RFID tag reading methods and equipment

Abstract

This application provides a method and device for reading RFID tags. The method described in this application enables cellular networks to read RFID tags. During the reading process, it ensures compatibility between the cellular network and existing passive RFID tags, achieving a mapping between tag status and RRC status, thereby increasing the compatibility of the cellular network and improving the tag reading distance without modifying existing tag products. Furthermore, the method described in this application can be executed by a relay device, thus avoiding increased computational complexity and power consumption for the tags. It is compatible with passive RFID tags already deployed in business scenarios, ensuring smooth technological evolution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of cellular passive Internet of Things (IoT) technology, specifically to a method and device for reading RFID tags. Background Technology

[0002] In cellular wireless networks, the Layer 3 Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol is used between terminals and base stations to transmit control signaling. The RRC protocol configures user plane and control plane messages based on the terminal's status in the network, allowing the implementation of radio resource management policies.

[0003] In 5G cellular networks, after network registration, terminals enter three RRC states: RRC Idle (RRC_IDLE), RRC Connected (RRC_CONNECTED), and RRC Inactive (RRC_INACTIVE, also known as RRC Suspended). In the IDLE state, the terminal's RRC connection with the base station is disconnected, and the base station's NG interface with the core network is also disconnected. In the CONNECTED state, the terminal's RRC connection with the base station is established, and the base station's NG interface with the core network is also established. In the INACTIVE state, the terminal's RRC connection with the base station is disconnected, but the base station's NG interface with the core network is established, maintaining a connection to the network and retaining the core network context (such as security context and terminal capability information) without releasing it.

[0004] The ISO / IEC 18000-6C protocol is one of the most widely used protocols for passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. RFID tags that comply with ISO / IEC 18000-6C have seven states: Ready, Arbitrate, Reply, Acknowledged, Open, Secured, and Kill.

[0005] Cellular passive IoT aims to combine passive tags with 5G cellular networks, leveraging the inherent advantages of cellular networks to achieve wide-area coverage, longer tag reading distances, and reduced user reader deployment costs. For example, in existing asset inventory scenarios (such as large warehouses), there are a large number of RFID tags conforming to ISO / IEC 18000-6C, and this market will continue to exist. However, the device state transition mechanisms in cellular wireless networks differ significantly from those of passive tags, making reuse impossible. To enable communication between tags and cellular networks, the tag state machine needs to be redesigned. To make cellular networks compatible with such tags and expand their application range, a solution is urgently needed that enables cellular networks to read RFID tags, effectively solving inter-system compatibility issues. Summary of the Invention

[0006] At least one embodiment of this application provides a method and device for reading RFID tags, which solves the problem in the prior art that tags and cellular networks have difficulty communicating due to significant differences in state transition mechanisms.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for reading RFID tags, applied to relay equipment, including:

[0009] Upon receiving the first instruction sent by the network device, the device switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state and sends the first instruction to the tag.

[0010] Upon receiving the second instruction sent by the tag, the device switches its own RRC state to RRC connected state and sends the second instruction to the network device.

[0011] The device receives a third instruction from the network device, sends the third instruction to the tag, and after receiving the first electronic product code information returned by the tag, sends the first information to the network device.

[0012] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the method further includes:

[0013] When it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, switch its own RRC state to the RRC inactive state; and / or, when it is not necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

[0014] Optional, also includes:

[0015] Based on the first information, determine whether it is necessary to read or write the information in the tag data area.

[0016] Optional, also includes:

[0017] The relay device, which is in the RRC inactive state, receives the fourth instruction in the tag data area sent by the network device and sends the fourth instruction to the tag;

[0018] The device receives the second information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, sends the second information to the network device, and switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

[0019] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0020] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0021] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0022] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0023] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a method for reading RFID tags, applied to network devices, including:

[0024] Send a first instruction to the relay device, wherein the first instruction is sent to the tag via the relay device and causes the relay terminal to switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state;

[0025] The relay device receives a second instruction forwarded by the relay device in the RRC connected state, wherein the second instruction comes from the tag and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC connected state.

