Communications: electrical – Selective – Interrogation response
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-11
2001-03-06
Horabik, Michael (Department: 2635)
Communications: electrical
Selective
Interrogation response
C455S343200, C340S010520
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198382
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a transponder for transmitting processed data to a base station comprising memory means from which data may be read out, and including data processing means which may be brought to a normal-energy operating mode in a transmit mode of the transponder and may be brought to an energy-saving mode in a transmit mode of the transponder, and to which data processing means may be applied data read out from the memory means to process the data and by which data processing means processed data may be delivered, and including transmission means by which the processed data corresponding to the processed data delivered by the data processing means can be transmitted to the base station.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a transponder as defined in the opening paragraph is known, for example, from document EP 0 534 559 A1. This known transponder is not only arranged and suitable for transmitting but also for receiving data. With the known transponder, data read out from the memory means are processed in the data processing means in two transmit modes of the transponder, and processed data are fed to the transmission means for transmitting the processed data to a base station. In a first transmit mode, the data processing means, which are formed by a microcomputer in the known transponder, are brought to a normal-energy mode of operation in which they are driven with a relatively high clock frequency, so that the relatively high processing rate of the data processing means is achieved at which the data processing means, however, have a relatively high energy consumption. In a second transmit mode, the data processing means are brought to an energy-saving mode of operation in which the data processing means are driven with a relatively low clock frequency and therefore have a relatively low energy consumption, as a result of which a relatively large transmission range with the transponder to a base station is achieved. In this manner, a relatively large transmission range is achieved, it is true, but the data transmission of the processed data from the known transponder to a base station is effected at only a low data transfer rate because the data processing means in the energy-saving mode process the data only very slowly, so that, unfortunately, there is a relatively long data transmission period.
It should be noted that in the known transponder there is a third possibility of a transmit mode in which data may be transmitted at a high data transfer rate over a relatively large transmission range, but in which the data processing means formed by the microcomputer are not activated at all, so that data read out from the memory means cannot possibly be processed, for example, be encoded or checksums cannot be added to the data for the purpose of enhancing the data transmission security. In this third transmit mode of the known transponder, only an interface device is activated in lieu of the data processing means with which interface device it is only possible to read data from a memory and apply them to a transmission coil which is additionally necessary for carrying out this third transmit mode and thus represents additional expenditure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to avoid afore-mentioned problems and improve a transponder as defined in the opening paragraph in a simple manner and practically without further expenditure. For achieving this object, in a transponder according to the invention there is provided that the data processing means, when the transponder is in a transmit mode, can be taken from its normal-energy mode to its energy-saving mode and that transmit memory means are provided which may be written and read out in this transmit mode of the transponder and by which transmit memory means the processed data delivered by the data processing means in the normal-energy mode in the transmit mode of the transponder can be stored before the processed data are actually transmitted, and that control means are provided by which, in this transmit mode, the data processing means can be controlled from their normal-energy mode of operation to their energy-saving mode of operation after the processed data have been stored in the transmit memory means and before processed data are actually sent, and that a transmission circuit is provided by which processed data stored in the transmit memory means can be read out from the transmit memory means and can be applied to the transmission circuit and by which circuit respective processed data can be delivered to the transmission means, and that, when data processing means including the transmission circuit are situated in their energy-saving mode, processed data read out from the transmit memory means and applied to the transmission circuit can be supplied to the transmission means to be transmitted to the base station. It is achieved in a particularly simple manner that the data processing means—by which an intelligent processing of data read out from the memory means, such as an encoding or a formation or addition of checksums and the like, is carried out—in their normal-energy mode of operation read out data from the memory means and process them at a high processing rate and that processed data are stored in the transmit memory means in preparation of the actual transmission of these processed data in the transmit mode of the transponder. During the actual transmission, when the data processing means are then advantageously controlled to their energy-saving mode, the transmission circuit transmits the processed data stored in the transmit memory means to the base station at a high transfer rate. Advantageously, the data processing means are operated in those time domains in which data are processed by the data processing means in the normal-energy mode of operation with a relatively high clock frequency and, therefore, have a high processing rate and, in further time domains, the data processing means in which domains processed data are transmitted to the base station, are controlled to their energy-saving mode and driven with a relatively low clock frequency with only a very low energy consumption. In consequence, with the transponder according to the invention, a communication may be effected—that is, a retrieval of data stored in the transponder memory means by the base station and a processing of these data, and a transmission of the processed data to the base station—at a high data transfer rate over large distances, which in many fields of application of transponders is most important. As a further advantage there should be observed that when the data processing means are controlled to their energy-saving mode, these data processing means consume very little energy in a steady manner and that, as a consequence, there is thus practically no variable energy consumption. Since any variable energy consumption in a transponder forms a variable load on the energy supply in the transponder, which variable load is superimposed as a noise signal, which is disturbing and may lead to data transmission errors, on a transmit signal sent from the transponder transmission means to the base station, the result of the fact that the data processing means in a transponder according to the invention continuously, thus evenly—thus not intermittently—have only very little energy consumption, is that the transmission circuit also consumes very little energy, which very small noise component cannot lead to data transmission errors. Consequently, a transponder according to the invention can transmit data over an extremely large distance at a high data transfer rate with satisfactory result and in an error-free manner to the base station. Such a transponder according to the invention is obviously not only arranged and suitable for the transmission but also for the reception of data.
In a transponder according to the invention, it has proved to be advantageous when, additionally, the transmission behavior of the transmission circuit can be controlled an
Berger Dominik J.
Czar Bernhard
Eber Wolfgang
Horabik Michael
Shimizu Matsuichiro
U.S. Philips Corporation
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