Ultra wideband radio frequency identification system, method, and apparatus

• US 9,454,683 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lightwaves Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lightwaves Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Kennedy, Philip T., Gerke, Joseph A., Snyder, David M., Baych, Leslie D., Melick, Bruce D.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY III, EDWIN C
• Application Number:
  US14/284,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/10.41, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method associated with a UWB RFID system provides for receiving a data transmission transmitted using UWB and accessing data within the data transmission using a communications protocol. An initial portion of the data transmission defines a structure of the data transmission such that subsequent data in the data transmission is directly accessible without additional decoding.

Claims

1. A method for communications, comprising:

providing an RFID tag operating with a radio signal in the 860 Mhz-960 Mhz frequency range, the RFID tag comprising a processor and a UWB radio operatively connected to the processor and an interface port operatively connected to the processor;

receiving a data transmission transmitted using a UWB signal from the RFID tag, wherein said UWB signal is a pulse-based signal and the RFID tag is configured to transmit and receive digitally independent pulses using a UWB modulated pulse train, said RFID tag is a passive tag; and

accessing data within the data transmission using a communications protocol wherein an initial portion of the data transmission comprises a tag identifier followed by a partition to identify a decoding template and defines a structure of the data transmission such that once decoded subsequent data in the data transmission is directly accessible without additional decoding.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is a Linear File Allocation Table division.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the Linear File Allocation Table division is configured to identify a particular decoding template.

4. An RFID tag operating in the 860 Mhz-960 Mhz frequency range, comprising:

a processor;

an interface port operatively connected to the processor;

a UWB radio operatively connected to the processor, said UWB radio configured to send and receive a pulse-based signal such that the RFID tag is configured to transmit and receive digitally independent pulses using a UWB modulated pulse train;

wherein the RFID tag is a passive tag comprising an antenna; and

wherein the processor is adapted to send data using a communications protocol wherein an initial portion of a data transmission comprises a tag identifier followed by a partition to identify a decoding template and defines a structure of the data transmission such that once decoded subsequent data in the data transmission is directly accessible without additional decoding.

5. The RFID tag of claim 4 wherein the tag identifier is a Linear File Allocation Table division.

6. The RFID tag of claim 5 wherein the Linear File Allocation Table division is configured to identify a particular decoding template.

7. An RFID tag operating in the 860 Mhz-960 Mhz frequency range, comprising:

a processor;

an interface port operatively connected to the processor;

a UWB radio operatively connected to the processor;

wherein the RFID tag is a passive tag configured to transmit and receive digitally independent pulses using a UWB modulated pulse train; and

wherein the processor is adapted to send data in a structured linear database communications protocol which includes an initial portion of the data transmission comprising a tag identifier followed by a partition to identify a decoding template and which defines a structure of the data transmission such that once decoded subsequent data in the data transmission is directly accessible to a receiver without additional decoding of a subsequent portion of the data transmission containing the subsequent data.

8. The RFID tag of claim 7 wherein the passive tag comprises an antenna, said antenna configured to receive radio waves from a reader and convert the radio waves to power for the RFID tag.

9. The RFID tag of claim 7 wherein the tag identifier is a Linear File Allocation Table division.

10. The RFID tag of claim 9 wherein the Linear File Allocation Table division is configured to identify a particular decoding template.

11. The RFID tag of claim 10 wherein the data transmission further comprises the decoding template.