RFID tag pairing method and device

Abstract

The invention provides an RFID tag pairing method and device, and the method comprises the steps: carrying out the physical connection of a master tag and a slave tag, and obtaining at least one tag pair; activating the at least one label pair through a reader-writer, and sending a pairing signal to the at least one label pair; in each label pair, the slave label responds to the pairing signal and sends slave label identity information to the master label, and the master label stores the slave label identity information; and in a communication time slice, the reader-writer communicates with the master tag in the at least one tag pair, master tag information and slave tag information uploaded by the master tag are acquired, and pairing information of the at least one tag pair is obtained. According to the method, the RFID tag pairing efficiency can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of RFID tag communication, and in particular to an RFID tag pairing method and device. Background Art

[0002] In practical applications, it's often necessary to identify paired tags from multiple RFID tags. A common solution currently employs a master-slave tag pairing mechanism, whereby the master tag generates a specific level signal. Upon detecting this signal, the paired slave tag modifies its internal state information and confirms the pairing relationship by responding to the reader. This solution requires the reader to repeatedly poll all tags, resulting in low recognition efficiency. Another solution, described in Chinese patent CN120012808A, divides the same time slot into two phases. In the first phase, after being detected by the reader, the master tag sends its identity information to the reader and simultaneously sends a pairing signal to the slave tag. Upon receiving the pairing signal, the slave tag sends its own identity information to the reader. Finally, the reader performs tag pairing based on the master and slave tag identity information obtained within the same time slot. However, this solution requires the master tag to have command-sending capabilities similar to those of the reader, which conflicts with the passive operating mode of standard RFID tags. This design not only increases the tag's hardware complexity but also requires intrusion into the existing communication protocol.

[0003] In summary, the existing tag pairing method has the following defects: 1. Low pairing efficiency: Traditional tag pairing methods usually require the reader to traverse the master tag in sequence and send pairing instructions to the slave tags one by one. This process is complex and time-consuming, resulting in the system being unable to efficiently process pairing requests from a large number of tags, seriously affecting the system's response speed and overall efficiency.

[0004] 2. High Hardware Complexity: The improved pairing solution requires the master tag to have a command-sending function similar to that of a reader / writer. This increases the hardware complexity of the tag and requires significant modifications to the existing tag hardware. This design further complicates the tag structure and makes maintenance difficult.

[0005] 3. Highly invasive protocol: The improved tag pairing method effectively gives tags the functionality of readers and writers, which contradicts the master-slave architecture of tags and readers and is effectively an "intrusion" into the existing protocol. This intrusion can lead to compatibility and stability issues in the system, increasing the difficulty of system integration.

[0006] 4. Response Delay: Because existing pairing methods rely on the decrement of a random number counter, tag responses are uncertain, making it impossible to accurately obtain information from all tags within the same identification cycle. This requires the entire system to poll multiple times to ensure that all tags have responded, further delaying system response times. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Purpose of the invention: The present invention aims to provide an RFID tag pairing method and device to at least partially overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0008] Summary of the invention: To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, a method for pairing RFID tags is provided, comprising the steps of: Physically connecting the master tag and the slave tag to obtain at least one tag pair; activating the at least one tag pair through a reader / writer and sending a pairing signal to the at least one tag pair; in each tag pair, the slave tag sends slave tag identity information to the master tag in response to the pairing signal, and the master tag stores the slave tag identity information; In one communication time slice, the reader communicates with the master tag of the at least one tag pair to obtain the master tag information and the slave tag information uploaded by the master tag, and obtain the pairing information of the at least one tag pair.

[0009] As an optional implementation manner of the method of the first aspect, physically connecting the master tag and the slave tag specifically includes: The master tag and the slave tag are connected via an inter-tag communication module; for the master tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data receiving port; for the slave tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data sending port.

