CA2405894A1 - Compact bluetooth, 802, 11 and rs-232 enabled rfid reader - Google Patents
Compact bluetooth, 802, 11 and rs-232 enabled rfid reader Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2405894A1 CA2405894A1 CA 2405894 CA2405894A CA2405894A1 CA 2405894 A1 CA2405894 A1 CA 2405894A1 CA 2405894 CA2405894 CA 2405894 CA 2405894 A CA2405894 A CA 2405894A CA 2405894 A1 CA2405894 A1 CA 2405894A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- rfid
- rfid reader
- bluetooth
- reader
- tags
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
- G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
- G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
- G06K7/10019—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers.
- G06K7/10069—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. the collision being resolved in the frequency domain, e.g. by hopping from one frequency to the other
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K17/00—Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
- G06K17/0022—Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
- G06K7/0008—General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
- G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
- G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
- G06K7/10297—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092
Abstract
A compact device for reading from and writing to radio frequency identification (RFID) tags is capable of communicating with other devices via Bluetooth, 802.11 and RS-232 protocols.
The modular system design is comprised of four sub modules, specifically; the communication interface, the RFID encoder/decoder, the antenna, and the power module.
Modification to one or several of these modules impacts the performance of the device, allowing it to be adapted for virtually any RFID application.
The modular system design is comprised of four sub modules, specifically; the communication interface, the RFID encoder/decoder, the antenna, and the power module.
Modification to one or several of these modules impacts the performance of the device, allowing it to be adapted for virtually any RFID application.
Description
Compact Bluetooth, 802.11 and RS-232 Enabled RFID Reader Background This invention merges RFID technology with high speed communication protocols, specifically Bluetooth, 802.11 and RS-232, to create a mobile, handheld wireless RFID
reader capable of interfacing to a host of wireless enabled devices. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging wireless technology that allows RFID
readers to read and/or write RFID tags. This is accomplished by a radio frequency medium, which can occur at a number of different frequencies ranging from 125kHz to several GHz, depending on the use of the tag. RFID has several key advantages over barcode technology, which make it suitable for numerous applications. Specifically, it is non-line-of sight, it can store data on board the tag, and this data can be read and written dynamically. The applications of this technology are myriad, from retail to manufacturing and beyond. Even modest market estimations predict that this market will explode in the near future, as the ability to transfer information directly between tagged objects and IT systems is applicable to virtually every market sector.
Bluetooth and 802.11 are wireless technologies of a different kind. Operating in the unlicensed 2.4GHz band, both of these protocols serve to allow two "intelligent" devices to communicate. Where as RFID deals with storing and retrieving data on a tag that is placed on an object, such as a tool, Bluetooth and 802.11 would be used to connect two computers for the function of sharing files or connecting a PC and printer, for the purpose of printing documents. RS-232 is a much more common protocol, found on virtually every PC.
While slower, RS-232 is ubiquitous, trading speed, for simplicity and convenience.
RFID, as mentioned, is an emerging technology that is finding use in an ever-increasing number of applications. From security access, to asset tracking, to livestock identification, anything that can be labeled has an RFID application. In fact, due to the potential of the technology, things that historically have not been labeled can now be tagged and tracked.
The support technology for RFID, necessary to make it convenient and easy-to-use, are somewhat lagging however. The remote and decentralized location of many tags, require the use of handheld RFID readers, which are capable of extracting and modifying the data stored on the tag. This has been attempted in three main ways; using an expansion module in Handspring Visor PDA's (Personal Data Assistants), attaching an expansion module onto common PDA's such as the Palm series of PDA's, and finally by building custom, proprietary handheld readers. All three of these solutions are less than optimal and have met with limited success as they either limit users to a single type of PDA, which may not be suitable for all functions, or they make the PDA so unwieldy that it becomes impractical, or finally the introduction of an additional handheld has compatibility issues and increases the number of accessories that a worker must carry.
