Programmatic control of RFID tags

• US 9,396,426 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Piersol, Kurt, Gudan, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Mikels, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/849,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20130234835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/492, 340/10, 340/572
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07381 with deactivation or otherwise incapacitation of at least a part of the circuit upon detected tampering
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0739 the incapacitated circuit being part of an antenna
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07773 Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field

Abstract

Techniques that enable a device to advertise its mode of operation using an RFID tag attached to the device. Techniques are provided for programmatically controlling an RFID tag. An RFID tag attached to a device is programmatically enabled or disabled depending upon the mode(s) of operation of the device. The RFID tag is able to transmit a signal when enabled and not able to transmit a signal when disabled. Using such a controllable RFID tag, a device can efficiently indicate or advertise its mode of operation to an RFID reader or sensor.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a device, the device being capable of operating in at least a first mode and a second mode, the method comprising:

upon a change in operating mode of the device from the first mode to the second mode, receiving, at a controller apparatus coupled to the RFID tag, a first indication that the device is operating in the second mode;

enabling, by the controller apparatus, based on the first indication, transmission of signals by the RFID tag, wherein the RFID tag is a passive RFID tag, and

wherein the enabling comprises unclamping two poles of an antenna of the RFID tag.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

upon the device returning to operating in the first mode, receiving a second indication at the controller apparatus; and

disabling, by the controller apparatus, based on the second indication, transmission of signals by the RFID tag.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the disabling comprises clamping the two poles of the antenna of the RFID tag together.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first indication corresponds to logic high and the second indication corresponds to logic low.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a signal from the RFID tag when the device is operating in the second mode.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the transmitting comprises:

receiving, at the RFID tag, an interrogation signal from a reader; and

transmitting the signal from the RFID tag in response to the interrogation signal using energy harvested from the interrogation signal.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and the second indications are generated by a mode detection module coupled to the device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the controller apparatus comprises a reed relay.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the controller apparatus comprises a reed relay; and

the first indication causes the reed relay to be placed in an open state and the second indication causes the reed relay to be placed in a closed state.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is capable of performing a function in the second mode and not capable of performing the function in the first mode.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is powered in the second mode and the device is not powered in the first mode.

10. A system comprising:

a device configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode different from the first mode;

a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to the device; and

a controller apparatus coupled to the RFID tag;

wherein the controller apparatus is configured to;

upon a change in operating mode of the device from the first mode to the second mode, receive a first indication that the device is operating in the second mode; and

enable, based on the first indication, transmission of signals by the RFID tag by unclamping two poles of an antenna of the RFID tag.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the controller apparatus is further configured to:

receive a second indication when the device is operating in the first mode; and

disable, based on the second indication, transmission of signals by the RFID tag.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the controller apparatus is configured to disable transmission of signals by the RFID tag by clamping the two poles of the antenna of the RFID tag together.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the controller apparatus comprises a reed relay.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the controller apparatus comprises a reed relay; and

the reed relay is placed in an open state upon receipt of the first indication and the reed relay is placed in a closed state upon receipt of the second indication.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the RFID tag is configured to:

receive an interrogation signal from a reader;

harvest energy from the interrogation signal; and

transmit a signal in response to the interrogation signal using the energy harvested from the interrogation signal.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the first indication corresponds to logic high and the second indication corresponds to logic low.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the RFID tag is configured to:

transmit a signal when the device is operating in the second mode.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a mode detection module coupled to the device and configured to generate the first and the second indications.

21. The system of claim 10, wherein the device is capable of performing a function in the second mode and not capable of performing the function in the first mode.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein the device is powered in the second mode and the device is not powered in the first mode.