Reader and tag

• US 9,760,821 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V., Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Elsaid Ibrahim, Hazem, Kenawy, Hamed, Robert, Joerg, Heuberger, Albert, Strauss, Wolfram
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US15/147,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20160328638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 235492, 235451, 370252, 375365
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10029 the collision being resolved in the time domain, e.g. using binary tree search or RFID responses allocated to a random time slot

Abstract

A reader for wirelessly receiving a signal from a tag, the signal having a portion on a first side, a portion on a second side and a synchronization sequence to be detected between the first and the second side, wherein the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged with each other, has a processor. The processor is configured for storing the received signal, for detecting the synchronization sequence in the received signal, for calculating a transmission characteristic between the tag and the reader, using the portion of the received signal on the first side and for extracting a payload information from the portion of the received signal on the second side, using the calculated transmission characteristic.

Claims

1. A reader for wirelessly receiving a signal from a tag, the signal comprising a portion on a first side, a portion on a second side and a synchronization sequence to be detected between the first and the second side, wherein the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other, the reader comprising:

a processor configured

for storing the received signal;

for detecting the synchronization sequence in the received signal;

for calculating a transmission characteristic between the tag and the reader, using the portion of the received signal on the first side; and

for extracting a payload information from the portion of the received signal on the second side, using the calculated transmission characteristic.

2. The reader according to claim 1, wherein the received signal is colliding with at least a further signal sent from a further tag such that a superimposed signal is received from the reader, wherein the processor is configured for separating the signal from the further signal based on a plurality of sets of symbols comprised in the received signal or the further signal.

3. The reader according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured for calculating the transmission characteristic between each of the tags and the reader and for extracting the payload information from the portion of the signal and of the further signal on the second side, using the calculated transmission characteristic, wherein the processor is configured for determining an operation mode of each of the tags based on the portion on the first side of the signal and the of the further signal and to determine an order of response signals to be transmitted to the tag and to the further tag based on the determined operation mode.

4. The reader according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured for receiving the signal from a tag operating in a first operation mode and for receiving a further signal from a further tag operating in a second operation mode, wherein the signal and the further signal comprise the same length.

5. The reader according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured for calculating the transmission characteristic based on a transmission information comprised in a preamble of an expected signal comprising the portion on the first side and the synchronization sequence.

6. The reader according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured for comparing the received signal with a predetermined information to acquire a result of the comparison and for detecting a position of the synchronization sequence in the signal based on the result, wherein at least a first bit is arranged between the synchronization sequence and a beginning of the received signal, wherein the processor is configured for calculating the transmission characteristic using the at least one bit.

7. The reader according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured for sending an operation signal indicating that a tag receiving the operation signal is requested to comprise a modified transmission information into the signal, the modified transmission information being one of a multitude of different sets of information, wherein at least one modified transmission information of the sets of information is different from a predetermined transmission information.

8. The reader according to claim 1, wherein the tag is a first tag and wherein the signal is a first signal, wherein the first signal is superimposed by a second signal received from a second tag, wherein the processor is configured for separating the first signal and the second signal and wherein the processor is configured for generating a first response signal comprising an information derived from the payload information of the first signal and a second response signal comprising an information derived from the payload information of the second signal, wherein the reader is configured for transmitting the first and the second response signals sequentially.

9. The reader according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured for determining a first measure related to a signal power of the first signal and a second measure related to a signal power of the second signal, for comparing the first measure and the second measure to determine which of the first and second measure is related to a lower signal power when compared to the other measure and for sending the response signal comprising the information derived from the payload information of the signal related to the lower signal power before the other response signal.

10. A tag for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the tag comprising

a processor configured for generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other;

wherein the processor is configured for selecting a modified transmission information from a plurality of modified transmission information and to comprise the selected modified transmission information into the portion on the first side.

11. The tag according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured for arranging the modified transmission information adjacent to the synchronization sequence in the portion on the first side and for arranging a portion comprising a predetermined structure between the first side and the modified transmission information.

