Selective cloaking circuit for use in a radiofrequency identification and method of cloaking RFID tags

• US 6,690,264 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smartrac Technology Fletcher, Inc. (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Single Chip Systems Corporation (OEP Technologie BV)
• Inventors: Dalglish, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/768,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.4, 340/10.1, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.5, 340/572.7, 340/10.2, 343/720, 343/873, 342/42, 342/51
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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 7/10029 the collision being resolved in the time domain, e.g. using binary tree search or RFID responses allocated to a random time slot

Abstract

The output to the antenna of an RFID tag or label is disconnected from the balance of the RFID chip by means of a series switch activated in response to a logic command, CLOAK, generated by the RFID chip. Activation of the switch disconnects the output to the antenna of the RFID tag without disconnecting its input. The output to the antenna is thus disconnected for a time sufficient to allow the remaining RFID tags in an RF interrogation field to be identified. However, the input of the antenna remains connected and is capable of receiving at any time, including during the cloaking period commands which can lift the tag out of cloaking and allow it to then selectively output its signal.

Claims

1. An improvement in a cloaked RFID tag having an antenna comprising:

a switch;

a logic circuit coupled to said switch to selectively allow communication of signals through said antenna during normal operation to allow output of a signal from said RFID tag through said antenna and to disable the output from said RFID during a cloaking period; and

a receiving connection to said RFID tag so that command signals are continuously receivable notwithstanding cloaking of said RFID tag.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said RFID tag includes an input circuit and wherein said receiving connection is an electrical connection between said antenna and said input circuit which is not interrupted by operation of said switch.

3. The improvement of claim 2 wherein said electrical connection comprises a diode coupled between said antenna and said input circuit.

4. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said switch is a grounding switch coupled between said antenna and ground.

5. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said switch communicates signals through said antenna by selectively grounding said antenna according to said signals during said normal operation.

6. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said logic circuit couples signals to said switch to ground said antenna during said normal operation and isolates signals from said switch during said cloaking operation.

7. The improvement of claim 5 wherein said logic circuit couples signals to said switch to ground said antenna during said normal operation and isolates signals from said switch during said cloaking operation.

8. The improvement of claim 1 further comprising supplying power through said antenna to said RFID circuit during said cloaking operation.

9. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said switch is a switching transistor.

10. An RFID tag comprising:

an antenna;

an input circuit coupled to said antenna;

a switch controlling said antenna;

a logic circuit coupled to said switch to selectively allow communication of signals through said antenna during normal operation to allow output of a signal from said RFID tag through said antenna and to disable the output from said RFID during a cloaking period; and

a receiving connection to said RFID tag so that command signals are continuously receivable through said antenna by said input circuit notwithstanding cloaking of said RFID tag.

11. The RFID tag of claim 10 wherein said receiving connection is an electrical connection between said antenna and said input circuit which is not interrupted by operation of said switch.

12. The RFID tag of claim 11 wherein said electrical connection comprises a diode coupled between said antenna and said input circuit.

13. The RFID tag of claim 10 wherein said switch is a grounding switch coupled between said antenna and ground.

14. The RFID tag of claim 10 wherein said switch communicates signals through said antenna by selectively grounding said antenna according to said signals during said normal operation.

15. The RFID tag of claim 10 wherein said logic circuit couples signals to said switch to ground said antenna during said normal operation and isolates signals from said switch during said cloaking operation.

16. The RFID tag of claim 14 wherein said logic circuit couples signals to said switch to ground said antenna during said normal operation and isolates signals from said switch during said cloaking operation.

17. The RFID tag of claim 10 further comprising a power connection for supplying power through said antenna to said RFID circuit during said cloaking operation.

18. The RFID tag of claim 10 wherein said switch is a switching transistor.

19. An improvement in a method of controlling a cloakable RFID tag comprising:

disabling communication of data signals from said RFID tag through said antenna coupled to said RFID tag during cloaking of said RFID tag; and

receiving command signals by said RFID tag through said antenna during said cloaking operation.

20. The improvement of claim 19 wherein receiving command signals by said RFID tag through said antenna during said cloaking operation couples said command signals through an electrical connection between said antenna and an input circuit which is not interrupted by operation of said switch.

21. The improvement of claim 20 wherein coupling said command signals through an electrical connection between said antenna and said input circuit comprises coupling said command signals through a diode coupled between said antenna and said input circuit.

22. The improvement of claim 19 further comprising communicating data signals from said RFID tag through said antenna by selectively grounding said antenna through a switch coupled between said antenna and ground during normal operation.

23. The improvement of claim 22 further comprising disabling communication of data signals from said RFID tag through said antenna by selectively isolating said data signals from said switch coupled between said antenna and ground during cloaking operation.

24. The improvement of claim 19 further comprising supplying power through said antenna to said RFID circuit during said cloaking operation.