EMBEDDED RFID RECORDER IN SHORT-RANGE WIRELESS DEVICES

• US 20100302005A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Popovski, Petar
• Granted Patent: US 8,686,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable communications device. The invention further relates to its use of and to a method of operating it. The object of the present invention is to facilitate adaptation of a communications device to its present environment, e.g. to facilitate spectrum sharing in short range communication devices. The problem is solved in that the portable communications device comprises a wireless communications interface for communicating with another device, a memory and an RFID-recorder for receiving an RFID-signal transmitted from an RFID-interrogator, wherein the device is adapted for storing individual received RFID-signals in the memory. An advantage of the invention is that it provides a relatively simple scheme for extracting information from a current environment of a portable communications device. The invention may e.g. be used for adapting listening devices, e.g. hearing instruments, headphones, or head sets to local, e.g. country specific, conditions or to operate in an efficient way under given interference conditions.

Claims

1. A portable communications device comprising a wireless communications interface for communicating with another device, a memory and an RFID recorder for receiving an RFID-signal transmitted from an RFID-interrogator, wherein the portable communications device is adapted for storing individual received RFID-signals in the memory.

2. A portable communications device according to claim 1 adapted to store a sequential indicator, e.g. an order or an indicator of the time, such as a time stamp, of reception of the individual stored RFID signals.

3. A portable communications device according to claim 1 further comprising a processing unit for analyzing at least some of the RFID-signals stored in the memory.

4. A portable communications device according to claim 3 wherein the processing unit is adapted to analyze a currently received RFID-signal, compare it with possible already stored RFID-signals and only store the currently received RFID-signal if it differs from already stored RFID-signals.

5. A portable communications device according to claim 3 wherein the processing unit is adapted to keep track of the frequency of occurrence of a particular RFID-signal, such as of all the different RFID-signals stored in the memory.

6. A portable communications device according to claim 3 wherein the processing unit is adapted to analyze and extract particular information contained in a received RFID-signal.

7. A portable communications device according to claim 3 wherein the processing unit is adapted to analyze characteristics of a received RFID-signal.

8. A portable communications device according to claim 7 wherein the characteristics of a received RFID-signal are selected from the group comprising, transmission frequency range or channel, length in time of bursts, length in time of idle periods, contextual information, and combinations thereof.

9. A portable communications device according to claim 7 wherein the characteristics of a received and stored RFID-signal are stored in a memory and linked to the RFID-signal in question.

10. A portable communications device according to claim 1 wherein the wireless communications interface for communicating with another device comprises a selectable reception frequency range or channel and a selectable, possibly different, transmission frequency range or channel.

11. A portable communications device according to claim 7 adapted to use results of the analysis of the characteristics of the received RFID-signals to influence or control communication or functionality of the communications device.

12. A portable communications device according to claim 11 adapted to select an appropriate frequency range or channel for communication with another device in dependence of the results of the analysis of the characteristics of the received RFID-signals.

13. A portable communications device according to claim 11 wherein the processing unit is adapted to generate a frequency control signal based on the results of the analysis of the characteristics of the received RFID-signals.

14. A portable communications device according to claim 13 adapted to select an appropriate frequency range or channel for communication with another device in dependence of the frequency control signal.

15. A portable communications device according to claim 1 wherein the RFID reader comprises a RFID tag, such as a number of different RFID tags, whose response function is disabled.

16. A portable communications device according to claim 1 comprising a remote control and/or an audio transmission device for transmitting an audio signal to a receiving device, e.g. a listening device, such as a headset or a pair of head phones or one or more hearing instruments.

17. A portable communications device according to claim 1 comprising at least one listening device, such as a headset or a hearing instrument.

18. Use of a portable communications device according to claim 1.

19. A method of operating a portable communications device, the method comprising

a) capturing, including receiving and decoding, one or more RFID signals from RFID interrogators or RFID tags surrounding the portable communications device;

b) storing said one or more RFID signals together with a sequential indicator;

c) analysing the stored RFID-signals.

20. A method according to claim 19 comprising extracting information from the stored RFID signals facilitating decisions to be made on spectrum usage in the environment surrounding the portable communications device.

21. A method according to claim 19 comprising extracting a country code of the country of location of the portable communications device from the captured RFID-signals.

22. A method according to claim 19 comprising determining the allowed frequencies and power levels to be used in a wireless communication interface to another device from the captured RFID-signals.

23. A method according to claim 19 wherein the sequential indicator is an order number indicating an order of occurrence or a time stamp indicating the point in time of the captured RFID-signals.