RFID reader operating system and associated architecture

• US 7,659,819 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Novanta Corporation (Novanta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SkyeTek, Inc. (RFID Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Loving, Sean T.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/387,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20070207792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/506, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/825.36, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A framework structure for controlling an RFID device including a platform comprising an RFID radio. The structure comprises a layered framework including a first layer, with at least one functional module comprising a device driver, communicatively coupled with the platform; and a second layer, with at least one functional module comprising an API, communicatively coupled with the first layer and with an application for controlling the RFID device.

Claims

1. A framework structure for controlling an RFID device including a platform comprising an RFID radio, the structure comprising:

a layered framework including;

a first layer, including at least one functional module comprising a device driver, communicatively coupled with the platform; and

a second layer, including at least one functional module comprising an API, communicatively coupled with the first layer and with an application for controlling the RFID device; and

a firmware stratum comprising a tiered plurality of the functional modules, wherein the stratum is integrated with the layered framework such that each tier of the stratum is layered to functionally correspond to one of the layers in the layered framework.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the framework is vertically layered, and a structure formed by the plurality of functional modules is essentially orthogonal to the vertically layered framework.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the layered framework includes a third layer, communicatively coupled with the second layer, comprising code for the application.

4. The structure of claim 3, wherein each tier of the firmware stratum respectively includes an extensible set of modular software components selected from the group of component types consisting of drivers, libraries, and applications.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein code in each of the first and second layers comprises modules such that each of the modules may be selectively encrypted to control access thereto.

6. The structure of claim 1, wherein the modularity of the structure provides a mechanism for an application to determine computing requirements of the structure as a function of the application.

7. The structure of claim 1, wherein, in response to a call from the application to the API, the API calls a corresponding device driver, which, in response thereto, communicates with the platform to control the RFID device.

8. A framework structure for controlling an RFID device including a platform comprising an RFID radio, the structure comprising:

a layered framework including;

a first layer, including functional modules comprising a device driver and a corresponding device driver API, communicatively coupled with the platform; and

a second layer, including functional modules comprising a library module and a corresponding library API, communicatively coupled with the first layer and with an application for controlling the REID device; and

a firmware stratum comprising a tiered plurality of the functional modules, wherein the stratum is integrated with the layered framework such that each tier of the stratum is layered to functionally correspond to one of the layers in the layered framework.

9. The structure of claim 8, wherein the framework is vertically layered, and a structure formed by the plurality of functional modules is essentially orthogonal to the vertically layered framework.

10. The structure of claim 8, wherein the layered framework includes a third layer, communicatively coupled with the second layer, comprising code for the application.

11. The structure of claim 10, wherein each tier of the firmware stratum respectively includes an extensible set of modular software components selected from the group of component types consisting of drivers, libraries, and applications.

12. The structure of claim 8, wherein code in each of the first and second layers comprises modules such that each of the modules may be selectively encrypted to control access thereto.

13. The structure of claim 8, wherein the modularity of the structure provides a mechanism for an application to determine computing requirements of the structure as a function of the application.

14. The structure of claim 8, wherein the first and second layers comprise firmware.

15. The structure of claim 8, wherein, in response to a call from the application to the library API, the library API calls a corresponding library module, in response to which the library module calls the corresponding device driver API, which, in response, calls the corresponding device driver, which, in response, communicates with the platform to control the RFID device.

16. A firmware system framework structure for an RFID device including a platform comprising an RFID radio, the structure comprising:

a layered framework including;

a first layer, including functional modules comprising driver-related code, communicatively coupled with the platform; and

a second layer, including functional modules comprising API-related code, communicatively coupled with the first layer and with an application for controlling the reader;

wherein the first layer includes a driver and a corresponding driver API for communicating therewith;

wherein the second layer includes a library function for communicating with the driver API, and a corresponding library function API providing communication between the application and the library function; and

a firmware stratum comprising a tiered plurality of the functional modules, wherein the stratum is integrated with the layered framework such that each tier of the stratum is layered to functionally correspond to one of the layers in the layered framework.

