MULTI-PROTOCOL RFID SYSTEM

• US 20160004893A1
• Filed: 08/12/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• 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, CATANACH, Steven J., TIERNAY, Robert W., KAO, Joseph H., MELVILLE, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,492 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; EGO™ RFID backscatter transponders, SEGO™ 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. An interrogator system using at least a first and second protocol to read RFID transponders comprising:

at least two transceivers, each transceiver covering a respective capture zone at a single monitoring location;

and a synchronization circuit configured to synchronize the two transceivers to establish a tag communication signal sequence,

said signal sequence comprising first and second signal portions such that said at least two transceivers operate the first protocol simultaneously with each other during said first signal portion and operate the second protocol simultaneously with each other during said second signal portion;

wherein at least one of said first and second protocols reads backscatter transponders and wherein more than one command is transmitted to said backscatter transponders from at least one of said transceivers.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said transceivers are each configured to read both active RFID transponders and backscatter RFID transponders.

3. The system of claim 2 where said transceivers are configured to read the active RFID transponders at a different frequency than a frequency at which at least one of the backscatter transponders is read.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said capture zones overlap.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein said capture zones overlap.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein said capture zones overlap.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein three commands are transmitted to the backscatter transponder and one of said commands is a write to a page of transponder data and another of said commands is a request for a random number.

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

12. The System of claim 1 wherein four commands are transmitted to the backscatter transponder wherein one of the commands is an acknowledgement receipt of data from the tag

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said single monitoring location is a section of a multi-lane roadway.

14. An interrogator system to read active RFID transponders and backscatter RFID transponders at a single monitoring location comprising:

at least three antennas, each antenna covering a capture zone at said monitoring location

wherein said system is configured to establish a tag communication signal sequence, said signal sequence comprising first, second and third sequence portions, said signal sequence being arranged to enable said system to read at least one active RFID transponder in a first capture zone during said first sequence portion, to read at least one active RFID transponder in a second capture zone during a second sequence portion and to read at least one active RFID transponder in a third capture zone during said third sequence portion and wherein communication with at least two backscatter transponders via at least two antennas overlaps in time.

15. The system of claim 14 where the active transponders are read at a different frequency than at least one of the backscatter transponders.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the capture zones overlap.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the capture zones overlap.

18. The system of claim 14 where said backscatter tags are sent different commands.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein 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.

20. The system of claim 18 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.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein one of said commands is a read of a page of transponder data and another of said commands requests a random number.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein three commands are used and one of said commands is a write to a page of transponder data and another of said commands is a request for a random number.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein 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.

24. The System of claim 18 wherein four commands are used in communicating with the transponder wherein one of the commands is an acknowledgement receipt of data from the tag.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein said single monitoring location is a section of a multi-lane roadway.