Communications between multiple radio frequency identification (RFID) connected tags and one or more devices, and related systems and methods

• US 9,652,709 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiber Mountain, Inc. (Green Lambda Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fiber Mountain, Inc. (Green Lambda Corp.)
• Inventors: Wagner, Richard Edward, Webb, Dale Alan, Whiting, Matthew Scott, Sutherland, James Scott, Downie, John David
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERWIN, RYAN W
• Application Number:
  US13/363,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340 101- 106
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• 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: H01R 13/465 Identification means, e.g. labels, tags, markings H01R9/2475, H01R9/2683 take precedence

Abstract

Protocols, systems, and methods are disclosed for two or more RFID tags to communicate with each other and a device using direct connections. A disclosed system includes a first RFID tag, a second RFID tag, and a device. The first and second RFID tags are configured to mate to each other and directly exchange information. The second RFID tag is further configured to directly exchange information with the device such that information received directly at the second RFID tag from the first RFID tag may then be directly exchanged with the device. The first RFID tag may send a first tag identification directly from the first RFID tag to the second RFID tag. The second RFID tag may then send a first acknowledgement to the first RFID tag if the first tag identification was correctly received by the second RFID tag.

Claims

1. A system of communicating between one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and/or devices comprising:

a first RFID tag;

a second RFID tag; and

a device, wherein the device does not have native radio frequency communications capabilities,

wherein the first and second RFID tags are configured to physically mate electrically to each other and directly exchange information, wherein the first and second RFID tags are configured to physically mate electrically to each other via a direct contact between a first electrical lead of the first RFID tag and a second electrical lead of the second RFID tag, and

wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to physically connect to the device and directly exchange information with the device via the physical connection such that information received directly at the second RFID tag from the first RFID tag may then be directly exchanged with the device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first RFID tag is further configured to send a first message comprising a first tag identification directly from the first RFID tag to the second RFID tag.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first RFID tag is further configured to receive a first acknowledgement from the second RFID tag if the first tag identification was correctly received by the second RFID tag.

4. The system of claim 2 further comprising one or more capacitors communicatively coupled to one of the first and second RFID tags and configured to store excess energy received through one or more antennas for providing power to one of the first and second RFID tags.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to send a second message comprising a second tag identification directly from the second RFID tag to the first RFID tag.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to receive a second acknowledgement from the first RFID tag if the second tag identification was correctly received by the first RFID tag.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to send a message comprising the information directly from the second RFID tag to the device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to receive an acknowledgement from the device if the information was correctly received by the device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags and the device are further configured to directly exchange information using a common protocol.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second RFID tags and the device are further configured to directly exchange information without control from an RFID reader.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags and the device are connected in a point-to-point configuration.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second RFID tags is a master tag that initiates the exchange of information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first RFID tag is further configured to directly send information over a first unidirectional signal line to the second RFID tag and the second RFID tag is further configured to directly send information over a second unidirectional signal line to the first RFID tag.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is a master that initiates the exchange of information.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is identification information.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the information exchanged between the first and second RFID tags and the device comprises one or more of sensor data, status data, device information, device type, device serial number, component performance data, memory contents, and/or register contents.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags are further configured to directly exchange information over a signal line that is shared between the first and second RFID tags.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RFID tag and the device are further configured to directly exchange information over a signal line that is shared between the second RFID tag and the device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to directly send information over a first unidirectional signal line to the device and the device is further configured to directly send information over a second unidirectional signal line to the second RFID tag.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags are connected via an ohmic connection.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RFID tag and the device are connected via one or more of a group of connections comprising an ohmic connection, a capacitive connection, and an inductive connection.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags and the device are connected in a chain configuration.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags and the device are connected in a ring configuration.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags and the device are connected in a bus configuration comprising a communications bus.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags and the device are connected in a star configuration.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag is a passive RFID tag.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second RFID tags are configured to also physically connect to each other in a non-electrical manner.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RFID tag is positioned on the device.

29. A method of communicating between one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and/or devices comprising:

providing a first RFID tag;

providing a second RFID tag, wherein the first and second RFID tags are configured to physically mate electrically to each other and directly exchange information, wherein the first and second RFID tags are configured to physically mate electrically to each other via a direct contact between a first electrical lead of the first RFID tag and a second electrical lead of the second RFID tag and wherein the second RFID tag is further configured to physically connect to a device that does not have native radio frequency communications capabilities;

directly receiving information at the second RFID tag from the first RFID tag; and

directly exchanging information between the second RFID tag and the device via the physical connection, the information directly exchanged between the second RFID tag and the device comprising the information received at the second RFID tag from the first RFID tag.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first and second RFID tags are also configured to physically connect to each other in a non-electrical manner.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the second RFID tag is positioned on the device.