17. The structure of claim 16, wherein each tier of the firmware stratum respectively includes an extensible set of modular software components selected from the group of component types consisting of drivers, libraries, and applications.

18. The structure of claim 16, wherein the framework is vertically layered, and a structure formed by the plurality of functional modules is essentially orthogonal to the vertically layered framework.

19. The structure of claim 16, wherein, in response to a call from the application to the library function API, the library function API calls a corresponding library function, in response to which the corresponding library function calls the driver API corresponding thereto, which, in response, calls the corresponding driver, which, in response, communicates with the platform to control the RFID device.

20. The structure of claim 16, wherein, in response to a call from the application to the library function API, the library function API calls a corresponding library function, in response to which the corresponding library function calls the driver API , which, in response, calls the corresponding driver, which, in response thereto, communicates with the platform to control the RFID device.

21. The structure of claim 16, wherein the layered framework includes a third layer, communicatively coupled with the second layer, comprising code for the application.

22. The structure of claim 16, wherein the code in each of the first and second layers comprises modules such that each of the modules may be selectively encrypted to control access thereto.

23. The structure of claim 16, wherein the modularity of the structure provides a mechanism for an application to determine computing requirements of the structure as a function of the application.

24. An operating system framework structure for an RFID reader including a platform comprising an RFID radio, the structure comprising:

a layered framework including;

a first layer, including driver-related code, communicatively coupled with the platform;

a second layer, including API-related code, communicatively coupled with the first layer and with an application for controlling the reader; and

a firmware stratum comprising a tiered plurality of functional modules integrated with the layered framework such that each tier of the firmware stratum is layered to functionally correspond to one of the layers in the layered framework.

25. The structure of claim 24, wherein:

the first layer includes a driver and a corresponding driver API for communicating therewith;

the second layer includes a function for communicating with the driver API, and a corresponding function API providing communication between the application and the function; and

the first layer and the second layer include the functional modules in the firmware stratum.

26. The structure of claim 25, wherein, in response to a call from the application to the function API, the function API calls a corresponding function, in response to which the function calls the driver API corresponding thereto, which, in response, calls the corresponding driver, which, in response, communicates with the platform to control the RFID device.

27. A software system framework structure for an RFID reader including a platform comprising an RFID radio, the structure comprising:

a vertically layered framework including;

a first layer, including driver-related code, communicatively coupled with the platform;

a second layer, including API-related code, communicatively coupled with the first layer and with an application for controlling the reader;

a third layer including the application;

wherein the first layer includes device drivers and corresponding driver APIs for communicating therewith;

wherein the second layer includes library functional modules for communicating with the driver API, and corresponding library function APIs providing communication between the application and one of the library functional modules;

wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer constitute a horizontally layered firmware stratum comprising a tiered plurality of functional modules including the library function APIs, the library functional modules, the driver APIs, and the device drivers, in which the stratum is integrated with the layered framework such that each tier of the firmware stratum is layered to functionally correspond to one of the layers in the layered framework.

28. The structure of claim 27, wherein one of the library function APIs, in response to a call from the application, calls a corresponding one of the library functional modules, which in response, calls a corresponding one of the driver APIs, which, in response, calls a corresponding one of the drivers, which, in response, communicates with the platform to control the RFID device.

29. The structure of claim 28, wherein each tier of the firmware stratum respectively includes an extensible set of modular software components selected from the group of component types consisting of drivers, libraries, and applications.

30. The structure of claim 28, wherein the firmware stratum structure formed by the plurality of functional modules is essentially orthogonal to the vertically layered framework.

31. The structure of claim 27, wherein the code in each of the first and second layers comprises modules such that each of the modules may be selectively encrypted to control access thereto.

32. The structure of claim 27, wherein the modularity of the structure provides a mechanism for an application to determine computing requirements of the structure as a function of the application.