Multi-protocol or multi-command RFID system

• US 7,548,153 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TC License Limited
• Inventors: Gravelle, Kelly, Melville, Michael, Tiernay, Robert W., Catanach, Steven J., Kao, Joseph H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nam V
• Application Number:
  US10/887,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20060006986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.3, 340/10.2, 340/10.4, 340/572.4, 340/572.1, 370/342, 370/467, 370/252, 455/61, 455/277.1, 455/41, 455/41.1, 342/51, 342/127, 342/42, 342/44, 375/133, 375/134, 375/317
• US Class Current: 340/10.3
• 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 7/016 Synchronisation of sensing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10039 interrogator driven, i.e. synchronous
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10069 the collision being resolved in the frequency domain, e.g. by hopping from one frequency to the other frequency hopping or spread spectrum techniques H04B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles

Abstract

A multi-protocol RFID interrogating system employs a synchronization technique (step-lock) for a backscatter RFID system that allows simultaneous operation of closely spaced interrogators. The multi-protocol RFID interrogating system can communicate with backscatter transponders having different output protocols and with active transponders including: Title 21 compliant RFID backscatter transponders; IT2000 RFID backscatter transponders that provide an extended mode capability beyond Title 21; EGO™ RFID backscatter transponders, SEGO™ RFID backscatter transponders; ATA, ISO, ANSI AAR compliant RFID backscatter transponders; and IAG compliant active technology transponders. The system implements a step-lock operation, whereby adjacent interrogators are synchronized to ensure that all downlinks operate within the same time frame and all uplinks operate within the same time frame, to eliminate downlink on uplink interference.

Claims

1. An interrogation system for communicating with a plurality of transponders having different communication protocols, the interrogation system comprising

a plurality of interrogators and

a synchronization signal,

each of the interrogators comprising

a transmitter and

a receiver

the transmitters being arranged for transmitting downlink signals in accordance with different communication protocols over a downlink communications link to the transponders,

the receivers being arranged for receiving respective uplink signals over an uplink communications signal link from the transponders,

the synchronization signal being arranged for synchronizing the downlink signals for each of the plurality of interrogators, each of the interrogators operating in response to the synchronization signal to simultaneously transmit the downlink signals to the transponders to enable the transponders to provide their respective uplink signals after the transmission of the downlink signals, thereby enabling communication between respective ones of the interrogators and transponders without interference between the uplink signals from the transponders and the downlink signals from the interrogators.

2. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein the transponders comprise a backscatter transponder having a battery power supply.

3. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein the transponders comprise active transponders having active transmitters that transmit at a single fixed frequency.

4. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein the transponders comprise active transponders having active transmitters that transmit at a single fixed frequency and backscatter transponders having battery power supplies.

5. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of interrogators comprise a first interrogator transmitting a first downlink signal in accordance with a first communication protocol and a second interrogator transmitting a second downlink signal in accordance with a second communication protocol.

6. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals and the uplink signals so that the transmission of downlink signals do not interfere with the transmission of uplink signals.

7. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals to end at substantially the same time.

8. The interrogation system of claim 7, wherein said downlink signals are not all the same length.

9. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals to start at substantially the same time.

10. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals to start and transmit each bit at substantially the same time.

11. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals so that the uplink signals start at substantially the same time.

12. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal synchronizes the uplink signals for each of the plurality of interrogators.

13. The interrogation system of claim 1, said interrogator further having a processor providing a trigger signal to the transponder, polling the transponder for specific information, and providing an acknowledge message to the transponder in response to a valid response to the polling message being received.

14. The interrogation system of claim 1, wherein said downlink signals comprise amplitude modulated radio frequency signals.

