Radio frequency animal tracking system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for identification of animals, comprising:
- a first antenna; and
a transponder coupled to the antenna, the transponder including a first transmission unit, first memory and first power circuitry, the first power circuitry being configured to receive a current induced in the first antenna, and to power the first transmission unit and first memory, the first transmission unit being configured to retrieve data stored in the first memory and to transmit at least a portion of the data via the first antenna on a first carrier frequency and on a second carrier frequency.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention is directed to an improved RFID system. The system provides a transponder that can communicate over at least two different frequencies so that the real time performance of the transponder can be improved without losing backwards compatibility. The system provides an improved apparatus and method that allows the end user to customize and program identification tags. The system also provides an ear tag, which may be in button form, for use on livestock with superior durability and overall performance in the field.
-
Citations
65 Claims
-
1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for identification of animals, comprising:
-
a first antenna; and a transponder coupled to the antenna, the transponder including a first transmission unit, first memory and first power circuitry, the first power circuitry being configured to receive a current induced in the first antenna, and to power the first transmission unit and first memory, the first transmission unit being configured to retrieve data stored in the first memory and to transmit at least a portion of the data via the first antenna on a first carrier frequency and on a second carrier frequency. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A method of collision prevention for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for identification of animals, the method comprising:
-
assigning each of a plurality of RFID tags a delay value; and configuring each RFID tag to receive a query from a base station, and to respond thereto by waiting for a duration of time corresponding to the delay value, and then providing a response transmission, the response transmission including a unique identification number identifying an animal associated with the tag. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
-
37. A method of providing identification of an animal, the method comprising:
-
receiving a query from a base station with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in an animal; and responding to the query with a first transmission on a first carrier frequency and a second transmission on a second carrier frequency. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
-
-
45. A method of identifying an animal to a base station with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the method comprising:
-
providing the base station with a smallest identification number assigned to any of a plurality of RFID tags associated with a plurality of animals; receiving a query from the base station with an RFID tag in the animal, the RFID tag being assigned a unique identification number; and responding to the received query with a reply transmission including an abbreviated identification number, which is the difference between the unique identifying number and the smallest identification number. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49)
-
-
50. A system for identifying animals with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, the system comprising:
-
a first base station configured to operate at a first carrier frequency; a second base station configured to operate at a second carrier frequency; and a plurality of RFID tags, each tag being associated with one of a plurality of animals, each RFID tag being configured to respond to a transmission on the first carrier frequency with a response transmission on the first carrier frequency and a response transmission on the second carrier frequency, at least one of the response transmissions including a unique identification number. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
-
-
61. An identification tag for an animal, the tag comprising:
-
a first circuit including a memory subunit, a power subunit, and a first transmit subunit, the subunits electrically connected to each other; a second circuit including a second transmit subunit, the second circuit electrically connected to the first circuit; an antenna connected to the first circuit; the power subunit of the first circuit configured to generate an electrical current when a radio signal is received by the antenna, and delivers this current to the first transmit subunit; the first transmit subunit configured to transmit a first signal at a first frequency when it receives electrical current from the power subunit, the first signal encoding at least a first portion of any data within the memory subunit; the second circuit configured to transmit a second signal at a second frequency when it when it receives electrical current from the power subunit, the second signal encoding at least a second portion of any data within the memory subunit. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65)
-
Specification