with one of the separate frequency ranges of the received signals; and

processing the received signals according to the protocols associated with the frequency ranges.