Multi-mode RFID tag architecture

• US 7,679,514 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Maryam, Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza), Shameli, Amin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US11/928,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.2, 340/572.4, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 340/539.1, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 235/383, 235/385, 235/487, 342/42, 342/125
• US Class Current: 340/572.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0724 the arrangement being a circuit for communicating at a plurality of frequencies, e.g. for managing time multiplexed communication over at least two antennas of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07766 comprising at least a second communication arrangement in addition to a first non-contact communication arrangement
• 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 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A multi-mode RFID tag includes a power generating and signal detection module, a baseband processing module, a transmit section, a configurable coupling circuit, and an antenna section. In near field mode, the configurable coupling circuit is operable to couple the transmit section to a coil or inductor in the configurable coupling circuit to transmit an outbound transmit signal using electromagnetic or inductive coupling to an RFID reader. In far field mode, the configurable coupling circuit is operable to couple the transmit section to the antenna section, and the multi-mode RFID tag then utilizes a back-scattering RF technology to transmit the outbound transmit signal to RFID readers.

Claims

1. A multi-mode radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprises:

a configurable coupling circuit that, when the multi-mode RFID tag is in a near field mode, provides electromagnetic coupling to an RFID reader and, when the multi-mode RFID tag is in a far field mode, provides radio frequency (RF) coupling to the RFID reader;

a power generating and signal detection module coupled to the configurable coupling circuit, wherein the power generating and signal detection module converts an inbound receive signal into a supply voltage and recovers encoded data from the inbound receive signal;

a baseband processing module coupled to;

decode the encoded data to produce a decoded signal;

process the decoded signal;

when the processing of the decoded signal indicates generating a response signal, generate the response signal; and

encode the response signal to produce outbound encoded data;

a transmit section coupled to the configurable coupling circuit, wherein the transmit section converts the outbound encoded data into an outbound transmit signal.

2. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the configurable coupling circuit comprises:

a first capacitor coupled to an antenna in the far field mode and open or coupled to ground in the near field mode;

an inductor to provide the electromagnetic coupling in the near field mode and to provide an inductance value for impedance matching in the far field mode; and

a second capacitor coupled to the inductor to provide a capacitance value to tune the impedance matching for the far field mode or to tune at least one of;

bandwidth, quality factor, gain and roll-off of the configurable coupling circuit in the near field mode.

3. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 2, wherein the second capacitor is adjustable.

4. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 3, wherein the antenna in the far field mode is operable to transmit and receive RF signals in an ultra high frequency (UHF) range.

5. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 4, wherein the inductor to provide the electromagnetic coupling in the near field mode comprises a coil inductor operable to provide the electromagnetic coupling in ultra high frequency (UHF) range in the near field mode.

6. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 4, wherein the coil inductor is integrated on-chip.

7. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 6, wherein the coil inductor is integrated on a CMOS chip.

8. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the baseband processing module that is coupled to decode the encoded data to produce a decoded signal, further functions to:

utilize a first encoding/decoding protocol when in the near field mode; and

utilize a second encoding/decoding protocol when in the far field mode.

9. The multimode RFID tag of claim 8, wherein the baseband processing module coupled to encode the response signal to produce encoded data, comprises:

at least a first encoding processing module for encoding the response signal in near field mode in the first encoding protocol and for encoding the response signal in far field mode in the second encoding protocol.

10. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 4, wherein the inductor to provide the electromagnetic coupling in the near field mode comprises a coil inductor operable to provide the electromagnetic coupling in low frequency (LF) range in the near field mode.

11. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the configurable coupling circuit is operable to switch to near field mode and provide electromagnetic coupling to an RFID reader in response to a command from the RFID reader.

12. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the configurable coupling circuit is operable to switch to far field mode and provide RF coupling to an RFID reader in response to a command from the RFID reader.

13. The multi-mode RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the configurable coupling circuit is configured to operate in far field mode and provide RF coupling to the RFID reader until it receives a command from the RFID reader to switch to near field mode and provide electromagnetic coupling to the RFID reader.

