Patent Application
20080180224
This application claims priority from German Patent Application No. 10 2007 004 843.4, which was filed on Jan. 31, 2007, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing a supply voltage and a load modulation in a transponder, as it may particularly be used in an RFID transponder (RFID=radio frequency identification).
So-called RFID technology has been used for some time, among other things, in the area of automatic identification of products, persons, goods and animals. RFID technology is a radio-based, contactless identification method which originally used radio frequencies in the radio frequency range (100 kHz to some 10 MHz), wherein, however, there are now used frequencies down to the microwave range. Advantages of these systems, for example as compared to barcode systems, are, among other things, a significantly higher capacitance, robustness with respect to environmental influences and contamination, significantly larger ranges and the possibility of reading out many transponders (composed of transmitter and responder) at the same time.
A transponder is the actual label which carries information, for example of a product, and communicates with a stationary or mobile reader and/or transceiver. Depending on the system structure, this communication allows reading and writing to the transponder, thus resulting in additional flexibility of the system. A later alteration of product data is thus easily possible. A further advantage of RFID systems is the possibility of using passive transponders that are operable without their own energy supply and may thus be built in a correspondingly compact form.
An RFID system typically consists of one or more readers and a plurality of transponders. The reader and the transponder each have an antenna which significantly influences a range of communication between the reader and the transponder. If the transponder gets in the proximity of the antenna of the reader, both (transponder and reader) exchange data. In addition to the data, the reader also transmits energy to the transponder. For this purpose, there is an antenna coil in the interior of the transponder, which is, for example, implemented as a frame or ferrite antenna. For the operation of the transponder, the reader first generates a high-frequency magnetic alternating field by means of its antenna. The antenna also includes a large-area coil with several turns. If the transponder is held in the proximity of the reader antenna, the field of the reader generates an induction voltage in the coil of the transponder. This induction voltage is rectified and serves for the voltage supply of the transponder. In general, a capacitance C2 is connected in parallel to an inductance L2 of the transponder coil. This results in a parallel oscillating circuit. The resonant frequency of this oscillating circuit corresponds to the transmission frequency of the RFID system. At the same time, the antenna coil of the reader is also brought into resonance by an additional capacitor in series or parallel connection.
The voltage induced in the transponder coil very quickly reaches high values by resonance rise in the parallel oscillating circuit. If, for example, a coupling factor between the reader and the transponder is increased, for example by reducing the distance between the reader and the transponder, or if a value of a load resistor RL in parallel to the parallel oscillating circuit is increased, a voltage of far more than 100 volts may be achieved. However, for operating a data carrier and/or an integrated circuit in an RFID transponder, only a constant supply voltage of, for example, 3 to 5 volts (after rectification) is generally required. In order to control the supply voltage independent of the coupling factor or other parameters and to keep it constant, a voltage-dependent shunt resistor RS may be connected in parallel to the load resistor RL, for example. With increasing induction voltage Ui, a value of the shunt resistor RS assumes smaller and smaller values and thus reduces the quality of the transponder oscillating circuit exactly so much that the supply voltage remains at least approximately constant.
In addition, a clock frequency is derived from the alternating voltage induced in the transponder and/or from the supply voltage regulated by the shunt resistor, wherein the clock frequency is then available to a memory chip or a microprocessor of the transponder as system clock. In the simplest case, the data transmission from the reader to the transponder is effected by so-called amplitude shift keying, in which the high-frequency magnetic alternating field is switched on and off. The reverse data transmission from the transponder to the reader uses, for example, the properties of the transformation coupling between the reader antenna and the transponder antenna. The reader antenna provides a primary coil with an inductance L1, and the transponder coil provides a secondary coil with an inductance L2 of a transformer formed of the reader antenna and the transponder antenna. By altering circuit parameters of the transponder oscillating circuit in the clock of a data stream, the magnitude and phase of a transformed transponder impedance are influenced so that, by suitable evaluation in the reader, the data sent by the transponder may be reconstructed. For this purpose, a parallel resistor Rmod in parallel to the load resistor RL of the data carrier may be switched on and off according to the clock of a data stream in the data carrier of the transponder.
The control of the shunt resistor RS depending on the induced voltage and the switching of the parallel resistor Rmod are typically performed via two separate transistors.
As integrated RFID circuits are becoming smaller and smaller, it is desirable to realize the control of the shunt resistor RS and the switching of the modulation resistor Rmod via a single transistor.
