WO2011029141A1

WO2011029141A1 - Antenna configuration method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2011029141A1
Application number: PCT/AU2010/001164
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stuart Coling Littlechild; Graham Alexander Munro Murdoch
Original assignee: Magellan Technology Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Magellan Technology Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2009-09-11
Filing date: 2010-09-10
Publication date: 2011-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 2012-03-11
Also published as: WO2011029141A8; AU2010292977B2; AU2010292977A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of data transmission. In one form, the invention relates to a method of and/or system adapted for coupling an antenna to a device, comprising associating a tag with an antenna, the antenna having predetermined characteristics, coupling the antenna to the device, enabling communication between the tag and the device, the communication providing information related to the characteristics.

Description

ANTENNA CONFIGURATION METHOD AND APPARATUS

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of data transmission.

In one form, the invention relates to amplifiers and the transmission of data modulated signals between various devices, including loads and/or antennas.

In another form, the invention relates to the filters and/or matching circuits connected between an amplifier and a load and their ability to pass modulated signals.

I another form, the invention relates to the filters and/or matching circuits used between a transmitter's power amplifier and an antenna and their ability to pass modulated signals

In another, form, the invention relates to the field of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and the transmission of data from a tag to an interrogator.

In another form, the present invention is suitable for transmitting data via a single antenna.

It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relation to transmission between a RFID tag and an interrogator, however it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to that use only.

BACKGROUND ART

Throughout this specification the use of the word "inventor" in singular form may be taken as reference to one (singular) inventor or more than one (plural) inventor of the present invention.

The inventor has realised that it is not uncommon to connect a number of antennas to one device, such as a reader. In order to ensure optimum operation, the device needs to be 'matched' to the characteristics of the antenna. Typically, matching is done manually. Failure to provide this 'matching' has been found to reduce the operational effectiveness of the device and / or antennas.

In order to address this problem, some devices provide specific ports for connection of specific antennas. These ports have, been designed to work optimally with a specific antenna and therefore only that specific antenna should be connected to that port. However, it has been found that people installing the devices and antennas do not always install the antennas to the correct port. In a situation where an antenna different to the specific antenna is required to be connected, there are further problems associated with matching the antenna to the port(s).

Furthermore, manual tuning of each port and antenna is considered to be undesirable, especially due the large number of antennas often used in one location and the relatively high risk of human error in tuning and/or connecting readers and antennas together.

It is to be appreciated that any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the present invention. Further, the discussion throughout this specification comes about due •to the realisation of the inventor and/or the identification of certain related art problems . by the inventor. Moreover, any discussion of material such as documents^', devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain he context of the invention in terms of the inventor's knowledge and experience and, accordingly, any such discussion should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia, or elsewhere, on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved device and antenna coupling method and/or apparatus.

It is an object of the embodiments described herein to overcome or alleviate at least one of the above noted drawbacks of related art systems or to at least provide a useful alternative to related art systems.

The present invention relates to an improvement on the data transmission method and apparatus disclosed in co-pending applications based on WO2007/030864, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, in which, in order to pass phase modulated signals with relatively high data rates through relatively high Q narrow bandwidth circuits, the centre (resonant) frequency of the circuit is adjusted (shifted) to substantially match the instantaneous frequency of the phase modulated signal In other words, the tuning is 'moved' for relatively short periods of time during the modulated phase transitions. In one embodiment, this has been found to result in the ability to get the relatively fast PJM phase transitions (see W01999/034526, the disclosure of which is also herein incorporated by reference) into the interrogator's antenna for transmission to a transponder or other, remote device.

Nonetheless, the inventors also have realised that the 'shifts' of frequency and the period over which the shifts occur may be different for different antennas. Thus there is a need to 'adjust' each port to each coupled antenna.

In a first aspect of embodiments described herein there is provided a method of and/or system adapted for coupling an antenna to a device, comprising the steps of, associating a tag with an antenna, the antenna having predetermined characteristics, coupling the antenna to the device, enabling communication between the tag and the device, the communication providing information related to the characteristics.

In another aspect of embodiments described herein there is provided an antenna adapted to be coupled to a device, the antenna comprising a tag associated with the antenna, the antenna having predetermined characteristics, the tag being adapted to communicate with the device information related to the characteristics.

In yet a further aspect of embodiments described herein there is- provided a system comprising at least one antenna, each antenna having at least one tag associated therewith, a device adapted to have the least one antenna coupled thereto and communication means enabling communication between the tag and the device, the communication providing information related to antenna characteristics.

Other aspects and preferred forms are disclosed in the specification andfor defined in the appended claims, forming a part of the description of the invention.

In essence, embodiments of the present invention stem from the realization that a data storage device,, such as a tag(s) or memory chip, may be associated with an antenna, the data storage device being adapted to provide data related to adjustment of a device to which the antenna is coupled. Alternatively, the antenna may be adjusted and/or the device and the antenna are adjusted. For example, once an antenna is coupled to a reader, the reader receives the data and then makes or initiates the adjustment according to the data. In one example, the adjustment data may be a value, wnicn proviaes a measure of adjustment.

