RFID Tag Direct Communication Protocol
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing RFID systems require numerous queries and commands to determine connectivity between RFID tags, leading to inefficiencies and potential interruptions in communication or critical services due to incorrect connections or disconnections in applications like medical devices or industrial systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing direct communication protocols between RFID tags, allowing them to exchange identification information directly without relying on an RFID reader, reducing the need for extensive queries and enhancing redundancy by enabling immediate identification of connected tags.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RFID reader performs numerous queries to determine connectivity between RFID tags, then connection status can be detected, but system response time increases and potential interruptions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary connectivity detection by having the RFID reader detect the presence of a first RFID tag before attempting to establish communication through a second RFID tag. This preliminary action allows the system to proactively identify connectivity issues before they affect critical operations, reducing both response time and interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection mechanism where the RFID reader monitors the communication path between two RFID tags by detecting signals from the first tag. This intermediary approach enables continuous connectivity monitoring without requiring direct interrogation of both tags simultaneously, thus reducing the time needed to determine connectivity status.
2Measurement precision
If RFID reader performs extensive queries to identify connected tags, then accurate identification is achieved, but system complexity and number of commands increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the identification function from the complex multi-tag interrogation process by focusing on detecting the presence of a single first RFID tag to infer connectivity to a second tag. This extraction simplifies the system by removing the need for extensive queries to multiple tags, reducing command overhead while maintaining identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the self-service capability where the RFID reader leverages the backscatter signals already transmitted by RFID tags during normal operation. By monitoring these existing signals for the presence of the first tag, the system achieves accurate identification without requiring additional active queries or commands, thus reducing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the time to determine connectivity, prevents interruptions, and ensures accurate identification of connected RFID tags, even if one tag is inaccessible to the reader, thereby improving system reliability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
If the RFID tag is a passive or semi-passive device, the RFID tag does not include a transmitter. The passive or semi-passive RFID tag includes a receiver that receives a wireless RF signal from a transmitter over an antenna, also known as an interrogation signal.
Implementation Method 2
The passive or semi-passive RFID tag wakes up in response to receipt of the interrogation signal and can respond, including providing identification information, via backscatter modulation communications
Data Source
AI summary
Protocols, systems, and methods are disclosed for two or more RFID tags to communicate with each other and a device using direct connections. A disclosed system includes a first RFID tag, a second RFID tag, and a device. The first and second RFID tags are configured to mate to each other and directly exchange information. The second RFID tag is further configured to directly exchange information with the device such that information received directly at the second RFID tag from the first RFID tag may then be directly exchanged with the device. The first RFID tag may send a first tag identification directly from the first RFID tag to the second RFID tag. The second RFID tag may then send a first acknowledgement to the first RFID tag if the first tag identification was correctly received by the second RFID tag.