[0010] As an optional implementation manner of the method of the first aspect, within a communication time slice, communicating with the master tag of the at least one tag pair through the reader / writer to obtain the master tag information and the slave tag information uploaded by the master tag specifically includes: Sending a card search instruction to the at least one pair of tags through the reader; The master tag of the at least one tag pair returns a 16-bit random number to the reader; After correctly receiving the random number, the reader sends a confirmation instruction to the corresponding master tag; After receiving the confirmation instruction, the master tag replies the master tag information and the slave tag information to the reader / writer.

[0011] In a second aspect, an RFID tag pairing device is provided, comprising: a reader / writer and at least one tag pair, wherein the tag pair comprises a master tag and a slave tag, wherein the master tag and the slave tag are physically connected; The reader is configured to activate the at least one tag pair and send a pairing signal to the at least one tag pair; In each of the tag pairs, the slave tag is configured to send slave tag identity information to the master tag in response to the pairing signal after being activated, and the master tag is configured to store the slave tag identity information; The reader is further configured to communicate with the master tag of the at least one tag pair within a communication time slice, obtain the master tag information and the slave tag information uploaded by the master tag, and obtain pairing information of the at least one tag pair.

[0012] As an optional implementation manner of the device described in the second aspect, the master tag and the slave tag are connected through an inter-tag communication module; for the master tag, the inter-tag communication module is a receiving data port; for the slave tag, the inter-tag communication module is a sending data port.

[0013] As an optional implementation manner of the device described in the second aspect, within a communication time slice, the reader / writer sends a card search instruction to the at least one pair of tag pairs; the master tag in the at least one pair of tag pairs returns a 16-bit random number to the reader / writer; after correctly receiving the random number, the reader / writer replies with a confirmation instruction to the corresponding master tag; after receiving the confirmation instruction, the master tag replies with the master tag information and the slave tag information to the reader / writer.

[0014] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the RFID tag pairing method and device proposed in the present invention have the following advantages: 1. Efficient pairing: By establishing a pairing relationship through a physical connection between the master and slave tags, this RFID tag pairing method significantly improves pairing efficiency. Within a single inventory cycle, the reader can obtain pairing information for all tags with minimal time complexity, avoiding the multiple polling and high latency associated with traditional methods, thereby improving system responsiveness and efficiency.

[0015] 2. Simplified hardware implementation: Compared with traditional tag pairing methods, in the above-mentioned RFID tag pairing method, master and slave tags only need to add an inter-tag communication module in the hardware to achieve pairing, avoiding complex hardware changes and intrusion into the original protocol, ensuring compatibility with standard RFID communication protocols, and reducing development and manufacturing costs.

[0016] 3. Compatibility and Scalability: The above-described RFID tag pairing method does not require modifications to existing RFID system protocols, and the master tag does not need to have the ability to send reader commands, thus ensuring system compatibility. Therefore, the above-described RFID tag pairing method can be smoothly integrated into existing RFID systems, exhibiting strong adaptability and scalability, and can be widely applied to various RFID tag pairing scenarios.

[0017] 4. Reduced Cost and Energy Consumption: The aforementioned RFID tag pairing method avoids sending complex instructions to the tags, reducing energy consumption and simplifying device design and manufacturing, further reducing system costs. Furthermore, the master and slave tags communicate solely through a physical connection, without relying on frequent electromagnetic wave transmissions, which helps reduce energy consumption and improve system sustainability.

[0018] 5. Improved Communication Efficiency and System Stability: The RFID tag pairing method described above performs the pairing process directly through physical connection, avoiding random tag responses and the complexity of system polling, significantly improving communication efficiency. Furthermore, this invention ensures the stability of the pairing and communication processes, enhancing the reliability of the RFID system in complex environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 The figure is a flow chart of an RFID tag pairing method according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of a pair of paired tags involved in the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the communication process between the reader and the tag pair involved in the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the RFID tag pairing device involved in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. However, it should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in various forms, and the following exemplary and non-limiting embodiments shown in the drawings and described below are not intended to limit the present invention to the specific embodiments described.

