Human feedback using parasitic power harvesting of RFID tags

• US 7,586,413 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Inventors: Davis, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/464,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20070046468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 340/10.1, 340/10.6, 340/571, 340/691.4, 340/691.5, 340/691.6, 340/693.5, 340/5.8, 340/693.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward secure access systems. Specifically, a radio frequency (RF) enabled device is provided that includes an RF powered human feedback element. An interrogator emitting an RF field may control the human feedback element through the RF field such that information may be transmitted from the interrogator to the device.

Claims

1. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device, comprising:

a transponder integrated circuit;

a human feedback element;

a first antenna operable to transform magnetic flux from a magnetic field into an electrical signal having electrical energy, wherein said electrical energy is used to power at least a portion of said transponder integrated circuit; and

wherein said field is generated by an interrogator and includes information about the interrogator, the information about the interrogator having been provided by the interrogator in response to the interrogator performing at least one of a status check, hardware check, software check, and identity check, and wherein the human feedback element is operable to alter a presentation of information based upon the field generated by the interrogator.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said interrogator controls said human feedback element in response to receiving a prompt from said RFID device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said prompt comprises the at least one of a status check request, software check request, hardware check request, and identity check request.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second antenna operable to transform magnetic flux from said magnetic field into an electrical signal having electrical energy, wherein electrical energy supplied from said first antenna is used to power at least a portion of said transponder integrated circuit, and wherein electrical energy supplied from said second antenna is used to power at least a portion of said human feedback element.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a rectifier residing between said first antenna and at least one of said transponder integrated circuit and human feedback element that is operable to change said electrical signal into a second electrical signal that can be used by said at least one of said transponder integrated circuit and human feedback element.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said second electrical signal is a direct current signal.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said human feedback element is used to display a portion of memory contents of said RFID device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said human feedback element comprises at least one of a speaker, buzzer, LED, OLED, LCD display, and vibrator.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said first antenna comprises at least one of a loop of wire, printed circuit, stamped foil, and printed conductive ink.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said transponder integrated circuit operates at one or more frequencies and/or modulation techniques.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said RFID device comprises at least one of a contact smart card, a contactless smart card, a proximity card, a magnetic stripe card, a Wiegand card, a PDA, a cellular phone, a sticker, a label, and a key-fob.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said RFID device is operatively associated with a toy.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein said toy is at least one of a doll, an action figure, a game board, and a mechanical key.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising an electrical storage device that comprises at least one of a battery and a capacitor.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a switch that, when positioned in a first position, allows energy to be transferred to the transponder integrated circuit, and when positioned in a second position, allows energy to be transferred to the human feedback element.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein said electrical energy is used to power at least a portion of said human feedback element.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising a power source, wherein said power source is used to power at least a portion of said human feedback element.

18. A method of communicating with an interrogator via a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device, wherein the RFID device comprises a RFID transponder and a human feedback element that are each at least partially powered by energy supplied by a magnetic field created by said interrogator, the method comprising:

placing said RFID device within an active region of said interrogator;

generating a message to send to said interrogator;

transmitting said message from said RFID device;

receiving a reply from said interrogator in the form of an altered magnetic field, wherein the reply comprises information about the interrogator, the information about the interrogator having been generated by the interrogator in response to the interrogator performing a status check, hardware check, software check, and/or identity check; and

indicating results of said reply with said human feedback element.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said transmitted message comprises at least one of a status check request, software check request, hardware check request, and identity check request.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said RFID device further comprises an antenna that is operable to transform magnetic flux from said magnetic field into an electrical signal having electrical energy, and wherein energy supplied from said antenna is used to power at least a portion of said transponder and said human feedback element.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising a rectifier residing between said antenna and at least one of said transponder and said human feedback element that is operable to change said electrical signal into a second electrical signal that can be used by at least one of said transponder and human feedback element.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said antenna comprises at least one of a loop of wire, printed circuit, stamped foil, and printed conductive ink.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said human feedback element comprises at least one of a speaker, buzzer, LED, OLED, LCD display, and vibrator.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said transponder operates at one or more frequencies and/or modulation techniques.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein said RFID device comprises at least one of a contact smart card, a contactless smart card, a proximity card, a magnetic stripe card, a Wiegand card, a PDA, a cellular phone, a sticker, a label, and a key-fob.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

said interrogator controlling said human feedback element by altering the magnetic field;

said human feedback element displaying the results of the interrogator controlling the human feedback element.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining whether the interrogator is an authorized interrogator based upon the reply received from the interrogator.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising partially powering the RFID device with an active power source.

