Remote-readable identification tag and method for operating the same

• US 7,088,245 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Guntersdorfer, Max, Zarschizky, Helmut, Zorn, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US10/307,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20030117330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.5, 340/572.2, 340/572.1, 340/10.2, 340/572.7, 340/10.4, 343/702, 343/742, 343/850, 343/867
• US Class Current: 340/572.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0672 with resonating marks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2414 using inductive tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2431 Tag circuit details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2448 Tag with at least dual detection means, e.g. combined inductive and ferromagnetic tags, dual frequencies within a single technology, tampering detection or signalling means on the tag

Abstract

A remote-readable identification tag (T) that is provided with at least two resonance circuits (81 . . . 8n) and at least one transmitter/receiver antenna system (1) coupled with the circuits. The at least two circuits have a respectively different resonant frequency. A delay device (6) of the remote-readable identification tag delays a signal response between a signal received by the antenna system and a signal emitted in response by the antenna system, e.g., by delaying feeding the received signal into the resonance circuits.

Claims

1. A remote-readable identification tag, comprising:

at least two resonance circuits which have mutually differing resonance frequencies;

at least one transmitter-receiver antenna system coupled to the resonance circuits, wherein;

a signal received by the antenna system is fed into the resonance circuits;

a resonance signal of at least one of the resonance circuits is emitted via the antenna system; and

identification coding is provided by a multi-bit sequence having a pattern corresponding to the mutually differing resonance frequencies;

and further comprising;

a delay device delaying a signal response between receiving the signal by the antenna system and feeding the signal into the resonance circuits.

2. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 1, wherein the delay device comprises a spark gap.

3. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible substrate onto which the antenna system and the resonance circuits are applied using thin film technology.

4. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 3, wherein the flexible substrate is made of paper or plastic.

5. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate for the antenna system and the resonance circuits, said substrate configured as at least one of a price label and a barcode.

6. A method of operating multiple identification tags, comprising:

receiving a signal with respective transmitter-receiver antenna systems of the multiple identification tags;

coupling the received signal into respective resonance circuits of the multiple identification tags after passage of respective delay times, wherein the delay times are of respectively different duration for the multiple identification tags;

generating response signals in the respective resonance circuits; and

outputting the generated signals from the respective transmitter-receiver antenna systems.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the signal received by the identification tag comprises at least one of an acousto-magnetic signal and a radio wave signal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the signal comprises a radio wave signal in the form of a chirp pulse.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

utilizing the signals outputted from the respective transmitter-receiver antenna systems for identifying products in a transport container;

wherein the resonance circuits have respective resonance frequencies that differ from one another by at least 1 MHz.

10. A remote-readable identification tag, comprising:

at least two resonance circuits which have mutually different resonance frequencies;

at least one transmitter-receiver antenna system coupled to the resonance circuits; and

a delay device delaying a signal response between a signal received by the antenna system and a signal emitted by the antenna system.

11. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 10, wherein the delay device comprises a discharger.

12. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 10, further comprising a flexible substrate onto which the antenna system and the resonance circuits are applied using thin film technology.

13. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 12, wherein the flexible substrate is made of paper or plastic.

14. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 10, further comprising a substrate for the antenna system and the resonance circuits, said substrate configured as at least one of a price label and a barcode.

15. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 10, wherein the resonance circuits and the antenna system are inductively coupled.

16. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 15, wherein the antenna system comprises a receiving antenna, a primary winding coupled to the receiving antenna, and a transmitting antenna.

17. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 16, wherein the primary winding comprises a primary capacitor and respective primary coils for each of the resonance circuits.

18. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 17, wherein each of the resonance circuits comprises a secondary coil and a secondary capacitor, and wherein the secondary coils are respectively inductively coupled to the primary coils of the primary winding.

19. The remote-readable identification tag according to claim 18, wherein the secondary capacitors have mutually differing capacitances.

20. A method of operating multiple identification tags, comprising:

receiving a signal with respective transmitter-receiver antenna systems of the multiple identification tags;

coupling the received signal into respective resonance circuits of the multiple identification tags;

generating response signals in the respective resonance circuits; and

outputting the generated signals from the respective transmitter-receiver antenna systems after passage of respective delay times relative to a time the signal was received, wherein the delay times are of respectively different duration for the multiple identification tags.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the delay times are temporally equalized.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the signal received by the identification tag comprises at least one of an acousto-magnetic signal and a radio wave signal.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the signal comprises a radio wave signal in the form of a chirp pulse.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

utilizing the signals outputted from the respective transmitter-receiver antenna systems for identifying products in a transport container;

wherein the resonance circuits have respective resonance frequencies that differ from one another by at least 1 MHz.