Method and system for supplying energy to at least one mobile component in a wireless communications system, in particular to RFID tags of an RFID system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9712210-B2
Application number	US-201214351609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2012
Priority date	Oct 14, 2011
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A method and system supply energy to at least one mobile component in a wireless communications system, in particular to RFID tags of an RFID system. In the method for supplying energy to at least one mobile component in a wireless communications system with two or more base stations, coherent electromagnetic waves are transmitted by at least two of the base stations. In the system of base stations of a wireless communications system, at least two of the base stations are designed for transmitting coherent electromagnetic waves.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for supplying power to a mobile part in a wireless communication system, comprising:
coherently sending electromagnetic waves to the mobile part from at least two base stations;
controlling at least one of the base stations to adjust relative sending phases between the electromagnetic waves sent from the at least two base stations;
identifying propagation delay phases between the electromagnetic waves sent from the at least two of the base stations; and
adjusting relative sending phases between the electromagnetic waves sent from the at least two base stations.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein energy in an electrical field from the coherently sent electromagnetic waves is used at a location of the mobile part to supply power to the mobile part.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the relative sending phases are adjusted based on trial and error.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mobile part transmits a signal that is received by the at least two base stations, propagation delay phases of the signal received by the at least two base stations are sensed, and at least one of the sending phases is adjusted based on a propagation delay phase offset.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the propagation delay phases are monitored over time, and changes in the propagation delay phase(s) over time are used to select, change and/or customize at least one of the sending phases.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic waves are sent by a digital beamforming method.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic waves are sent by an analog beamforming method.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mobile part transmits a response signal that is received by the at least two base stations, and the relative sending phases are adjusted based on trial and error to maximize a received signal strength of the response signal.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic waves are coherently sent such that the electromagnetic waves are coherently received in phase at a location of the mobile part.

10. A method for supplying power to a mobile part in a wireless communication system, comprising:
coherently sending electromagnetic waves to the mobile part from at least two base stations:
receiving a response signal transmitted by the mobile part that is received by the at least two base stations;
sensing a position and/or a motion state of the mobile part from a reception field strength of the response signal; and
selecting, changing, or customizing at least one of the sending phases using changes in the position and/or motion states.

11. A wireless communication system comprising:
at least two base stations configured to coherently send electromagnetic waves to a mobile part;
wherein at least one of the base stations includes a sensor configured to determine a position of the mobile part based on propagation delay phases between the mobile part and the least two base stations.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein at least one of the base stations has a control unit to adjust relative sending phases between the electromagnetic waves sent from the at least two base stations.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the mobile part transmits a response signal that is received by the at least two base stations, at least one of the base stations has a sensor to determine a position of the mobile part, and the sensor determines the position of the mobile part based on reception field strengths of the electromagnetic waves sent from the at least two base stations or based on reception field strengths of the response signal received at the at least two base stations.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the mobile part is an RFID tag, and the base stations are at least one RFID transponder.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Huettner Joerg
• Mueller Dominikus Joachim
• Ziroff Andreas

Classifications

• H02J50/20

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• G06K7/10089

  the interrogation device using at least one directional antenna or directional interrogation field to resolve the collision (direction or location finding, such as triangulation techniques, G01S13/00) · CPC title

• G06K7/10356

  using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas · CPC title

• G06K7/0008

  General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer · CPC title

• G06K7/10158

  methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field · CPC title