Method and circuit for providing RF isolation of a power source from an antenna and an RFID device employing such a circuit

• US 8,162,230 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PowerID Ltd.
• Original Assignee: PowerID Ltd.
• Inventors: Nitzan, Zvi, Lavee, Doron, Almog, Benyamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mikels, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US12/424,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20090308936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/52 Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure absorbing means H01Q17/00

Abstract

An RFID device including:

• • electronic circuitry suitable for an RFID device comprising a radio frequency section;
  • an antenna;
  • a battery which provides the device with power; and
  • at least one quarter wavelength transmission line coupled between the battery and one or both of the electronic circuitry and the antenna.

Claims

1. An RFID device comprising:

(a) electronic circuitry suitable for an RFID device comprising a radio frequency section including first and second ports for connection of a power source thereto for providing power to said circuitry;

(b) an antenna;

(c) a battery having two terminals which provides the circuitry with power; and

(d) at least one transmission line having an effective length of one quarter wavelength coupled between both terminals of the battery and said first and second terminals ports.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said circuitry is mounted on a substrate.

3. The RFID device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission line is formed by one or more of a printing, a laminating, a depositing, a defusing or a placement process on the substrate or on an auxiliary substrate that is mounted on or proximate to the substrate of the device.

4. The RFID device according to claim 3, wherein the forming process of RF isolation is integrated with the forming process of the antenna and other conductors on the substrate of the RFID device.

5. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the transmission lines is formed of two parallel conductors that couple power from the two terminals of said battery to first and second terminals of said circuitry.

6. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmission line is formed of a single conductor used to couple power from said battery to said one circuitry, said conductor folded to form two parallel and shorted lines of the transmission line.

7. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a high impedance antenna.

8. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the battery is a low-impedance battery.

9. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one quarter wavelength transmission line is folded.

10. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one quarter wavelength transmission line comprises at least one shorted quarter wavelength transmission line section.

11. The RFID device according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said at least one quarter wavelength transmission line comprises two shorted quarter wavelength transmission line sections and wherein each of the two shorted quarter wavelength transmission line sections isolates one terminal of the battery from one terminal of the electronic circuitry.

12. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is a dedicated RFID ASIC.

13. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the second port is connected to the antenna.

14. The RFID device according to claim 8, wherein the transmission line at least partly blocks RF leaks inside the circuitry from causing battery loading.

15. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein a transmission line of said at least one transmission line interconnects said battery to said antenna.

16. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the RFID device is a battery assisted passive RFID device or an active RFID device.

17. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmission line is realized without adding components or assembly acts to said RFID device over a same device with same components and without a transmission line.

18. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the RFID device consists essentially of said antenna, said battery, said circuitry and said at least one transmission line.

19. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission line is wrapped, at least in part.

20. The RFID device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one transmission line is a transmission line formed of two conductors, a first conductor which connects a terminal of said battery to said circuitry and a second conductor which connects a second terminal of said battery to said antenna and thereby to said circuitry.

21. The RFID device according to claim 20, wherein at least one of said at least one transmission lines is folded to form at least three sections and wherein said antenna is a dipole-type antenna.

22. An RFID device comprising:

(a) electronic circuitry suitable for an RFID device comprising a radio frequency section;

(b) an antenna;

(c) a battery which provides the device with power; and

(d) at least one quarter wavelength transmission line coupled between the battery and one or both of the electronic circuitry and the antenna,

wherein said transmission line is a shorted transmission line formed of a single conductor folded so two sections thereof are parallel and form a shorted transmission line two conductors, said single conductor connecting a terminal of said battery to said circuitry and also comprising a second conductor which connects a second terminal of said battery to said antenna and thereby to said circuitry.

23. The RFID device according to claim 22, wherein said second conductor is also formed into a shorted transmission line.

24. The RFID device according to claim 22, wherein the at least one transmission line is realized without adding components or assembly acts to said RFID device over a same device with same components and without said at least one transmission line.

25. The RFID device according to claim 22, wherein the RFID device consists essentially of said antenna, said battery, said circuitry and said at least one transmission line.

26. The RFID device of claim 22 wherein the battery has two terminals and wherein the at least one quarter wavelength transmission line is coupled between both terminals of the battery and one or both of the electronic circuitry and the antenna.