[0026] Send a third instruction to the relay device and receive the first information of the tag forwarded by the relay device.

[0027] Optional, also includes:

[0028] After receiving the first information, if it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, the relay device sends a fourth instruction for the tag data area to the tag and receives a second message forwarded by the relay device. The second message is the response information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, and the relay device switches its own state to the RRC idle state after sending the second message.

[0029] Optional, also includes:

[0030] Based on the first information, determine whether it is necessary to read or write the information in the tag data area.

[0031] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0032] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0033] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0034] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0035] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a relay device, including a transceiver and a processor, wherein...

[0036] The transceiver is used to send and receive information under the control of the processor;

[0037] The processor is configured to, upon receiving a first instruction from the network device, switch the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC idle state and send the first instruction to the tag; receive a second instruction from the tag, switch the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC connected state and send the second instruction to the network device; receive a third instruction from the network device, send the third instruction to the tag, and after receiving the first electronic product code information returned by the tag, send the first information to the network device.

[0038] Optionally, the processor is further configured to, upon receiving the first information, switch its own RRC state to an RRC inactive state when it needs to read or write information in the tag data area; and / or, switch its own RRC state to an RRC idle state when it does not need to read or write information in the tag data area.

[0039] Optionally, the processor is further configured to determine, based on the first information, whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area.

[0040] Optional, also includes:

[0041] The relay device, which is in the RRC inactive state, receives the fourth instruction in the tag data area sent by the network device and sends the fourth instruction to the tag;

[0042] The system receives the second information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, sends the second information to the network device, and switches the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC idle state.

[0043] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0044] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0045] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0046] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0047] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a relay device, including: a processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method described in the first aspect.

[0048] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a network device, including a transceiver and a processor, wherein...

[0049] The transceiver is used to send and receive information under the control of the processor;

[0050] The processor is configured to send a first instruction to a relay device, wherein the first instruction is sent to a tag via the relay device and causes the relay terminal to switch its own RRC state to an RRC idle state; receive a second instruction forwarded by the relay device in an RRC connected state, wherein the second instruction originates from the tag and causes the relay device to switch its own state to an RRC connected state; send a third instruction to the relay device; and receive first information of the tag forwarded by the relay device.

[0051] Optionally, the processor is further configured to, upon receiving the first information, if it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, send a fourth instruction for the tag data area to the tag through the relay device, and receive second information forwarded by the relay device, wherein the second information is response information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC idle state after sending the second information.

[0052] Optionally, the processor is further configured to determine, based on the first information, whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area.

[0053] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0054] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0055] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0056] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a network device, including: a processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described above.

[0059] Compared with existing technologies, the RFID tag reading method and device provided in this application can enable cellular networks to read RFID tags. During the reading process, the cellular network can be made compatible with existing passive RFID tags based on the ISO / IEC 18000-6C protocol, realizing the mapping between tag status and RRC status, increasing the compatibility of the cellular network, and improving the tag reading distance without modifying existing tag products. Furthermore, the above-mentioned scheme in this application embodiment can be executed by a relay device, thus eliminating the need to increase the computational complexity and power consumption of the tag, making it suitable for application in passive tags. Attached Figure Description

[0060] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0061] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the 5G terminal RRC status transition process;

[0062] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the mapping between the RFID tag status and the terminal RRC status in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario according to an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the application of the RFID tag reading method in a relay device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the application of the RFID tag reading method in a network device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 6 Example diagrams of state transitions provided in embodiments of this application;

[0067] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to another embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0073] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0074] The terms “first,” “second,” etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus. The terms “and / or” in the specification and claims indicate at least one of the connected objects.

[0075] The following description provides examples and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the elements discussed without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Various procedures or components may be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added to the examples. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Furthermore, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0076] 5G terminal RRC state transition process as follows Figure 1 As shown, when a terminal is in the IDLE state, it can enter the CONNECTED state through the RRC connection establishment procedure. This procedure is also used to transmit the terminal's initial Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages. When a terminal transitions from the CONNECTED state to the IDLE state, it needs to release the core network context, that is, release the context requested when transitioning from the IDLE state to the CONNECTED state. The transition from the INACTIVE state to the CONNECTED state only requires a recovery procedure.

