Interrogator of moving body identification device

• US 7,277,681 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2002
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Saito, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Junpeng
• Application Number:
  US10/519,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20050205676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/344, 455/557, 455/572, 455/88, 455/108, 455/98, 455/69, 340 101- 103, 340/572.4, 340/10.5, 342/44, 342/193, 375/300, 375/268
• US Class Current: 455/108
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• 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 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules

Abstract

To reduce the size, weight and cost of an interrogator which is included in an RFID system and required to have a high output power, the interrogator for transmitting a signal shares a radio wave source or a power supply with a portable wireless terminal such as a mobile phone or a portable communication device. For this purpose, a radio frequency transmitter signal is subjected to amplitude modulation by information to be transmitted to a transponder. Furthermore, part of the radio frequency transmitter signal extracted using a coupler is used to perform synchronous detection on a radio frequency receiver signal returned from the transponder, and data coming from the transponder are extracted.

Claims

1. An interrogator which, together with a transponder, makes up a radio frequency identification system, comprising:

a first antenna, provided for a portable wireless terminal, for radiating radio waves of a first radio frequency transmitter signal;

a second antenna for receiving the radio waves radiated from the first antenna and outputting the first radio frequency transmitter signal;

a divider for dividing the first radio frequency transmitter signal outputted by the second antenna;

a rectifier for rectifying one of the first radio frequency transmitter signals outputted by the divider and outputting a power supply;

an ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation circuit for performing amplitude modulation on the other of the first radio frequency transmitter signals outputted by the divider by information to be transmitted to the transponder and outputting the amplitude-modulated signal as a second radio frequency transmitter signal;

a third antenna for radiating the second radio frequency transmitter signal outputted by the ASK modulation circuit; and

a mixer for performing synchronous detection on a radio frequency receiver signal returned from the transponder which received said second radio frequency transmitter signal via the third antenna by using part of the second radio frequency transmitter signal as a carrier, and outputting data from the transponder.

2. The interrogator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a coupler for extracting the part of the second radio frequency transmitter signal by coupling to the second radio frequency transmitter signal outputted by the ASK modulation circuit; and

a circulator which, being positioned between the coupler and the third antenna, extracts the radio frequency receiver signal outputted by the third antenna discretely from the second radio frequency transmitter signal being sent to the third antenna and supplies the radio frequency receiver signal thus extracted to the mixer for performing synchronous detection.

3. The interrogator according to claim 2, wherein at least the second antenna, the third antenna, the divider, the rectifier, the ASK modulation circuit, the mixer, the coupler and the circulator are formed in a unitary structure.

4. The interrogator according to claim 2, wherein the information to be transmitted to the transponder and the transponder data outputted by the mixer are supplied to the portable wireless terminal as data to be processed by the portable wireless terminal.

5. The interrogator according to claim 1, wherein the second antenna has a cylindrical structure with a built-in antenna coil and an internal diameter of the second antenna is such that the first antenna is insertable in the second antenna to come into close contact with the second antenna.

6. An interrogator which, together with a transponder, makes up a radio frequency identification system, comprising:

a first antenna provided for a portable wireless terminal for radiating radio waves of a first radio frequency transmitter signal;

a second antenna for receiving the radio waves radiated from the first antenna and outputting the first radio frequency transmitter signal;

a rectifier for rectifying the first radio frequency transmitter signal outputted by the second antenna and outputting a power supply;

an oscillator circuit for generating a signal of a particular frequency;

an ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation circuit for performing amplitude modulation on the signal of the particular frequency outputted by the oscillator circuit by information to be transmitted to the transponder and outputting the amplitude-modulated signal as a second radio frequency transmitter signal;

a third antenna for radiating the second radio frequency transmitter signal outputted by the ASK modulation circuit;

a mixer for performing synchronous detection on a radio frequency receiver signal returned from the transponder which received said second radio frequency transmitter signal via the third antenna by using part of the second radio frequency transmitter signal as a carrier, and outputting data from the transponder;

a coupler for extracting the part of the second radio frequency transmitter signal by coupling to the second radio frequency transmitter signal outputted by the ASK modulation circuit; and

a circulator which, being positioned between the coupler and the third antenna, extracts the radio frequency receiver signal outputted by the third antenna discretely from the second radio frequency transmitter signal being sent to the third antenna and supplies the radio frequency receiver signal thus extracted to the mixer for performing synchronous detection;

wherein at least the second antenna, the third antenna, the rectifier, the oscillator circuit, the ASK modulation circuit, the mixer, the coupler and the circulator are formed in a unitary structure.

7. The interrogator according to claim 6, wherein the information to be transmitted to the transponder and the transponder data outputted by the mixer are supplied to the portable wireless terminal as data to be processed by the portable wireless terminal.

8. The interrogator according to claim 6, wherein the particular frequency of the signal is approximately equal to or higher than the frequency of the first radio frequency transmitter signal of the portable wireless terminal.

9. The interrogator according to claim 6, wherein the second antenna has a cylindrical structure with a built-in antenna coil and an internal diameter of the second antenna is such that the first antenna is insertable in the second antenna to come into close contact with the second antenna.