Method and system for low cost, power efficient, wireless transponder devices with enhanced functionality
First Claim
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1. An RFID transceiver device for transmitting sensor data comprising:
- a microcontroller with a clock, said clock having an adjustable speed that is changed by an external input signal,at least one sensor coupled to the microcontroller;
backscatter circuitry associated with the microcontroller for transmission of a backscattered signal from the microcontroller to an RFID reader; and
a battery to power the microcontroller,wherein data from the at least one sensor is stored in non-volatile memory of the microcontroller if the battery is at a predetermined low level, and is read later when the battery is at a higher level.
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Abstract
A method and system for inventorying wireless transponders, specifically referred to as RFID transceiver devices. To provide higher functionality, a microcontroller is used in the RFID, along with a battery, but the clock frequency of the microcontroller is adjusted, based on external input, to minimize battery requirements. The RFID transceiver device includes at least one sensor coupled to the microcontroller. Data from the at least one sensor is stored in non-volatile memory of the microcontroller if the battery is at a predetermined low level, and is read later when the battery is at a higher level.
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Citations
67 Claims
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1. An RFID transceiver device for transmitting sensor data comprising:
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a microcontroller with a clock, said clock having an adjustable speed that is changed by an external input signal, at least one sensor coupled to the microcontroller; backscatter circuitry associated with the microcontroller for transmission of a backscattered signal from the microcontroller to an RFID reader; and a battery to power the microcontroller, wherein data from the at least one sensor is stored in non-volatile memory of the microcontroller if the battery is at a predetermined low level, and is read later when the battery is at a higher level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An RFID transceiver device for transmitting sensor data comprising:
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a microcontroller with a clock, said clock having an adjustable speed that is changed by an external input signal, at least one sensor coupled to the microcontroller; backscatter circuitry associated with the microcontroller for transmission of a backscattered signal from the microcontroller to an RFID reader; and a battery to power the microcontroller; wherein data from the at least one sensor is time stamped with an initial free running real time clock until time synchronization is achieved, and a difference between the free running clock and synchronized clock is used to modify the timestamp.
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23. An RFID system comprising an RFID reader and an RFID transceiver device, for transmitting sensor data, with the RFID transceiver device comprising:
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a microcontroller with a clock, said clock having an adjustable speed that is changed by an external input signal, at least one sensor coupled to the microcontroller; backscatter circuitry associated with the microcontroller for transmission of a backscattered signal from the microcontroller to the RFID reader; and a battery to power the microcontroller; wherein data from the at least one sensor is stored in non-volatile memory of the microcontroller if the battery is at a predetermined low level, and is read later when the battery is at a higher level. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for reading data from an RFID transceiver device using an RFID reader, and for transmitting sensor data with the RFID transceiver device comprising the steps of:
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providing a microcontroller with a clock and battery to power the microcontroller, obtaining data from at least one sensor coupled to the microcontroller; backscattering a signal from the RFID transceiver device with backscatter circuitry; transmitting the backscattered signal to the RFID reader; adjusting a speed of the clock using an external input signal; and storing data from the sensor in non-volatile memory of the microcontroller if the battery is at a predetermined low level, and reading the data later when the battery is at a higher level. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A method for reading data from an RFID transceiver device using an RFID reader, and for transmitting sensor data with the RFID transceiver device comprising the steps of:
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providing a microcontroller with a clock and battery to power the microcontroller; obtaining data from at least one sensor coupled to the microcontroller, backscattering a signal from the RFID transceiver device with backscatter circuitry; transmitting the backscattered signal to the RFID reader; adjusting a speed of the clock using an external input signal; and timestamping data from the sensor with an initial free running real time clock until time synchronization is achieved, and using a difference between the free running clock and synchronized clock to modify the timestamp.
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Specification