[0077] The transfer process between different states of an RFID tag typically includes:

[0078] 1) After the tag is powered on, it enters the Ready state and remains in this state until a tag query command is received.

[0079] 2) After receiving the Query command, if the tag's time slot counter is non-zero, it will enter the Arbitrate state; if the counter is zero, it will enter the Reply state.

[0080] 3) After the tag enters the Reply state, it will reply with a 16-bit random number (RN16). If it receives a valid third instruction (ACK) from the reader, it will transfer to the Acknowledged state and reply with information such as the Electronic Product Code (EPC). If the tag does not receive an ACK, it will return to the Arbitrate state.

[0081] 4) If a tag in the Acknowledged state receives a read / write instruction and the tag access password is not 0, it should transition to the Open state and respond with a handle; if it receives a read / write instruction and the tag access password is 0, it should transition to the Secured state and respond with a handle.

[0082] 5) When a tag in the Open state receives a valid Access command, it will transition to the Secured state.

[0083] 6) When a tag in the Open or Secure state receives a valid inactivation command, it will enter the Kill state.

[0084] It can be seen that there are only 3 RRC states in a cellular network, while there are 7 RFID tag states. The state transition mechanisms of the two are quite different and cannot be reused. To achieve communication between the tag and the cellular network, the tag state machine needs to be redesigned. Furthermore, there are a large number of RFID tags conforming to ISO / IEC 18000-6C in the existing network. To ensure compatibility with these tags, this application provides a method for mapping between cellular network RRC states and tag states in relay equipment. This method enables the cellular network to read RFID tags and effectively solves the inter-system compatibility problem.

[0085] To manage tags in a cellular network, it is necessary to map the three RRC states of the terminal under the 5G network to the seven states of the tag. This application provides a method for mapping and converting 5G RRC states to RFID tag states.

[0086] In the state mapping method:

[0087] 1. The Ready state of the tag is mapped to the RRC_IDLE state of 5G.

[0088] The reason is that the tag enters the Ready state after being powered on, which means that the tag can receive the disk storage instructions from the reading and writing device, but has not yet established a connection with the reading and writing device. This corresponds to the state in the 5G network where the access device has not yet established an RRC connection with the base station, i.e., the RRC IDLE state.

[0089] 2. The Arbitrate and Reply statuses are mapped to the 5G RRC_IDLE status.

[0090] The reason is that the label Arbitrate and Reply states are relay states for the label's reported data. Labels in the above two states have not yet completed the backscattering of the identification data, that is, they have not yet fully established a connection with the reading and writing device. Therefore, the above states correspond to the RRC_IDLE state in the 5G network.

[0091] 3. The Acknowledged status is mapped to the 5G RRC_CONNECTED status.

[0092] The reason is that after the tag sends identification information (EPC), it enters the Acknowledged state, and the connection between the reading and writing device and the tag is fully established. Therefore, the above state corresponds to the RRC_CONNECTED state of the 5G network.

[0093] 4. The Open and Secured states are mapped to the 5G RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0094] The reason is that for tags in the Acknowledged state, if the reading / writing device wants to further read data from the tag's User / Data area, the tag will enter the Open / Secured state according to the Read or Write instructions carrying different parameters. The Open / Secured state is a transit state, the purpose of which is to prepare for subsequent User / Data area data reading operations. Therefore, the Open and Secured states correspond to the RRC_IDLE state in the 5G network.

[0095] 5. The "Kill" status has no corresponding "5G" status.

[0096] The reason is that tags in the Kill state no longer respond to commands from the read / write device, which is equivalent to the terminal losing power in the cellular network. Therefore, there is no state correspondence in 5G.

[0097] In summary, the mapping mechanism between the RFID tag status and the terminal RRC status of the cellular network designed in this application embodiment is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, that is:

[0098] The RRC_IDEL state corresponds to the tag's Ready, Arbitrate, and Reply states;

[0099] RRC_CONNECTED corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0100] RRC_INACTIVE corresponds to the Open or Secured state of the tag.