Additionally, links via PDA tend to introduce information lag, as the main database is only updated when the PDA is synchronized with the PC, requiring a physical connection.
reader capable of interfacing to a host of wireless enabled devices. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging wireless technology that allows RFID
readers to read and/or write RFID tags. This is accomplished by a radio frequency medium, which can occur at a number of different frequencies ranging from 125kHz to several GHz, depending on the use of the tag. RFID has several key advantages over barcode technology, which make it suitable for numerous applications. Specifically, it is non-line-of sight, it can store data on board the tag, and this data can be read and written dynamically. The applications of this technology are myriad, from retail to manufacturing and beyond. Even modest market estimations predict that this market will explode in the near future, as the ability to transfer information directly between tagged objects and IT systems is applicable to virtually every market sector.
Bluetooth and 802.11 are wireless technologies of a different kind. Operating in the unlicensed 2.4GHz band, both of these protocols serve to allow two "intelligent" devices to communicate. Where as RFID deals with storing and retrieving data on a tag that is placed on an object, such as a tool, Bluetooth and 802.11 would be used to connect two computers for the function of sharing files or connecting a PC and printer, for the purpose of printing documents. RS-232 is a much more common protocol, found on virtually every PC.
While slower, RS-232 is ubiquitous, trading speed, for simplicity and convenience.
RFID, as mentioned, is an emerging technology that is finding use in an ever-increasing number of applications. From security access, to asset tracking, to livestock identification, anything that can be labeled has an RFID application. In fact, due to the potential of the technology, things that historically have not been labeled can now be tagged and tracked.
The support technology for RFID, necessary to make it convenient and easy-to-use, are somewhat lagging however. The remote and decentralized location of many tags, require the use of handheld RFID readers, which are capable of extracting and modifying the data stored on the tag. This has been attempted in three main ways; using an expansion module in Handspring Visor PDA's (Personal Data Assistants), attaching an expansion module onto common PDA's such as the Palm series of PDA's, and finally by building custom, proprietary handheld readers. All three of these solutions are less than optimal and have met with limited success as they either limit users to a single type of PDA, which may not be suitable for all functions, or they make the PDA so unwieldy that it becomes impractical, or finally the introduction of an additional handheld has compatibility issues and increases the number of accessories that a worker must carry.
Additionally, links via PDA tend to introduce information lag, as the main database is only updated when the PDA is synchronized with the PC, requiring a physical connection.
A search of filed patents revealed no patent remotely comparable to the proposed technology.
This is reasonable, as both RFID and Bluetooth are emerging technologies;
advanced combinations of the two are outside the scope of most common applications.
Summary of the Invention The proposed technology addresses all of the aforementioned issues by merging the benefits of RFID technology with the flexibility of robust wireless communication protocols, namely Bluetooth and 802.11. In addition the inclusion of the RS-232 protocol permits a physical connection in addition to a wireless link, further expanding the scope of application. This allows the RIFD reader to be independent of a PDA, making it much smaller and more compact. As well, the new readers' wireless capabilities allow it to communicate with any devices that support these protocols, which are very numerous and continuously expanding, be that a PC, a PDA, a router, a repeater, or another RFID reader. This makes the RFID
reader very flexible in both a functional and mobile sense. As well, because the RFID reader communication interface is common to many devices, its use is not restricted to any particular device, making it platform-independent.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the system architecture for the RFID reader. This figure shows the basic components of the system and their fiW ctional interaction and relationships Fig. 2 is a systems level diagram showing the interrelationship between the RFID reader and various other devices. This figure illustrates the application aspects of the RFID reader. The physical embodiment of the device in this figure is for illustration purposes only and could take on many other physical forms.
Detailed Description of Invention The RFID readers' modular design consists of four main components; the power supply ( 1 ), the antenna (4), the RFID encoder/decoder (3), and~the communication transceiver (2). The power supply (1) provides the energy requirements for all of the modules of the RFID reader.
The antenna module (4) is responsible for reading from and writing to, the RFID tag (9).
