Passive tag including volatile memory

• US 8,102,263 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Yeo, Junho, Preishuber-Pfluegl, Josef, Janek, Alex, Son, Hae-Won, Jung, Jae-Young, Mo, Hee-Sook, Bae, Ji-Hoon, Choi, Gil-Young, Pyo, Cheol-Sig, Chae, Jong-Suk, Schuhal, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US11/931,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/10.5, 340/505, 340/572.1, 340/13.26, 340/10.34
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs

Abstract

A passive tag including a volatile memory is provided. The passive tag includes: a sensing unit which senses or measures information about environmental surroundings of the tag; a volatile memory; a non-volatile memory; and a control unit which firstly stores resultant data sensed or measured by the sensing unit in the volatile memory and then moves the data stored in the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory according to pre-set conditions. Therefore, the life of the tag is prolonged and stability of important data can be secured.

Claims

1. A semi-passive tag which communicates with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, the semi-passive tag comprising:

a sensing unit which senses or measures information about environmental surroundings of the tag;

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory;

a power receiving unit which receives an RF signal including operating power of the tag from the RFID reader;

a power supply unit which supplies power required to operate the tag; and

a control unit which monitors first and second power levels of first power received in the power receiving unit and of second power available from the power supply unit, stores resultant data sensed or measured by the sensing unit in the volatile memory, and moves the data stored in the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory when the first power level falls below a first threshold or the second power level falls below a second threshold different from the first threshold,

wherein the control unit is further operative to transmit to the RFID reader a signal indicating that insufficient power remains when the power remaining in the power supply unit is insufficient to operate the tag.

2. The semi-passive tag of claim 1, further comprising:

a power management unit which measures a strength of the RF signal received from the power receiving unit and supplies the power of the power supply unit or the RF power received from the RFID reader to the tag according to the strength of the RF signal.

3. The semi-passive tag of claim 1, wherein the control unit further moves the data stored in the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory when a data move command is received from the RFID reader.

4. The semi-passive tag of claim 1, wherein the control unit further moves the data stored in the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory when an exceeded amount of the power remains after the power is supplied to each element of the tag by using the RF power received from the RFID reader.

5. The semi-passive tag of claim 2, wherein the first threshold indicates when the RF power received from the RFID reader is not sufficient to operate the tag and the second threshold indicates when the remaining power in the power supply unit is not sufficient to operate the tag.

6. The semi-passive tag of claim 2, wherein the power supply unit comprises a battery and a capacity device.