[0101] The RFID tag reading method of this application embodiment is applicable to Figure 3 The illustrated cellular passive IoT architecture includes relay devices such as UEs, wireless APs, gateways, and readers / writers. These devices can have built-in state mapping and conversion modules to control the conversion between 5G RRC and RFID states. Network devices can be 5G and later versions of base stations (e.g., gNB, 5G NR NB), or base stations in other communication systems (e.g., eNB, WLAN access points, or other access points). The term "base station" can refer to a node B, evolved node B, access point, base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), B node, evolved B node (eNB), home B node, home evolved B node, WLAN access point, WiFi node, or any other suitable term in the field, as long as the same technical effect is achieved. The term "base station" is not limited to specific technical terms. It should be noted that this embodiment only uses a base station in an NR system as an example, but does not limit the specific type of base station.

[0102] In this embodiment of the application, the relay device or tag switching the state to a certain target state means that if the current state is not the target state, then the device switches from the current state to the target state; and if the current state is the target state, then the device keeps the current state unchanged.

[0103] The relay device transmits relevant commands and information between the network device and the tag, and switches its own RRC state according to the received commands or information. It should be noted that when switching its own RRC state, the relay device may need to interact with the network device one or more times to ultimately achieve the state switch and enable the network device to know the latest state of the relay device. Details of these interactions can be found in existing technologies for RRC state switching implementations, and will not be elaborated upon here. The relay device can specifically be a user terminal (UE), a radio access point (AP), a gateway, or other devices or proprietary devices with wireless transceiver and data processing capabilities.

[0104] Please refer to Figure 4 The present application provides an RFID tag reading method, which, when applied to a relay device, includes:

[0105] S401, upon receiving the first instruction sent by the network device, the relay device switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state and sends the first instruction to the tag.

[0106] Here, the first instruction is a tag-related instruction, such as a tag identification instruction, which may specifically include a Query instruction and / or a QueryRep instruction. The tag identification instruction is typically used to read the tag identification code, involving the process of reading the tag identification code. When the relay device sends the first instruction to the tag, it switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state. Upon receiving the instruction, the tag, according to the tag state machine implementation, will switch its state to the ArbitratE state or the Reply state, thus achieving the mapping between the terminal's RRC idle state and the tag's ArbitratE state or Reply state.

[0107] S402, receive the second instruction (RN16) sent by the tag, switch its own RRC state to RRC connected state, and send the second instruction to the network device.

[0108] Here, the second instruction can be the tag's temporary password returned by the tag.

[0109] S403, receive the third instruction sent by the network device, send the third instruction to the tag, and after receiving the first information returned by the tag, send the first information to the network device.

[0110] Here, the third instruction is a tag-related instruction, such as a tag acknowledgment instruction (ACK). For example, after receiving the RN16 sent by the tag, the relay device jumps to the RRC connected state and forwards the tag acknowledgment instruction (ACK) sent by the network device to the tag. This allows the tag to switch its state to the AcknowledgE state according to the third instruction, thus realizing the mapping between the terminal's RRC connected state and the tag's AcknowledgE state. The first information can specifically be tag information, such as Electronic Product Code (EPC) information.

[0111] Through the above steps, this embodiment of the application achieves cellular network reading of RFID tags. During the reading process, the cellular network is compatible with existing passive RFID tags based on the ISO / IEC 18000-6C protocol, realizing the mapping between tag status and RRC status, increasing the compatibility of the cellular network, and improving the tag reading distance without modifying existing tag products. Furthermore, the above method of this embodiment can be executed by a relay device, thus eliminating the need to increase the computational complexity and power consumption of the tag, making it suitable for application in passive tags. The above solution has extremely high value for the rapid performance improvement of existing industries and has been widely accepted in practical applications.

[0112] Upon receiving the first information, the relay device can determine whether it needs to read or write information in the tag data area (such as the User / Data area) based on the first information. For example, the first information may include certain preset flag bits or indication information, thereby determining whether further reading or writing of related data is necessary based on these flag bits or indication information.