[0024] It should be understood that, where technically feasible, the technical features listed above for different embodiments may be combined with each other to form additional embodiments within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the specific examples and embodiments described in the present invention are non-limiting, and the structures, steps, and sequences described above may be modified accordingly without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A flow chart of an RFID tag pairing method is given as an example. Figure 1 As shown, the method includes steps S100 to S104.

[0026] S100: Physically connect the master tag and the slave tag to obtain at least one tag pair.

[0027] The physical connection between the master tag and the slave tag mentioned above specifically refers to realizing the communication connection between the master tag and the slave tag by setting an inter-tag communication module.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure of a pair of paired tags is shown schematically. Figure 2 As shown in FIG, tag A is the master tag, tag B is the slave tag, and C is the inter-tag communication module between the two tags. For the master tag, C is the receiving data port, and for the slave tag, C is the sending data port.

[0029] S102: activating at least one tag pair through a reader / writer and sending a pairing signal to at least one tag pair; in each tag pair, the slave tag responds to the pairing signal and sends the slave tag identity information to the master tag, and the master tag stores the slave tag identity information.

[0030] In actual operation, the reader / writer radiates electromagnetic waves through its antenna toward each tag pair. The master and slave tags in the tag pair absorb the energy from the electromagnetic waves and power on. At this point, both the master and slave tags enter the preparation phase. When the slave tag detects the pairing signal, it immediately sends its identity information to the master tag. After receiving the slave tag's identity information, the master tag stores it.

[0031] Still Figure 2 For example, the paired tag pair shown in the figure enters the preparation phase after power-up. When a pairing signal is detected, master tag A immediately communicates with slave tag B. Slave tag B then sends its identity information to master tag A via inter-tag communication module C, and master tag A stores slave tag B's identity information.

[0032] S104: within a communication time slice, communicating with the master tag in at least one tag pair through the reader / writer, obtaining the master tag information and the slave tag information uploaded by the master tag, and obtaining pairing information of at least one tag pair.

[0033] In a single time slice, the reader only needs to communicate with the master tag to obtain the master tag information and slave tag information uploaded by the master tag. Based on this, the reader can obtain the pairing information of each pair of tags.

[0034] In the above method, the communication between the reader and the tag pair follows the EPCC1G2 standard (RFID EPCglobalClass1Generation2). Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the communication process between the reader and the tag pair is: 1) The reader determines the tag group that needs to be counted by sending a selection command. The tag pairs in the tag group are powered on after receiving the continuous wave (CW) sent by the reader through the antenna.

[0035] 2) The reader sends a card search instruction Query to the tag pair.

[0036] 3) The primary tag in the tag pair returns a 16-bit random number RN16 to the reader.

[0037] 4) If the reader receives RN16 correctly, it will return the confirmation command Ask.

[0038] 5) After receiving the confirmation command Ask, the master tag replies with the PC+EPC+CRC16 information to the reader. The EPC information contains the master tag information and the slave tag information, that is, the pairing information of the tag pair; PC (Protocol Control) represents the protocol control bit, which is used to determine the EPC length; CRC16 is a 16-bit cyclic redundancy check code.

[0039] In the above-mentioned RFID tag pairing method, the reader communicates only with the master tag; the slave tags paired with the master tag do not participate in the communication process. This communication process can be viewed as occurring within a single time slice, allowing the reader to rapidly obtain paired tag information through communication with the master tag. This method allows the reader to rapidly obtain pairing information for all tags within a single inventory cycle, significantly improving communication efficiency.

[0040] Corresponding to the above method, this embodiment also provides an RFID tag pairing device, which is used to implement the above RFID tag pairing method. Figure 4 The figure shows a schematic structural diagram of an RFID tag pairing device, which includes a reader and at least one pair of tags. Each pair of tags includes a master tag and a slave tag, and the master tag and the slave tag are physically connected.

[0041] It should be noted that Figure 4 The computer control terminal and antenna are shown for illustrative purposes only. The reader / writer described in this embodiment is a device that can perform the corresponding functions in this embodiment. In actual operation, the computer control terminal of the reader / writer can be built into the reader / writer, or it can be independently set and connected to the reader / writer. The antenna of the reader / writer can be directly integrated into the reader / writer, or it can be independently set and connected to the reader / writer.

[0042] During the pairing process, the reader is configured to activate at least one tag pair and send a pairing signal to at least one tag pair. In each tag pair, the slave tag is configured to respond to the pairing signal after being activated and send the slave tag identity information to the master tag, and the master tag is configured to store the slave tag identity information.

[0043] The reader is further configured to communicate with the master tag in at least one tag pair within a communication time slice, obtain the master tag information and slave tag information uploaded by the master tag, and obtain pairing information of at least one tag pair.

[0044] Specifically, the master tag and the slave tag are connected via an inter-tag communication module. For the master tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data receiving port; for the slave tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data sending port.

[0045] Specifically, within a communication time slice, the reader sends a card search instruction to at least one pair of tags; the master tag in at least one pair of tags returns a 16-bit random number to the reader; after correctly receiving the random number, the reader replies with a confirmation instruction to the corresponding master tag; after receiving the confirmation instruction, the master tag replies with the master tag information and the slave tag information to the reader.

[0046] It should be noted that in this device, the communication between the reader and the tag pair complies with the EPCC1G2 standard (RFID EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2). The communication process between the reader and the tag pair can be referred to in the corresponding content of the RFID tag pairing method above, and will not be repeated here.

[0047] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0048] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A RFID tag pairing method, characterized in that: Including steps: Physically connecting the master tag and the slave tag to obtain at least one tag pair; activating the at least one tag pair by a reader / writer, and sending a pairing signal to the at least one tag pair; In each of the tag pairs, the slave tag sends slave tag identity information to the master tag in response to the pairing signal, and the master tag stores the slave tag identity information; In one communication time slice, the reader communicates with the master tag of the at least one tag pair to obtain the master tag information and the slave tag information uploaded by the master tag, and obtain the pairing information of the at least one tag pair.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Physically connecting the master tag and the slave tag specifically includes: The master tag and the slave tag are connected via an inter-tag communication module; for the master tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data receiving port; for the slave tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data sending port.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In a communication time slice, communicating with the master tag of the at least one tag pair through the reader / writer to obtain the master tag information and the slave tag information uploaded by the master tag specifically includes: Sending a card search instruction to the at least one pair of tags through the reader; The master tag of the at least one tag pair returns a 16-bit random number to the reader; After correctly receiving the random number, the reader sends a confirmation instruction to the corresponding master tag; After receiving the confirmation instruction, the master tag replies the master tag information and the slave tag information to the reader / writer.

4. An RFID tag pairing device, characterized in that: include: A reader / writer and at least one tag pair, wherein the tag pair includes a master tag and a slave tag, and the master tag and the slave tag are physically connected; The reader is configured to activate the at least one tag pair and send a pairing signal to the at least one tag pair; In each of the tag pairs, the slave tag is configured to send slave tag identity information to the master tag in response to the pairing signal after being activated, and the master tag is configured to store the slave tag identity information; The reader is further configured to communicate with the master tag of the at least one tag pair within a communication time slice, obtain the master tag information and the slave tag information uploaded by the master tag, and obtain pairing information of the at least one tag pair.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The master tag and the slave tag are connected via an inter-tag communication module; for the master tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data receiving port; for the slave tag, the inter-tag communication module is a data sending port.

6. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that In a communication time slice, the reader sends a card search instruction to the at least one pair of tags; the master tag in the at least one pair of tags returns a 16-bit random number to the reader; after correctly receiving the random number, the reader replies with a confirmation instruction to the corresponding master tag; After receiving the confirmation instruction, the master tag replies the master tag information and the slave tag information to the reader / writer.

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