14. A method for operating a multi-mode RFID tag, comprising:

configuring a coupling circuit of the multi-mode RFID tag to provide RF coupling to an RFID reader in far field mode and inductive coupling to an RFID reader in a near field mode;

communicating with the RFID reader in one of the far field mode and the near field mode;

when a command is received from the RFID reader, configuring the coupling circuit to provide the other one of the far field mode and the near field mode;

communicating with the RFID in the other one of the far field mode and the near field mode; and

wherein communicating with the RFID reader comprises;

receiving an inbound signal from the RFID reader, recovering an encoded data signal from the inbound signal;

decoding the recovered encoded data signal, wherein the encoded data signal is encoded with a first encoding protocol;

processing the decoded data signal;

generating a response signal to the decoded data signal in response to a command in the decoded data signal that requires a response to the RFID reader;

encoding the response signal with the first encoding protocol.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

modulating the response signal encoded with the first encoding protocol onto a carrier signal, wherein the carrier signal is in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range; and

transmitting the modulated carrier signal to the RFID reader using RF coupling.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

modulating the response signal encoded with the second encoding protocol onto a carrier signal, wherein the carrier signal is in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range; and

transmitting the modulated carrier signal to the RFID reader using inductive coupling.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating power to operate the multi-mode RFID tag from an inbound signal from the RFID reader in both near field mode and far field mode.

18. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprises:

a configurable coupling circuit operable to provide electromagnetic coupling to a RFID reader in a near field mode and to provide RF coupling to a RFID reader in a far field mode;

a power generating and signal detection module coupled to the configurable coupling circuit, wherein the power generating and signal detection module converts an inbound receive signal from the RFID reader into a supply voltage and recovers encoded data from the inbound receive signal in the near field mode and in the far field mode to produce a recovered encoded data signal;

a baseband processing module operable to;

decode the recovered encoded data signal using a first protocol in when in the far field mode and using a second protocol when in the near field mode to produce a decoded data signal;

processing the decoded data signal;

generating a response signal to the decoded data signal in accordance with a command in the decoded data signal; and

encoding the response signal using the first protocol when in the far field mode and using the second protocol when in the near field mode to produce outbound encoded data; and

a transmit section coupled to the configurable coupling circuit, wherein the transmit section converts the outbound encoded data into an outbound transmit signal.

19. The RFID tag of claim 18, wherein the outbound transmit signal is in an ultra high frequency (UHF) range in both far field mode and near field mode.

20. The RFID tag of claim 18, wherein the configurable coupling circuit comprises:

a first capacitor coupled to an antenna in the far field mode and open or coupled to ground in the near field mode;

an inductor to provide the electromagnetic coupling in the near field mode and to provide an inductance value for impedance matching in the far field mode; and

a second capacitor coupled to the inductor to provide a capacitance value to tune the impedance matching for the far field mode or to tune bandwidth, quality factor, gain, or roll-off of configurable coupling circuit in the near field mode.

21. The RFID tag of claim 20, wherein the outbound transmit signal is in an ultra high frequency (UHF) range in both far field mode and near field mode.

22. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprises:

a radio frequency (RF) antenna operable to provide RF coupling in a far field mode;

a coil antenna operable to provide electromagnetic coupling in the near field mode;

a signal detection module coupled to the RF antenna or to the coil antenna, wherein the signal detection module recovers encoded data from the inbound receive signal to produce a recovered encoded data signal;

a baseband processing module operable to;

decode the recovered encoded data signal using a first protocol when operating in the far field mode and using a second protocol when operating in the near field mode to produce a decoded data signal;

processing the decoded data signal;

generating a response signal to the decoded data signal in accordance with a command in the decoded data signal; and

encoding the response signal using the first protocol when operating in the far field mode and using the second protocol when operating in the near field mode to produce outbound encoded data; and

a transmit section coupled to the RF antenna or to the coil antenna, wherein the transmit section converts the outbound encoded data into an outbound transmit signal.

23. The RFID tag of claim 22, further comprising a configurable coupling circuit operable to:

couple the RF antenna to the signal detection module and the transmit section when operating in far field mode; and

couple the coil antenna to the signal detection module and the transmit section when operating in near field mode.

24. The RFID tag of claim 22, wherein the RFID tag is configured before provisioning to couple the RF antenna to the signal detection module and the transmit section for operation in far field mode or couple the coil antenna to the signal detection module and the transmit section for operation in near field mode.