This can be done at a number of frequencies to allow compatibility with numerous types of tags. The antenna (4) signal is both controlled and interpreted by the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) module. The RFID encoder/decoder (3) outputs (modulates) electrical signals to the antenna (4) which in turn communicate with the tags (9). Conversely, when an RFID tag (9) is outputting wireless information, the antenna (4) picks up those signals which are in turn read by the RFID encoder/decoder (3) and interpreted into useful data. The final module is the communication (2) module, which is responsible for communicating between other devices such as a repeater (5), a PDA (6), or a PC (8) and the adjacent RFID
encoder/decoder (3). The communication module (2) is capable of both sending and receiving information via Bluetooth and 802.11. This module (2) acts as a translator between the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) and other peripheral devices. To illustrate, if a piece of software on a PDA (6), such as a Palm Pilot, wanted to write to and then read from an RFID
tag (9) via the Bluetooth RFID reader (7), the procedure would occur as follows. The software on the PDA
(6) would send digital data to the Bluetooth transceiver ( 10) onboard the PDA
(6). This wireless signal would be sent by the PDA Bluetooth transceiver (10) and picked up by the communication module (2) of the Bluetooth RFID reader (7). This node (2) would then interpret this wireless signal, back into an electrical digital signal that the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) could understand. The RFID encoder/decoder (3) would use this digital data to modulate (encode) a signal onto the antenna module (4), which would in turn output a wireless signal, of the appropriate frequency for the RFID tag (9). The antenna (11) on the RFID tag (9) would pick up this signal originating from the Bluetooth RFID
reader (7) and then interpret it as data. This process would constitute a write operation by the PDA (6).
A mirror image process would occur for a subsequent read operation. The RFID
tag (9) would emit a wireless signal, which is picked up by the Bluetooth RFID readers (7) antenna (4). This signal is then decoded into a digital format by the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) module. This digital information is then passed to the Bluetooth communication module (2) to be broadcast as a wireless signal, which is detected by any Bluetooth enabled devices in the vicinity of the signal (5, 6 or 8).
Please note that the signal originator could be any device capable of communicating via the Bluetooth or 802.11 wireless protocols. As well, though Bluetooth was cited in this example, the procedure is identical for communication via the 802.11 and the RS-232 protocols.
Areas with very high electromagnetic (EM) noise may cause interference with the wireless communication of the RFID reader (7).
This is reasonable, as both RFID and Bluetooth are emerging technologies;
advanced combinations of the two are outside the scope of most common applications.
Summary of the Invention The proposed technology addresses all of the aforementioned issues by merging the benefits of RFID technology with the flexibility of robust wireless communication protocols, namely Bluetooth and 802.11. In addition the inclusion of the RS-232 protocol permits a physical connection in addition to a wireless link, further expanding the scope of application. This allows the RIFD reader to be independent of a PDA, making it much smaller and more compact. As well, the new readers' wireless capabilities allow it to communicate with any devices that support these protocols, which are very numerous and continuously expanding, be that a PC, a PDA, a router, a repeater, or another RFID reader. This makes the RFID
reader very flexible in both a functional and mobile sense. As well, because the RFID reader communication interface is common to many devices, its use is not restricted to any particular device, making it platform-independent.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the system architecture for the RFID reader. This figure shows the basic components of the system and their fiW ctional interaction and relationships Fig. 2 is a systems level diagram showing the interrelationship between the RFID reader and various other devices. This figure illustrates the application aspects of the RFID reader. The physical embodiment of the device in this figure is for illustration purposes only and could take on many other physical forms.
Detailed Description of Invention The RFID readers' modular design consists of four main components; the power supply ( 1 ), the antenna (4), the RFID encoder/decoder (3), and~the communication transceiver (2). The power supply (1) provides the energy requirements for all of the modules of the RFID reader.
The antenna module (4) is responsible for reading from and writing to, the RFID tag (9).