[0113] Thus, in this embodiment of the application, after receiving the first information, when the relay device needs to read or write information in the tag data area, it switches its own RRC state to the RRC inactive state and waits for further instructions from the network device, and / or, when it does not need to read or write information in the tag data area, it switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state, at which point the process ends.

[0114] When further reading or writing of information in the tag's data area is required, the relay device, in its RRC inactive state, receives a fourth instruction (Read or Write) for the tag's data area from the network device and sends this fourth instruction to the tag. Upon receiving the fourth instruction, the tag, according to its tag state machine, transitions to the Open state if its access password is non-zero, and to the Secured state if its access password is zero. In the Secured state, the tag responds to the fourth instruction by performing relevant operations and returning second information, such as sending data from the User / Data area. Then, the relay device receives the second information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, sends this second information to the network device, and switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state. This process achieves a mapping between the terminal's RRC inactive state and the tag's Open or Secured state.

[0115] As can be seen from the above, in this embodiment of the application, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0116] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0117] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0118] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0119] Please refer to Figure 5 The present application provides an RFID tag reading method, which, when applied to a network device, includes:

[0120] S501, the network device sends a first instruction to the relay device, wherein the first instruction is sent to the tag via the relay device, and causes the relay terminal to switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

[0121] S503, the network device receives a second instruction (e.g., RN16) forwarded by the relay device in the RRC connected state, wherein the second instruction comes from the tag and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC connected state.

[0122] S504, the network device sends a third instruction (e.g., ACK) to the relay device and receives the first information of the tag forwarded by the relay device.

[0123] By following the steps above, the network device can send tag instructions to the relay device to read the tag.

[0124] In the above method, after receiving the first information, if the network device needs to read or write information in the tag data area, it sends a fourth instruction for the tag data area to the tag through the relay device, and receives the second information forwarded by the relay device. The second information is the response information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC idle state after sending the second information.

[0125] Similarly, network devices can determine whether they need to read or write information in the tag data area based on the first information.

[0126] As can be seen from the above, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device in this application embodiment includes at least one of the following:

[0127] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0128] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0129] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0130] The relay device can be a predetermined type of terminal device. Upon receiving a relay device of this predetermined type, the network device, based on the correspondence between the relay device's RRC status and tag status, and the tag operation that the network device needs to perform, sends corresponding instructions to the relay device, for example, as described above.

[0131] In this scenario, when a network device needs to read the first information of a tag, it sends a first instruction to the relay device; and, upon receiving a second instruction from the relay device and the relay device being in RRC connected state, the network device sends the third instruction to the relay device to request the first information of the tag. Alternatively, for example, when the relay device is in RRC idle state and the network device needs to read or write information in the tag's data area, it sends the fourth instruction to the relay device.

[0132] Figure 6 Ten examples of the conversion and mapping between relay device states and RFID tags are given in this application. The relay device, similar to a 5G terminal, maintains three states: RRC_IDLE, RRC_CONNECTED, and RRC_INACTIVE, and is responsible for converting seven tag states to three RRC states. The conversion relationships are as follows:

[0133] 1. When a data storage command (e.g., Query or QueryRep) is received from the base station / network, the relay device enters the RRC_IDLE state;

[0134] 5.1_1. The relay device transmits the above inventory instructions to the tag;

[0135] 1_2a. If the tag slot counter is not 0, the tag enters the ArbitratE state;

[0136] 1_2b. If the tag slot counter = 0, the tag enters the Reply state;

[0137] 1_3, Reply status with tag RN16;

[0138] 2. After the relay device successfully receives the RN16 information of the tag, it jumps to the RRC_CONNECTED0 state;

[0139] 3. The relay device in the RRC_CONNECTED state receives a tag acknowledgment instruction (ACK) (third instruction) from the base station / network;

[0140] 3_1. The relay device transmits the above instructions to the tag;

[0141] 3_2a. If the tag successfully receives an ACK, it will jump to the AcknowledgE state; 3_2b. If the tag does not receive an ACK, it will jump to the ArbitratE state.

