System for multi-standard RFID tags
First Claim
1. An interrogator for a radio identification system having a plurality of tags, the plurality of tags including a first subset of tags operating only within a first frequency band, the plurality of tags including a second subset of tags operating only within a second frequency band, the first subset of tags excluding each tag from the second subset of tags, said interrogator comprising:
- (a) a first radio frequency module having a transmitter configured to transmit an output signal at a first frequency to the first subset of tags, the first radio frequency module including a receiver configured to receive return signals transmitted by the first subset of tags operating at the first frequency, the first frequency being within the first frequency band, the transmitter and the receiver of the first radio frequency module being operable over the first frequency band, the first frequency band including a plurality of frequencies each being outside the second frequency band;
(b) a second radio frequency module having a transmitter configured to transmit an output signal at a second frequency to the second subset of tags, the second radio frequency module having a receiver configured to receive return signals transmitted by the second subset of tags operating at the second frequency, the transmitter and the receiver of the second radio frequency module being operable over the second frequency band, the second frequency band including a plurality of frequencies each being outside the first frequency band;
(c) a controller module coupled to said first and second radio frequency modules, said controller module including a controller configured to control the transmitter associated with the first frequency and the transmitter associated with the second frequency, the controller module including a decoder configured to decode return signals received from said tags.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A reader for a radio frequency identification system capable of simultaneously reading tags operating a multiple frequencies. The reader includes a radio frequency module for each operating frequency of the tags. The radio frequency modules are coupled to a bus which is connected to an interrogator control module. Each of the radio frequency modules receives the return signal from the tags at the associated operating frequency and converts the return signal into a pulse sequence. The interrogator control module locks to and decodes the pulse sequence according to the protocol associated with the tag type.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. An interrogator for a radio identification system having a plurality of tags, the plurality of tags including a first subset of tags operating only within a first frequency band, the plurality of tags including a second subset of tags operating only within a second frequency band, the first subset of tags excluding each tag from the second subset of tags, said interrogator comprising:
-
(a) a first radio frequency module having a transmitter configured to transmit an output signal at a first frequency to the first subset of tags, the first radio frequency module including a receiver configured to receive return signals transmitted by the first subset of tags operating at the first frequency, the first frequency being within the first frequency band, the transmitter and the receiver of the first radio frequency module being operable over the first frequency band, the first frequency band including a plurality of frequencies each being outside the second frequency band; (b) a second radio frequency module having a transmitter configured to transmit an output signal at a second frequency to the second subset of tags, the second radio frequency module having a receiver configured to receive return signals transmitted by the second subset of tags operating at the second frequency, the transmitter and the receiver of the second radio frequency module being operable over the second frequency band, the second frequency band including a plurality of frequencies each being outside the first frequency band; (c) a controller module coupled to said first and second radio frequency modules, said controller module including a controller configured to control the transmitter associated with the first frequency and the transmitter associated with the second frequency, the controller module including a decoder configured to decode return signals received from said tags. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A radio identification interrogator, comprising:
-
a first radio frequency (RF) module being associated with its own frequency band and having a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter of the first RF module being configured to send an output signal having a carrier frequency within the frequency band associated with the first RF module, the receiver of the first RF module configured to receive a return signal based on the output signal associated with the transmitter of the first RF module and being associated with a tag from a first plurality of tags, the first RF module is configured to receive a return signal modulated according to a first protocol from a plurality of protocols; and a second RF module being associated with its own frequency band different from the frequency band associated with the first RF module, the second RF module having a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter of the second RF module being configured to send an output signal having a carrier frequency within the frequency band associated with second RF module, the receiver of the second RF module configured to receive a return signal based on the output signal associated with the transmitter of the second RF module and being associated with a tag from a second plurality of tags, the first plurality tags excluding each tag from the second plurality of tags, the second RF module is configured to receive a return signal modulated according to a second protocol from a plurality of protocols. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
-
-
20. A method, comprising:
-
sending a signal having a carrier frequency within a first frequency band; sending a signal having a carrier frequency within a second frequency band mutually exclusive from the first frequency band; receiving, from a second tag operative only within the second frequency band, a return signal based on the signal having the carrier frequency within the first frequency band, the return signal associated with the first tag being within the first frequency band and outside the second frequency band; and receiving, from a second tag operative only within the second frequency band, a return signal based on the signal having the carrier frequency within the second frequency band, the return signal associated with the second tag being within the second frequency band and outside the first frequency band. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. A radio identification interrogator, comprising:
-
a first radio frequency (RF) module being associated with its own frequency band and having a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter of the first RF module being configured to send an output signal having a carrier frequency within the frequency band associated with the first RF module, the receiver of the first RF module configured to receive a return signal within the frequency band associated with the first RF module and based on the output signal associated with the transmitter of the first RF module, the return signal associated with the first RF module being associated with a tag from a first plurality of tags; and a second RF module being associated with its own frequency band mutually exclusive from the frequency band associated with the first RF module, the second RF module having a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter of the second RF module being configured to send an output signal having a carrier frequency within the frequency band associated with second RF module, the receiver of the second RF module configured to receive a return signal within the frequency band associated with second RF module based on the output signal associated with the transmitter of the second RF module, the return signal associated with the second RF module being associated with a tag from a second plurality of tags, the first plurality tags excluding each tag from the second plurality of tags, the first frequency band including a plurality of frequencies each being outside the second frequency band, the second frequency band including a plurality of frequencies each being outside the first frequency band.
-
Specification