According to embodiments, the present invention provides a device for providing a supply voltage and a load modulation in a transponder with a means having a resistance controllable by a control signal at a control input thereof, a means for applying a load modulation signal to the control input and a means for applying a voltage limitation control signal to the control input.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
a shows a schematic circuit diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention;
b shows a schematic circuit diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention;
With respect to the following description, it is to be noted that, in the various embodiments, equal functional elements or those operating in the same way have the same reference numerals, and thus the descriptions of these functional elements are interchangeable in the various embodiments illustrated in the following.
Before the inventive concept and embodiments of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to
The inductance L2 of the transponder coil 112 is coupled to a first terminal of the resistor R2 via a first terminal. A second terminal of the resistor R2 forms a first clamp/terminal 116a, a second terminal of the inductance L2 forms a second clamp/terminal 116b of the transponder coil 112. A voltage U2 may be tapped between the clamps 116a and 116b.
Furthermore, the equivalent circuit illustrated in
A time-variable magnetic flow through the reader coil 102 induces a voltage by mutual inductance M in the transponder coil 112, thus creating an additional voltage drop by a current flow through the winding resistor R2, so that the voltage U2 may be tapped at the clamps 116a, 116b. The voltage U2 induced at the transponder coil 112 is generally used for the voltage supply of a data memory and/or microchip of the passive transponder 110. In order to improve the efficiency, a parallel oscillating circuit is formed by connecting the additional capacitance C2 in parallel to the transponder coil 112, the resonant frequency of the parallel oscillating circuit generally corresponding to the operating frequency of the respective RFID system, which may, for example, have a frequency of 125 kHz or 13.56 MHz or also any other frequency suitable for RFID systems.
In the case of passive transponders, the supply voltage of the data carrier is obtained from the voltage U2. For this purpose, the voltage U2 may, for example, be transformed to direct voltage and smoothed by means of a bridge rectifier. The voltage U2 induced in the transponder coil 112 may very quickly reach high values by a resonance rise in the oscillating circuit formed of transponder coil 112 and capacitance C2. If, for example, the coupling factor between the primary coil 102 and the secondary transponder coil 112 is increased, for example by reducing the distance between the reader 100 and the transponder 110, or if the value of the load resistor RL is increased, a voltage U2 of far more than 100 volts may be achieved. However, a constant operating voltage of about 3V to 5V is required for the operation of a microchip in the transponder 110. In order to regulate and/or control the voltage U2 independent of the coupling factor or other parameters and to keep it constant, a voltage-dependent shunt resistor RS is generally used which is connected in parallel to the load resistor RL.
With increasing induction voltage at the transponder coil 112, the value RS of the shunt resistor assumes smaller and smaller values and thus reduces the quality of the transponder oscillating circuit exactly so much that the voltage U2 at the clamps 116a,b remains at least approximately constant. In the case of, for example, an increasing coupling factor k, the voltage U2 first increases. When using an “ideal” shunt regulator, the value RS of the shunt resistor starts to decrease in an inversely proportional way with respect to the coupling factor k, after reaching a target value of U2 for a supply voltage of a microchip, such that the voltage U2 remains constant at the clamps 116a,b.
As already mentioned in the beginning, load modulation is a frequent method for RFID, which is used for data transmission from the transponder 110 to the reader 100. For a so-called ohmic load modulation, the parallel resistor Rmod is switched on and off according to the clock of a data stream or according to the clock of a modulated auxiliary carrier in the microchip of the transponder 110. The parallel connection of Rmod results in a smaller overall resistance, whereby the Q-factor and thus also a so-called transformed transponder impedance become smaller in magnitude. The transformed transponder impedance is an imaginary impedance in a series resonant circuit of the reader 100. That is, when there is mutual inductance M, the reader 100 electrically behaves as if the imaginary transponder impedance were really present as a discrete device in the series resonant circuit of winding resistor, inductance L1, etc. Switching the modulation resistor Rmod on and off generates an amplitude modulation at the reader coil 102, whereby data may be transmitted from the transponder 110 to the reader 100.
In the case of conventional RFID transponders, a regulation and/or control of the shunt resistor RS and the connection of the modulation resistor 126 Rmod is respectively performed by means of a separate transistor. This aspect is schematically shown in the block circuit diagram in
The means 202 serves for limiting the induced voltage U2 at the clamps 116a,b to a limited supply voltage U2 of some volts. For this purpose, the means 202 generally comprises a transistor, to the control terminal of which the voltage limitation control signal is supplied and whose resistance of the drain-source and/or collector-emitter path acts as a shunt resistor RS. Thus, the shunt resistor RS and thus also U2 may be controlled with the voltage limitation control signal.
The means 206 serves for switching the modulation resistor Rmod according to the clock of a data stream provided by the means 208, for example a microchip. For this purpose, the means 206 generally comprises a further transistor to the control terminal of which a load modulation signal is supplied and whose resistance of the drain-source and/or collector-emitter path acts as a modulation resistor Rmod.
