DUAL ANTENNA RFID TAG

• US 20100148926A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: KANG, Hee Bok, HONG, Suk Kyoung
• Granted Patent: US 8,258,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• 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

Abstract

A dual antenna RFID tag which can perform both Near Field (NF) communication and Far Field (FF) communication using a single RF tag is presented. The RFID tag includes an antenna unit and a voltage rectification unit. The antenna unit can perform communications in either or both a first and a second bandwidth. The voltage rectification unit can rectify and boost one or more radio signals received through the antenna unit and generate one or more power voltage impulses corresponding to the radio signals respectively.

Claims

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

an antenna unit configured to communicate within a first bandwidth and/or within a second bandwidth; and

a voltage rectification unit configured to generate a plurality of DC power voltage impulses respectively corresponding to a plurality of radio signals from within the first and/or second bandwidths received at the antenna unit, the voltage rectification unit configured to rectify and to boost the received radio signals into the DC power voltage impulses.

2. The RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit comprises:

a first antenna configured to communicate within the first bandwidth; and

a second antenna configured to communicate within the second bandwidth.

3. The RFID tag according to claim 2, wherein the voltage rectification unit comprises:

a first rectifier coupled to the first antenna; and

a second rectifier coupled to the second antenna.

4. The RFID tag according to claim 3, wherein each rectifier comprises:

a clamping circuit coupled to one corresponding antenna unit, each clamping circuit configured to clamp and to output at least one of the radio signals from one corresponding antenna unit; and

a rectification circuit coupled to the clamping circuit, each rectification circuit configured to rectify the signals outputted from a corresponding clamping circuit and configured to generate the DC power voltage impulses.

5. The RFID tag according to claim 4, wherein the rectification circuit of each rectifier comprises:

a plurality of rectification devices configured to rectify signals outputted from corresponding clamping circuits; and

a plurality of electric charge storage devices configured to store electric charges that pass through the rectification devices.

6. The RFID tag according to claim 4, wherein the clamping circuit of each rectifier comprises:

a plurality of clamping devices coupled to a corresponding antenna, the clamping devices configured to store electric charges from the radio signals received from the corresponding antenna; and

a plurality of rectification devices coupled to the corresponding antenna and coupled to the clamping devices, the rectification devices configured to clamp signals from the clamping devices and from the corresponding antenna.

7. The RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein the first bandwidth is within a low frequency domain of about 1 MHz or less, and the second bandwidth is within a high frequency domain of about 100 MHz or more.

8. The RFID tag according to claim 5, wherein the rectification devices comprise Schottky diodes.

9. The RFID tag according to claim 5, wherein the rectification devices comprise a NMOS transistors.

10. The RFID tag according to claim 8, wherein the Schottky diodes comprise PN-type Schottky diodes or NP-type Schottky diodes.

11. The RFID tag according to claim 5, wherein the electric charge storage devices comprise capacitors.

12. The RFID tag according to claim 5, wherein the electric charge storage devices comprise a ferroelectric capacitors.

13. The RFID tag according to claim 8, wherein the electric charge storage devices are coupled to a N-type region or to a P-type region of the Schottky diodes.

14. The RFID tag according to claim 9, wherein the electric charge storage devices are coupled to a source terminal or to a drain terminal of the NMOS transistor.

15. The RFID tag according to claim 1, wherein the voltage rectification unit having a clamping circuit comprising:

a plurality of clamping devices coupled to a corresponding antenna, the clamping devices configured to store electric charges from the radio signals received from the corresponding antenna; and

a plurality of rectification devices coupled to the corresponding antenna and coupled to the clamping devices, the rectification devices configured to clamp signals from the clamping devices and from the corresponding antenna.

16. The RFID tag according to claim 15, wherein clamping devices comprise capacitors.

17. The RFID tag according to claim 15, wherein the clamping devices comprise ferroelectric capacitors.

18. The RFID tag according to claim 15, wherein the rectification devices comprise Schottky diodes.

19. The RFID tag according to claim 15, wherein the rectification devices comprise NMOS transistors.

20. The RFID tag according to claim 18, wherein the Schottky diodes comprise a PN-type Schottky diode or a NP-type Schottky diode.

21. The RFID tag according to claim 20, wherein the clamping devices are coupled to either an N-type region or a P-type region of the Schottky diodes.

22. The RFID tag according to claim 19, wherein the clamping devices are coupled to either a source terminal or a drain terminal of the NMOS transistors.

23. The RFID tag according to claim 2, wherein the first antenna is configured to perform Near Field (NF) communication, and the second antenna is configured to perform Far Field (FF) communication.

24. The RFID tag according to claim 1, further comprising a summation unit configured to generate a total power voltage impulse by summing the one or more DC power voltage impulses.

25. The RFID tag according to claim 1, further comprising a demodulation circuit unit configured to detect and to output one or more operation command signals corresponding to the radio signals.

26. The RFID tag according to claim 25, wherein the demodulation circuit unit comprises:

a first demodulation circuit configured to detect a first operation command signal in response to a first radio signal received through a first antenna of the antenna unit; and

a second demodulation circuit configured to detect a second operation command signal in response to a second radio signal received through a second antenna of the antenna unit.

27. The RFID tag according to claim 25, further comprising a logical sum device configured to logically sum the one or more of the operation command signals and to generate a total operation command signal.

28. The RFID tag according to claim 27, further comprising a digital unit configured to perform a control operation in response to the total operation command signal and configured to generate a transmission signal.

29. The RFID tag according to claim 28, further comprising a driving unit configured, in response to the transmission signal, to operate a first transmission signal for transmitting within the first bandwidth and to operate a second transmission signal for transmitting within the second bandwidth.

30. The RFID tag according to claim 29, further comprising a modulation circuit unit configured to modulate the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, and to transmit the modulated signals through the antenna unit.

31. An RFID tag comprising:

an antenna unit including;

a first antenna configured to perform communications within a first bandwidth and

a second antenna configured to perform communication within a second bandwidth; and

a voltage rectification unit configured to generate one or more power voltages corresponding to one or more radio signals received from the antenna unit, and configured to rectify and boost the radio signals, wherein the voltage rectification unit comprises;

a clamping circuit configured to clamp and output the radio signals; and

a rectification circuit configured to rectify the signals outputted from the clamping circuit and to generate DC voltage impulses.

32. The RFID tag according to claim 31, wherein the rectification circuit comprises:

a plurality of rectification devices configured to rectify the signals outputted from the clamping circuit; and

a plurality of electric charge storage devices configured to store electric charges that pass through each of the plurality of rectification devices.

33. The RFID tag according to claim 32, wherein the rectification devices comprise:

a plurality of first rectification devices coupled to the first antenna; and

a plurality of second rectification devices coupled to the second antenna.

34. The RFID tag according to claim 33, wherein the electric charge storage devices comprise:

a plurality of first electric charge storage devices respectively coupled to first rectification devices; and

a plurality of second electric charge storage devices respectively coupled to the second rectification devices.

35. The RFID tag according to claim 31, wherein the first bandwidth is within a low frequency domain of about 1 MHz or less, and the second bandwidth is within a high frequency domain of about 100 MHz or more.

36. The RFID tag according to claim 31, wherein the first antenna is configured to perform NF communication, and the second antenna is configured to perform FF communication.