RU2409896C2 - Method, module, terminal and system for providing coherent operation of radio frequency identification subsystem and wireless communication subsystem - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technology.

SUBSTANCE: method involves determining one or more periods of activity of a wireless communication subsystem, determining one or more periods of inactivity based on one or more periods of activity; synchronising operation of the RFID subsystem with one or more periods of inactivity; and launching operation of the RFID subsystem in accordance with one or more periods of inactivity to provide essentially parallel operation of the wireless communication subsystem and the RFID subsystem.

EFFECT: broader functionalities owing to possibility of coordinated sharing of the RFID subsystem and the wireless communication subsystem.

44 cl, 20 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to short-range communication systems. In particular, the present invention relates to quasi-simultaneous operation of a RFID reader interface in cellular communication terminals. More specifically, the present invention relates to the operation of a radio frequency identification reader interface with synchronization in time and frequency with respect to cellular communications.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology relates generally to local communication technology and, more specifically, to local communication technology including electromagnetic and / or electrostatic communication technology. Electromagnetic and / or electrostatic coupling is implemented in the radio frequency domain of the electromagnetic spectrum using, for example, RFID technology, which initially includes RFID transponders, also called RFID tags, and RFID reader interfaces for RF transponders, also called RFID readers for simplicity.

In the near future, more and more different radio technologies will be used in mobile terminals. A growing number of different systems necessitates the development of a radio access methodology with different data rates, range, reliability and performance, specially adapted for operating conditions and, accordingly, use cases. The incentive for the development is the compatibility problems of mobile terminals using multiple radio bands.

RFID technology is one of the latest terminal consolidation solutions; it provides new features, such as pairing devices, exchanging security keys, or retrieving product information from elements provided by RFID tags using a device with RFID capabilities. Typically, in consumer systems, the communication range between the RFID tag and the RFID reader interface is only a few centimeters.

Currently, there are already RFID reader options built into mobile phones. The systems currently implemented are based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which operates at a frequency of 13.56 MHz. In this technology, interaction is ensured by inductive coupling, as a result of which both the reader and the tag need to use fairly large loop antennas. In addition, inductive coupling has its limitations when it falls into the radio range. Typically, the maximum range at 13.56 MHz with the proper field current and antenna size is approximately 1-2 m.

The limited range of radio frequency identification systems by 13.56 MHz increased the interest of suppliers and logistics services to higher frequencies called UHF (ultra high) and ultra high frequencies. At ultra-high frequencies (around 868 MHz in Europe and 915 MHz in the United States according to the frequency distribution), the communication range in industrial and professional fixed installations reaches 10 meters, which makes it possible to use completely new systems compared to systems with a frequency of 13.56 MHz RFID operation at UHF and microwave frequencies is based on backscatter, i.e. the reader (interrogator) generates an excitation / interrogation signal, and the radio frequency identification tag (RFID transponder) changes the input impedance of the antenna in accordance with a given data-dependent pattern.

Currently, the most significant UHF standardization forum is EPCglobal, which leads the development of industry standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) to support the use of RFID technology in today's popular retail chains with a wealth of information. The immediate goal is to replace barcodes on cargo pallets; for a longer period, it is planned to replace barcodes on packages and some individual products. If these goals are realized, the consumer will be able to get product information or a link to more detailed information on his terminal with built-in RFID connection by simply touching the product that is equipped with an EPCglobal approved RFID transponder.