This can be done at a number of frequencies to allow compatibility with numerous types of tags. The antenna (4) signal is both controlled and interpreted by the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) module. The RFID encoder/decoder (3) outputs (modulates) electrical signals to the antenna (4) which in turn communicate with the tags (9). Conversely, when an RFID tag (9) is outputting wireless information, the antenna (4) picks up those signals which are in turn read by the RFID encoder/decoder (3) and interpreted into useful data. The final module is the communication (2) module, which is responsible for communicating between other devices such as a repeater (5), a PDA (6), or a PC (8) and the adjacent RFID
encoder/decoder (3). The communication module (2) is capable of both sending and receiving information via Bluetooth and 802.11. This module (2) acts as a translator between the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) and other peripheral devices. To illustrate, if a piece of software on a PDA (6), such as a Palm Pilot, wanted to write to and then read from an RFID
tag (9) via the Bluetooth RFID reader (7), the procedure would occur as follows. The software on the PDA
(6) would send digital data to the Bluetooth transceiver ( 10) onboard the PDA
(6). This wireless signal would be sent by the PDA Bluetooth transceiver (10) and picked up by the communication module (2) of the Bluetooth RFID reader (7). This node (2) would then interpret this wireless signal, back into an electrical digital signal that the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) could understand. The RFID encoder/decoder (3) would use this digital data to modulate (encode) a signal onto the antenna module (4), which would in turn output a wireless signal, of the appropriate frequency for the RFID tag (9). The antenna (11) on the RFID tag (9) would pick up this signal originating from the Bluetooth RFID
reader (7) and then interpret it as data. This process would constitute a write operation by the PDA (6).
A mirror image process would occur for a subsequent read operation. The RFID
tag (9) would emit a wireless signal, which is picked up by the Bluetooth RFID readers (7) antenna (4). This signal is then decoded into a digital format by the RFID
encoder/decoder (3) module. This digital information is then passed to the Bluetooth communication module (2) to be broadcast as a wireless signal, which is detected by any Bluetooth enabled devices in the vicinity of the signal (5, 6 or 8).
Please note that the signal originator could be any device capable of communicating via the Bluetooth or 802.11 wireless protocols. As well, though Bluetooth was cited in this example, the procedure is identical for communication via the 802.11 and the RS-232 protocols.
Areas with very high electromagnetic (EM) noise may cause interference with the wireless communication of the RFID reader (7).
Claims (6)
1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader consisting of:
~ An antenna capable of communicating with RFID tags at multiple frequencies ~ An RFID encoder/decoder ~ A communication link capable of wired and wireless communication using the Bluetooth, 802.11 and RS-232 protocols ~ An independent power supply to power the RFID reader
~ An antenna capable of communicating with RFID tags at multiple frequencies ~ An RFID encoder/decoder ~ A communication link capable of wired and wireless communication using the Bluetooth, 802.11 and RS-232 protocols ~ An independent power supply to power the RFID reader
2. An RFID reader of claim 1 that is compact in size and capable of being manipulated with a single hand or other configuration suited for static mounting
3. An RFID reader of claim 2 including an RFID tag localizer, such as a laser-pointer, used to uniquely identify a single tag or a group of tags
4. An RFID reader of claim 3 capable of being operated manually or remotely via the communication links, specifically Bluetooth, 802.11 or RS-232
5. An RFID reader of claim 4 whose firmware and functionality can be updated via the communication link, specifically Bluetooth, 802.11 or RS-232
6. An RFID reader of claim 5 capable of reading from and writing to RFID tags at numerous frequencies, using various communication protocols.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2405894 CA2405894A1 (en) | 2002-10-16 | 2002-10-16 | Compact bluetooth, 802, 11 and rs-232 enabled rfid reader |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2405894 CA2405894A1 (en) | 2002-10-16 | 2002-10-16 | Compact bluetooth, 802, 11 and rs-232 enabled rfid reader |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2405894A1 true CA2405894A1 (en) | 2004-04-16 |
Family
ID=32399680
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2405894 Abandoned CA2405894A1 (en) | 2002-10-16 | 2002-10-16 | Compact bluetooth, 802, 11 and rs-232 enabled rfid reader |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2405894A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7928832B2 (en) | 2004-10-09 | 2011-04-19 | Intermec Ip Corp. | Method for the operation of RFID read/write devices |
| WO2015187005A1 (en) | 2014-06-06 | 2015-12-10 | Intellifi B.V. | An information transmission method |
-
2002
- 2002-10-16 CA CA 2405894 patent/CA2405894A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7928832B2 (en) | 2004-10-09 | 2011-04-19 | Intermec Ip Corp. | Method for the operation of RFID read/write devices |
| WO2015187005A1 (en) | 2014-06-06 | 2015-12-10 | Intellifi B.V. | An information transmission method |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |