Radio frequency identification tag with hardened memory system

• US 9,361,568 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Original Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Inventors: Butler, Timothy P., Puleston, David, Berrios, Javier, Beckhardt, Steve, Hamlin, Robert W., Moore, Larry, Mats, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/599,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20150129666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/375, 235/487, 235/488, 340/10.1, 340/10.51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07309 Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
• 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 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for RFID tags with hardened memory, where the memory comprises a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory locations for storing data, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate a hardened memory system that retains data stored in the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, wherein the data stored is retained after exposure of the RFID tag to an ionizing radiation exposure with an exposure level equal to or greater than 25 kGy, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate at least one multiple time programmable (MTP) memory location for storing the data.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising a memory, the memory comprising a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory locations for storing data, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate a hardened memory system that retains data stored in the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, wherein the data stored is retained after exposure of the RFID tag to an ionizing radiation exposure with an exposure level equal to or greater than 25 kGy, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate at least one multiple time programmable (MTP) memory location for storing the data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are operable through the exposure of the RFID tag to the ionizing radiation exposure.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation exposure is from gamma radiation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation exposure is from an electron beam radiation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the ionizing radiation exposure is from cosmic radiation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is additionally able to withstand magnetic fields without disruption to the data stored.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the exposure level is equal to or greater than 50 kGy.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the exposure level is equal to or greater than 100 kGy.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the exposure level is equal to or greater than 200 kGy.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of OTP memory locations are configured to provide a write depth of N for the at least one MTP memory location, where each of the N number of the plurality of OTP memory locations provides a single write location for an RFID interrogator write operation to the at least one MTP memory location, and where a pointer is automatically incremented to a next of the N number of the plurality of OTP memory locations as a result of the RFID interrogator write operation and in preparation for a subsequent RFID interrogator write operation.

11. A method, comprising:

providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising a memory, the memory comprising a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory locations for storing data, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate a hardened memory system that retains data stored in the OTP non-volatile memory locations, wherein the data stored is retained through exposure of the RFID tag to an ionizing radiation exposure with an intensity level equal to or greater than 25 kGy, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate at least one multiple time programmable (MTP) memory location for storing the data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the OTP non-volatile memory locations are operable through the exposure of the RFID tag to the ionizing radiation exposure.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the ionizing radiation exposure is from gamma radiation.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the ionizing radiation exposure is from an electron beam radiation.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the exposure level is equal to or greater than 50 kGy.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the exposure level is equal to or greater than 100 kGy.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the exposure level is equal to or greater than 200 kGy.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of OTP memory locations are configured to provide a write depth of N for the at least one MTP memory location, where each of the N number of the plurality of OTP memory locations provides a single write location for an RFID interrogator write operation to the at least one MTP memory location, and where a pointer is automatically incremented to a next of the N number of the plurality of OTP memory locations as a result of the RFID interrogator write operation and in preparation for a subsequent RFID interrogator write operation.

19. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising a memory, the memory comprising a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory locations for storing data, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate a hardened memory system that retains data stored in the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, wherein the data stored is retained after exposure of the RFID tag to an ionizing radiation exposure with an exposure level equal to or greater than 25 kGy, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured as redundant memory, where data written to at least a first of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations is redundantly written to a second of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, and where the data is read from the second of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations in the event that the first of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations is determined to be damaged.

20. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising a memory, the memory comprising a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory locations for storing data, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate a hardened memory system that retains data stored in the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, wherein the data stored is retained after exposure of the RFID tag to an ionizing radiation exposure with an exposure level equal to or greater than 25 kGy, wherein the data stored in the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations is encoded, wherein the encoding for the data is stored in redundant memory locations, where encoding written to at least a first of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations is redundantly written to a second of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, and where the encoding is read from the second of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations in the event that the first of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations is determined to be damaged.

21. A method, comprising:

providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising a memory, the memory comprising a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) non-volatile memory locations for storing data, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured to emulate a hardened memory system that retains data stored in the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, wherein the data stored is retained through exposure of the RFID tag to an ionizing radiation exposure with an exposure level equal to or greater than 25 kGy, wherein the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations are configured as redundant memory, where data written to at least a first of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations is redundantly written to a second of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations, and where the data is read from the second of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations in the event that the first of the plurality of OTP non-volatile memory locations is determined to be damaged.