The excitation power generated by the RFID reader subsystem is quite high, ranging from about 100 mW in consumer systems related to mobile terminals, and up to several watts in professional stationary systems. For RFID in the UHF band, the ISM band of 868 MHz is used in Europe and 915 MHz in the United States. It can be seen that the frequencies used are close to the frequencies of cellular communications: for the receivers and transmitters of cellular mobile stations in Europe, the frequencies 880-915 and 925-960 MHz are used, and in the United States - 824-849 and 869-894 MHz. Due to the fact that the RFID reader subsystem emits a sufficiently powerful RFID excitation signal, strong interference can occur in the cellular transmitter operating in the same terminal due to the imperfect nature of the RFID excitation signal and the limited suppression of high-pass filters. In practice, the distance between the RFID reader antenna and the cellular antenna can be only a few centimeters, so the transition attenuation can be on the order of 10-20 dB. Assuming a high-frequency power level of the RFID reader subsystem equal to 20 dBm (corresponding to approximately 100 mW), a signal with a level of 0 dBm may appear at the antenna input of a cellular transceiver. A cellular antenna and a balancing device with their frequency response, as well as an input high-pass filter, suppress noise to some extent, but the level of the resulting signal remains high enough and in some situations can cause strong interference and even block the necessary cellular signal. In extreme cases, when the most profitable solution for combining devices is sought, the cellular communication device and the RFID reader can use the same antenna, since the operating frequencies of these systems are usually located close to each other and therefore one antenna can serve both systems.

An object of the present invention is to provide a methodology and means for enabling coordinated use of an RFID subsystem and a wireless communication subsystem. In particular, the coexistence of the systems under consideration is applicable to the cellular subsystem and the RFID subsystem embedded in one terminal device. The RFID subsystem causes interference due to an increase in the minimum noise level in any wireless subsystems operating in a mobile terminal.

Options for achieving the objectives of the present invention are described in the independent claims.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method for scheduling communication through a wireless subsystem and an RFID subsystem is provided. One or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem are determined. Based on one or more specific periods of activity, one or more periods of inactivity is determined. The operation of the RFID subsystem is synchronized with one or more periods of inactivity. In addition, the RFID subsystem is activated in accordance with one or more periods of inactivity in such a way that essentially parallel operation of the wireless subsystem and the RFID subsystem is ensured.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product that provides “listening before dialogue”, which allows one or more free radio frequency subbands applicable to the RFID operating in the RFID reader subsystem to be determined. The computer program product contains segments of program code for performing the steps of the method corresponding to the above embodiment of the invention when the program is running on a computer, terminal, network device, mobile terminal, terminal with the possibility of mobile communication or integrated circuit for specialized applications. A computer program product containing segments of program code may be stored on a computer-readable medium. Alternatively, one or more instructions adapted to perform the above steps of the method corresponding to the specified embodiment of the invention may be performed by a specialized integrated circuit (ASIC), which is the equivalent of the specified computer software product.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a scheduling module for scheduling communication through a wireless subsystem and an RFID subsystem. The scheduling module may operate with a wireless subsystem and an RFID subsystem and is configured to determine one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem and obtain one or more periods of inactivity based on one or more specific periods of activity. The planning module synchronizes with one or more periods of inactivity. The planning module generates a trigger signal, which is fed to the RFID subsystem to start it in accordance with one or more of the obtained periods of inactivity, which ensures essentially parallel operation of the wireless subsystem and the RFID subsystem.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal device with the possibility of planned communication through a wireless communication subsystem and an RFID subsystem located therein. The terminal device includes a scheduling module that works with the wireless subsystem and the RFID subsystem. The planning module is configured to determine one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem and obtain one or more periods of inactivity based on one or more specific periods of activity. The planning module synchronizes with one or more periods of inactivity. The planning module generates a trigger signal, which is fed to the RFID subsystem to start it in accordance with one or more of the obtained periods of inactivity, which ensures essentially parallel operation of the wireless subsystem and the RFID subsystem.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided that provides for planned communications through a cellular subsystem and an RFID subsystem available in the system. In addition, the system includes a scheduling module that works with the cellular subsystem and the RFID subsystem. The planning module is configured to determine one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem and obtain one or more periods of inactivity based on one or more specific periods of activity. The planning module synchronizes with one or more periods of inactivity. The planning module generates a trigger signal, which is fed to the RFID subsystem to start it in accordance with one or more of the obtained periods of inactivity, which ensures essentially parallel operation of the wireless subsystem and the RFID subsystem.