In general, RFID transponders are becoming smaller and smaller. In order to save chip area, it is desirable to use only one transistor for both tasks, the supply voltage limitation by the shunt resistor RS and the load modulation by means of Rmod.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a device for providing a supply voltage and a load modulation in a transponder, as it is schematically shown in
The device 300 comprises a means 310 having a resistance controllable by a control signal at a control input of the means 310. Furthermore, the device 300 includes means 320 for applying a load modulation signal 322 to the control input of the means 310. Furthermore, the device 300 for providing a supply voltage and a load modulation includes means 330 for applying a voltage limitation control signal 332 to the control input of the means 310.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the means 310 with the controllable resistance comprises a transistor 340. It may, for example, be a bipolar transistor or a CMOS transistor. The inventive concept thus uses only one transistor 340 which performs both the control of the supply voltage for a transponder from the induced voltage at the transponder coil 112 and the switching of the modulation resistor Rmod for the load modulation.
For this purpose, the two control signals 322 and 332 may have different time constants. Here, time constant means, for example, the period of time in which an exponentially decreasing signal decreases to 1/e (about 36.8%) of its starting value. According to embodiments, the voltage limitation control signal 332 comprises a larger time constant than the load modulation signal 322. The time constant of the voltage limitation control signal 332 is typically in a range of some microseconds (μs), whereas the time constant of the load modulation signal 322 is typically in a range of some nanoseconds (ns). A supply voltage controlled and/or regulated by the voltage limitation control signal 332 may thus be modulated by the higher-frequency load modulation signal 322.
According to embodiments, the means 320 for applying the load modulation signal 322 corresponds to an integrated circuit, particularly an integrated logic circuit, such as a microchip and/or microcontroller.
The means 330 for applying the voltage limitation control signal 332 may, for example, include a Zener diode and/or Z-diode connected between the control terminal of the transistor 340 and the clamp 116a. The source terminal of the transistor 340 is, for example, coupled to the clamp 116b, whereas the drain and/or collector terminal of the transistor 340 may be coupled to the clamp 116a. Via the signal present at the control terminal of the transistor 340, the transistor resistance of the drain-source path and/or the collector-emitter path of the transistor 340 may now be controlled, wherein the transistor resistance in this context acts as a shunt resistor. If the induced voltage U2 between the clamps 116a,b increases to exceed a predefined value, the Zener diode between the clamp 116a and the control terminal of the transistor 340 operates in the breakdown range and the transistor 340 is connected through. Thus, the voltage U2 present at the clamps 116a,b may be limited to the predefined value.
According to further embodiments, the means 330 for applying the voltage limitation control signal 332 includes a differential amplifier to compare the voltage U2 to be regulated to the predefined value with the predefined value and to provide the voltage limitation control signal 332 depending on the difference.
By controlling the controllable resistance, i.e. the transistor resistance, a control of the quality of the transmission/reception oscillating circuit of a transponder is thus performed to keep the supply voltage U2 in a predefined supply voltage range. For this purpose, the means 330 for applying the voltage limitation control signal 332 may include a control or regulating circuit according to embodiments.
In addition to the voltage limitation control signal 332, the load modulation signal 322 of the digital logic circuit 320 is applied to the control input of the transistor 340. If the load modulation signal 322 corresponds to a logical “1”, the control signal of the transistor 340, which is influenced by the voltage limitation control signal 332, is, for example, further increased, whereby the gate-source resistance of the transistor 340 may be further reduced. This means that the transistor resistance additionally acts as a modulation resistor in this context. A voltage U2 already limited to a predefined limitation value by the voltage limitation control signal 332 may thus be further reduced by the load modulation signal 322 to obtain a load modulation.
If, however, the load modulation signal 322 carries a logical “0”, a signal level corresponding to the voltage limitation control signal 332 is, for example, present at the control input of the transistor 340, i.e., in the case of a voltage limitation of U2, the voltage U2 has at least approximately the predefined limitation value.
According to embodiments, the voltage limitation control signal 332 and/or the load modulation signal 322 may be both a voltage and a current.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the load modulation signal 322 and the voltage limitation control signal 332 are thus added to yield an overall control signal at the control input of the transistor 340 by combining them, for example, by means of a circuit node, as it is schematically shown in
The load modulation signal 322 of the integrated logic circuit 320 and the voltage limitation control signal 332 of the means 330 for applying the voltage limitation control signal 332 are combined outside the means 310 with the controllable resistance via a node 350 to form an overall control signal 360. The overall control signal 360 is present at the control input of the transistor 340. According to embodiments, the node 350 may also be within the means 310 with the controllable resistance.
