ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RFID

• US 20120119884A1
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments Deutschland Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nehrig, Oliver, Preikszat, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 8,941,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07766 comprising at least a second communication arrangement in addition to a first non-contact communication arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07773 Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22

Abstract

An electronic device comprising a first node to be coupled to a first antenna, a second node coupled to a second antenna, a third node to be coupled to a third antenna, a first comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to a second node, a second comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to the third node, a third comparator coupled with a first input to the second node and with a second input to the third node. Each of the first, the second and the third comparators are configured to compare a first current and a second current at the first input and the second input.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a first node to be coupled to a first antenna;

a second node to be coupled to a second antenna;

a third node to be coupled to a third antenna;

a first comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to a second node;

a second comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to the third node; and

a third comparator coupled with a first input to the second node and with a second input to the third node, wherein each of the first, the second and the third comparator is configured to compare a first current and a second current at the first input and the second input.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first, second and third comparators comprises a current mirror, a first and a second transistor receiving a bias voltage at their control gate, the first transistor is coupled with one side of a channel to one current path of the current mirror and the second transistor is coupled with one side of the channel to another current path of the current mirror, the other side of the channel of the first transistor is the first input of the comparator, the other side of the channel of the second transistor is the second input of the comparator and the second side of the channel of the second transistor is the output node of the comparator.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a bias voltage generation stage for generating the bias voltage for the first and second transistor, wherein the bias voltage generation stage comprises a current source, a diode coupled transistor and a capacitor, the diode coupled transistor and the current source are coupled in series, a first side of the diode coupled transistor is coupled to the current source and a second side to one of the first node, the second node or the third node, one side of the capacitor is coupled to the node between the current source and the diode coupled transistor, and the first side of the diode coupled transistor is further coupled to the control gates of the first and the second transistor of one of the first comparator, the second comparator or the third comparator, respectively.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising a bias voltage generation stage for generating the bias voltage for the first and second transistor, wherein the bias voltage generation stage comprises a current source, a diode coupled transistor and a capacitor, the diode coupled transistor and the current source are coupled in series, a first side of the diode coupled transistor is coupled to the current source and a second side to one of the first node, the second node or the third node, one side of the capacitor is coupled to the node between the current source and the diode coupled transistor, and the first side of the diode coupled transistor is further coupled to the control gates of the first and the second transistor of one of the first comparator, the second comparator or the third comparator, respectively.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein an individual capacitance is coupled to the output of the first, the second and the third comparator.

6. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein an individual capacitance is coupled to the output of the first, the second and the third comparator.

7. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein an individual capacitance is coupled to the output of the first, the second and the third comparator.

8. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein an individual capacitance is coupled to the output of the first, the second and the third comparator.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the steps of comparing comprise comparing a plurality of oscillation periods of a radio frequency signal received at one of the first antenna, second antenna or third antenna.

9. A method of operating an RFID transponder comprising a first node to be coupled to a first antenna, a second node to be coupled to a second antenna, a third node to be coupled to a third antenna, the method comprising:

comparing a current into the first node with a current into the second node;

comparing the current into the first node with a current into the third node;

comparing the current into the second node with the current into the third node; and

selecting the antenna based on the three comparison results.