Excess radio-frequency (RF) power storage and power sharing RF identification (RFID) tags, and related connection systems and methods

• US 9,563,832 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiber Mountain, Inc. (Green Lambda Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Downie, John David, Sutherland, James Scott, Trice, James Patrick, Wagner, Richard Edward, Whiting, Matthew Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARDIF, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US13/836,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20140097254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0704 the battery being rechargeable, e.g. solar batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0715 the arrangement including means to regulate power transfer to the integrated circuit
• 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

Excess radio-frequency (RF) power storage and power sharing RF Identification (RFID) tags, and related RFID tag connection systems and methods are disclosed. The excess RF power storage and power sharing RFID tags and related RFID tag connection systems and methods in embodiments disclosed herein allow connected RFID tags to store excess energy derived from excess received RF power in a shared energy storage device. In this manner, an individual RFID tag or a group of connected RFID tags in the RFID tag connection system can continue operation during temporary times when sufficient RF power is not being received from a RFID reader. Sharing stored energy derived from excess received RF power in a shared energy storage device among connected RFID tags in a RFID tag connection system can significantly mitigate problems of RF power interruption.

Claims

1. A RFID tag connection system, comprising:

a first RFID tag comprising at least one first antenna configured to receive first RF power in received first wireless RF signals, a first energy storage device configured to store excess energy derived from excess received first RF power, and one or more first energy sharing conductors coupled to the first energy storage device; and

a second RFID tag comprising at least one second antenna configured to receive second RF power in received second wireless RF signals, and one or more second energy sharing conductors;

the first energy storage device forming a shared energy storage device when the one or more first energy sharing conductors of the first RFID tag are connected to the one or more second energy sharing conductors of the second RFID tag;

the first RFID tag further comprises a first power manager configured to store excess energy derived from the excess received first RF power in the shared energy storage device if the received first RF power exceeds a first operational threshold power for the first RFID tag; and

the second RFID tag further comprises a second power manager configured to store excess energy derived from excess received second RF power in the shared energy storage device if the received second RF power exceeds a second operational threshold power for the second RFID tag.

2. The RFID tag connection system of claim 1, wherein:

the second RFID tag further comprises a second energy storage device coupled to the one or more second energy sharing conductors, the second energy storage device configured to store excess energy derived from excess received second RF power; and

the first energy storage device coupled to the second energy storage device to form the shared energy storage device when the one or more first energy sharing conductors of the first RFID tag are connected to one or more second energy sharing conductors of the second RFID tag.

3. The RFID tag connection system of claim 2, wherein:

the second RFID tag further comprises a second energy storage device configured to store excess energy derived from excess received second RF power; and

the first energy storage device coupled to the second energy storage device forms the shared energy storage device when the one or more first energy sharing conductors of the first RFID tag are connected to one or more second energy sharing conductors of the second RFID tag.

4. The RFID tag connection system of claim 1, wherein the first power manager is further configured to access the stored excess energy in the shared energy storage device to provide power to operate the first RFID tag if the received first RF power from the at least one first antenna is less than the first operational threshold power for the first RFID tag.

5. The RFID tag connection system of claim 4, wherein the second power manager is further configured to access the stored excess energy in the shared energy storage device to provide power to operate the second RFID tag if the received second RF power from the at least one second antenna is less than the second operational threshold power for the second RFID tag.

6. The RFID tag connection system of claim 1, wherein the first power manager is further configured to operate the first RFID tag with the received first RF power from the at least one first antenna if the received first RF power meets or exceeds the first operational threshold power for the first RFID tag.

7. The RFID tag connection system of claim 6, wherein the second power manager is further configured to operate the second RFID tag with the received second RF power from the at least one second antenna if the received second RF power meets or exceeds the second operational threshold power for the second RFID tag.

8. The RFID tag connection system of claim 1, wherein the shared energy storage device is comprised of a first capacitor bank comprised of at least one first capacitor, and the second energy storage device is comprised of a second capacitor bank comprised of at least one second capacitor.

