RFID reader and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9111155-B2
Application number	US-201113157864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2011
Priority date	Jun 15, 2010
Publication date	Aug 18, 2015
Grant date	Aug 18, 2015

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and a method of controlling the RFID reader are provided. The RFID reader includes a link frequency calculator which calculates a link frequency by using a signal transmitted from a tag and a sampling signal; a first decoder which converts the signal transmitted from the tag into a first signal or a second signal having a different value from the first signal; a decoding controller which outputs a mode signal representing a format used to decode the signal converted in the first decoder; and a second decoder which decodes the converted signal according to the mode signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader comprising:
a link frequency calculator which is configured to calculate a link frequency by using a signal transmitted from a tag and a sampling signal;
a first decoder which is configured to convert the signal transmitted from the tag into a first signal or a second signal having a different value from the first signal;
a decoding controller which is configured to output a mode signal representing a format used to decode the signal converted in the first decoder; and
a second decoder which is configured to decode the converted signal according to the mode signal,
wherein the first decoder is configured to receive the link frequency and a tolerance from the link frequency calculator and a reference value from the decoding controller, and to convert the signal transmitted from the tag into the first signal or the second signal based on the reference value, the link frequency and the tolerance, and
wherein the reference value is a reference for converting the signal transmitted from the tag and the tolerance is an error range of the link frequency.

2. The RFID reader of claim 1 , wherein the link frequency calculator comprises:
a sign determiner which is configured to detect a change in a sign of the signal transmitted from the tag, the sign being determined as plus if a value of the signal is above a threshold and as minus if the value of the signal is below the threshold;
a counter which is configured to count a number of sampling signal applications while the sign of the signal is maintained constant in reference to the threshold; and
a frequency calculator which is configured to calculate the link frequency based on the counting number.

3. The RFID reader of claim 2 , wherein the link frequency calculator further comprises an average value calculator which is configured to calculate an average value of the counted number of the sampling signal applications while the sign of the signal is maintained constant,
wherein the frequency calculator is configured to calculate the link frequency by using the average value.

4. The RFID reader of claim 3 , wherein the link frequency calculator is configured to calculate the tolerance based on a predetermined proportion of the calculated link frequency.

5. The RFID reader of claim 4 , wherein the first decoder is configured to count a number of sampling signal applications, from a time point when the sign of the signal transmitted from the tag changes to a next time point when the sign of the signal transmitted from the tag changes again, and to calculate a conversion value by adding 1 if the value of the signal transmitted from the tag is greater than 0 and subtracting 1 if the value of the signal transmitted from the tag is smaller than 0 at time points when a sampling signal application occurs while the number of the sampling signal applications is counted.

6. The RFID reader of claim 5 , wherein the first decoder is configured to convert the signal transmitted from the tag into the first signal if the conversion value is less than the reference value, and to convert the signal transmitted from the tag to the second signal if the conversion value is equal to or greater than the reference value and if (the link frequency - the tolerance) ≦the first decoder count ≦(the link frequency +the tolerance).

7. The RFID reader of claim 5 , wherein the first decoder is configured to count the number of the sampling signal applications until the sign of the signal transmitted from the tag changes again, and to calculate the conversion value while the number of the sampling signal applications is counted if (the link frequency - the tolerance) >the number of the sampling signal applications.

8. The RFID reader of claim 1 , wherein the first decoder is configured to convert the signal transmitted from the tag into one of the first signal, the second signal, and a third signal, the third signal having a different value from a value of the first signal and a value of the second signal.

9. The RFID reader of claim 1 , further comprising a noise determiner which is configured to distinguish noise from a signal encoded at the tag, in the signal transmitted from the tag.

10. The RFID reader of claim 9 , wherein the first decoder is configured to convert the encoded signal into the first signal or the second signal.

11. The RFID reader of claim 9 , further comprising a preamble searching unit which is configured to search for a preamble section in the encoded signal.

12. The RFID reader of claim 1 , wherein the RFID reader is configured to perform communication with the tag based on the link frequency calculated by the link frequency calculator.

13. A method of controlling a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, the method comprising:
calculating a link frequency by using a signal transmitted from a tag;
performing first decoding which converts the signal transmitted from the tag into a first signal or a second signal having a different value from the first signal;
determining a decoding format that is used to decode the converted signal; and
performing second decoding which decodes the converted signal according to the determined decoding format,
wherein the performing first decoding converts the signal transmitted from the tag into the first signal or the second signal based on a reference value, the link frequency and a tolerance, and
wherein the reference value is a reference for converting the signal transmitted from the tag and the tolerance an error range of the link frequency.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the calculating the link frequency comprises:
detecting whether a sign of the signal transmitted from the tag changes between plus and minus, the sign being determined as plus if a value of the signal is above a threshold and as minus if the value of the signal is below the threshold;
counting a number of sampling signal applications while the sign of the signal does not change; and
calculating the link frequency based on the counted number.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the calculating the link frequency comprises:
repeating the calculating the number of the sampling signal applications for a predetermined number of times;
calculating an average value of the number of the sampling signal applications; and
calculating the link frequency by using the average value.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising distinguishing noise from a signal encoded at the tag, in the signal transmitted from the tag.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the performing the first decoding comprises converting the encoded signal into the first signal or the second signal.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising searching for a preamble in the encoded signal.

19. A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader comprising:
a sampling signal generator which is configured to generate a sampling signal;
a link frequency calculator which is configured to calculate a link frequency by using pulses, that are repeated for a predetermined period in a preamble section included in a signal transmitted from a tag, and the sampling signal; and
a decoding controller which is configured to control decoding of the signal transmitted from the tag according to the calculated link frequency.

20. The RFID reader of claim 19 , wherein the link frequency calculator is configured to calculate the link frequency by counting a number of sampling signal applications within a pulse width of the pulse th

Assignees

• Kwon Bong-Hyen
• Intellectual Discovery Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Bong-Hyen

Classifications

• G06K7/10297 Primary

  arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 (cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00) · CPC title

• G06K7/10039

  interrogator driven, i.e. synchronous · CPC title

• G06K19/0723

  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 title

• H04B5/48 Primary

  Transceivers · CPC title