RFID reader integrated with wireless communication device

• US 20070207744A1
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza), Shoarinejad, Kambiz
• Granted Patent: US 7,477,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/73
• 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: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes

Abstract

An integrated RFID reader and wireless communication device is realized by a radio frequency (RF) front end operable, in a first mode, to generate a radio frequency identification system (RFID) outbound radio frequency (RF) signal, to receive an RFID inbound RF signal responsive to the RFID outbound RF signal and to convert the RFID inbound RF signal to an RFID near baseband signal, and operable in a second mode, to generate a transceiver outbound radio frequency (RF) signal, to receive a transceiver inbound RF signal and to convert the transceiver inbound RF signal to a transceiver near baseband signal. The integrated device further includes a digitization module operable, in the first mode, to convert the RFID near baseband signal to an RFID digital baseband signal, and operable, in a second mode, to convert the transceiver near baseband signal to a transceiver digital baseband signal, and a baseband processing module operably coupled, in the first mode, to convert the RFID digital baseband signal into inbound RFID digital data, and operably coupled, in the second mode, to convert the transceiver digital baseband signal into inbound transceiver digital data.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) front end operable, in a first mode, to generate a radio frequency identification system (RFID) outbound radio frequency (RF) signal, to receive an RFID inbound RF signal responsive to said RFID outbound RF signal and to convert said RFID inbound RF signal to an RFID near baseband signal, and operable in a second mode, to generate a transceiver outbound radio frequency (RF) signal, to receive a transceiver inbound RF signal and to convert said transceiver inbound RF signal to a transceiver near baseband signal;

a digitization module operable, in the first mode, to convert said RFID near baseband signal to an RFID digital baseband signal, and operable, in a second mode, to convert said transceiver near baseband signal to a transceiver digital baseband signal; and

a baseband processing module operably coupled, in the first mode, to convert said RFID digital baseband signal into inbound RFID digital data, and operably coupled, in the second mode, to convert said transceiver digital baseband signal into inbound transceiver digital data.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said baseband processing module includes an RFID baseband processing module operable in the first mode and a transceiver baseband processing module operable in the second mode.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said RF front end includes an RFID RF front end operable in the first mode and a transceiver RF front end operable in the second mode.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory operable to store said inbound RFID digital data and said inbound transceiver digital data.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein said baseband processing module is operably coupled, in the first mode, to convert outbound RFID digital data into an outbound RFID digital baseband signal, and operably coupled, in the second mode, to convert outbound transceiver digital data into an outbound transceiver digital baseband signal, said digitization module is operable, in the first mode, to convert said outbound RFID digital baseband signal into an outbound RFID near baseband signal, and operable, in the second mode, to convert said outbound transceiver digital baseband signal into an outbound transceiver near baseband signal, said RF front end is operable, in the first mode, to convert said outbound RFID near baseband signal into said RFID outbound RF signal, and operable, in the second mode, to convert said outbound transceiver near baseband signal into said transceiver outbound RF signal, and wherein said memory is operable to store said outbound RFID digital data and said outbound transceiver digital data.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 4, further comprising:

a host processing module operably coupled to receive said inbound RFID digital data and said inbound transceiver digital data from said baseband processing module and store said inbound RFID digital data and said inbound transceiver digital data in said memory.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein said baseband processing module further includes an RFID baseband processing module operable in the first mode and a transceiver baseband processing module operable in the second mode, and wherein said host processing module is further operable to provide said inbound RFID digital data to said transceiver baseband processing module from said memory.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 7, wherein said host processing module is further operable to provide said inbound transceiver digital data to said RFID baseband processing module from said memory.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 7, further comprising:

a bus arbiter operably coupled to said host processing module, said memory, said transceiver baseband processing module and said RFID baseband processing module to facilitate access to said memory.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein:

said RF front end additionally includes;

a low noise amplifier operably coupled, in the first mode, to amplify said RFID inbound RF signal to produce an RFID amplified inbound RF signal, and operably coupled in the second mode, to amplify said transceiver inbound RF signal to produce an amplified transceiver inbound RF signal, and

a down-conversion module operably coupled, in the first mode, to convert said RFID amplified inbound RF signal to said RFID near baseband signal, and operably coupled in the second mode, to convert said transceiver amplified inbound RF signal to said transceiver near baseband signal.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein:

said RFID RF front end additionally includes;

an up-conversion module operably coupled, in the first mode, to convert an RFID near baseband analog signal to said RFID outbound RF signal, and operably coupled in the second mode to convert a transceiver near baseband analog signal to said transceiver outbound RF signal, and

a power amplifier operably coupled, in the first mode, to amplify said RFID outbound RF signal to produce an RFID amplified outbound RF signal, and operably coupled in the second mode to amplify said transceiver outbound RF signal to produce a transceiver amplified outbound RF signal.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 11, further comprising:

a digital-to-analog converter operably coupled, in the first mode, to convert RFID outbound digital data to said RFID near baseband analog signal, and operably coupled in the second mode, to convert transceiver outbound digital data to said transceiver near baseband analog signal.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein said digital-to-analog converter includes an RFID digital-to-analog converter operable in the first mode and a transceiver digital-to-analog converter operable in the second mode.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 12, wherein said baseband processing module includes an RFID baseband processing module in the first mode and a transceiver baseband processing module operable in the second mode, and wherein said RFID baseband processing module and said transceiver baseband processing module are operably coupled to said digital-to-analog converter via a multiplexer.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said baseband processing module includes an RFID baseband processing module in the first mode and a transceiver baseband processing module operable in the second mode, and wherein said RFID baseband processing module and said transceiver baseband processing module are operably coupled to said digitization module via a multiplexer.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna operably coupled to said RF front end and operable in the first mode to transmit the RFID outbound RF signal and receive the RFID inbound RF signal and in the second mode to transmit the transceiver outbound RF signal and receive the transceiver inbound RF signal.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said RFID outbound RF signal is a modulated RF signal during a first time period and an unmodulated continuous wave RF signal during a second time period.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said baseband processing module is programmed with multiple RFID protocols, and wherein said baseband processing module converts said RFID baseband digital signal into said inbound RFID digital data using a select one of said protocols.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a frequency synthesizer operable to produce a signal at multiple frequencies and operably coupled to said RF front end to provide said signal at a select one of said multiple frequencies.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 19, wherein said RF front end further includes an RFID front end operable in the first mode and a transceiver front end operable in the second mode, and wherein said frequency synthesizer is operably coupled to said RFID RF front end to generate said RFID outbound RF signal at one of said multiple frequencies and operably coupled to said transceiver front end to generate said transceiver outbound RF signal at another of said multiple frequencies.

21. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein said digitization module includes an RFID digitization module operable in the first mode and a transceiver digitization module operable in the second mode.

22. The integrated circuit of claim 21, wherein said RFID digitization module is a limiter.