RFID test interface systems and methods

• US 7,298,267 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Forster, Ian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/126,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/10.41
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• 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 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10465 the interrogation device being capable of self-diagnosis, e.g. in addition to or as part of the actual interrogation process testing of electrical circuits in general G01R31/28

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide RFID communication and testing techniques. For example, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an RFID system includes a radio frequency source adapted to provide radio frequency energy to an RFID device, a short-range coupler adapted to couple with the RFID device, at least one diode coupled to the short-range coupler, and an interface. The interface is coupled to the diodes and adapted to provide via the short-range coupler and the diodes modulation of the radio frequency energy to the RFID device and detection of a signal provided by the RFID device.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:

a radio frequency source adapted to provide radio frequency energy to an RFID device;

a short-range coupler adapted to couple with the RFID device, wherein the radio frequency energy from the radio frequency source is not provided via the short-range coupler;

at least one diode coupled to the short-range coupler; and

an interface, coupled to the at least one diode, adapted to provide via the short-range coupler and the at least one diode at least one of a modulation of the radio frequency energy to the RFID device and a detection of a signal provided by the RFID device.

2. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, further comprising a controller, coupled to the interface, adapted to control input/output ports of the interface to provide the modulation of the radio frequency energy and the detection of the signal provided by the RFID device.

3. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency source further comprises at least one of a transmission line and an antenna.

4. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the short-range coupler couples to the RFID device by at least one of an electric field, a magnetic field, and a direct connection.

5. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of short-range couplers adapted to couple with corresponding ones of the RFID devices;

a plurality of diodes coupled to corresponding ones of the short-range couplers;

a plurality of interfaces coupled to the corresponding ones of the diodes; and

a controller, coupled to the plurality of interfaces, adapted to control the interfaces to provide at least one of the modulation of the radio frequency energy and the detection of the signal provided by the RFID device, wherein the radio frequency source provides the radio frequency energy to the plurality of the RFID devices.

6. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the RFID device comprises at least one of an RFID tag, an RFID label, an RFID chip, an RFID strap, and an RFID inlay.

7. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein voltage levels provided by the interface to the at least one diode provides the modulation via the short-range coupler of the radio frequency energy to the RFID device.

8. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein voltage levels provided by the interface to the at least one diode provides the detection of the signal from the RFID device via the short-range coupler.

9. The radio frequency identification system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diode comprises a first and a second diode, with the first diode coupled to a first port of the interface and to the second diode, and the second diode coupled to a second port of the interface.

10. The radio frequency identification system of claim 9, wherein the modulation is provided by setting the second port to a first voltage level and switching between a second voltage level and a third voltage level on the first port, and wherein the detection is provided by setting the second port to the first voltage level and monitoring voltage levels on the first port.

11. A radio frequency identification (RFID) communication system comprising:

means for providing a radio frequency signal to a plurality of RFID devices;

means for coupling to the plurality of RFID devices; and

means for controlling voltage levels to provide via the coupling means a modulation of the radio frequency signal to the RFID devices, wherein the controlling means provides a low frequency data signal to provide the modulation.

12. The radio frequency identification system of claim 11, wherein the radio frequency signal is a common signal provided to the RFID devices from the radio frequency signal providing means.

13. The radio frequency identification system of claim 11, wherein the coupling means couples to the RFID devices by at least one of an electric field, a magnetic field, and a direct connection.

14. The radio frequency identification system of claim 11, further comprising means for monitoring voltage levels to detect via the coupling means signals provided by the RFID devices.

15. The radio frequency identification system of claim 11, wherein the coupling means is separate from the providing means which is a common source of the radio frequency signal for the RFID devices.

16. The radio frequency identification system of claim 11, wherein the system is formed as part of at least one of a printer and a manufacturing test system.

17. A method of communicating with radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, the method comprising:

providing a common radio frequency signal to the RFID devices;

coupling in a near field region with the RFID devices; and

interfacing with the RFID devices through the near field region coupling to modulate the common radio frequency signal to the RFID devices, wherein a low frequency data signal is provided to modulate the common radio frequency signal to the RFID devices.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising interfacing with the RFID devices through the near field region coupling to detect signals provided by the RFID devices.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the coupling is by at least one of an electric field, a magnetic field, and a direct connection.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the near field region coupling for the interfacing does not provide the common radio frequency signal of the providing, and wherein the interfacing sets a first voltage level at a second port and switches between a second voltage level and a third voltage level on a first port corresponding to each of the RFID devices to modulate the common radio frequency signal, and wherein the interfacing further comprises detecting a signal provided by each of the RFID devices by setting the second port to the first voltage level and monitoring voltage levels on the first port.

21. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:

a radio frequency source adapted to provide un-modulated radio frequency energy to one or more RFID devices;

a short-range coupler adapted to couple with one of the RFID devices, wherein the un-modulated radio frequency energy is not provided via the short-range coupler; and

means for detecting via the short-range coupler information from the RFID device and for modulating via the short-range coupler the radio frequency energy provided to the RFID device.

22. The RFID system of claim 21, wherein the radio frequency source comprises a transmission line and a plurality of short-range radio frequency couplers to provide the un-modulated radio frequency energy to the RFID devices.

23. The RFID system of claim 22, wherein the radio frequency source further comprises a plurality of amplifiers corresponding to the plurality of short-range couplers.

24. The RFID system of claim 21, wherein the detecting means comprises an RF detector and the modulating means comprises a switch and a controller.

25. The RFID system of claim 21, wherein the detecting means and the modulating means comprises a controller and at least one diode.