Power saving method

• US 8,890,660 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Stromberger, Guenter
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casillashernandez, Omar
• Application Number:
  US13/258,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20120038464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.3, 340/10.1, 711/103
• US Class Current: 340/10.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0283 with sequential power up or power down of successive circuit blocks, e.g. switching on the local oscillator before RF or mixer stages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for saving power especially for tag talks first data transmission in radio frequency identification (RFID) systems including a tag containing a non-volatile memory, a digital block and an analogue block and a static random access, wherein the data of the non-volatile memory are prefetched from the non-volatile memory into the digital block and the tag talks first data will be stored in the static random access memory embedded in the digital block.

Claims

1. Method for saving power for tag talks first data transmission in a radio frequency identification system including a tag containing a non-volatile memory, a digital block and an analogue block and a static random access memory (RAM), wherein tag talks first data of the non-volatile memory are prefetched from the non-volatile memory into the digital block and the tag talks first data is stored in the static random access memory embedded in the digital block and the non volatile memory is switched into power down mode during transmission of the tag talks first data;

wherein the digital block is operated at a voltage which is lower than the voltage applied to the non-volatile memory during transmission of the tag talks first data;

wherein at least at the beginning a reader field is switched off and a tag talks first mode is low and a read status of the non-volatile memory is low;

wherein at a predetermined point in time the reader field is switched on; and

wherein prefetching tag talks first data from the non-volatile memory is triggered by the switching on of the reader field.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein furthermore the tag talks first data will be provided by the static RAM during reply modulation of the process.

3. RFID tag containing the non-volatile memory, the digital block and the analogue block and the static random access memory according to claim 1.

4. A method for saving power for tag talks first data transmission in a radio frequency identification system including a tag containing a non-volatile memory, a digital block having a static random access memory (RAM), and an analogue block, the method comprising:

prefetching tag talks first data from the non-volatile memory and storing the prefetched tag talks first data into the static RAM of the digital block, wherein prefetching tag talks first data from the non-volatile memory is triggered by the switching on of a reader field;

transmitting the prefetched tag talks first data from the static RAM of the radio frequency identification system;

putting the non-volatile memory into a power down mode during transmission of the prefetched tag talks first data; and

further comprising operating the digital block at a voltage which is lower than the voltage applied to the non-volatile memory during transmission of the prefetched tag talks first data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein chip configuration data is prefetched from the non-volatile memory along with the tag talks first data.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing the tag talks first data from the static RAM during a reply modulation process.

7. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising:

an analogue block;

a non-volatile memory that stores tag talks first data; and

a digital block having a static random access memory (RAM);

wherein the RFID tag is configured to;

prefetch the tag talks first data from the non-volatile memory and store the prefetched tag talks first data into the static RAM of the digital block, wherein prefetching tag talks first data from the non-volatile memory is triggered by the switching on of a reader field;

transmit the prefetched tag talks first data from the analogue block of the RFID tag; and

put the non-volatile memory into a power down mode during transmission of the prefetched tag talks first data; and

operate the digital block at a voltage which is lower than the voltage applied to the non-volatile memory during transmission of the prefetched tag talks first data.