Tuning an RFID reader with electronic switches

• US 7,539,465 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Inventors: Quan, Ralph W.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIS, DAVID C
• Application Number:
  US11/581,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20080088415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 331/74, 331/77, 455/41.2, 455/91, 455119-121, 455/123
• US Class Current: 455/121
• 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 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles

Abstract

A reader for an RFID system includes a signal driver for generating an excitation signal and a resonant circuit having an adjustable resonant circuit capacitance for retuning the resonant circuit in response to detuning. The resonant circuit has a capacitance tuning circuit which includes a fine-tuning capacitor having a fine-tuning capacitance and a fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position. The fine-tuning capacitance is added to the adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when the fine-tuning capacitor switch is in the closed position and is removed from the adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when the fine-tuning capacitor switch is in the open position.

Claims

1. A reader for an RFID system comprising:

a signal driver for generating a first and second excitation signal, said first signal operating at a first carrier frequency of approximately 125 kHz and said second signal operating at a second carrier frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz; and

a resonant circuit coupled with said signal driver having a capacitance tuning circuit and a transmitting antenna coupled with said capacitance tuning circuit for transmitting one of said first excitation signal and said second excitation into a space proximate said transmitting antenna,

wherein said capacitance tuning circuit includes a fine-tuning capacitor having a fine-tuning capacitance and a fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, further wherein said fine-tuning capacitor switch is a solid-state relay including a transistor.

2. The reader of claim 1, wherein said fine-tuning capacitor is a first fine-tuning capacitor, said fine-tuning capacitance is a first fine-tuning capacitance, and said fine-tuning capacitor switch is a first solid state-relay including a first transistor, further wherein said capacitance tuning circuit further includes a second fine-tuning capacitor having a second fine-tuning capacitance and a second fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein said second fine-tuning capacitor switch is a second solid-state relay including a second transistor.

3. A reader for an RFID system comprising:

a signal driver for generating a first and second excitation signal; and

a resonant circuit having an adjustable resonant circuit capacitance, said resonant circuit including a capacitance tuning circuit and a transmitting antenna coupled with said capacitance tuning circuit for transmitting one of said first excitation signal and said second excitation signal having a first and second carrier frequency, respectively, into a space surrounding said transmitting antenna, the first and second carrier frequencies corresponding to different radio frequency bands,

wherein said capacitance tuning circuit includes a fine-tuning capacitor having a fine-tuning capacitance and a fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein said fine-tuning capacitance is added to said adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when said fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said closed position and said fine-tuning capacitance is removed from said adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when said fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said open position.

4. The reader of claim 3, wherein said fine-tuning capacitor is a first fine-tuning capacitor, said fine-tuning capacitance is a first fine-tuning capacitance and said fine-tuning capacitor switch is a first fine-tuning capacitor switch, said capacitance tuning circuit further including a second fine-tuning capacitor having a second fine-tuning capacitance and a second fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein said second fine-tuning capacitance is added to said adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when said second fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second fine-tuning capacitance is removed from said adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when said second fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said open position.

5. The reader of claim 4, wherein said first fine-tuning capacitor is coupled in parallel with said second fine-tuning capacitor in said tuning capacitor circuit.

6. The reader of claim 3, wherein said capacitance tuning circuit further includes a carrier frequency capacitor having a carrier frequency capacitance, wherein said carrier frequency capacitance is added to said adjustable resonant frequency capacitance and said carrier frequency capacitor sets said first carrier frequency of said first excitation signal in cooperation with said transmitting antenna.

7. The reader of claim 6, wherein said carrier frequency capacitor is a first carrier frequency capacitor, and said carrier frequency capacitance is a first carrier frequency capacitance, said capacitance tuning circuit further including a first carrier frequency capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, a second carrier frequency capacitor having a second carrier frequency capacitance, and a second carrier frequency capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein said first excitation signal having said first carrier frequency is transmitted from said transmitting antenna when said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said second excitation signal having said second carrier frequency is transmitted from said transmitting antenna when said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position.

8. The reader of claim 4, wherein said capacitance tuning circuit further includes a first carrier frequency capacitor having a first carrier frequency capacitance, a first carrier frequency capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, a second carrier frequency capacitor having a second carrier frequency capacitance, and a second carrier frequency capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein said first excitation signal having said first carrier frequency is transmitted from said transmitting antenna when said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said resonant circuit is retuned to said first carrier frequency in response to detuning by selectively transitioning said first and second capacitor switches between said open and closed positions while said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position, further wherein said second excitation signal having said second carrier frequency is transmitted from said transmitting antenna when said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position and said resonant circuit is retuned to said second carrier frequency in response to detuning by selectively transitioning said first and second fine-tuning capacitor switches between said open and closed positions while said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position.

