RFID TAG COMMUNICATION TRIGGERED BY SENSED ENERGY

• US 20090237223A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Ungs, Kelly, Zimmerman, Timothy M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,319,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.510
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 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 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: G06K 19/07766 comprising at least a second communication arrangement in addition to a first non-contact communication arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07773 Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22
• 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 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10435 the interrogation device being positioned close to a conveyor belt or the like on which moving record carriers are passing conveying in accordance with bodily destination marks, see B65G47/46, sorting of objects carrying identity markings, see B07C5/34
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/75 by polling or interrogating the sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

An RFID tag is equipped with an energy sensor for receiving an appropriate energy signal or registering an appropriate temperature/environmental level. The RFID tag only responds to a query from an RFID reader if the sensor receives the appropriate stimulation.

Claims

1. A system for reading radio frequency identification (RFID) tags comprising:

an energy source configured to generate an appropriate energy signal or an appropriate temperature level to trigger a response from one or more RFID tags within range of the energy source; and

,

an RFID reader comprising;

at least one data memory component,

at least one RFID radio,

at least one input/output component, and

at least one processor coupled among the data memory component, the RFID radio, and the input/output component, wherein the processor is configured to;

transmit an RF query to the RFID tags within a predetermined time window after the energy source generates the appropriate energy signal or the appropriate temperature level;

receive one or more responses from the RFID tags, wherein the responses provide to the RFID reader data stored within the RFID tags;

process the one or more responses from the RFID tags; and

transmit data to write to a memory in a specific RFID tag;

wherein the RFID tags are configured to respond and provide the data stored within the RFID tags when the RFID tags receive the appropriate energy signal or the appropriate temperature level from the energy source and/or to write data to memory with the RFID tag upon receiving the appropriate energy signal or the appropriate temperature level from the energy source; and

,

wherein the appropriate energy signal has a minimum power level or is encoded and selected from a group consisting of;

laser light, infrared light, one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy, and ultrasound.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the energy source is configured to provide the appropriate energy signal to cover a wide area and to trigger responses from multiple RFID tags.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the energy source is configured to provide the appropriate energy signal focused to trigger a response from a single RFID tag, and wherein the energy source is coupled to the processor and housed together with the processor.

4. An RFID tag for at least receiving signals from an RFID reader, the RFID tag comprising:

an antenna configured to receive an RF signal from the RFID reader;

a memory for storing tag data;

a sensor circuit for receiving a triggering signal different from the RF signal;

circuitry, coupled to the antenna, the memory, and the sensor circuit,

wherein the circuitry is configured to;

receive the triggering signal via the sensor circuitry, and

process the RF signal and transmit a response via the antenna only after first receiving the triggering signal.

5. The RFID tag of claim 4 wherein the RF signal is encoded, and further wherein the triggering signal comprises receiving an appropriately encoded triggering RF signal that differs from the encoded RF signal.

6. The RFID tag of claim 4 wherein the circuitry or sensor circuit is further configured to determine a threshold power level, and further wherein the triggering signal comprises sensing that the RF signal is above the threshold power level.

7. The RFID tag of claim 4 wherein the antenna is further configured to receive data from the RFID reader, and the circuitry is further configured to write the data to the memory only after the triggering signal is received.

8. The RFID tag of claim 4 wherein the circuit transmits a response only during a time window after the triggering signal is received.

9. The RFID tag of claim 4, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to receive an energy signal or register a temperature level.

10. The RFID tag of claim 9 wherein a source external to the RFID reader generates the energy signal or temperature level.

11. The RFID tag of claim 9 wherein the RFID reader generates the energy signal and prompts a source external to the reader to generate the temperature level.

12. The RFID tag of claim 9 wherein the sensor circuit receives an appropriately encoded energy signal, an energy signal having a minimum power level, or an appropriate temperature level.

13. The RFID tag of claim 9 wherein the energy signal is selected from a group consisting of:

laser light, infrared light, one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy, sound energy, ultrasound energy, movement, and biometric input.

14. An RFID tag comprising:

an antenna configured to receive an RF signal from an RFID reader; and

,

a circuitry in communication with the antenna and configured to;

operate in a first mode, wherein in the first mode the circuitry processes the RF signal and transmits a response via the antenna without first receiving an appropriate signal, and

operate in a second mode, wherein in the second mode the circuitry processes the RF signal and transmits a response via the antenna only after receiving the appropriate signal,

wherein the circuitry toggles between the first mode and the second mode upon receiving a mode-switching signal, and the mode-switching signal is an encoded RF signal.

15. The RFID tag of claim 14, further comprising a sensor configured to receive an energy signal, wherein the energy signal is selected from a group consisting of:

laser light, infrared light, one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy, sound energy, ultrasound energy, movement, and biometric input, and further wherein the appropriate signal is a first pre-determined energy signal, and the mode-switching signal is a second pre-determined energy signal.

16. A method of querying RFID tags, comprising:

generating a selected energy signal or monitoring when an energy level satisfies a condition relative to an energy threshold, wherein at least one of the RFID tags is responsive to the selected energy signal or the energy level satisfies the condition relative to the energy threshold; and

,

in response to the generating of the selected energy signal or the monitoring for when the energy level satisfies the condition relative to the energy threshold, transmitting an RF read or write signal to at least one of the RFID tags.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving one or more responses from the RFID tags, and transmitting data to write to a memory in a specific RFID tag.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the selected energy signal is selected from a group consisting of:

laser light, infrared light, one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy, sound energy, ultrasound energy, movement, and biometric input.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the selected energy signal is an encoded electromagnetic signal.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating a mode switching signal to put the RFID tags in a first mode, wherein in the first mode the RFID tags respond to an RF query within a time window of generation of the selected energy signal or when the energy level satisfies the condition relative to the energy threshold;

generating the mode switching signal to put the RFID tags in a second mode, wherein in the second mode the RFID tags respond to an RF query without first sensing the selected energy signal or when the energy level satisfies the condition relative to the energy threshold.

21. A method of responding to an RFID reader query, comprising:

receiving a predetermined energy signal;

receiving an RF query signal from an RFID reader; and

,

responding to the RF query only if a triggering event occurs based at least in part on the receiving of the predetermined energy signal, and wherein the triggering event is not the RF query signal.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the predetermined energy signal is selected from a group consisting of:

laser light, infrared light, one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic energy, sound energy, ultrasound energy, movement, biometric input, and an environmental energy level.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein responding to the query occurs only during a time window after the triggering event.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving data from the RFID reader;

writing the data to a memory only if the triggering event occurs.