Adaptive coherent RFID reader carrier cancellation

• US 7,526,266 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zest Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelleflex Corporation
• Inventors: Al-Mahdawi, Tareef Ibrahim
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thanh C
• Application Number:
  US11/098,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20060183454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/296
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/109 by improving strong signal performance of the receiver when strong unwanted signals are present at the receiver input
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

Systems and methods for adaptive cancellation of carrier content includes receiving a signal, adaptively detecting an amount of carrier content in the received signal, generating a feedback signal for canceling out the carrier content in the incoming signal, and introducing the feedback signal for canceling out a majority of carrier content in the signal being received.

Claims

1. A method for adaptive cancellation of carrier content, comprising:

receiving a signal;

adaptively detecting an amount of carrier content in the received signal;

generating a feedback signal for canceling out the carrier content in the incoming signal; and

introducing the feedback signal for canceling out a majority of carrier content in the signal being received,

wherein the feedback signal is not added to the signal being received during modulation by a transmitter generating a carrier signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier content includes a reader carrier signal and phase noise associated with the reader carrier signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal is derived in part from an outgoing carrier signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting an amount of carrier content in the received signal includes performing 1-Q detection on the received signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal is an analog signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback signal is an analog fraction of an outgoing carrier signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal being received is amplified by an amplifier, wherein the feedback signal is introduced to the signal being received at a point prior to the amplifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein automatic gain control is performed on the signal being received, wherein the feedback signal is introduced to the signal being received prior to performing automatic gain control thereon.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein downconversion is performed on the signal being received, wherein the feedback signal is introduced to the signal being received prior to performing downconversion thereon.

11. A system for adaptive cancellation of carrier content, comprising:

an antenna for receiving a signal;

a mechanism for adaptively detecting the amplitude of the carrier content in the received signal;

a mechanism for generating a feedback signal for canceling carrier content from the signal being received, the feedback signal being generated based at least in part on the detected amplitude of the carrier content in the received signal; and

at least one of an amplifier and a filter operating on the signal prior to addition of the feedback signal to the signal,

wherein the system is embodied in a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, the RFID reader further comprising a transmitter for generating an outgoing signal, wherein the feedback signal is not added to the signal being received during modulation by the transmitter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the vector multiplier also receives a portion of an outgoing carrier signal, wherein the feedback signal is generated based at least in part on the portion of the outgoing carrier signal.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the carrier content includes a reader carrier signal and phase noise associated with the reader carrier signal.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the phase of the carrier content is also detected, wherein the feedback signal is generated based at least in part on the phase of the carrier content.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the mechanism for adaptively detecting the amplitude of the carrier content includes a processor running a cancellation algorithm.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the mechanism for generating the feedback signal includes a vector multiplier.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the mechanism for adaptively detecting the ampliwde of the carrier content and the mechanism for generating the feedback signal form part of a closed loop.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the feedback signal is an analog signal.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the feedback signal is combined with the signal being received.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising an analog device for combining the feedback signal with the signal being received.

21. The system of claim 11, further comprising an automatic gain control stage located after a point where the analog mechanism operates on the incoming signal.