Passive RFID transponder and RFID reader

• US 8,616,456 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Kargl, Walter, Ehrlich, Edmund
• Primary Examiner(s): St. Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/040,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20110215158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 235487-492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/04 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits

Abstract

A passive RFID transponder includes a coder and a modulator. The coder generates a digital coded data stream based on a digital data stream to be transmitted. The digital coded data stream includes an initialization bit sequence having a maximum data frequency of the digital coded data stream. Furthermore, the digital coded data stream changes its value at the latest after a predefined number of bits. The modulator modulates an amplitude of a carrier signal with the digital coded data stream to provide an amplitude-modulated coded signal.

Claims

1. A passive RFID transponder comprising:

a coder configured to generate a digital coded data stream based on a digital data stream to be transmitted, the digital coded data stream including an initialization bit sequence having a maximum data frequency of the digital coded data stream, and to add at least one complementary bit to the digital data stream to be transmitted if the digital data stream to be transmitted does not change its value over more bits than a predefined number of bits; and

a modulator configured to modulate an amplitude of a carrier signal with the digital coded data stream to provide an amplitude-modulated coded signal.

2. The passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maximum data frequency is independent of a subcarrier signal.

3. The passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coder is configured to generate the digital coded data stream based on NRZ coding.

4. The passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulator comprises a transistor configured to be controlled at a control electrode by the digital coded data stream in order to modulate the carrier signal directly with the digital coded data stream.

5. A chip card including the passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 1.

6. An RFID reader comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an amplitude-modulated coded reception signal;

a demodulator configured to demodulate the amplitude-modulated coded reception signal based on a carrier signal generated by the RFID reader to obtain a digital coded data stream; and

a decoder configured to determine a maximum data frequency of the digital coded data stream, to provide a decoded digital data stream based on the maximum data frequency and to process digital coded data streams with different maximum data frequencies in order to generate decoded digital data streams.

7. The RFID reader as claimed in claim 6, wherein the digital coded data stream includes an initialization bit sequence having the maximum data frequency of the digital coded data stream.

8. The RFID reader as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a synchronization apparatus configured to compensate for a phase shift in the digital coded data stream based on a change in the value of the digital coded data stream.

9. The RFID reader as claimed in claim 6, wherein the digital coded data stream changes its value at the latest after a predefined number of bits.

10. The RFID reader as claimed in claim 6, wherein the demodulator comprises a differential amplifier configured to amplify a difference between the amplitude-modulated coded reception signal and the carrier signal generated by the RFID reader, and wherein the demodulator is configured to obtain the digital coded data stream based on the amplified difference.

11. A method of providing an amplitude-modulated coded signal, comprising:

generating a digital coded data stream based on a digital data stream to be transmitted, the digital coded data stream including an initialization bit sequence having a maximum data frequency of the digital coded data stream;

adding at least one complementary bit to the digital data stream to be transmitted if the digital data stream to be transmitted does not change its value over more bits than a predefined number of bits; and

modulating an amplitude of a carrier signal with the digital coded data stream to provide the amplitude-modulated coded signal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the maximum data frequency is independent of a subcarrier signal.

13. A passive RFID transponder comprising:

a coder configured to generate a digital coded data stream based on a digital data stream to be transmitted, the digital coded data stream including an initialization bit sequence having a maximum data frequency of the digital coded data stream, and to assign a group of data bits with a defined number of data bits from the digital data stream to be transmitted to a coded bit sequence in order to obtain the digital coded data stream, a number of bits in the coded bit sequence being greater than the defined number of data bits, and not all bits in the coded bit sequence having the same value; and

a modulator configured to modulate an amplitude of a carrier signal with the digital coded data stream to provide an amplitude-modulated coded signal.

14. The passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 13, wherein the maximum data frequency is independent of a subcarrier signal.

15. A chip card including the passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 13.

16. The passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 13, wherein the coder is configured to generate the digital coded data stream based on NRZ coding.

17. The passive RFID transponder as claimed in claim 13, wherein the modulator comprises a transistor configured to be controlled at a control electrode by the digital coded data stream in order to modulate the carrier signal directly with the digital coded data stream.

18. A method of providing an amplitude-modulated coded signal, comprising:

generating a digital coded data stream based on a digital data stream to be transmitted, the digital coded data stream including an initialization bit sequence having a maximum data frequency of the digital coded data stream,

assigning a group of data bits with a defined number of data bits from the digital data stream to be transmitted to a coded bit sequence in order to obtain the digital coded data stream, a number of bits in the coded bit sequence being greater than the defined number of data bits, and not all bits in the coded bit sequence having the same value; and

modulating an amplitude of a carrier signal with the digital coded data stream to provide the amplitude-modulated coded signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the wherein the maximum data frequency is independent of a subcarrier signal.