29. A method of controlling a human feedback element associated with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transponder, comprising:

(a) providing a magnetic field;

(b) receiving a message from the transponder, wherein the transponder is located in the magnetic field;

(c) in response to receiving said message, generating a response; and

(d) transmitting said response, wherein said response comprises altering a magnetic field in order to control the human feedback element, and wherein said altering of said magnetic field comprises at least one of (i) intermittently generating and not generating said magnetic field and (ii) changing the magnitude of said magnetic field.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising analyzing said message to determine a valid response.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said altering of said magnetic field comprises intermittently generating and not generating said magnetic field.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said altering of said magnetic field comprises changing the magnitude of said magnetic field.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said message received from said transponder comprises at least one of a status check request, software check request, hardware check request, and identity check request.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein said human feedback element comprises at least one of a speaker, buzzer, LED, OLED, LCD display, and vibrator.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein both the transponder and the human feedback element are operatively associated with a common substrate, and wherein said substrate comprises at least one of a contact smart card, a contactless smart card, a proximity card, a magnetic stripe card, a Wiegand card, a PDA, a cellular phone, a sticker, a label, and a key-fob.

36. The method of claim 29, both the transponder and the human feedback element are operatively associated with a common substrate, and wherein said substrate is operatively associated with a toy.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said toy is at least one of a doll, action figure, game board, and mechanical key.

38. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining an authenticity of said RFID transponder.

39. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining an authenticity of an interrogator based on a response displayed by said human feedback element.

40. The method of claim 29, wherein the magnetic field of steps (a) and (d) are the same magnetic field.

41. The method of claim 29, further comprising providing an active power source associated with the human feedback element for powering the human feedback element.

42. A system, comprising:

an interrogator operable to generate a magnetic field; and

at least one Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device comprising;

a transponder integrated circuit;

a human feedback element; and

a first antenna operable to transform magnetic flux from said magnetic field into an electrical signal having electrical energy, wherein said electrical energy is used to power at least a portion of said transponder integrated circuit, wherein said interrogator controls said human feedback element by at least one of (i) intermittently generating and not generating said magnetic field and (ii) changing the magnitude of said magnetic field.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein an altering of said magnetic field comprises intermittently generating and not generating said magnetic field.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein an altering of said magnetic field comprises changing the magnitude of said magnetic field.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein said interrogator controls said human feedback element in response to receiving a prompt from said RFID device.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein said prompt comprises at least one of a status check request, software check request, hardware check request, and identity check request.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein said interrogator is operable to alter said magnetic field in order to control said human feedback element such that the authenticity of said interrogator can be determined by a user of said RFID device.

48. The system of claim 42, wherein said interrogator receives a message from said RFID device comprising identification information, and wherein said interrogator is operable to analyze said identification information in order to determine an authenticity of said RFID device.

49. The system of claim 42, wherein said human feedback element is used to display a portion of memory contents of said RFID device.

50. The system of claim 42, wherein said human feedback element is used to display a portion of memory contents of said interrogator.

51. The system of claim 42, wherein said human feedback element comprises at least one of a speaker, buzzer, LED, OLED, LCD display, and vibrator.

52. The system of claim 42, further comprising a control panel that is operable to analyze a portion of a message received at said interrogator.

53. The system of claim 42, wherein said interrogator is a stand-alone interrogator.

54. The system of claim 42, wherein said electrical energy is used to power at least a portion of said human feedback element.

55. The system of claim 42, further comprising an active power source, wherein said active power source is used to power at least a portion of said human feedback element.

56. The system of claim 42, wherein said human feedback element is connected to said first antenna, and wherein said human feedback element receives at least a portion of its required power from said first antenna.

57. The system of claim 42, wherein said human feedback element is connected to a second antenna, and wherein said human feedback element receives at least a portion of its required power from said second antenna.