[0142] 3_3, AcknowledgE status tag response EPC;

[0143] 4a. After the relay device successfully receives the tag's EPC information (first information), if it needs to further read the tag's User / Data area data, it will jump to the RRC_IACTIVE state;

[0144] 4b. After the relay device successfully receives the EPC information of the tag, if it does not need to read the tag's User / Data area data, it will jump back to the RRC_IDLE state, indicating that the data reading is over;

[0145] 5. A relay device in the RRC_INACTIVE state receives a tag data area related instruction (Read or Write) from the base station / network;

[0146] 5_1. The relay device transmits instructions to the tag;

[0147] 5_2a. If the access password of the tag is not 0, then jump to the Open state;

[0148] 5_2b. If the access password for the tag is 0, then proceed to the Secured state;

[0149] 5_3a+5_4a, After receiving the Access command, the tag in the Open state jumps to the Secured state;

[0150] 5_3b+5_5a, Tags in the Secured state send data from the User / Data area;

[0151] 6. After the relay device successfully receives the data from the User / Data area of ​​the tag, it jumps back to the RRC_IDLE state, indicating that the data reading is over.

[0152] The above-described solution in this application realizes the mapping and conversion between RFID tag status and cellular network terminal status. It can be embedded in the MCU of the relay device. When applied to a cellular passive IoT system, it can be compatible with the passive RFID tags already deployed in the business scenario, ensuring smooth technological evolution.

[0153] The various methods described above are based on embodiments of this application. Apparatus for implementing the above methods will now be provided.

[0154] Please refer to Figure 7 This application also provides a relay device, including:

[0155] The first transceiver module 701 is used to switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state and send the first instruction to the tag when it receives a first instruction sent by the network device.

[0156] The second transceiver module 702 receives the second instruction (RN16) sent by the tag, switches its own RRC state to the RRC connected state, and sends the second instruction to the network device.

[0157] The third transceiver module 703 receives the third instruction (ACK) sent by the network device, sends the third instruction (ACK) to the tag, and after receiving the first electronic product code information returned by the tag, sends the first information to the network device.

[0158] Through the above modules, this embodiment of the application enables cellular networks to read RFID tags. During the reading process, the cellular network is compatible with existing passive RFID tags based on the ISO / IEC 18000-6C protocol, achieving a mapping between tag status and RRC status, increasing the compatibility of the cellular network, and improving the tag reading distance without modifying existing tag products.

[0159] Optionally, the above-mentioned relay equipment also includes:

[0160] The first processing module is configured to, upon receiving the first information, switch its own RRC state to the RRC inactive state if it needs to read or write information in the tag data area, otherwise switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

[0161] Optionally, the above-mentioned relay equipment also includes:

[0162] The judgment module is used to determine whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area based on the first information.

[0163] Optionally, the above-mentioned relay equipment also includes:

[0164] The fourth transceiver module is used by the relay device in the RRC inactive state to receive the fourth instruction in the tag data area sent by the network device and send the fourth instruction to the tag.

[0165] The fifth transceiver module is used to receive the second information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, send the second information to the network device, and switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

[0166] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0167] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0168] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0169] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0170] It should be noted that the device in this embodiment corresponds to the method applied to the relay device side described above. The implementation methods in each of the above embodiments are applicable to the embodiments of this device and can achieve the same technical effect. The device provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiments and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail here.

[0171] Please refer to Figure 8 This application embodiment also provides a relay device 800, including: a transceiver 801 and a processor 802;

[0172] The transceiver 801 is used to send and receive information under the control of the processor 802;

[0173] The processor 802 is configured to, upon receiving a first instruction sent by the network device, switch the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC idle state and send the first instruction to the tag; receive a second instruction sent by the tag, switch the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC connected state and send the second instruction to the network device; receive a third instruction sent by the network device, send the third instruction to the tag, and after receiving the first electronic product code information returned by the tag, send the first information to the network device.

[0174] Optionally, the processor 802 is further configured to, upon receiving the first information, switch its own RRC state to the RRC inactive state when it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area; and / or, switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state when it is not necessary to read or write information in the tag data area.

[0175] Optionally, the processor 802 is further configured to determine, based on the first information, whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area.

[0176] Optionally, the processor 802 is further configured to, when the relay device is in the RRC inactive state, receive a fourth instruction from the tag data area sent by the network device, send the fourth instruction to the tag; receive second information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, send the second information to the network device, and switch the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC idle state.

[0177] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0178] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0179] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0180] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0181] It should be noted that the device in this embodiment corresponds to the method applied to the relay device side described above. The implementation methods in each of the above embodiments are applicable to the embodiments of this device and can achieve the same technical effect. The device provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiments and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail here.

[0182] Please refer to Figure 9 This application also provides a network device, including:

[0183] The first transceiver module 901 is used to send a first instruction to the relay device, wherein the first instruction is sent to the tag via the relay device and causes the relay terminal to switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

[0184] The second transceiver module 902 is used to receive a second instruction (RN16) forwarded by the relay device in the RRC connection state, wherein the second instruction comes from the tag and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC connection state.

[0185] The third transceiver module 903 is used to send a third instruction (ACK) to the relay device and receive the first information of the tag forwarded by the relay device.

[0186] Through the above modules, this embodiment of the application realizes the reading of RFID tags by a cellular network.

[0187] Optionally, the aforementioned network equipment also includes:

[0188] The fourth transceiver module is used to send a fourth instruction for the tag data area to the tag through the relay device if it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area after receiving the first information, and to receive the second information forwarded by the relay device, wherein the second information is the response information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC idle state after sending the second information.

[0189] Optionally, the aforementioned network equipment also includes:

[0190] The judgment module is used to determine whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area based on the first information.

[0191] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0192] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0193] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0194] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0195] It should be noted that the device in this embodiment corresponds to the method applied to the network side described above. The implementation methods in each of the above embodiments are applicable to the embodiments of this device and can achieve the same technical effect. The device provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiments and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail here.

[0196] Please refer to Figure 10 This application also provides a network device 1000, including: a transceiver 1001 and a processor 1002;

[0197] The transceiver 1001 is used to send and receive information under the control of the processor 1002;

[0198] The processor 1002 is configured to send a first instruction to a relay device, wherein the first instruction is sent to a tag via the relay device and causes the relay terminal to switch its own RRC state to an RRC idle state; receive a second instruction forwarded by the relay device in an RRC connected state, wherein the second instruction comes from the tag and causes the relay device to switch its own state to an RRC connected state; send a third instruction to the relay device; and receive first information of the tag forwarded by the relay device.

[0199] Optionally, the processor 1002 is further configured to, upon receiving the first information, if it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, send a fourth instruction for the tag data area to the tag through the relay device, and receive second information forwarded by the relay device, wherein the second information is response information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC idle state after sending the second information.

[0200] Optionally, the processor 1002 is further configured to determine, based on the first information, whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area.

[0201] Optionally, the correspondence between the RRC status and the tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following:

[0202] The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag;

[0203] The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag;

[0204] The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

[0205] It should be noted that the device in this embodiment corresponds to the method applied to the network side described above. The implementation methods in each of the above embodiments are applicable to the embodiments of this device and can achieve the same technical effect. The device provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiments and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail here.

[0206] Please refer to Figure 11 This application embodiment also provides a relay device 1100, including a processor 1101, a memory 1102, and a computer program stored in the memory 1102 and executable on the processor 1101. When the computer program is executed by the processor 1101, it implements the various processes of the above-described RFID tag reading method embodiment executed by the relay device and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0207] Please refer to Figure 12 This application also provides a network device 1200, including a processor 1201, a memory 1202, and a computer program stored in the memory 1202 and executable on the processor 1201. When the computer program is executed by the processor 1201, it implements the various processes of the above-described embodiment of the RFID tag reading method executed by the network device and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0208] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the various processes of the above-described RFID tag reading method embodiments and achieves the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here. The computer-readable storage medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0209] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0210] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a relay device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0211] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method of reading an RFID tag applied to a relay device, characterized by, include: Upon receiving the first instruction sent by the network device, the device switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state and sends the first instruction to the tag. Upon receiving the second instruction sent by the tag, the device switches its own RRC state to RRC connected state and sends the second instruction to the network device. The system receives a third instruction sent by the network device, sends the third instruction to the tag, and after receiving the first information returned by the tag, sends the first information to the network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, After receiving the first information, the method further includes: When it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, switch its own RRC state to the RRC inactive state; and / or, when it is not necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, Also includes: Based on the first information, determine whether it is necessary to read or write the information in the tag data area.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: The relay device, which is in an RRC inactive state, receives a fourth instruction sent by the network device and sends the fourth instruction to the tag; The device receives the second information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, sends the second information to the network device, and switches its own RRC state to the RRC idle state.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The correspondence between the RRC status and tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following: The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag; The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag; The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