For a more complete acquaintance with the present invention and understanding how it can be implemented, the following are links to the attached drawings, on which:

1 is a schematic block diagram showing typical components of an RFID transponder and an RFID reader subsystem;

FIG. 2 a is a schematic block diagram of an RFID capable portable cellular terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a schematic block diagram of an RFID reader subsystem in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 3a-3c schematically show schematic block diagrams of various embodiments of a portable cellular terminal with RFID capability;

Figures 4a-4d schematically illustrate operational sequences applicable to a scheduling mechanism to enable planned RFID and cellular communications in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 5a schematically shows an example of a GSM / EDGE activity timeline in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

5b (1) to (4) schematically shows an example of a compressed time frame diagram of a WCDMA communication in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

Fig. 6a shows in more detail an example of a GSM / EDGE activity time chart and a radio frequency identification communication activity time chart of Fig. 5a in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6b schematically shows the radio frequency envelope of the RFID reader subsystem on and off, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6c schematically illustrates pulse repetition coding of data symbols “0” and “1” of RFID communication in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

6d schematically shows a comparative timing diagram of an RFID communication with an RFID reader subsystem and an RFID transponder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6e schematically shows a sequence of RFID communication processes and operational states of an RFID transponder in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In the following description, references to the same and / or identical components will be given the same numbers.

Next, the concept of the present invention will be described with reference to cellular communication systems, which, in particular, support cellular communication standards GSM, GSM / GPRS, GSM / EDGE, cdma2000 and / or UMTS. In addition, the RFID communication will be described with reference to the RFID communication in the ultra-high frequency range (UHF), which, in particular, supports the EPCglobal standard. It should be noted that the above specifications of the cellular subsystem, as well as the RFID reader subsystems, are provided for illustration. You must understand that the invention is not limited to these characteristics.

Initially, RFID technology was developed and introduced to monitor electronic products, control products and logistics, primarily to replace identification tags with barcodes, which are currently used for product monitoring and logistics. A typical implementation of the RFID transponder at the current technical level is shown with reference to figure 1. A typical RFID transponder unit 10 essentially includes an electronic circuit, as an example, depicted as a transponder logic 12, which has data storage means depicted herein as a transponder memory 13, and a radio frequency interface 11 that integrates an antenna 14 and a transponder logic 12. RFID transponders are usually located in small containers placed on the device and marked with glued tags. Depending on the requirements for the envisaged use cases of radio frequency identification transponders (for example, data transfer rate, request power, transmission range, etc.), various types of data / information transmission in the range from 10-100 kHz to several GHz (for example, 134134 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 860 MHz-928 MHz, etc.). Two main classes of RFID transponders can be distinguished. Passive RFID transponders are activated and driven by RFID readers that generate an exciting or interrogating signal, such as an RF signal at a specific frequency. Active RFID transponders contain their own power supply (not shown) to drive, such as a battery or battery.

When the RFID transponder is activated by the RFID reader unit 20, the information recorded in the transponder memory 13 is modulated in an RF signal (e.g., an RF request signal), which is emitted by the antenna 14 of the RFID responder unit 10 for subsequent recognition and received by the RFID reader unit 20. More specifically, when using a passive RFID transponder (for example, in the absence of a local power supply), the RFID transponder is essentially driven by a time-varying RF signal / wave generated by the requesting RFID reader. When the antenna associated with the RFID transponder 10 enters the radio frequency field, voltage arises in it. The voltage is used to energize the RFID transponder 10 and allows for the reverse transmission of information from the RFID transponder to an RFID reader, sometimes referred to as backscatter.

Typical modern RFID transponders comply with RFID standards such as ISO 14443 Type A, Mifare, Near Field Communication (NFC), and / or EPCglobal.

In accordance with the purposes of using RFID transponders, information or data stored in the memory of the transponder 13 may be encoded “hard” or “soft”. "Hard" coding means that the information or data recorded in the memory 13 of the responder is set in advance and cannot be changed. “Soft” coding means that information or data recorded in the memory 13 of the responder can be configured by external devices. The configuration of the memory 13 of the responder can be carried out using a radio frequency signal received through the antenna 14, or a configuration interface (not shown) that allows access to the memory 13 of the responder.

