COMBINED MULTIFUNCTIONAL RFID COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20130249675A1
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Moonen, Oswald, van den Berge, Bram, van Bakel, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,633,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10

Abstract

There is described a device (100) for communicating with RFID-tags, the device (100) comprising (a) an antenna unit comprising a first antenna (110; 200) and a second antenna (120; 200), and (b) a controller (130) connected to the antenna unit. The controller (130) is adapted to sequentially feed different polling signals to the antenna unit such that corresponding signals are individually and simultaneously radiated by each of the first antenna (110; 200) and second antenna (120; 200). There is also described a home appliance comprising the aforementioned device (100). Furthermore, there is described a method for communicating with RFID-tags by an antenna unit comprising a first antenna (110; 200) and a second antenna (120; 200). The described method comprises sequentially feeding different polling signals to the antenna unit such that corresponding signals are individually radiated by each of the first antenna (110; 200) and second antenna (120; 200).

Claims

1. Device for communicating with RFID-tags, the device comprising:

an antenna unit comprising a first antenna and a second antenna, and

a controller connected to the antenna unit,

wherein the controller is adapted to sequentially feed different polling signals to the antenna unit such that corresponding signals are simultaneously radiated by each of the first antenna and second antenna.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein

the first antenna and the second antenna are connected in series.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein

the first antenna and the second antenna are displaced relative to each other.

4. Device according to claim 3, wherein

the first antenna and the second antenna {120;

200} are connected by a twisted pair of wires or another connection which is not itself capable of acting as an antenna.

5. Device according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna comprises a first sub-antenna and a second sub-antenna, the first sub-antenna and the second sub-antenna being connected in series and having different orientations.

6. Device according to claim 5, wherein

the first sub-antenna comprises a loop extending in a first plane, and

the second sub-antenna comprises a loop extending in a plane perpendicular to the first plane.

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna comprises a first sub-antenna and a second sub-antenna, the first sub-antenna and the second sub-antenna being connected in series and having equal orientations.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to

detect a response to a polling signal from a responding RFID tag, and

when a response to a polling signal is received, perform communication with the responding RFID tag.

9. Device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the different polling signals corresponds to one of a plurality of RFID communication protocols.

10. Device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of RFID protocols comprises

ISO/IEC 14443 p3a,

ISO/IEC 14443 p3b,

ISO/IEC 14443 p4,

ISO/IEC 14443 p4a,

ISO/IEC 15693,

ISO/IEC 18092, and/or

“

FeliCa”

.

11. A home appliance comprising

a device according to claim 1.

12. Method for communicating with RFID-tags by an antenna unit comprising a first antenna and a second antenna, the method comprising:

sequentially feeding different polling signals to the antenna unit such that corresponding signals are simultaneously radiated by each of the first antenna and second antenna.

13. A computer program comprising non-transitory computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform the method according to claim 12.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer readable data carrier loaded with a computer program according to claim 13.