In order to supply an RFID transponder with energy, a direct voltage is generally required. According to embodiments, the device 300 for providing the supply voltage and the load modulation thus further comprises means for rectifying the supply voltage, as shown in
a shows a transponder circuit 400 comprising a transmission/reception oscillating circuit 410, an integrated circuit, represented by the load resistor RL, a transistor 340 and a voltage limitation control and/or regulating circuit 330. Furthermore, the transponder circuit comprises a rectifying circuit 430. The transmission/reception oscillating circuit 410 includes a coil 112 having an inductance L2 and a winding resistor R2 and a capacitance C2 connected in parallel to the coil 112, wherein the coil 112 and the capacitance C2 are connected between clamps 116a and 116b. A voltage Ui is induced at the coil 112, which results in a voltage U2 at the clamps 116a,b. The voltage limitation control circuit 330 is connected in parallel to the capacitance C2 between the clamps 116a,b, so that the voltage limitation control circuit 330 is coupled to the transmission/reception coil 112 via the clamps 116a,b. The voltage limitation control circuit 330 comprises an output for a voltage limitation control signal 332 coupled to the control input of the transistor 340 connected between the clamps 116a,b. The control input of the transistor 340 is further coupled to an output for a modulation signal 322 of the integrated circuit represented by the load resistor RL.
Between the transistor 340 and the integrated circuit, the rectifier 430 is further connected between the clamps 116a,b to supply the integrated circuit and/or a microchip with the supply voltage U2 regulated by the transistor 340 and rectified by the rectifier 430.
As described above, in the embodiment shown in
A further embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in
Compared to the embodiment shown in
According to further embodiments, the present invention provides a transponder circuit with a transmission/reception coil, an integrated circuit coupled to the transmission/reception coil and comprising an output for a modulation signal, a transistor coupled to the transmission/reception coil and comprising a control input coupled to the output for the modulation signal, and a voltage limitation control circuit coupled to the transmission/reception coil and comprising an output for a voltage limitation control signal coupled to the control input of the transistor.
A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Via the two diodes 612 and 614 connected in an opposite way, the induced alternating voltage U2 present at the clamps 116a,b is rectified. The induced, rectified voltage U2, i.e. Vsense, is supplied to the non-inverting input of the differential amplifier 610 to provide a control potential for the transistor 340 depending on a difference between Vsense and a suitable reference voltage Vref present at the inverting input of the differential amplifier 610, for example provided by a bandgap circuit or a voltage divider. If U2 increases in magnitude, the difference between Vsense and Vref increases and thus the control potential of the transistor 340 increases, for example in the absence of a modulation signal 322 (i.e. both switches 602, 604 are open). The transistor 340 assumes a low resistance and thus limits the voltage U2 between the clamps 116a,b.
In the case of an applied modulation signal 322 with a logical “1”, the switch 604 is closed and the switch 602 is opened. The potential at the node 350 is thus “pulled down”. Thus, the voltage U2 between the clamps 116a,b is increased for a short time. The opposite is the case with an applied modulation signal 322 with a logical “0”. The means 320 for applying the load modulation signal 322 thus “overdrives” the voltage limiter circuit.
The two switches 602 and 604 may be realized by transistors, particularly PMOS and NMOS transistors. Furthermore, the modulated voltage may also be limited according to embodiments.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for providing a supply voltage and a load modulation in a transponder, as it is schematically shown in the flow diagram in
According to embodiments, the method for providing a supply voltage and a load modulation includes a first step S1 of applying a load modulation signal 322 to a control input of means 310 with a resistance controllable by a control signal at the control input thereof. In a second step S2, a voltage limitation control signal 332 is applied to the control input of the means 310.
Summarizing, the inventive concept described based on
Thus, embodiments of the present invention have the advantage that a voltage limitation of a supply voltage induced at the transponder oscillating circuit and a load modulation may be done via only one transistor. This allows saving chip area, for example for an RFID chip.
Finally, it is to be noted that the inventive concept is not limited to RFID technology. The present invention may equally be applied to technologies other than those described here by way of example.
In particular, it is to be noted that, depending on the circumstances, the inventive scheme may also be implemented in software. The implementation may be done on a digital storage medium, particularly a floppy disk or a CD with electronically readable control signals, which may cooperate with a programmable computer system and/or microcontroller so that the corresponding method is performed. In general, the invention thus also consists in a computer program product with a program code stored on a machine-readable carrier for performing the inventive method when the computer program product runs on a computer and/or microcontroller. In other words, the invention may thus be realized as a computer program with a program code for performing the method when the computer program runs on a computer and/or microcontroller.
While this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2007 004 843.4 | Jan 2007 | DE | national |
