Phase shifters, interrogators, methods of shifting a phase angle of a signal, and methods of operating an interrogator

• US 8,174,361 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Inventors: Greeff, Roy, Ovard, David K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Vernal U
• Application Number:
  US11/845,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20070290806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 455/189.1, 455/326, 455/304, 455/310, 455/317, 375/340, 375/261
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• 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: G07C 2009/00373 whereby the wake-up circuit is situated in the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

Aspects of a communication system include phase shifters, interrogators, methods of shifting a phase angle of a signal, and methods of operating an interrogator. One example provides a phase shifter that include a first power divider configured to receive a signal and provide plural quadrature components of the signal; plural mixers coupled with the first power divider and configured to scale the quadrature components using a phase shift angle; and a second power divider coupled with the mixers and configured to combine the scaled quadrature components to shift the phase angle of the input signal by the phase shift angle.

Claims

1. A method for minimizing a transmitted continuous-wave (CW) signal that appears within a received backscatter signal, comprising:

adjusting an amplitude of a local CW signal using a variable attenuator to create an amplitude-adjusted local signal, wherein the local CW signal corresponds to the transmitted CW signal;

adjusting a phase of the amplitude-adjusted local signal using a phase shifter to create an adjusted local signal;

computing an amplitude control signal based upon an amplitude of the adjusted local signal and an amplitude of the received backscatter signal;

controlling the variable attenuator using the amplitude control signal;

summing the adjusted local signal and the received backscatter signal to create a summed signal; and

providing the summed signal to processing circuitry.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

amplifying the summed signal in a low noise amplifier (LNA) before providing the summed signal to the processing circuitry.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a summed signal amplitude measurement to a phase adjuster;

receiving, at the phase adjuster, a signal from an amplitude adjuster indicating that the amplitudes of the adjusted local signal and the amplitude of the received backscatter signal have been matched;

selecting, at the phase adjuster, a selected phase shift for the amplitude-adjusted local signal; and

providing a phase control signal to the phase shifter to implement a selected phase shift.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received backscatter signal comprises a received carrier component and received side band components.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the side band components are at locations +/−

600 kHz of the carrier component.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the transmitted CW signal comprises a transmitted carrier component and transmitted side band components.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the summed signal comprises a summed carrier component and summed side band components.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein an amplitude of the summed side band components is approximately the same as an amplitude of the received side band components.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein an amplitude of the summed carrier component is approximately 20 dBm less than an amplitude of the received carrier component.

10. A method for minimizing transmitted signal bleed-through in a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator, comprising:

providing a local continuous-wave (CW) signal to a variable attenuator;

providing an amplitude-adjusted local CW signal from the variable attenuator to a phase shifter;

providing an adjusted local CW signal from the phase shifter to a first amplitude detector;

providing a first amplitude signal from the first amplitude detector to an amplitude adjuster;

providing a return link communication from an RFID tag to a second amplitude detector;

providing a second amplitude signal from the second amplitude detector to the amplitude adjuster;

comparing, in the amplitude adjuster, an amplitude of the adjusted local CW signal and an amplitude of the return link communication;

providing an amplitude control signal from the amplitude adjuster to the variable attenuator;

providing the adjusted local CW signal to a first coupler;

providing the return link communication to the first coupler;

summing, in the first coupler, the adjusted local CW signal and the return link communication to create a summed signal;

providing the summed signal to a low noise amplifier (LNA);

providing the summed signal to a third amplitude detector;

providing a third amplitude signal from the third amplitude detector to a phase adjuster;

providing a signal from the amplitude adjuster to the phase adjuster indicating that the amplitudes of the adjusted local CW signal and the return link communication have been matched;

selecting, at the phase adjuster, a selected phase shift for the amplitude-adjusted local CW signal; and

providing a phase control signal from the phase adjuster to the phase shifter to implement the selected phase shift.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the local CW signal is transmitted by the RFID interrogator during a backscatter mode of operation.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the variable attenuator is a voltage-controlled attenuator.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the variable attenuator is configured to adjust an amplitude of the local CW signal in response to an external amplitude control signal.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein an external control signal drives the variable attenuator to equalize the amplitudes of the adjusted local CW signal and the return link communication.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the phase shifter is a 360 degree phase shifter.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the phase shifter is configured to provide a phase shift to the amplitude-adjusted local CW signal, and wherein the phase shifter is controlled by an external phase control signal.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the adjusted local CW signal has an adjusted amplitude and an adjusted phase.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing the adjusted local CW signal to a power divider, wherein the power divider provides the adjusted local CW signal to both the first amplitude detector and the first coupler.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the return link communication is received from an RFID tag.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the return link communication is a modulated continuous-wave signal from an RFID tag.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a modulated continuous-wave signal is generated by the RFID tag using a backscatter mode of operation.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the amplitude adjuster has a feedback amplifier configuration.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the summed signal has an amplitude that is less than an amplitude of the return link communication.

24. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

applying an output of the LNA to processing circuitry.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting a phase shift is accomplished by searching across 360 degrees of possible phase adjustments to detect a phase adjustment for the local CW signal that provides a maximum reduction of an amplitude of the return link communication at a CW signal frequency.

26. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

continuously monitoring, at the phase adjuster, an amplitude of the summed signal; and

providing adjustment control signals from the phase adjuster to the phase shifter to minimize an amplitude of a CW signal within the summed signal.