6. A method for reading RFID tags, applied to network equipment, characterized in that, include: Send a first instruction to the relay device, wherein the first instruction is sent to the tag via the relay device and causes the relay terminal to switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state; The relay device receives a second instruction forwarded by the relay device in the RRC connected state, wherein the second instruction comes from the tag and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC connected state. Send a third instruction to the relay device and receive the first information of the tag forwarded by the relay device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: After receiving the first information, if it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area, the relay device sends a fourth instruction for the tag data area to the tag and receives a second message forwarded by the relay device. The second message is the response information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, and the relay device switches its own state to the RRC idle state after sending the second message.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: Based on the first information, determine whether it is necessary to read or write the information in the tag data area.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The correspondence between the RRC status and tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following: The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag; The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag; The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

10. A relay device, characterized in that, Includes transceivers and processors, among which, The transceiver is used to send and receive information under the control of the processor; The processor is configured to, upon receiving a first instruction from the network device, switch the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC idle state and send the first instruction to the tag; receive a second instruction from the tag, switch the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC connected state and send the second instruction to the network device; receive a third instruction from the network device, send the third instruction to the tag, and after receiving the first electronic product code information returned by the tag, send the first information to the network device.

11. The relay device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to, upon receiving the first information, switch its own RRC state to the RRC inactive state when it needs to read or write information in the tag data area; and / or switch its own RRC state to the RRC idle state when it does not need to read or write information in the tag data area.

12. The relay device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to determine, based on the first information, whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area.

13. The relay device according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: The relay device, which is in the RRC inactive state, receives the fourth instruction in the tag data area sent by the network device and sends the fourth instruction to the tag; The system receives the second information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, sends the second information to the network device, and switches the RRC state of the relay device to the RRC idle state.

14. The relay device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, The correspondence between the RRC status and tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following: The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag; The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag; The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

15. A relay device, characterized in that, include: A processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

16. A network device, characterized in that, Includes transceivers and processors, among which, The transceiver is used to send and receive information under the control of the processor; The processor is configured to send a first instruction to a relay device, wherein the first instruction is sent to a tag via the relay device and causes the relay terminal to switch its own RRC state to an RRC idle state; receive a second instruction forwarded by the relay device in an RRC connected state, wherein the second instruction originates from the tag and causes the relay device to switch its own state to an RRC connected state; send a third instruction to the relay device; and receive first information of the tag forwarded by the relay device.

17. The network device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to, upon receiving the first information, if it needs to read or write information in the tag data area, send a fourth instruction for the tag data area to the tag through the relay device, and receive second information forwarded by the relay device, wherein the second information is response information returned by the tag after executing the fourth instruction, and causes the relay device to switch its own state to the RRC idle state after sending the second information.

18. The network device according to claim 17, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to determine, based on the first information, whether it is necessary to read or write information in the tag data area.

19. The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that, The correspondence between the RRC status and tag status of the relay device includes at least one of the following: The RRC idle state of the relay device corresponds to the ready state, arbitrate state, or reply state of the tag; The RRC connection state of the relay device corresponds to the Acknowledged state of the tag; The RRC inactive state of the relay device corresponds to the open state or the secure state of the tag.

20. A network device, characterized in that, include: A processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 6 to 9.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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