The RFID reader unit 20 typically comprises a radio frequency interface 21 that reads logic 22 and a data interface 23. The data interface 23 is essentially connected to a host system, such as a portable terminal, which, on the one hand, controls the operation of the RFID reader using instructions transmitted by the host system to the read logic 22 via the data interface 23, and on the other hand, receives data provided by the read logic 22 via the data transmission interface 23. When executing the instructions, the read logic instructs the radio frequency interface 21 to generate an exciting / interrogating signal that is emitted by the antenna 24 connected to the radio frequency interface 21 of the radio frequency identification reader unit 20. If the RFID transponder, such as the RFID transponder unit 10, is within the driving / requesting signal range, the RFID transponder is excited and as a result a modulated radio frequency signal (radio frequency backscatter signal) is received. In particular, the modulated radio frequency signal carries data stored in the transmitter memory 13, modulated in the exciting / interrogating RF signal. The modulated RF signal is combined in the antenna 24, demodulated by the RF interface 21 and supplied to the readout logic 22, which is responsible for extracting data from the demodulated signal. As a result, the data obtained from the received modulated radio frequency signal is transmitted via the data transmission interface to the main system.

Figure 2 shows the block diagram of the components of the portable electronic terminal 100 on the example of the terminal mobile / cellular telephone. The portable electronic terminal 100, by way of example, is any type of processing terminal or device applicable to the present invention. You must understand that the present invention is not limited to the depicted portable electronic terminal 100, as well as any other specialized type of processing terminal or device.

As mentioned above, the depicted portable electronic terminal 100 as an example is depicted as a portable user terminal with cellular capabilities. In particular, the portable cellular terminal 100 is presented in the form of a system based on a processor or microcontroller comprising a central processing unit (CPU) and a mobile processor (MPU) 110, respectively, data and application memory 120, cellular communications equipment including a radio frequency cellular interface (I / F) 180 with a suitably adapted RF antenna 181 and subscriber identity module 185, user interface I / O, typically including audio I / O (140 / IO) (essentially a microphone and speaker), keys, a small keyboard and / or keyboard with a controller (Ctrl) 130 keystrokes, a screen with a controller (Ctrl) 150 screen and (local) wireless and / or wired interface (I / F) 160 data transfer.

The operation of the portable electronic terminal 100 is controlled by a central processing unit (CPU) or a mobile processor (MPU) 110, typically under the control of an operating system or a main control program that controls the functions, properties and functionality of the portable electronic terminal 100 by allowing their use by the user. The screen and the controller (Ctrl) 150 of the screen are usually controlled by a processor (CPU / MPU) 110 and provide the user with information including a (graphical) user interface (UI) that allows the user to take advantage of the functions, properties and functionality of the portable electronic terminal 100. Keyboard and controller ( Ctrl) 130 keyboards are used to provide user input. The information input from the keyboard is essentially supplied by the keyboard controller (Ctrl) to a processor (CPU / MPU) 110, which can receive instructions and / or be controlled in accordance with the information received. The audio input / output (I / O) 140 includes at least a speaker for reproducing an audio signal and a microphone for recording an audio signal. A processor (CPU / MPU) 110 may control the conversion of audio data to audio output signals and input audio signals to audio data, where, for example, the audio data has a format suitable for transmission and storage. Converting an audio signal to digital audio and vice versa is essentially performed by digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion circuits, made for example based on a digital signal processor (DSP, not shown).

The keypad used by the subscriber to enter data, for example, includes alphanumeric keys and special telephony keys, as in ITU-T keypads, one or more multifunction keys, the functions of which depend on the context, scroll key (up / down and / or left / to the right and / or any combination of them for moving the cursor on the screen or viewing through the user interface UI), four-way button, eight-way button, joystick and / or similar controller.

