Method and circuit for accessing RFID tag

• US 8,698,600 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xueshan Technologies Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MStar Semiconductor Incorporated (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Chih Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/551,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20100073144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.4, 340/10.2, 340/458, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/10.51, 340/10.52, 340/3.41, 340/10.3, 340/10.31, 340/572.4, 235/375, 235/385, 235/436, 370/458
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/75 by polling or interrogating the sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag access method and a circuit applied to an RFID tag to determine whether to respond to a command sent by a reader are provided. According to the access method, an extra reference value is used for adjusting a parameter or a count value, so as to increase or decrease the probability of generating a condition matching with a command sent by the reader. Therefore, the probability of the tag being accessed is adjusted, and the tag carrying urgent information shall be accessed prior to the tag without urgent information.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag access method for determining whether to respond to a reader command transmitted by an RFID reader, the method comprising steps of:

transmitting a setting command by the RFID reader to a plurality RFID tags within range of the RFID reader for setting a function enabling parameter, a first reference value, and a second reference value in a memory of each of the plurality of the RFID tags before querying responses from the RFID tags;

storing the function enabling parameter, the first reference value, and the second reference value in each of the plurality of the RFID tags;

wherein the function enabling parameter indicates whether a count value generating circuit of the RFID tag is enabled to use the first reference value for adjusting a Q value in the reader command and uses the second reference value for adjusting a count value generated by the RFID tag, wherein the second reference value is equal to or greater than 1;

receiving, by the RFID tag, the reader command including the Q value sent by the RFID reader, wherein;

when the RFID tag determines that the reader command is a query command that indicates the RFID tag to begin a query, and that the function enabling parameter indicates the count value generating circuit is enabled to use the first reference value for adjusting the Q value,

replacing, by the RFID tag, the Q value in the query command with the first reference value to generate an adjusted Q value and generating a count range according to the adjusted Q value;

selecting the count value within the count range and storing the count value in the memory of the RFID tag; and

determining whether the RFID tag should respond to the query command sent by the reader according to the count value;

when the RFID tag determines that the reader command is the query command being repeated indicating the RFID tag to execute a query repeat process, and that the function enabling parameter indicates the count value generating circuit is enabled to use the second reference value for adjusting the count value stored in the memory of the RFID tag,

subtracting the second reference value from the count value to generate an adjusted count value;

determining whether the RFID tag should respond to the repeated query command sent by the RFID reader according to the adjusted count value;

when the RFID tag determines that the reader command is a query adjust command issued by the reader when the reader receives redundant responses from the tags or is unable to get a response,

increasing or decreasing the Q value by 1;

adjusting the increased/decreased Q value by the RFID tag according to a function of the first reference value to generate the adjusted Q value when the function enabling parameter indicates the count value generating circuit is enabled to use the first reference value for adjusting the Q value;

generating the count range according to the adjusted Q value;

selecting the count value within the count range; and

determining whether the RFID tag should respond to the query adjust command sent by the RFID reader according to the count value.

2. The access method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusted Q value is smaller than the Q value.

3. The access method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function enabling parameter stored in each of the plurality of RFID tags is reset via a command sent by the RFID reader after all the plurality of RFID tags within the range of the RFID reader are accessed.

4. The access method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is in compliance with a generation 2 specification of an electronic product code operating in ultra high frequency or high frequency.

5. An access circuit of an RFID tag for determining whether to respond to a reader command transmitted by an RFID reader, the access circuit comprising:

a memory, for storing a function enabling parameter, a first reference value, and a second reference value all included in a setting command transmitted by the RFID reader to a plurality of RFID tags within range of the RFID reader before querying responses from the plurality RFID tags, wherein the second reference value is greater than or equal to 1, and the function enabling parameter indicates whether a count value generating circuit of the RFID tag is enabled to use the first reference value for adjusting a Q value and uses the second reference value for adjusting a count value generated by the RFID tag;

the count value generating circuit comprising;

an adjusting circuit, for adjusting the Q value, embedded in the reader command transmitted by the RFID reader, to generate an adjusted Q value according to the reader command, wherein;

when the RFID tag determines that the reader command is a query command that indicates the RFID tag to begin a query, and that the function enabling parameter indicates the count value generating circuit is enabled to use the first reference value for adjusting the Q value,

the adjusting circuit replaces the Q value with the first reference value to generate the adjusted Q value, which is provided to a calculating circuit of the RFID tag to generate a count range according to the adjusted Q value; and

wherein the calculating circuit selects a count value from the count range;

when the RFID tag determines that the reader command is the query command being repeated, indicating the RFID tag to execute a query repeat process, and that the function enabling parameter indicates the count value generating circuit is enabled to use the second reference value for adjusting the count value stored in the memory of the RFID tag,

the calculating circuit subtracts the second reference value from the count value to generate an adjusted count value; and

when the RFID tag determines that the reader command is a query adjust command issued by the reader when the reader receives redundant responses from the tags or is unable to get a response, the adjusting circuit increases or decreases the Q value by 1, and the adjusting circuit adjusts the increased/decreased Q value according to a function of the first reference value to generate the adjusted Q value when the function enabling parameter indicates the count value generating circuit is enabled to use the first reference value for adjusting the Q value to generate the adjusted Q value for the calculating circuit to calculate the count range;

the calculating circuit, for generating the count range according to the adjusted Q value and selecting the count value from the count range; and

a controlling circuit, for determining whether the RFID tag should respond to the reader command sent by the RFID reader when the count value is equal to or smaller than zero;

wherein when the count value is greater than zero, the adjusting circuit further subtracts the second reference value from the count value to generate an adjusted count value according to the function enabling parameter, and the controlling circuit determines whether the RFID tag should respond to the reader command according to the adjusted count value.

6. The access circuit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the function enabling parameter of each of the plurality RFID tags is reset via a command sent by the RFID reader after all the plurality RFID tags within the range of the RFID reader are accessed.

7. The access circuit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the adjusting circuit calculates the Q value according to the first reference value to generate the adjusted Q value, wherein the adjusted Q value is smaller than the Q value.

8. The access circuit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the RFID tag is in compliance with a generation 2 specification of an electronic product code operating in ultra high frequency or high frequency.