The tag may also be used to provide a test of communication between the antenna, tag and/or reader.

Advantages provided by the present invention comprise the following:

• Specific antenna characteristic information may be stored in the tag;

• Specific antenna feature information may be stored in the tag.

Features may include, inter alia, LEDs, audible capability and/or user operated buttons;

· Specific reader feature and/or characteristic information may be stored and/or read by the tag;

• there is no specific order in which antennas need to be coupled to a device;

• no specific port configuration required for an antenna connection; · Can determine antenna location and/or activity based on tag and/or reader communication

• Can determine multiple antenna configuration based on tag or reader communication;

• Communication of the antenna and/or reader information, in one. embodiment, is made via wireless, such as^' RFID and/or existing communication channels thus reducing the need for 'wired' or additional communication channel(s).

The present invention is applicable to various forms of devices, readers, interrogators, RFID equipment, amplifiers and/or transmitters where frequency selective circuits, matching circuit, filters or antennas are connected to their output.

The present invention is applicable to, but not limited to, various forms of tag(s), reader(s) and/or interrogators). Thus, the nature of the data transmitted according to the present invention is not essential and the tag, reader and/or interrogator whether active and/or passive is not essential to the present invention. Throughout this specification, 'tag' is intended to include, without limitation, a data storage device of any type and / or configuration, a chip, memory, identification device, transponder; RFID tag; a tag, any form of readable device, whether the reading is wireless or wired. The tag may be rendered in any technology which enables the provision of data when required. For example, and without limitation, the identification device may be an ASIC, chip, an ASIC with an associated antenna assembly, electronic circuitry included in a printed antenna structure, logic means or a tuned antenna.

Further scope of applicability of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further disclosure, objects, advantages and aspects of preferred and other embodiments of the present app!icatton may be better understood by those skilled in the relevant art by reference to the following description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the disclosure herein, and in which:

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention, in which there is an antenna 1, tag 2, and reader 3. The antenna 1 is coupled to port 4 or the reader 3. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, when the antenna 1 is coupled to the port 4, the reader 3 and tag 2 can communicate with each other. In this communication, information regarding port 4 configuration and/or characteristics of the antenna are relayed to the reader 3. The reader 3 can then make adjustments to its internal circuitry, settings, software and/or to the associated port 4, and/or the coupled antenna 1 , if necessary. The various adjustments are disclosed in, for example, WO2007/030864 or would be known to those skilled in the art. Other adjustments may include control of the operation of devices, MUX, receiver and/or transmitter settings, antenna switching. The adjustments may relate to, without limitation, any one of, or any combination of, electrical settings, such as signal adjustments, shift and/or change in frequency, phase, amplitude, bandwidth, modulation and/or data rate.

In Figure 2, a second antenna 5 is provided, overlapping 8 antenna 1. The second antenna 5 also has a tag 6 associated with antenna 5 and is connected to port 7 of the reader 3. The reader 3 may be configured to determine that the antennas 1 , 5 are overlapping or any other antenna configuration and/or arrangement. Alternatively, the tags 2, 6 may be located on the antennas 1 ,5 in a proximate manner in which case the tags 2, 6 may be powered by either antenna 1 or 5, and therefore 'read' by a single port 4 or 7. In such a case, the antennas 1 ,5 can be determined to be in an overlapping or proximate configuration. In a further alternative, an indication may be provided in the case that a reader 3 receives a signal from more than one antenna tag 2,6, indicating that antennas 1 ,5 are in relatively close or overlapping proximity. Thus, tags 2 and 6 may communicate with the reader 3 to convey that the antennas 1 ,5 are overlapping or proximate each other. Tag 6 may also provide configuration information related to port 4 and/or 7 to the reader. Again, various adjustments may be made to reader 3 to accommodate the proximate and/or overlapping antennas 1 ,5 so that the reader 3 'sees' only one (combined) antenna land 5. Other adjustments may be made, for example in accordance with the disclosure of WO2007/030864.

In various aspects of invention, the reader may be adjusted to a coupled antenna, the antenna may be adjusted to the reader or the antenna and reader are adjusted to each other's characteristics and/or features. ,

. In accordance with an aspect of invention, the communication path may be wireless and/or wired. One or more tag(s) may also be powered passively, for example powered by an antenna or powered actively.

While this invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification(s). This application is intended to cover any variations uses or adaptations of the invention following in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth. As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of the essential characteristics of the invention, it should be understood that the above described embodiments are not to limit the present invention unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative only and not restrictive.

Various modifications and equivalent arrangements are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention and appended claims. Therefore, the specific embodiments are to be understood to be illustrative of the many ways in which the principles of the present invention may be practiced. In the following claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover structures as performing the defined function arid not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. For example, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface to secure wooden parts together, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw are equivalent structures.

It should be noted that where the terms "server", "secure server" or similar terms are used herein, a communication device is described that may be used in a communication system, unless the context otherwise requires, and should not be construed to limit the present invention to any particular communication device type. Thus, a communication device may include, without limitation, a bridge, router, bridge-router (router), switch, node, or other communication device, which may or may not be secure.

It should also be noted that where a flowchart is used herein to demonstrate various aspects of the invention, it should not be construed to limit the present invention to any particular logic flow or logic implementation. The described logic may be partitioned into different logic blocks (eg, programs, modules, functions, or subroutines) without changing the overall results or otherwise departing from the true scope of the invention. Often, logic elements may be added, modified, omitted, performed in a different order, or implemented using different, logic constructs (eg, logic gates, looping primitives, conditional logic, and other logic constructs) without changing the overall results or otherwise departing from the true scope of the invention.

Various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms, including computer program logic for use with a processor (eg, a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, or general purpose computer), programmable logic for use with a programmable logic device (eg, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other PLD), discrete components, integrated circuitry (eg, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)), or any other means including any combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, predominantly all of the communication between users and the server is implemented as a set of computer program instructions that is converted into a computer executable form, stored as such in a computer readable medium, and executed by a microprocessor under the control of an operating system.

Computer program logic implementing all or part of the functionality where described herei may be embodied in various forms, including a source code form, a computer executable form, and various intermediate forms (eg, forms generated by an assembler, compiler, linker, or locator). Source code may include a series of computer program instructions implemented in any of various programming languages (eg, an object code, an assembly language, or a high- level language such as Fortran, C, C++, JAVA, or HTML) for use with various operating systems or operating environments. The source code may define and use various data structures and communication messages. The source code may be in a computer executable form (eg, via an interpreter), or the source code may be converted (e.g., via a translator, assembler, or compiler) into a computer executable form..

The computer program may be fixed in any form (eg, source code form, computer executable form, or an intermediate form) either permanently or transitorily in a tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device (eg, a RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or Flash-Programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (eg, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM), a PC card (eg, PCMCIA card), or other memory device. The computer program may be fixed in any form in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any of various communication technologies, including, but in no way limited to, analog technologies, digital technologies, optical technologies, wireless technologies (eg, Bluetooth), networking technologies, and inter-networking technologies. The computer program may be distributed in any form as a removable storage medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (eg, shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the communication system (eg, the Internet or World Wide Web).

Hardware logic (including programmable logic for use with a programmable logic device) implementing all or part of the functionality where described herein may be designed using traditional manual methods, or may be designed, captured, simulated, or documented electronically using various tools, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), a hardware description language (e.g., VHDL or AHDL), or a PLD programming language (e.g., PALAS , ABEL, or CUPL).

Programmable logic may be fixed either permanently or transitorily in a tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device (e.g., a RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, or Flash-Programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette or fixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g.-, a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM), or other memory device. The programmable logic may be fixed in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any of various communication technologies, including, but in no way limited to, analog technologies, digital technologies, optical technologies, wireless technologies (eg, Bluetooth), networking technologies, and internetworking technologies. The programmable logic may be distributed as a removable storage medium with accompanying printed or electronic documentation (eg, shrink wrapped software), preloaded with a computer system (eg, on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributed from a server or electronic bulletin board over the communication system (eg, the Internet or World Wide Web).

"Comprises/comprising" and "includes/including" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. Thus, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', 'includes', 'including' and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

Claims

1. A method of coupling an antenna to a device, the method comprising the steps of:

associating a tag with an antenna, the antenna having predetermined characteristics,

coupling the antenna to the device

enabling communication between the tag and the device, the communication providing information related to the characteristics.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of adjusting any one, or any combination of, device, antenna, tag in accordance with the information.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication provides data enabling adjustment of the device to the antenna.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication provides data enabling adjustment of the antenna to the device.

5. A method as claimed in any one of claims to 4, wherein the coupling is electrical coupling.

6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of antenna is coupled to the device, each antenna having a tag associated with each respective antenna.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least two of the antennas are at least partially overlapping.

8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information relates to any one of, or any combination of, electrical settings, such as signal adjustment(s), shift and/or change in frequency, phase, amplitude, bandwidth, modulation and/or data rate or control of the operation of device(s), MUX, receiver and/or transmitter settings, antenna switching.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the shifts in frequency are as disclosed in WO2007/030864.

10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, further wherein the tag includes information of one or more features of an antenna and/or reader.

11. An antenna adapted to be coupled to a device, the antenna comprising a tag associated with the antenna, the antenna having predetermined characteristics, the tag being adapted to eommunicate with the device information related to the characteristics.

12. An antenna as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the antenna is adjustable in response to the-communication.

13. An antenna as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the antenna is adjustable to suit the device.

14. A system comprising:

at least one antenna, each antenna having at least one tag associated therewith,

a device adapted to have the least one antenna coupled thereto and ^' communication means enabling communication between the tag and the device, the communication providing information related to antenna characteristics.

15. Apparatus adapted to enable coupling an antenna to a device, said apparatus including:

processor means adapted to operate in accordance with a predetermined instruction set,

said apparatus, in conjunction with said instruction set, being adapted to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

16. A computer program product including:

a computer usable medium having computer, readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for operating with a data processing system, said computer program product including:

computer readable code within said computer usable medium for enabling coupling of an antenna to a device.

17. A method as herein disclosed.

18. An apparatus, system and/or device as herein disclosed.