MULTI-PROTOCOL RFID SYSTEM

• US 20150161422A1
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: GRAVELLE, Kelly, TIERNAY, Robert W., CATANACH, Steven J., KAO, Joseph H., MELVILLE, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 7/016 Synchronisation of sensing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10039 interrogator driven, i.e. synchronous
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10069 the collision being resolved in the frequency domain, e.g. by hopping from one frequency to the other frequency hopping or spread spectrum techniques H04B7/00
• 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: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles

Abstract

A multi-protocol RFID interrogating system employs a synchronization technique (step-lock) for a backscatter RFID system that allows simultaneous operation of closely spaced interrogators. The multi-protocol RFID interrogating system can communicate with backscatter transponders having different output protocols and with active transponders including: Title 21 compliant RFID backscatter transponders; IT2000 RFID backscatter transponders that provide an extended mode capability beyond Title 21; EGOTM RFID backscatter transponders, SEGOTM RFID backscatter transponders; ATA, ISO, ANSI AAR compliant RFID backscatter transponders; and IAG compliant active technology transponders. The system implements a step-lock operation, whereby adjacent interrogators are synchronized to ensure that all downlinks operate within the same time frame and all uplinks operate within the same time frame, to eliminate downlink on uplink interference.

Claims

1. A multiprotocol RFID system comprising:

an interrogator system for communicating with transponders using at least two different protocols in at least two different capture zones,

at least one of the protocols having multiple commands,

at least two commands being used in communicating with a transponder in each of said capture zones, the communication with the transponders in said capture zones overlapping in time.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one of said commands is a read of a first page of transponder data and another command is a read of a second page of transponder data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands is a write to a page of transponder data.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands requests a random number.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein three commands are used and one of the commands is a write to a page of transponder data.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said command is an acknowledgement of receipt of data from the transponder.

7. The System of claim 5 wherein four commands are used in communicating with the transponder wherein one of the commands is an acknowledgement receipt of data from the tag

8. A multiprotocol RFID System comprising:

an interrogator system for communicating with transponders using at least two different protocols in at least two different capture zones, transponders using a first protocol and sending data in response to trigger pulses sent at different times in each capture zone, the second protocol supporting multiple commands, where the system communicates with transponders using a second protocol, said interrogator sending at least two different commands to the tag using a second protocol in each of the two capture zones

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the one of said commands is a read of a first page of transponder data and another of said commands is a read of a second page of transponder data.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the one of the said is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands is a write to a page of transponder data.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands requests a random number.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein three commands are is used to communicate with the transponder, one of said commands being a write to a page of transponder data.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands is an acknowledgement of said read of said page of transponder data.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein four commands are used in communicating with said transponder wherein one of said commands is an acknowledgement receipt of data from said transponder.

15. A multiprotocol RFID System comprising:

an interrogator system for communicating with transponders using at least two different protocols in at least two different capture zones,

said interrogator system establishing a communication sequence in said two different capture zones, said communication sequence being established to reduce interference either to transmissions to a backscatter transponder from an interrogator in one capture zone with the transmissions from an active transponder to an interrogator in another capture zone or to transmissions to an active transponder from an interrogator in one capture zone with the transmissions from a backscatter transponder to an interrogator in another capture zone.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein one of said protocols supports multiple commands.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein one of said commands used in communicating with said transponder is a read of a first page of transponder data and another of said commands is a read of a second page of transponder data.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands is a write to a page of transponder data.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands requests a random number.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein three commands are used to communicate with said transponder and one of said commands is a write to a page of transponder data.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another command is an acknowledgement of receipt of specific data.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein four commands are used in communicating with said transponder wherein one of said commands is an acknowledgement of receipt of data from said transponder.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein said transmissions to said backscatter transponders are on a different frequency than said transmission from said active transponders.

25. The system of claim 24 where at least part of said transmission to a backscatter transponder is a CW transmission.

26. The system of claim 15 wherein said transmissions to said active transponders are on a different frequency than said transmissions from said backscatter transponders.

27. A multiprotocol RFID system comprising:

transponders using a protocol comprising at least two commands and

an interrogator system for communicating with said transponders using at least two different protocols in at least two different capture zones, at least one of said protocols having multiple commands, such that at least two commands are used in communicating with a transponder and at least part of the commands sent to the transponders are sent at the same time.

28. An interrogator system configured to read transponders the system communicating with at least two different protocols at a single monitoring location and comprising:

at least two antennas each antenna covering a capture zone, said capture zones proximate to one another,

wherein the system is configured to establish a time frame for communicating with transponders in each capture zone,

wherein a first of the protocols comprises a first downlink signal and first uplink response, a second of the protocols comprises a second downlink signal and a second downlink response, and wherein at least one of the following conditions apply;

said first downlink signal is of different duration than said second downlink signal or said first uplink signal is of different duration than said second uplink signal, and

said time frame includes dead time such that the combination of downlink signals and uplink responses for said first or second protocols are each less than or equal to said time frame established by the reader

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said time frame is configured to reduce interference received by each antenna from the proximate antenna.

30. The system of claim 28 where at least one of the protocols is a backscatter protocol wherein a CW RF signal is transmitted from the antenna during the uplink period.

31. The system of claim 28 where both of said first and second protocols is a backscatter protocol wherein a CW RF signal is transmitted from the antenna during the uplink response.

32. The system of claim 28 where the first and second protocols operate at different frequencies.