The portable electronic terminal 100 in accordance with the specific embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2 includes a cellular subsystem 180 connected to a radio frequency antenna 181 and operating with a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) 185. Subsystem 180 of the cellular communication is made in the form of a cellular transceiver for receiving signals from a cellular antenna, decoding signals, demodulating them, as well as converting them to the main frequency band. Cellular subsystem 180 implements a wireless interface that works with a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) 185 to communicate with a corresponding base station (BS), base station controller, Node B, and similar radio access networks (RANs) of public land mobile networks ( PLMN). Thus, the output of the cellular subsystem 180 consists of a data stream that may require further processing by the processor (CPU / MPU) 110. The cellular subsystem 180 is configured as a cellular transceiver also adapted to receive data from a processor (CPU / MPU) 110 to be transmitted wirelessly to a radio access network (RAN) base station (BS) (not shown). Therefore, the cellular subsystem 180 encodes, modulates, and increases the frequency of the data signals to the radio frequency signals used in wireless transmission. Then, the antenna (shown schematically) of the portable electronic terminal 100 transmits the received radio frequency signals to the corresponding base station (BS) of the radio access network (RAN) of the public land mobile network (PLMN). Preferably, the cellular subsystem 180 supports a 2nd generation digital cellular network, such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), which may support GPRS (General Purpose Packet Radio) and / or EDGE (Advanced GSM Data Transmission, Generation 2.5) a 3rd generation digital cellular network, such as CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), in particular including UMTS (universal mobile communication system), cdma2000 and / or any similar related or future cellular telephone standards onii (generation 3.5, 4th generation).

Wireless and / or wired data interfaces 160 are shown schematically and should be understood as an image of one or more data interfaces, which can be an addition or alternative to the above-described cellular subsystem 180 implemented in the example of portable electronic terminal 100. Currently, there are many wireless standards communication. For example, the portable electronic terminal 100 may include one or more wireless interfaces operating in accordance with the IEEE 802.xx standard, Wi-Fi standard, WiMAX standard, any Bluetooth standard (1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 2.0 + EDR, LE), ZigBee (for wireless private networks (WPAN)), the infrared data transfer standard (IRDA), wireless USB (universal serial bus), and / or any currently available standards and / or any future data transfer standards, such as UWB (ultra wideband radio) .

The data interface (I / F) 160 should also be understood as displaying one or more data transmission interfaces, in particular including wired data interfaces implemented in the example of the portable electronic terminal 100. Such wired interfaces can support wired networks such as Ethernet LAN ( Local Area Network), PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and / or other available standards, as well as future standards. The data interface (I / F) 160 can also be any data interface, including any proprietary serial / parallel interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a Firewire interface (in accordance with any IEEE 1394 / 1394a / I 394b standard, and etc.), a memory bus interface, including an ATAPI matching bus (packet interface of peripheral devices), an MMS interface (multimedia card), an interface for SD cards (SecureData), an interface for Flash cards and other similar interfaces.

A portable electronic terminal 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises an RFID reader subsystem 190 connected to an RF antenna 194. Here, reference is made to FIG. 1 and the above description, which describes general principles for the implementation and operation of the RFID reader module. The RFID reader subsystem 190 may be included in terminal 100, permanently connected to terminal 100, or may be connected to terminal 100 separately. In addition, the RFID reader subsystem 190 may be implemented in a functional case for the portable electronic terminal 100, which is separately connected to the portable electronic terminal 100. As a preferred embodiment, the radio frequency identification reader subsystem 190 may be integrated in such a functional case. In accordance with the idea of the present invention, the terminal 100 comprises a scheduling unit 200. The scheduling unit 200 is connected to a terminal 100, a cellular communication interface 180, and / or an RFID reader subsystem 190. The following describes the details regarding a particular embodiment of the RFID reader subsystem 190 and scheduling unit 200.

