Battelle Memorial Institute

Michael A Hughes

Richard M Pratt

James R Skorpik

Michael A Lind

Eric G Gonzalez

Wayne M Lechelt

Jeffrey Wayne Scott

Gary B Morgan

Kevin L Priddy

Michael R Brambley

Yunzhi Huang

Emre Ertin

Building environment data collection systems and methods are described. According to one aspect, a system includes a plurality of sensor devices which store different types of environment data, a base system comprising a plurality of interface devices configured to receive the environment data from the sensor devices, storage circuitry configured to store the environment data, and communications circuitry configured to implement communications, and a user interface apparatus comprising communications circuitry configured to communicate with the communications circuitry of the base system, a user interface configured to receive user inputs during installation of the sensor devices, and processing circuitry configured to control the user interface to generate the displayed information and to process the user inputs received via the user interface, and wherein different ones of the sensor devices are configured to generate the different types of environment data as a result of the user inputs.

Building environment data collection systems

A radio frequency beacon device for use with a backscatter interrogator includes a processor; a receiver coupled to the processor; a backscatter modulator coupled to the processor; and an active transmitter coupled to the processor, the active transmitter being configured to transmit an RF signal, in response to a trigger signal, regardless of whether the interrogator is providing a carrier wave for backscatter modulation by the backscatter modulator. Other methods and apparatus are provided.

Semi-passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag with active beacon

Remote communications devices, wireless communications systems, and wireless communications methods are described. In one aspect, a remote communications device includes communication circuitry configured to communicate wireless communication signals externally of the remote communications device, sensor circuitry configured to sense at least one condition with respect to the remote communications device, and wherein the communication circuitry is coupled with the sensor circuitry and is configured to determine a plurality of different moments in time responsive to criteria originating within the remote communications device and to communicate data indicative of the at least one sensed condition externally of the remote communications device to a reader using the wireless communication signals at the different moments in time.

Remote communications devices, wireless communications systems, and wireless communications methods

Radio frequency identification devices, backscatter communication device wake-up methods, communication device wake-up methods and a radio frequency identification device wake-up method are described. In one aspect, a wireless communication device includes a processor configured to process a plurality of received wireless signals and to control the communication of a plurality of outputted wireless signals, wherein the processor is configured to control the communication of the outputted wireless signals using backscatter modulation, circuitry coupled with the processor and configured to control operations of the processor, and wherein the processor is configured to output a reference signal responsive to detection of radio frequency energy, the circuitry is configured to analyze the reference signal and the radio frequency energy, and the processor is configured to enter a predefined mode of operation utilizing an increased amount of electrical energy responsive to the analysis of the reference signal and the radio frequency energy by the circuitry.

Radio frequency identification devices, backscatter communication device wake-up methods, communication device wake-up methods and a radio frequency identification device wake-up method

A method of rapidly identifying RFID tags in an RFID system including a reader and a plurality of RFID tags, the tags having respective IDs formed of a plurality of bit locations, the method comprising determining in the reader which bit locations do not add to the uniqueness of the IDs of the tags; and ignoring data in bit locations that do not add to the uniqueness of the IDs of the tags. An RFID system comprising a plurality of RFID tags, the tags having respective IDs formed of a plurality of bit locations; and an RFID reader configured to communicate with the RFID tags, the reader being configured to determine which bit locations do not add to the uniqueness of the IDs of the tags, and to ignore data in bit locations that do not add to the uniqueness of the IDs of the tags.

RFID system and method including tag ID compression

An RFID system comprises an RFID reader configured to issue an RF command requesting that RF tags identify themselves, and to issue timing information defining a plurality of timeslots; and a plurality of RF tags in selective communication with the reader, the RF tags having respective IDs, respective tags being configured to randomly select a timeslot in which to reply to the RF command, and to issue an RF reply in response to the RF command in the randomly selected timeslot, the RF reply including a frequency pattern to assist in identifying the tag but not the tag's entire ID, different tags having different frequency patterns.

System and method to identify multiple RFID tags

An RF tag system, comprising an RF reader configured to issue a plurality of different RF commands and to provide a continuous RF illumination field, and a plurality of RF tags respectively including a permanent identification; wherein the plurality of RF tags are configured to respond to a certain RF command from the RF reader by transmitting their respective identifications by way of backscatter modulation of the RF illumination field, and wherein the RF tags are further configured to perform the responding by way of respective independently selected random radio frequencies and timeslots from respective pre-defined ranges of radio frequencies and timeslots.

Method of simultaneously reading multiple radio frequency tags, RF tags, and RF reader

A method of securing communications in an RFID system including a reader and an RF tag having a memory configured to store information comprises sending, from the reader, a message to the tag; the tag, in response to the message, generating a challenge value and sending the challenge value to the reader; in any order: the reader performing a mathematical operation on the challenge value based upon a key value to generate a challenge reply and sending the challenge reply to the tag and the tag independently computing a challenge response based on the key value and mathematical operation; the tag comparing the challenge response computed by the tag with the challenge reply sent by the reader; and the tag authenticating the reader if the challenge response matches the challenge reply. An RFID system including an RFID tag and a reader are configured to perform the above steps.

Growing community of inventors

Pasco, WA, United States of America

Michael A Hughes