RF tag and RF tagging system

• US 7,568,630 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROKE Manor Research Limited (Chemring Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: ROKE Manor Research Limited (Chemring Group PLC)
• Inventors: Richardson, Christopher Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Koyama; Kumiko C
• Application Number:
  US10/489,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20050029359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,514 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/385, 235/435, 235/492, 340/572.1, 340/551, 340/539.1, 340/825.71, 340/825.72
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip

Abstract

An RFID tag includes a plastic container having at least one particle that is disposed therein and that is formed from metal or metal coated and/or fabricated from a plurality of different metals. A receiver unit detects RF pulses which are generated by the Triboelectric effect of the particles.

Claims

1. A tag comprising:

radio frequency RF means for generating a radio frequency signature that identifies the tag;

wherein said RF means comprises,

a container; and

at least one first element disposed within said container and displaceable relative to said container;

wherein,

displacement of said first element within said container generates said radio frequency signature;

said container comprises a plurality of second elements fixedly disposed along a path within said container; and

movement of said at least one first element along said path generates a series of RF pulses as a function of at least quantity and width of said second elements, which RF pulses identify the RF tag.

2. The tag as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of first elements.

3. The tag as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one first element is metal or metal coated.

4. The tag as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one metal or metal coated first element is fabricated from a plurality of different metals.

5. The tag according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of second elements comprises at least two metallic strips disposed on a surface of the container arranged to detect displacement of the at least one first element.

6. The tag according to claim 5, wherein the relative location and/or dimension and/or number of strips on a tag is unique, thereby providing a unique RF signature upon displacement of the at least one particle.

7. The tag according to claim 1, wherein:

said container comprises a tube;

said at least one first element comprises a metallic sphere which is free to roll along said path; and

said second elements comprise metallic rings disposed in a surface of said tube, about said path;

whereby said sphere rolls past said rings sequentially as it moves along said path, thereby generating said pulses.

8. A radio frequency RF tag, comprising:

a container; and

at least one first element disposed within the container and being free to move within said container;

wherein

movement of said at least one first element within the container causes a contact between surfaces within the container, which contact, when broken, generates an RF signal due to the Triboelectric effect; and

said RF signal is a function of configuration of said container and of said at least one first element, and identifies said tag.

9. An RF tag according to claim 8, wherein said contact comprises at least one of i) contact between surfaces of respective ones of said at least one first element, and ii) contact between at least a surface of said at least one first element and a surface of at least one second element that is fixedly arranged along a movement path of said at least one first element within the container.