The components and modules depicted in FIG. 2 can be integrated into portable electronic terminal 100 as separate modules or as any combination thereof. Preferably, one or more components and modules of the portable electronic terminal 100 can be combined with a processor (CPU / MPU) to form a single chip system (SoC). Such a single-chip system (SoC), as a preferred embodiment, combines all the components of a computer system into one microchip. A single-chip system can include digital, analog, mixed, and often radio frequency means. Typical applications are embedded and portable systems that are particularly limited in size and power consumption. Such a typical single-chip system contains a number of integrated circuits that perform various tasks. They can contain one or more components, including a processor (CPU / MPU), memory (RAM - random access memory, ROM - permanent memory), one or more UART units (universal asynchronous transceiver), one or more serial / parallel / network ports, controller chips DMA (direct memory access), GPU (graphics processor), DSP (digital signal processor), etc. Recent advances in semiconductor technology have allowed the use of integrated circuits with an ultra-high degree of integration to increase the degree of integration, which made it possible to combine all system components on a single microchip.

Typical software applications operating with the portable electronic terminal 100 include basic data and / or voice communications applications, a contact management application, a calendar, a media player, a WEB / WAP viewing application and / or a messaging application supporting for example, short message services (SMS), multimedia messaging services (MMS) and / or email services. Modern portable electronic terminals are programmable, i.e. such terminals have programming interfaces and execution levels that allow any user or programmer to create and install applications that work with the portable electronic terminal 100. Today, the device-independent JAVA programming language, which is available in a special version adapted for functional features and requirements, is widely recognized mobile devices and is called JAVA Micro Edition (ME). To enable JAVA ME-based applications to run, the portable electronic terminal 100 has a JAVA MIDP (Mobile Device Information Profile) tool that establishes an interface between the JAVA ME application, also called JAVA MIDIet, and the portable electronic terminal 100. JAVA MIDP (mobile device information profile) implements a program execution environment with a JAVA virtual machine designed to run JAVA MIDIets applications. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the JAVA ME programming language and JAVA MIDIets applications; Other programming languages are applicable to this invention, especially proprietary programming languages.

The basic concept of the present invention relates to the problem of the coexistence of the RFID reader 190 and the cellular radio interface 180 and their parallel operation. The present invention will be described with reference to RFID communications in the ultra-high frequency range (UHF), in particular, supporting the RFID standard corresponding to EPCglobal. In addition, the concept of the present invention will be described with reference to the cellular radio interface 180, supporting in particular the GSM, GSM / EDGE, WCDMA and / or cdma2000 standards. However, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art based on this description should understand that the concept of the present invention is similarly applicable to any other radio frequency identification standard and wireless communication standard (in particular, including any other cellular communication standards and wireless communication standards).

As mentioned above, for RFID in the ultra-high frequency range, special ranges are selected, depending on the region:

UHF RFID 868 ISM band (Europe): 868-870 MHz (with a maximum power of 500 mW); and

UHF RFID 915 (USA) band: 902-928 MHz (at max. Power 4W).

In accordance with various cellular standards, different frequency bands are assigned. The table below shows the options for the frequency ranges used; the table is not exhaustive. For subsequent references, common abbreviations for various frequency ranges are provided.

System name Uplink Frequency Range (MHz) Downlink Frequency Range (MHz) GSM 900 (Europe): 890-915 935-960 GSM 1800 (Europe): 1710-1785 1805-1880 GSM 850 (USA): 824-849 869-894 GSM 1900 (USA): 1850-1910 1930-1990 cdma2000 (USA): 1850-1910 1930-1990 WCDMA 2100 (Europe): 1920-1980 2110-2170

Professionals should understand that the frequency ranges used for RFID in the ultra-high frequency range and cellular communications do not overlap. Thus, the parallel operation of cellular communications and radio frequency identification communications in the ultra-high frequency range can be obtained using the highest quality radio frequency components, at least in theory. In practice, such components of the highest quality will take up a lot of space and cost a lot. Therefore, from the point of view of price and size, there will be preferably a solution that allows for the coordinated work of these radio devices in the time domain.

