Systems, methods, and apparatus to permit communication between passive wireless transponders
First Claim
1. A method to determine the relative positions of a number of passive wireless transponders, the method comprising:
- in response to receipt of an interrogation carrier wave output by an RFID reader, receiving information from each of a plurality of passive wireless transponders identifying at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder, wherein the interrogation carrier wave causes the plurality of passive wireless devices to communicate with each other by outputting backscatter waves between at least some of the plurality of passive wireless devices, at least some of the backscatter waves identifying, by a unique identifier, at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder that is spatially proximate the respective passive wireless transponder from which the backscatter is received; and
determining a position of the passive wireless transponders relative to one another based at least in part on the information from each of the plurality of passive wireless transponders identifying the at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Passive wireless transponders can perform transponder-to-transponder communication when illuminated by an interrogation carrier wave. The transponder-to-transponder communication permits each transponder to determine the identity of “other” proximately transponders. The transponder-to-transponder communication optionally permits each transponder to identify a “nearest neighbor” using one or more backscatter signal properties such as received signal strength or time-of-flight. Using this information and one or more externally supplied or internally stored instruction sets transponders can provide neighboring transponder data to an interrogator. Using this “neighbor” data, the interrogator can provide a system user with data indicative of the relative locations of a plurality of tags arranged in a one or two dimensional matrix.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method to determine the relative positions of a number of passive wireless transponders, the method comprising:
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in response to receipt of an interrogation carrier wave output by an RFID reader, receiving information from each of a plurality of passive wireless transponders identifying at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder, wherein the interrogation carrier wave causes the plurality of passive wireless devices to communicate with each other by outputting backscatter waves between at least some of the plurality of passive wireless devices, at least some of the backscatter waves identifying, by a unique identifier, at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder that is spatially proximate the respective passive wireless transponder from which the backscatter is received; and determining a position of the passive wireless transponders relative to one another based at least in part on the information from each of the plurality of passive wireless transponders identifying the at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An interrogator system to determine the relative positions of a plurality of passive wireless transponders, the interrogator system comprising:
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a transceiver to provide an interrogation carrier wave to a plurality of passive wireless transponders which causes the plurality of passive wireless devices to communicate with each other by outputting backscatter waves between at least some of the plurality of passive wireless devices, the backscatter waves identifying at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder that is spatially proximate the respective passive wireless transponder from which the backscatter is received; a processor communicably coupled to the transceiver; and a processor-readable nontransitory storage medium including machine executable instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to; receive information from each of a plurality of passive wireless transponders that identifies at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder that is spatially proximate the respective passive wireless transponder from which the information is received; and determine a relative position of the passive wireless transponders with respect to one another based at least in part on the information received from the passive wireless transponders. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of operation of a passive wireless transponder, the method comprising:
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in response to receipt of an interrogation carrier wave, receiving information from each of a number of other passive wireless transponders by the passive wireless transponder, wherein the interrogation carrier wave causes passive wireless devices receiving the interrogation carrier wave to communicate with each other by outputting backscatter waves between at least some of the passive wireless devices, the backscatter waves identifying at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder that is spatially proximate the respective passive wireless transponder from which the backscatter is received; and transmitting information identifying at least one of the other passive wireless transponders as a neighboring passive wireless transponder that is spatially proximate the passive wireless transponder from which the information is received. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A passive wireless transponder, comprising:
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an antenna; a controller communicably coupled to the antenna; and a nontransitory storage media communicably coupled to the controller including machine-executable instructions that cause the controller to; receive information from backscatter waves from at least one of other passive wireless transponders, the backscatter waves generated by the other wireless transponder receiving an interrogation carrier wave by the antenna, the information comprising a unique identifier identifying a spatially proximate, neighboring, passive wireless transponder; and transmit information that identifies at least one of the other passive wireless transponders as the spatially proximate, neighboring, passive wireless transponder. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification