Kurta Corporation

Rf Code, Inc.

Wacom Co., Ltd.

Talos Systems, Inc.

Rodgers Technology Center, Inc.

James L Rodgers

Billy C Fowler

Roc A Lastinger

Howard K Jaecks

John J Coulthard

Mohammad Rehman

Paul A Picard

Steven M Palay

Donald F Gray

Charles A Waterbury

Rick L Hoover

Roy K Fischer

David Gerard Worthy

William J Fowler

James R Sciacero

Robert Ufford

Charles Glasser

Yazid Sidi

Alan R Headley

Dean Freiwald

A smart surface is disclosed that can stand alone or be contained within a portable computer or other system, for powering and communicating with single or multiple cord-free transducers. Operating or charging power is transmitted by the surface using a carrier signal that is on/off keyed or amplitude modulated with synchronization, clock, enable, address, modes, commands and other pulse width, encoded or digital data. The signal is transmitted to single or multiple cordless smart transducers located on or above the surface, such as pens with multiple pressure sensing and switch capability, pointers, stylus, cursors, pucks, mouse, pawns, implements and similar items. Overlapping resonant inductive circuits are used in the surface to transmit operating power and communicate data to the transducer(s).

Power supplying surface for cordlessly charging portable electronic device

Surface and cordless transducer system

An object identification system includes a monitor and a plurality of transceivers that communicate over a common medium. The monitor includes a first transmitter, a first receiver, and a processor. Each transceiver includes a resonant circuit, a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna coupled to the resonant circuit. The processor performs a method for performing transceiver communication that includes the steps of: (a) transmitting from the first transmitter a first frequency for a first duration; (b) after lapse of the first duration, receiving via the first receiver a response signal from at least one of the resonant circuits; (c) determining a second frequency from the received response signal; and (d) performing transceiver communication using the second frequency. Transceivers of the type having a resonant circuit coupled to an antenna, when operating in close proximity to each other, may interfere with the response from a single transceiver by absorbing the energy intended to be received by the transceiver, absorbing the energy transmitted by the transceiver, or altering the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit. By determining the second frequency for transceiver communication, the monitor may establish communication with the single transceiver at a frequency better suited for transferring operative power to the transceiver, conducting an interrogation protocol for identifying the transceiver, or for data transfer.

Object identification system with adaptive transceivers and methods of operation

A tamper monitoring system includes at least one active tag and a transmission link. The one active tag includes a transmitter and a receiver. The first end of the transmission link is connected to the transmitter and the second end is connected to the receiver. The transmitter is designed to transmit a non-constant signal to the transmission link to the receiver, and the receiver is designed to receive a signal from the transmission link and to correlate the received signal with the transmitted signal. When the received signal does not correlate with the transmitted signal, the active tag transmits a tamper beacon.

Tamper monitoring system and method

Monitoring systems and protocols are disclosed that are flexible in mode operation and format depending on the environment in which they are used. Such monitoring systems and protocols are able to change their utilization automatically, or by received instruction to do so. A location detection system includes one or more low frequency transmitters, one or more radio frequency monitoring tags and one or more receiving devices. The low frequency transmitter transmits location identification information, such as the transmitter ID, to a tag in the vicinity of the transmission. The tag relays the transmitter ID using a higher frequency transmission sent from the tag to the receiver. Communication protocols are disclosed that enable deciphering of multiple tag transmissions starting simultaneously.

Wireless identification systems and protocols

An object identification system includes a monitor and a plurality of transceivers that communicate over a common medium. The monitor includes a first transmitter, a first receiver, and a processor. Each transceiver includes a resonant circuit, a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna coupled to the resonant circuit. The processor performs a method for performing transceiver communication that includes the steps of: (a) transmitting from the first transmitter a first frequency for a first duration; (b) after lapse of the first duration, receiving via the first receiver a response signal from at least one of the resonant circuits; (c) determining a second frequency from the received response signal; and (d) performing transceiver communication using the second frequency.

A system includes an identification circuit, a grid antenna, a receiver, and a processor. The identification circuit includes resonant circuits formed on a substrate within a perimeter. Identification may be based on a quantity or physical arrangement of detected resonant circuits within the perimeter. One resonant circuit provides a reference signal. Any resonant circuit may be tuned in accordance with the reference signal by the addition or subtraction of reactance formed on the substrate. A capacitance of a first group of capacitors located outside a turn of an inductor is roughly equal to a capacitance of a second group of capacitors located inside the turn. Any resonant circuit may also be tuned by affixing a resonance modifying element, for example a sticker, to the identification circuit. The grid antenna provides antenna field patterns, one for each cell location. The receiver communicates with the identification circuit via the grid antenna. The processor controls the receiver according to a method including: (a) detecting a first signal at a first grid location; (b) determining an offset as a difference between a frequency of the first signal and a predetermined frequency; (c) detecting a second signal at a second grid location; (d) determining an identification in accordance with the first and second locations, the second signal, the offset determined in step (b), and any offset accomplished by a sticker; and (e) determining an orientation in accordance with the first and second grid locations.

System for item and orientation identification

A grid consists of a first serpentine, and a second serpentine overlapping the first serpentine. Signals from the first and second serpentines are analyzed to determine transducer position. The first and second serpentines are foldback serpentines. The first serpentine is offset from the second serpentine by approximately ninety degrees.

Method and apparatus for diminishing grid complexity in a tablet

Object Identification system with adaptive transceivers and methods of operation

A monitoring system incorporates antennas that transmit signals at predetermined frequencies; the transmitted signals are received by tags located in the active monitoring area of the antenna which then transmit signals back to the antenna. The antennas are tuned to each desired frequency prior to driving the antennas to transmit at the desired frequency. The system transmits a range of frequencies in a sequence that uses overlapping frequency steps. The monitoring system is also constructed having a variable configuration resulting in the ability to be reconfigured under program control to conform to varying system requirements. The integrated monitoring system employs programmable formats for reconfiguration such that upon program input from a host computer the system can assume predetermined configurations to conform to the particular tasks for the specific application. The monitoring system incorporates an antenna system that employs digitally controlled, differentially driven, scanning transceivers, and walk through magnetic induction antennas positionable in various configurations to maximize detection of tags being transported through the antenna system.

Monitoring antenna system

A carrier, as used for example to transport several radio frequency identification devices, includes a circuit having an antenna and a series capacitor for tuning the antenna. Enhanced transceiver communication results when transceivers are placed in the carrier. Alternately, a carrier may include first and second antenna circuits, each having a capacitor for tuning the respective antenna. The two circuits may cooperate so that energy received in a first pattern is re-radiated in a second pattern for further enhanced transceiver communication, such as detection of the presence of the RFID device within the carrier.

Carrier with antenna for radio frequency identification

A position resolving system is described incorporating a cordless pointing instrument such as a pen having an oscillator and battery supply therein. Electromagnetic radiations from the pen are directed onto a tablet grid having a plurality of grid loops therein. When the pen is in contact with the tablet, signals of maximum amplitude are radiated; when the pen is raised out of contact with the tablet, signal radiation is maintained but at a decreased amplitude for a predetermined time and then reduced to zero. Each loop is formed of parallel conductors joined at one end thereof by an end conductor; each loop is placed adjacent corresponding loops in the X and in the Y directions. The electromagnetic radiations are non-coherently amplitude detected to select the grid loop in the X direction and the grid loop in the Y direction having the maximum amplitudes thereon. When an X loop and a Y loop are detected each of which have signal amplitudes thereon that are higher than the remaining X and Y loops, and wherein the signal amplitudes are above a predetermined threshold amplitude, the system subsequently scans selected loops in the vicinity of the max loops in accordance with automatically selected routines. The routines are selected in accordance with criteria that include pen speed, signal strength and pen location. The routines may either rely upon the signal strength on a subset of three grid loops in each of the X and Y directions or a subset of four grid loops in the X and Y directions.

Position resolving system

A digitizing system includes a tablet and a cordless pointing device including a plurality of data grid conductors in the tablet and a plurality of clock grid conductors in the tablet, all receiving a magnetic field signal transmitted by the pointing device. A data channel circuit includes a differential amplifier and demodulating and filtering circuitry coupled to an output of the differential amplifier, having a clock input. An A/D converter has an input coupled to an output of the demodulating and filtering circuitry. Multiplexing circuitry selectively couples various grid conductor signals to the data channel circuit. A clock recovery circuit responsive to the clock grid conductors includes a phase-locked-loop circuit that generates a recovered clock signal which is synchronous with the magnetic field signal and is used as a reference for demodulating the phase and amplitude of signals multiplexed from the data grid conductors to the data channel circuit. Accurate determination of the pointer tip position is achieved simultaneously with accurate decoding of pointer commands represented by shifts in the frequency of the magnetic field signal.

Growing community of inventors

Mesa, AZ, United States of America

James L Rodgers