12. The tag according to claim 10, wherein the tag is configured for receiving an operation signal from the reader, wherein the processor is configured to comprise a predetermined transmission information into the portion on the first side of a previous signal before receiving the operation signal and to comprise the modified transmission information into the portion on the first side of a latter signal after receiving the operation signal.

13. The tag according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured for generating and storing a temporary variable and to comprise the temporary variable as a payload information into a signal to be sent to the reader and to keep the temporary variable stored if a signal received from the reader comprises a payload information different from the temporary variable or an information derived thereof, the signal expected by the processor to comprise the temporary variable or the information derived thereof.

14. A method for wirelessly receiving a signal with a reader from a tag, the signal comprising a portion on a first side, a portion on a second side and a synchronization sequence to be detected between the first and the second side, wherein the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other, the method comprising:

storing the received signal;

detecting the synchronization sequence in the received signal;

calculating a transmission characteristic between the tag and the reader, using the portion of the received signal on the first side; and

extracting a payload information from the portion of the received signal on the second side, using the calculated transmission characteristic.

15. A method for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the method comprising

generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other;

and

selecting a modified transmission information from a plurality of modified transmission information and to comprise the selected modified transmission information into the portion on the first side.

16. A non-transitory digital storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for performing the method for wirelessly receiving a signal with a reader from a tag, the signal comprising a portion on a first side, a portion on a second side and a synchronization sequence to be detected between the first and the second side, wherein the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other, the method comprising:

storing the received signal;

detecting the synchronization sequence in the received signal;

calculating a transmission characteristic between the tag and the reader, using the portion of the received signal on the first side; and

extracting a payload information from the portion of the received signal on the second side, using the calculated transmission characteristic,

when said computer program is run by a computer.

17. A non-transitory digital storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for performing the method for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the method comprising

generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other, and

selecting a modified transmission information from a plurality of modified transmission information and to comprise the selected modified transmission information into the portion on the first side;

when said computer program is run by a computer.

18. A tag for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the tag comprising

a processor configured for generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other;

wherein the tag is configured for receiving an operation signal from the reader, wherein the processor is configured to comprise a predetermined transmission information into the portion on the first side of a previous signal before receiving the operation signal and to comprise the modified transmission information into the portion on the first side of a latter signal after receiving the operation signal.

19. A tag for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the tag comprising

a processor configured for generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other;

wherein the processor is configured for generating and storing a temporary variable and to comprise the temporary variable as a payload information into a signal to be sent to the reader and to keep the temporary variable stored if a signal received from the reader comprises a payload information different from the temporary variable or an information derived thereof, the signal expected by the processor to comprise the temporary variable or the information derived thereof.

20. A method for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the method comprising

generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other,

receiving an operation signal from the reader, and

comprising a predetermined transmission information into the portion on the first side of a previous signal before receiving the operation signal and comprising the modified transmission information into the portion on the first side of a latter signal after receiving the operation signal.

21. A method for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the method comprising

generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other, and

generating and storing a temporary variable and comprising the temporary variable as a payload information into a signal to be sent to the reader and keeping the temporary variable stored if a signal received from the reader comprises a payload information different from the temporary variable or an information derived thereof, the signal expected to comprise the temporary variable or the information derived thereof.

22. A non-transitory digital storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for performing the method for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the method comprising

generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other,

receiving an operation signal from the reader, and

comprising a predetermined transmission information into the portion on the first side of a previous signal before receiving the operation signal and comprising the modified transmission information into the portion on the first side of a latter signal after receiving the operation signal,

when said computer program is run by a computer.

23. A non-transitory digital storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for performing the method for wirelessly sending a signal to a reader, the method comprising

generating the signal using a synchronization sequence and by arranging the synchronization sequence between a portion of the signal on a first side of the signal and a portion of the signal at a second side of the signal such that the portion on the first side, the synchronization sequence and the portion on the second side are serially arranged to each other, and

generating and storing a temporary variable and comprising the temporary variable as a payload information into a signal to be sent to the reader and keeping the temporary variable stored if a signal received from the reader comprises a payload information different from the temporary variable or an information derived thereof, the signal expected to comprise the temporary variable or the information derived thereof

when said computer program is run by a computer.