High performance RFID system and operating method thereof

• US 20060114102A1
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Wu, Ching-Hung, Tsen, Yuh-Jou, Oscal, Tzyh-Chiang, Yung, Fu-Chien, Chang, Shao-Chang, Chen, Shang-Wei
• Application Number:
  US11/082,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20060114102A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• 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 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794

Abstract

A high performance Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system and the operating method thereof. The RFID system includes a reader, a plurality of passive tags, and at least one local reader to communicate with nearby passive tags and further forward results to the reader. A repeater tag or a semi-active tag can serve as a local reader. An operating method of the high performance RFID system, a repeater tag operating method, a semi-active tag electric power detecting method, and an operating method for searching for no electric power tags are further provided.

Claims

1. A high performance Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, comprising:

a reader;

a plurality of passive tags; and

at least one local reader to communicate with nearby passive tags and further forward results to the reader.

2. An operating method of the high performance RFID system of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

transmitting commands by the reader to a local reader;

relaying signal by the local reader to nearby passive tags;

relying information by the passive tags to the local reader; and

organizing and forwarding data by the local reader to the reader.

3. The high performance RFID system of claim 1, wherein the local reader is a repeater tag comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving signal;

a radio frequency front end circuit for rectifying the signal received;

a digital processing unit for decoding the signal and proceeding with a corresponding action;

a memory for data storage;

a battery power detecting circuit for battery power inspection;

a battery replenishing circuit for battery charging;

an analog to digital converter converting analog signals into digital signals;

a sensor for detecting surrounding condition such as temperature, pressure, and so on; and

a battery for storing electric power.

4. An operating method of the repeater tag of claim 3 as a local reader, comprising the steps of:

waking up a specified repeater tag;

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the repeater tag'"'"'s battery condition;

transmitting a battery charging command for activating a specified repeater tag to charge the battery thereof; and

returning data by the repeater to the reader.

5. The operating method of claim 4, wherein the step “

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the repeater tag'"'"'s battery condition”

uses an application specific command designed by the applicant for detecting battery power.

6. The operating method of claim 4, wherein, at step “

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the repeater tag'"'"'s battery condition,”

the repeater tag replies to the reader by means of a backscatter technology.

7. The operating method of claim 4, wherein setting a “

BATTERY_OK”

of a status register of the repeater tag is an application specific command designed by the applicant.

8. The high performance RFID system of claim 1, wherein the local reader is a semi-active tag comprising:

an antenna for transmitting and receiving signal;

a radio frequency front end circuit for rectifying the signal received;

a digital processing unit for decoding the signal and proceeding with a corresponding action;

a memory for data storage;

a battery power detecting circuit for battery power inspection;

an analog to digital converter converting analog signals into digital signals;

a sensor for detecting surrounding condition such as temperature, pressure, and so on; and

a battery for storing electric power.

19. The high performance RFID system of claim 8, wherein the semi-active tag further includes a passive circuit, comprising:

a voltage doubler circuit for escalating voltage;

a voltage stablizer for stabilizing the operating voltage;

an oscillator for generating oscillating signal; and

an output stage circuit for replying signal to the reader.

9. A semi-active tag electric power detecting method, comprising the steps of:

waking up the semi-active tags.

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the semi-active tags'"'"' battery condition;

detecting and searching for the semi-active tags without sufficient electric power.

returning data by the semi-active tag.

10. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 9, wherein the step “

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the semi-active tags'"'"' battery condition”

uses an application specific command designed by the applicant for detecting battery power.

11. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 9, wherein, at step “

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the semi-active tags'"'"' battery condition,”

the semi-active tags reply to the reader by means of the backscatter technology.

12. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 9, wherein setting a “

BATTERY_OK”

of a status register of the semi-active tag is an application specific command designed by the applicant.

13. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 9, wherein the step “

detecting and searching for the semi-active tags without sufficient electric power”

utilizes an anti-collision technology to search for the semi-active tags without sufficient electric power.

14. A semi-active tag electric power detecting method, comprising the steps of:

waking up the semi-active tags;

randomly selecting a semi-active tag; and

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the electric power of the semi-active tag.

15. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 14, wherein the step “

randomly selecting a semi-active tag”

utilizes the anti-collision technology.

16. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 14, wherein the step “

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the electric power of the semi-active tag”

uses an application specific command designed by the applicant for detecting battery power.

17. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 14, wherein, at step “

transmitting a battery check command for detecting the electric power of the semi-active tag,”

the semi-active tags reply to the reader by means of the backscatter technology.

18. The semi-active tag electric power detecting method of claim 14, wherein setting the “

BATTERY_OK”

of the status register of the semi-active tag is an application specific command designed by the applicant.

20. An operating method for searching for no electric power tags, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a command to all tags;

returning signals by tags;

reading the tags'"'"' information;

converting semi-active tags having sufficient electric power into local readers;

detecting tags'"'"' data within the local reader'"'"'s electromagnetic field;

confirming information;

requesting for data; and

returning a result;

21. The operating method for searching for no electric power tags of claim 20, wherein the step “

returning signals by tags”

utilizes the anti-collision technology to find out every semi-active tags having electric power.

22. The operating method for searching for no electric power tags of claim 20, wherein the step”

detecting tags'"'"' data within the electromagnetic field thereof by the repeater tag”

uses either the backscatter technology or the power amplifier to transmit energy to no electric power tags.

23. The operating method for searching for no electric power tags of claim 20, wherein at the step”

confirming information”

, if no electric power tag does exist, it will reply a signal to the repeater tag, and the “

BATTERY_OK”

of the repeater tag will change from “

0”

to “

1”

.