ACOUSTIC WAVE AND RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20100066496A1
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: KIM, Daeik, FERRI, Richard, KIM, Moon Ju, KIM, Jonghae, CHO, Choongyeun
• Granted Patent: US 8,723,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• 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

An identification method and identification device are presented employing radio frequency and acoustic wave communication modes. The identification method includes: receiving at an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device an acoustic wave signal of a first frequency and a radio frequency signal of a second frequency, where the acoustic wave signal and the radio frequency signal are received from an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader, and the first frequency and the second frequency are different frequencies; and responding to the receiving by transmitting at least one of an acoustic wave identification (AWID) or a radio frequency identification (RFID) from the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device.

Claims

1. A wireless identification method comprising:

receiving at an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device an acoustic wave signal of a first frequency and a radio frequency signal of a second frequency, wherein the acoustic wave signal and the radio frequency signal are received from an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader, and the first frequency and the second frequency are different frequencies; and

responding to the receiving by transmitting at least one of an acoustic wave identification (AWID) or a radio frequency identification (RFID) from the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first frequency is a lower frequency than the second frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises concurrently receiving at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device the acoustic wave signal and the radio frequency signal from the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device the received acoustic wave signal from physical energy to electrical energy for use in transmitting the at least one acoustic wave identification (AWID) or radio frequency identification (RFID).

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising converting the received acoustic wave signal at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device to DC power, and converting the received radio frequency signal at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device to DC power.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising comparing at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device DC power levels obtained from the received acoustic wave signal and the received radio frequency signal, and wherein the responding comprises outputting the acoustic wave identification if the power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is greater than the power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal, and outputting the radio frequency identification if the power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is less than the power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the responding comprises concentrating power at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device on a radio frequency modulator for outputting, via a radio frequency antenna, the radio frequency identification when the power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal is greater than the power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal, and concentrating power at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device on an acoustic wave modulator for outputting via an acoustic wave resonator, the acoustic wave identification when the power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is greater than the power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device comprises a first communications mode and a second communications mode, the first communications mode being an acoustic wave communications mode and the second communications mode being a radio frequency communications mode, wherein the acoustic wave signal is received and the acoustic wave identification is sent via the acoustic wave communications mode, and the radio frequency signal is received and the radio frequency identification is sent via the radio frequency communications mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are defined for optimum acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device performance, and are based on channel media characteristics of the acoustic wave communications mode and the radio frequency communications mode.

10. A method of facilitating wireless identification, the method comprising:

outputting from an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader an acoustic wave signal of a first frequency and a radio frequency signal of a second frequency, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are different frequencies; and

wherein an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device receiving the acoustic wave signal of the first frequency and the radio frequency signal of the second frequency responds thereto by transmitting at least one of an acoustic wave identification (AWID) or a radio frequency identification (RFID).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader outputs the acoustic wave signal and the radio frequency signal at a common energy level, and wherein the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device is configured to compare power levels obtained from the received acoustic wave signal and the received radio frequency signal, and output the acoustic wave identification if the power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is greater than the power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal, or output the radio frequency identification if the power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is less than the power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first frequency is a lower frequency than the second frequency.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification device comprises a first communications mode and a second communications mode, the first communications mode being an acoustic wave communications mode and the second communications mode being a radio frequency communications mode, wherein the acoustic wave signal is received and the acoustic wave identification is sent via the acoustic wave communications mode, and the radio frequency signal is received and the radio frequency identification is sent via the radio frequency communications mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are defined for optimum acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device performance, and are based on channel media characteristics of the acoustic wave communications mode and the radio frequency communications mode.

15. An acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device comprising:

an acoustic wave resonator for receiving at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device an acoustic wave signal from an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader;

a radio frequency antenna for receiving at the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device a radio frequency signal from the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader, wherein the acoustic wave signal and the radio frequency signal are at different frequencies;

at least one power converter configured to convert the received acoustic wave signal to DC power and to convert the received radio frequency signal to DC power; and

a controller comprising an integrated circuit electrically coupled to the at least one power converter, and to the acoustic wave resonator and radio frequency antenna, the controller being configured to respond to at least one of the received acoustic wave signal or the received radio frequency signal by transmitting at least one of an acoustic wave identification (AWID) or radio frequency identification (RFID) from the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device.

16. The acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device of claim 15, wherein the received acoustic wave signal is at a first frequency and the received radio frequency signal is at a second frequency, wherein the first frequency is a lower frequency than the second frequency.

17. The acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device of claim 15, wherein the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device comprises a first communications mode and a second communications mode, the first communications mode being an acoustic wave communications mode and the second communications mode being a radio frequency communications mode, wherein the acoustic wave signal is received and the acoustic wave identification is sent via the acoustic wave communications mode, and the radio frequency signal is received and the radio frequency identification is sent via the radio frequency communications mode.

18. The acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device of claim 15, wherein the controller compares DC power levels obtained from the received acoustic wave signal and the received radio frequency signal, and responds to the received acoustic wave signal and the received radio frequency signal by outputting the acoustic wave identification if the DC power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is greater than the DC power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal, and output the radio frequency identification if the DC power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is less than the DC power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal.

19. The acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device of claim 18, wherein the controller concentrates power on a radio frequency modulator of the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device for outputting, via the radio frequency antenna, the radio frequency identification when the DC power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal is greater than the DC power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal, and concentrates power on an acoustic wave modulator of the identification device for outputting, via the acoustic wave resonator, the acoustic wave identification when the DC power level obtained from the received acoustic wave signal is greater than the DC power level obtained from the received radio frequency signal.

20. The acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device of claim 15, further in combination with the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader, the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader being configured to concurrently output the acoustic wave signal and the radio frequency signal for detection by the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device.