Radio frequency identification devices

• US 9,274,533 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Seungwon
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US13/961,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 235/488, 235/451, 235/487, 235/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/10 Regulating voltage or current G05F1/02 takes precedence; for electric railways B60M3/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

Radio frequency identification (RFID) devices are provided including a contactless internal voltage generator configured to generate a rectification voltage responsive to a radio frequency (RF) input signal and an internal voltage responsive to the generated rectification voltage and a reference voltage; a clock generator configured to sense an amount of current to a sink path of the contactless internal voltage generator and to generate a clock signal using a variable resistance value, the variable resistance value based on the amount of current sensed; and an internal circuit driven by the internal voltage and the clock signal.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising:

a contactless internal voltage generator configured to generate a rectification voltage responsive to a radio frequency (RF) input signal and an internal voltage responsive to the generated rectification voltage and a reference voltage;

a clock generator configured to sense an amount of current to a sink path of the contactless internal voltage generator and to generate a clock signal using a variable resistance value, the variable resistance value based on the amount of current sensed; and

an internal circuit driven by the internal voltage and the clock signal,

wherein the sink path is a current path of a current sinker in the contactless internal voltage generator.

2. The RFID device of claim 1, wherein the contactless internal voltage generator is further configured to generate an induced voltage responsive to the RF input signal and to rectify the induced voltage to generate the rectification voltage.

3. The RFID device of claim 2, wherein the contactless internal voltage generator comprises:

a first transistor between a first node that outputs the rectification voltage and a second node that outputs a first internal voltage;

a second transistor between the second node and a ground;

a third transistor between the second node and a third node that outputs the internal voltage;

a first comparator configured to output a first comparison value between the reference voltage and a first division voltage to a gate of the first transistor;

a second comparator configured to output a second comparison value between the reference voltage and a second division voltage to a gate of the second transistor; and

a third comparator configured to output a third comparison value between the reference voltage and a third division voltage to a gate of the third transistor,

wherein the first division voltage is a division voltage of the rectification voltage via first resistors connected in series between the first node and a ground, the second division voltage is a division voltage of the first internal voltage via second resistors connected in series between the second node and the ground, and the third division voltage is a division voltage of the internal voltage via third resistors connected in series between the third node and the ground.

4. The RFID device of claim 3, wherein the contactless internal voltage generator further comprises:

a first rectification capacitor between the first node and the ground and configured to maintain a level of the first internal voltage constantly; and

a second rectification capacitor between the second node and the ground and configured to maintain a level of the first internal voltage constantly.

5. The RFID device of claim 2, wherein the contactless internal voltage generator comprises:

a first PMOS transistor between a first node that outputs the rectification voltage of the RFID rectifier and a second node that outputs the internal voltage;

a first NMOS transistor between the second node and a ground;

a first comparator configured to output a first comparison result between the reference voltage and a first division voltage to a gate of the first PMOS transistor; and

a second comparator configured to output a second comparison result between the reference voltage and a second division voltage to a gate of the first NMOS transistor,

wherein the first division voltage is a division voltage of the rectification voltage via first resistors connected in series between the first node and the ground, and the second division voltage is a division voltage of the internal voltage via second resistors connected in series between the second node and the ground.

6. The RFID device of claim 1, further comprising a contact internal voltage generator configured to receive a power supply voltage from an external device from a pad and to generate the internal voltage using the power supply voltage and the reference voltage.

7. The RFID device of claim 6, wherein the contact internal voltage generator comprises:

a PMOS transistor between a power terminal supplied with the power supply voltage and an output terminal that outputs the internal voltage; and

a comparator configured to output a comparison result between the reference voltage and a division voltage to a gate of the PMOS transistor,

wherein the division voltage is a division voltage of the internal voltage via resistors connected in series between the output terminal and a ground.

8. The RFID device of claim 6, further comprising:

a power switch configured to generate an enable signal when one of the rectification voltage is supplied from the contactless internal voltage generator and the power supply voltage is supplied from the contact internal voltage generator, the contactless internal voltage generator and/or the contact internal voltage generator being activated by the enable signal.

9. The RFID device of claim 8, further comprising:

a first protection transistor configured to connect a first node that outputs the rectification voltage to a ground when the power supply voltage is applied to the power switch; and

a second protection transistor configured to connect the pad to the ground when the rectification voltage is applied to the power switch.

10. The RFID device of claim 1, wherein the clock generator comprises:

a current amount sensing unit configured to sense a voltage corresponding to the amount of current flowing to the sink path and to provide a sensing current corresponding to the sensed voltage flow; and

an RC clock generator configured to generate the clock signal using the variable resistance value corresponding to the sensing current and a capacitor.

11. The RFID device of claim 10, wherein the RC clock generator comprises:

a control voltage generating unit configured to output a control voltage corresponding to the sensing current;

a first internal signal generating unit configured to generate a first internal voltage by comparing the control voltage and a voltage corresponding to the clock signal;

a second internal signal generating unit configured to generate a second internal voltage by comparing the control voltage and a voltage corresponding to an inverted version of the clock signal; and

a clock generating unit configured to generate the clock by performing an AND operation on the second internal signal and the inverted version of the clock signal and to generate the inverted version of the clock signal by performing an AND operation on the first internal signal and the clock signal.

12. The RFID device of claim 1, further comprising a reference voltage generator configured to generate the reference voltage.

13. A radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising:

a contactless internal voltage generator configured to generate a rectification voltage responsive to an input of a radio frequency (RF) signal and an internal voltage based on the rectification voltage and a reference voltage in response to an enable signal;

a contact internal voltage generator configured to generate the internal voltage based on a power supply voltage externally provided and the reference voltage in response to the enable signal;

a power switch configured to generate the enable signal when one of the rectification voltage is generated and the power supply voltage is received; and

a logic circuit driven by the internal voltage

wherein the contactless internal voltage generator comprises;

an RF rectifier configured to generate an induced voltage responsive to an input of the RF signal and to output the rectification voltage obtained by rectifying the induced voltage to a first node;

a first PMOS transistor between the first node and a second node that outputs the internal voltage;

a first NMOS transistor between the second node and a ground;

a first comparator configured to output a first comparison value between the reference voltage and a first division voltage to a gate of the first PMOS transistor; and

a second comparator configured to output a second comparison value between the reference voltage and a second division voltage to a gate of the first NMOS transistor,

wherein the first division voltage is a division voltage of the rectification voltage via first resistors connected in series between the first node and a ground and the second division voltage is a division voltage of the internal voltage via second resistors connected in series between the second node and the ground; and

wherein the contact internal voltage generator comprises a second PMOS transistor between a pad supplied with the power supply voltage and the second node; and

a comparator configured to output a third comparison result between the reference voltage and a third division voltage to a gate of the second PMOS transistor, the third division voltage being a division voltage of the internal voltage via third resistors connected in series between the second node and a ground.

14. The RFID device of claim 13, further comprising:

an auto gain controller configured to mirror a path of the rectification voltage and a path of the internal voltage and to adjust the amount of current of a detection node for detecting the RF signal.