Flexible identification systems and related methods
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:
- an apparatus comprising;
a plastic substrate;
a beacon circuit comprising;
a transmitter module coupled to the plastic substrate;
an antenna supported by the plastic substrate and coupled to the transmitter module;
one or more supporting components supported by the plastic substrate;
a watchdog module coupled to the transmitter module;
a wireless receiver coupled to the watchdog module;
a memory coupled to the watchdog module;
an identification code stored in the memory; and
an internal clock coupled to the watchdog module;
anda power source coupled to the plastic substrate to power the transmitter module;
wherein;
the plastic substrate is flexible;
the transmitter module is configured to alternate between;
a sleep mode to conserve a charge of the power source; and
an active mode for transmission of a beacon signal via the beacon circuit;
the watchdog module is configured to;
use the antenna to scan for a wake-up signal during the sleep mode; and
enable the active mode upon receipt of the wake-up signal;
the identification code is configured to define one or more sequential time ratios between receipt of two or more pulses of the wake-up signal; and
the watchdog module enables the active mode when the wireless receiver receives the two or more pulses of the wake-up signal sequentially separated by the one or more sequential time ratios defined by the identification code.
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Abstract
Embodiments of flexible identification systems are described herein. Other embodiments and related methods are also disclosed herein.
14 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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an apparatus comprising; a plastic substrate; a beacon circuit comprising; a transmitter module coupled to the plastic substrate; an antenna supported by the plastic substrate and coupled to the transmitter module; one or more supporting components supported by the plastic substrate; a watchdog module coupled to the transmitter module; a wireless receiver coupled to the watchdog module; a memory coupled to the watchdog module; an identification code stored in the memory; and an internal clock coupled to the watchdog module; and a power source coupled to the plastic substrate to power the transmitter module; wherein; the plastic substrate is flexible; the transmitter module is configured to alternate between; a sleep mode to conserve a charge of the power source; and an active mode for transmission of a beacon signal via the beacon circuit; the watchdog module is configured to; use the antenna to scan for a wake-up signal during the sleep mode; and enable the active mode upon receipt of the wake-up signal; the identification code is configured to define one or more sequential time ratios between receipt of two or more pulses of the wake-up signal; and the watchdog module enables the active mode when the wireless receiver receives the two or more pulses of the wake-up signal sequentially separated by the one or more sequential time ratios defined by the identification code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method comprising:
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providing a plastic substrate; forming a beacon circuit over the plastic substrate; providing a power source over the plastic substrate to power the beacon circuit; and providing a detection mechanism to detect a beacon signal emitted by a transmitter module of the beacon circuit; wherein; the plastic substrate is flexible; forming the beacon circuit comprises; providing an antenna over the plastic substrate; providing the transmitter module over the plastic substrate to couple to the antenna; and providing one or more supporting components over the plastic substrate to couple to the transmitter module; and providing the detection mechanism comprises; providing a scanner coupled to one or more detection antennas; and providing a signal processor coupled to the scanner and comprising at least one of; a signal averaging module to decipher the beacon signal by parsing signal counts and noise counts out of scanned data from the scanner;
ora frequency analyzer module to detect a fundamental frequency of the beacon signal out of a plurality of frequency samples captured by the scanner. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system comprising:
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an apparatus comprising; a plastic substrate; a beacon circuit comprising; a transmitter module coupled to the plastic substrate and configured to emit a beacon signal detectable at a range of at least approximately 1 kilometer; an antenna supported by the plastic substrate and coupled to the transmitter module; one or more solid state components supported by the plastic substrate; a watchdog module comprising an internal clock and coupled to the antenna; a memory module coupled to the watchdog module; an identification code stored in the memory module and configured to define one or more time ratios between sequential receipt of two or more RF pulses of a wake-up signal; and an ASIC bare die coupled to the plastic substrate and comprising at least one of the transmitter module, the watchdog module, or the memory module; and a battery coupled to the plastic substrate and configured to power the transmitter module for at least approximately 24 hours; wherein; the apparatus comprises a shape configured to be inconspicuously embedded in clothing; the transmitter module is configured to alternate between; a sleep mode to conserve a charge of the battery; and an active mode for transmission of the beacon signal; the beacon signal comprises an UWB signal at a frequency of over 1 gigahertz; the beacon circuit is configured to emit the beacon signal absent a frequency-setting crystal; the watchdog module is configured to; use the antenna to scan for the wake-up signal during the sleep mode; and enable the active mode when the wake-up signal received complies with the identification code; the plastic substrate is flexible; and the ASIC bare die comprises a thickness of between approximately 50 micrometers to approximately 100 micrometers and is configured to flex along with the plastic substrate. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification