Combined low and high frequency RFID system

• US 7,456,743 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datamars SA (Province of Québec)
• Original Assignee: Datamars SA (Province of Québec)
• Inventors: Mutti, Carlo, Narvaez, Christian, Malacarne, Enrico
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAU, HOI CHING
• Application Number:
  US11/295,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20070132584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.4, 340/572.1, 340/539.13, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/5.92, 340/825.49, 455/101, 455/133, 235/385, 705/28, 700/215, 700/225
• 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: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) system is described, including a low frequency read-write device (1B) comprising an antenna (2B) connected to a transceiver (4B), for receiving/transmitting low RF waves from/to an RFID tag (5B), and a decoder (3B) for decoding said low RF waves into digital data (dig-B); an host computer (20) is intended to be connected to the low frequency read-write device (1B) for processing digital data (dig-B). The RFID system further includes a high frequency read-write device (1A), comprising an antenna (2A) connected to a transceiver (4A), for receiving/transmitting high RF waves from/to an RFID tag (5A), and a decoder (3A) for decoding said high RF waves into digital data (dig-A); the high frequency read-write device is connected to a low frequency read-write device (1B) and to an host computer (20) respectively through a driver connection (22) and an host connection (21). A bundle interface (ITF), receives digital data (dig-A, dig-B) through the driver connection (22) while a flow controller (SW) drives the flow of such digital data (dig-A, dig-B) through host connection (21) and towards the host computer (20).

Claims

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

a low frequency RFID reader device comprising a first antenna connected to a first transceiver, for receiving/transmitting low RF waves from/to an RFID tag, and a first decoder for decoding said low RF waves into digital data having a predetermined format;

a host computer coupled to said low frequency RFID reader device for processing said digital data; and

a high frequency-RFID reader device,

wherein the high frequency RFID reader device comprises a second antenna connected to a second transceiver, for receiving/transmitting high frequency RF waves from/to an RFID tag, and to a second decoder for decoding said high frequency RF waves into corresponding digital data, and

wherein said high frequency RFID reader device is connected to said low frequency RFID reader device and to said host computer and comprises a flow controller for converting the digital data from said high frequency RFID reader device into said predetermined format and delivering the digital data from said high and low frequency RFID reader devices to said host computer.

2. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 1, wherein said high frequency RFID reader device is connected to said low frequency RFID reader device and to said host computer respectively through a driver connection and a host connection.

3. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 2, wherein a bundle interface receives said corresponding digital data directly from said second decoder and receives said digital data from said driver connection.

4. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 3, wherein said bundle interface is in said high frequency RFID reader device.

5. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 3, wherein said bundle interface is incorporated in additional electronic device providing said driver connection between said high frequency RFID reader device and said low frequency RFID reader device.

6. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 3, wherein said bundle interface is in said host computer.

7. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 3, wherein said flow controller drives, inside said bundle interface, the flow of said digital data towards said host computer.

8. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 7, wherein inside said flow controller a code conversion is provided for converting and compressing the hexadecimal ASCII code detected through the high frequency RFID reader device into a converted code to be stored and processed into said host device.

9. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 8, wherein said flow controller is provided for regulating the flow of said converted code to said host computer through a buffer block.

10. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 9, wherein said buffer block temporarily stores said converted code before forwarding them in said host connection.

11. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 1, wherein said second antenna of said high frequency RFID reader device and said first antenna of said low frequency RFID reader device are merged in a single combo antenna.

12. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 11, wherein said combo antenna is sensible to low and high frequencies.

13. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 11, wherein said low frequency RFID reader device and said high frequency RFID reader device are incorporated in a single combined RFID reader device.

14. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 1, wherein said low frequency RFID reader device is upstream connected to said high frequency RFID reader device from the combo antenna to said host computer.

15. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 1, wherein said low and high frequencies RFID reader devices are compatible with standards ISO 18000-2 and 18000-3, respectively.

16. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 1, wherein said high frequency RFID reader device is upstream connected to said low frequency RFID reader device from the combo antenna to said host computer.

17. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system including:

a first RFID reader device operating at a first predetermined frequency comprising a first antenna connected to a first transceiver, for receiving/transmitting first RF waves from/to an RFID tag, and a first decoder for decoding said first RF waves into digital data having a predetermined format;

a host computer coupled to said first RFID reader device for processing said digital data;

a second RFID reader device operating at a second predetermined frequency, comprising a second antenna connected to a second transceiver, for receiving/transmitting second RF waves from/to an RFID tag, and to a second decoder for decoding said second RF waves into corresponding digital data;

said second RFID reader device being connected to said first RFID reader device and to said host computer and comprising a flow controller for converting the digital data from said second RFID reader device into said predetermined format and delivering the digital data from said first and second frequency RFID reader devices to said host computer.

18. The radio frequency identification (RFID) system according to claim 17, wherein a third RFID reader device operating at a third predetermined frequency is connected to said second RFID reader device.