15. An interrogation system for communicating with backscatter transponders using a communication protocol having different commands, the interrogation system comprising;

a plurality of interrogators, and

a synchronization signal,

each of the interrogators comprising a transmitter and a receiver,

the transmitters being arranged for transmitting downlink signals in accordance with different commands over a downlink communications link to the transponders,

the receivers being arranged for receiving respective uplink signals over an uplink communications signal link from the transponders,

the synchronization signal being arranged for synchronizing the downlink signals for each of the plurality of interrogators,

each of the interrogators operating in response to the synchronization signal to simultaneously transmit the downlink signals to the transponders to enable the transponders to provide their respective uplink signals after the transmission of the downlink signals, thereby enabling communication between respective ones of the interrogators and transponders without interference between the uplink signals from the transponders and the downlink signals from the interrogators.

16. The interrogation system of claim 15, wherein said plurality of interrogators comprise a first interrogator transmitting a first downlink signal in accordance with a first command and a second interrogator transmitting a second downlink signal in accordance with a second command.

17. The interrogation system of claim 15, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals and the uplink signals so that the transmission of downlink signals do not interfere with the transmission of up link signals.

18. The interrogation system of claim 15, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals to end at substantially the same time.

19. The interrogation system of claim 18, wherein said downlink signals are not all the same length.

20. The interrogation system of claim 15, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals to start at substantially the same time.

21. The interrogation system of claim 15, wherein said synchronization signal synchronizes the downlink signals so that the uplink signals start at substantially the same time.

22. The interrogation system of claim 15, wherein the synchronization signal synchronizes the uplink signals for each of the plurality of interrogators.

23. The interrogation system of claim 15, said interrogator further having a processor providing a trigger signal to the transponder, polling the transponder for specific information, and providing an acknowledge message to the transponder in response to a valid response to the polling message being received.

24. The interrogation system of claim 15, wherein said downlink signals comprise amplitude modulated radio frequency signals.

25. An interrogator capable of communicating with a first set of transponders and a second set of transponders, the first and second set of transponders having different power, depth of modulation, or duty cycles, the interrogator comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting a first downlink signal to the first set of transponders and a second downlink signal to the second set of transponders;

a receiver for receiving a first uplink signal from the first set of transponders and a second uplink signal from the second set of transponders; and

,

a controller for controlling said transmitter to transmit the first and second downlink signals based on the power, depth of modulation, or duty cycle of the respective first and second sets of transponders, and for controlling said receiver to receive the first and second uplink signals based on the power, depth of modulation, or duty cycle of the respective first and second sets of transponders;

wherein the interrogator operates in an environment with at least one additional like interrogator and all of the interrogators are responsive to a synchronization signal that enables the interrogators to simultaneously transmit downlink signals to the transponders to enable the transponders to provide their respective uplink signals after the transmission of the downlink signals, thereby enabling communication between respective ones of the interrogators and transponders without interference between the uplink signals from the transponders and the downlink signals from the interrogators.

26. The interrogator of claim 25, wherein said first downlink signal has a first power and said second downlink signal has a second power.

27. The interrogator of claim 25, wherein said first downlink signal has a first depth of modulation and said second downlink signal has a second depth of modulation.

28. The interrogator of claim 25, wherein said first downlink signal has a first duty cycle and said second downlink signal has a second duty cycle.

29. The interrogator of claim 25, further comprising a voltage variable attenuator for adjusting the power of said first and second downlink signals.

30. The interrogator of claim 29, further comprising a power control unit having a high speed filter, a low speed filter, and a switch responsive to said controller for selecting said high speed filter or said low speed filter to provide a power level signal to said voltage variable attenuator to adjust the power of said first and second downlink signals.

31. The interrogator of claim 30, wherein said voltage variable attenuator and said power control unit form a closed loop.

32. The interrogator of claim 25, further comprising a modulation control unit having a high speed filter, a low speed filter, and a switch responsive to said controller for selecting said high speed filter or said low speed filter to adjust the depth of modulation of said first and second downlink signals.

33. The interrogator of claim 32, wherein said modulation control unit forms a closed loop.

34. The interrogator of claim 32, wherein the first set of transponders are active transponders and the second set of transponders are backscatter transponders.

35. The interrogator of claim 32, wherein the first and second sets of transponders are active transponders having active transmitters that transmit at a single fixed frequency.

36. The interrogator of claim 32, wherein the first and second sets of transponders are backscatter transponders.