9. The reader of claim 3, wherein said fine-tuning capacitor switch is a solid-state relay including a transistor.

10. A reader for an RFID system comprising:

a signal driver for generating an excitation signal; and

a resonant circuit having an adjustable resonant circuit capacitance, said resonant circuit including a capacitance tuning circuit and a transmitting antenna coupled with said capacitance tuning circuit for transmitting said excitation signal having a carrier frequency into a space surrounding said transmitting antenna,

wherein said capacitance tuning circuit includes a fine-tuning capacitor having a fine-tuning capacitance and a fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein said fine-tuning capacitance is added to said adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when said fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said closed position and said fine-tuning capacitance is removed from said adjustable resonant circuit capacitance when said fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said open position, wherein said resonant circuit is a first resonant circuit, said capacitance tuning circuit is a first capacitance tuning circuit, said fine-tuning capacitor is a first fine-tuning capacitor, said fine-tuning capacitance is a first fine-tuning capacitance, said fine-tuning capacitor switch is a first fine-tuning capacitor switch, said transmitting antenna is a first transmitting antenna, said excitation signal is a first excitation signal, and said carrier frequency is a first carrier frequency, said reader further comprises a second resonant circuit coupled in parallel with said first resonant circuit and having an adjustable resonant circuit capacitance, said second resonant circuit including a second capacitance tuning circuit and a second transmitting antenna coupled with said second capacitance tuning circuit for transmitting a second excitation signal having a second carrier frequency into a space surrounding said second transmitting antenna in the form of a magnetic field having a field strength, wherein said second capacitance tuning circuit includes a second fine-tuning capacitor having a second fine-tuning capacitance and a second fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position.

11. The reader of claim 10, wherein said first capacitance tuning circuit further includes a first carrier frequency capacitor and a first carrier frequency capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, said first carrier frequency capacitor having a first carrier frequency capacitance, further wherein said second capacitance tuning circuit farther includes a second carrier frequency capacitor and a second carrier frequency capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, said second carrier frequency capacitor having a second carrier frequency capacitance.

12. The reader of claim 11, wherein said first excitation signal having said first carrier frequency is transmitted from said first transmitting antenna when said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said first resonant circuit is retuned to said first carrier frequency in response to detuning by selectively transitioning said first fine-tuning capacitor switch between said open and closed positions while said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position, further wherein said second excitation signal having said second carrier frequency is transmitted from said second transmitting antenna when said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second resonant circuit is retuned to said second carrier frequency in response to detuning by selectively transitioning said second fine-tuning capacitor switch between said open and closed positions while said first carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said open position and said second carrier frequency capacitor switch is in said closed position.

13. A reader for an RFID system comprising:

a signal driver for generating an excitation signal; and

a resonant circuit having a capacitance tuning circuit and a transmitting antenna coupled with said capacitance tuning circuit for transmitting said excitation signal having a carrier frequency into a space surrounding said transmitting antenna in the form of a magnetic field having a field strength,

wherein said capacitance tuning circuit includes a capacitor having a capacitance and a capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, further wherein said capacitor switch is a solid-state relay including a field effect transistor, a first switching diode positioned in series with said field effect transistor, a second switching diode positioned in parallel with said first switching diode and said field effect transistor, a first switch terminal coupled with said field effect transistor, a second switch terminal and a third switch terminal, said second and third switch terminals parallely coupled with one another by a first parallel path including said field effect transistor and said first switching diode in series and by a second parallel path including said second switching diode.

14. A reader for an RFID system comprising:

a signal driver for generating a first and second excitation signal; and

a resonant circuit having a capacitance tuning circuit and a transmitting antenna coupled with said capacitance tuning circuit for transmitting one of said first excitation signal and said second excitation signal operating at first resonant frequency and second resonant frequency, respectively, into a space proximate said transmitting antenna in the form of a magnetic field having a field strength, wherein the first and second resonant frequencies are different by at least a factor of ten,

wherein said capacitance tuning circuit includes a first series fine-tuning capacitor having a first series fine-tuning capacitance, a first series fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, a second series fine-tuning capacitor having a second series fine-tuning capacitance, and a second series fine-tuning capacitor switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein said first series fine-tuning capacitor contributes said first series fine-tuning capacitance to said resonant circuit when said first series fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said closed position and said second series fine-tuning capacitor contributes said second series fine-tuning capacitance to said resonant circuit when said second series fine-tuning capacitor switch is in said closed position.

15. The reader of claim 14, wherein either said first series fine-tuning capacitor switch, said second series fine-tuning capacitor switch or both are a solid-state relay including a transistor.

16. The reader of claim 15, wherein said transistor is a field effect transistor.

17. The reader of claim 15, wherein said transistor is a MOSFET.

18. A method for tuning a reader for an RFID system comprising:

generating a first excitation signal in a signal driver;

conveying said first excitation signal to a resonant circuit having a capacitance tuning circuit and a transmitting antenna coupled with said capacitance tuning circuit;

transmitting said first excitation signal having a first carrier frequency into a space surrounding said transmitting antenna in the form of a magnetic field having a field strength;

retuning said resonant circuit to said first carrier frequency in response to detuning by transitioning a capacitor switch from an open position to a closed position to add a fine-tuning capacitance of a fine-tuning capacitor coupled with said capacitor switch into said resonant circuit or by transitioning said capacitor switch from said closed position to said open position to remove said fine-tuning capacitance of said fine-tuning capacitor from said resonant circuit;

generating a second excitation signal in a signal driver;

conveying said second excitation signal to said resonant circuit; and

transmitting said second excitation signal having a second carrier frequency into a space surrounding said transmitting antenna, wherein the first carrier frequency corresponds to about 125 kHz and the second carrier frequency corresponds to about 13.56 MHz.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said capacitor switch is a solid-state relay including a transistor.