Collaborating RFID devices

• US 9,524,405 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Godzwon, Krzysztof Leszek, Husakowski, Jerzy
• Primary Examiner(s): KING, CURTIS J
• Application Number:
  US12/097,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20080309463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,668 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10019 resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. collision between the communication channels used by wireless communication devices, where the solution is not particularly adapted for RFIDs or the like, H04W74/08

Abstract

Cooperative RFID devices are provided that are aware of other RFID devices in their near vicinity (field range), and their operational pattern depends on presence of these other devices. If a cooperative RFID device is alone in the RF field of a reader terminal, it will allow operation of a first type (e.g. not allowing complex communication, but only allowing responses to requests for non-sensitive data or completely concealing its presence by not allowing any transmission at all) and when another defined and known RFID device is detected in the same RF field, operation of a second type is allowed (e.g. allowing any data transfer, responding to requests for any data, including sensitive data, etc.).

Claims

1. A method for controlling communication in a radio frequency identification (RFID) system between a first RFID device and a reader/writer terminal, comprising:

performing by the first RFID device an operation of a first type,

determining whether a detection state exists by detecting whether broadcasting is performed from at least a second RFID device in the RFID system, and

when said detection state exists, allowing said first RFID device to perform operation of a second type, said operation of a second type being different from said operation of a first type, said operation of a second type including responding to a request from said reader terminal for an identifier of said first RFID device;

when said detection state exists, receiving at least one data item broadcast from at least said second RFID device and configuring said first RFID device to operate depending on said received at least one data item; and

receiving a plurality of data items from a plurality of respective RFID devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first RFID device is arranged to continue performing operation of said first type only, when said detection state does not exist.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a first type comprises receiving data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a first type comprises broadcasting a first data sequence.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a second type comprises communication with a device in the RFID system.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data item comprises an identifier.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a first type of access to data storage in said first RFID device.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising providing a second type of access to data storage in said first RFID device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuring of said first RFID device comprises providing a first type of access to storage when a first data item is received and providing a second type of access to said storage when a second data item is received.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said first type of access is read access and said second type of access is write access.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said operation of a second type comprises changing a state of the first RFID device.

12. An a radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising:

control and communication circuit configured to perform operation of a first type, to determine whether a detection state exists by detecting whether broadcasting is performed from at least a second RFID device, when said detection state exists, to allow said RFID device to perform operation of a second type, said operation of a second type being different from said operation of a first type, said operation of a second type including responding to a request for an identifier;

when said detection state exists, receiving at least one data item broadcast from at least said second RFID device and configuring said first RFID device to operate depending on said received at least one data item; and

receiving a plurality of data items from a plurality of respective RFID devices.

13. The RFID device according to claim 12, said RFID device being arranged as an RFID tag.

14. The RFID device according to claim 12, said RFID device being arranged as an RFID transponder.

15. The RFID device according to claim 12, said RFID device being arranged as a contact-less smart card.

16. A method for controlling communication in a radio frequency identification (RFID) system between a first RFID device and a reader/writer terminal, comprising:

receiving by said first RFID a first query from said reader/writer terminal;

transmitting a first response by said first RFID to said first query, said first response being of a first type in accordance with operation of said first RFID device in a first mode that has limited functionality;

when a collision is detected by said first RFID device to have occurred between said first response and a response to said first query by a second RFID device of said RFID system, operating said first RFID device in a listen-only mode for a prescribed period of time to enable said first RFID device to receive at least one data item transmitted from at least said second RFID device in response to a second query from said reader/writer terminal to which said first RFID device will not respond; and

when at least one data item is received by said first RFID device from said second RFID device in response to said second query and said second data item is recognized by said first RFID device as indicating that said first RFID device should operate in a second mode having functionality other than that available in said first mode, operating said first RFID device in said second mode.

17. A method for controlling communication in a radio frequency identification (RFID) system between a first RFID device and a reader/writer terminal, comprising:

performing by said first RFID device an operation of a first type;

determining whether a detection state exists by detecting whether broadcasting is performed from a second RFID device in said RFID system;

when said detection state exists, allowing said first RFID device to perform an operation of a second type, said operation of a second type being different from said operation of a first type, said operation of a second type including responding to a request from said reader/writer terminal for an identifier of said first RFID device; and

when said detection state exists, receiving by said first RFID device at least one data item broadcast from each of a plurality of respective RFID devices and configuring said first RFID device to operate depending on said received data items.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said second RFID device is one RFID device of said plurality of RFID devices.