9. The RFID tag connection system of claim 1, wherein:

the first RFID tag further comprises one or more first communications conductors;

the second RFID tag further comprises one or more second communications conductors; and

the first RFID tag is further configured to send first communication signals to the second RFID tag when the one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to the one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

10. The RFID tag connection system of claim 9, wherein the first RFID tag is configured to send an identity of the first RFID tag to the second RFID tag when the one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to the one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

11. The RFID tag connection system of claim 9, wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to send second communication signals to the first RFID tag when the one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to the one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

12. The RFID tag connection system of claim 11, wherein the second RFID tag is configured to send an identity of the second RFID tag to the first RFID tag when the one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to the one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

13. The RFID tag connection system of claim 1, further comprising a third RFID tag comprising at least one third antenna configured to receive third RF power from received third wireless RF signals, and one or more third energy sharing conductors;

the third RFID tag further comprises a third power manager configured to store excess energy derived from excess received third RF power in the shared energy storage device if the received third RF power exceeds a third operational threshold power for the third RFID tag.

14. The RFID tag connection system of claim 13, wherein:

the third RFID tag further comprises a third energy storage device coupled to the one or more third energy sharing conductors, the third energy storage device configured to store excess energy derived from excess received third RF power; and

the third energy storage device coupled to the first energy storage device forms the shared energy storage device when the one or more third energy sharing conductors of the third RFID tag are connected to either;

the one or more first energy sharing conductors of the first RFID tag or the one or more second energy sharing conductors of the second RFID tag.

15. A method of sharing stored excess RF power storage between RFID tags, comprising:

receiving first RF power in first wireless RF signals received by at least one first antenna of a first RFID tag comprising one or more first energy sharing conductors coupled to a first energy storage device;

receiving second RF power in second wireless RF signals received by at least one second antenna of a second RFID tag comprising one or more second energy sharing conductors;

connecting the one or more first energy sharing conductors of the first RFID tag to the one or more second energy sharing conductors of the second RFID tag to form at least a portion of a shared energy storage device from the first energy storage device;

storing excess energy derived from excess received first RF power in the shared energy storage device if the received first RF power exceeds a first operational threshold power for the first RFID tag; and

storing excess energy derived from excess received second RF power in the shared energy storage device if the received second RF power exceeds a second operational threshold power for the second RFID tag.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing energy derived from excess received second RF power in a second energy storage device of the second RFID tag, the second energy storage device coupled to the one or more second energy sharing conductors and forming a portion of the shared energy storage device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising coupling the second energy storage device to the first energy storage device to form the shared energy storage device when the one or more first energy sharing conductors of the first RFID tag are connected to the one or more second energy sharing conductors of the second RFID tag;

wherein storing excess energy derived from excess received second RF power further comprises storing excess energy derived from excess received second RF power in the second energy storage device of the shared energy storage device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising accessing the stored excess energy in the shared energy storage device to provide power to operate the first RFID tag if the received first RF power from the at least one first antenna is less than the first operational threshold power for the first RFID tag.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising accessing the stored excess energy in the shared energy storage device to provide power to operate the second RFID tag if the received second RF power from the at least one second antenna is less than the second operational threshold power for the second RFID tag.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising operating the first RFID tag with the received first RF power from the at least one first antenna if the received first RF power meets or exceeds the first operational threshold power for the first RFID tag.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising operating the second RFID tag with the received second RF power from the at least one second antenna if the received second RF power meets or exceeds the second operational threshold power for the second RFID tag.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending first communication signals to the second RFID tag when one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising sending an identity of the first RFID tag to the second RFID tag when the one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to the one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising sending second communication signals to the first RFID tag when the one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to the one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising sending an identity of the second RFID tag to the first RFID tag when the one or more first communications conductors of the first RFID tag are electrically connected to the one or more second communications conductors of the second RFID tag.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving third RF power in third wireless RF signals received by at least one third antenna of a third RFID tag comprising one or more third energy sharing conductors coupled to a third energy storage device;

connecting the one or more third energy sharing conductors of the third RFID tag to either;

the one or more first energy sharing conductors of the first RFID tag or the one or more second energy sharing conductors of the second RFID tag; and

storing excess energy derived from excess received third RF power in the shared energy storage device if the received third RF power exceeds a third operational threshold power for the third RFID tag.