The excitation / interrogation signal, for example, the downstream signal of the RFID reader in the ultra-high frequency range, usually has an amplitude or phase modulated carrier. Signal strength depends on the application, but it can equal several watts for industrial needs and, possibly, several hundred milliwatts for use in portable terminals. Typically, an RFID reader emits an exciting signal based on a user action (for example, detecting an input signal when a user presses a button) or at the request of an application program (for example, a signal is generated by the program at the end of a timer). During the exchange of data between the RFID reader and the RFID transponder, the RFID reader continuously emits a carrier frequency signal to keep the RFID transponder active (see the description above). Uncoordinated emission of a strong carrier signal during any activity of a cellular radio device will adversely affect its performance and therefore this situation should be prevented.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the portable terminal 100 has a control unit that implements the operation of the RFID reader only in accordance with any activity of the cellular transceiver so that parallel or simultaneous operation of RFID and cellular communication is achievable.

Here it is necessary to understand that the parallel and / or simultaneous operation of communication devices can be controlled at the physical level (low level) of time multiplexing, where time multiplexing is invisible to the user, resulting in the impression of essentially parallel and / or simultaneous operation of communication devices.

In the first main case, the control element is the scheduling unit 200 contained in the portable terminal 100, before allowing the RFID reader to start polling and communication, checks if the cellular radio is turned off (completely). This first basic method is quite simple, because in the case when a cellular connection is necessary immediately after the activity of radio frequency identification communication, it takes some time to turn on the cellular device.

In a more complex method, RFID communication activity is planned in such a way that it takes place during periods of inactivity in cellular communications. A similar principle can be used for various operating modes of the terminal. When the terminal is not connected to the cellular network, RFID reading begins almost immediately. Regardless of the system under discussion, the terminal in idle / standby mode listens for call messages, measures relative to intra-cell and inter-cell power levels, the availability of other systems, and sends random access messages if necessary. In this state, the required activity is weak to extend the battery life, and therefore there is enough time for RFID communication activity. In the active state, the terminal is busy making a voice call or exchanging data through a packet connection. This state, as well as the states preceding and following the active state (for example, GPRS ready state) require significant activity, therefore, the time available for reading RFID is quite limited. For example, there is only (8-2) × 0.577 ms 3 3.5 ms of time (it should be noted that, in accordance with the structure of GSM time frames, each frame contains eight time intervals (slots)) for reading radio frequency identification during an active GSM call, since it is very likely that during cellular transmission (1 time slot out of 8) and reception (1 time slot), interference will occur during these time intervals due to RFID reading activity.

As a result, in accordance with the present invention, the scheduling unit 200 establishes an interface between the RFID subsystem, which is presented here as the RFID reader subsystem 190, and the main system, which is here presented as the portable terminal 100. By means of the scheduling algorithm, which is preferably implemented on the basis of the scheduling unit 200 when using software and / or hardware, there is the possibility of parallel operation of several radio devices. The operation of the RFID subsystem is controlled by the main system (i.e., portable terminal 100) through the scheduling unit 200. To enable control, the RFID subsystem (i.e., the radio frequency identification reader subsystem 190) may be provided with a trigger signal terminal 196 (digital input / output) and a watchdog logic.

2b shows an RFID subsystem based on an RFID reader subsystem 190 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As mentioned above, the RFID reader subsystem 190 includes the typical components required for the operation of an RFID reader, i.e., an I / F interface 191 connected to a host system (i.e., a portable terminal 100) that reads the logic circuit 192, for example, implemented on the basis of a microcontroller (MS), and a radio frequency interface 193 connected to a radio frequency antenna 194. The watchdog logic 195 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is intended to control the operation of the subsystem 190 of the reader p rf identification. The watchdog logic 195 can be integrated into the readout logic circuit or implemented separately. To the watchdog logic 195, a trigger signal from a host system (portable terminal 100) may arrive through a trigger terminal 196. A trigger signal is sent by the scheduling unit 200 and generated in accordance with the scheduling algorithm.

The scheduling algorithm will be described in more detail below. It should be noted that the data interface (I / F) 191 connected to the main system can be similarly adapted to receive configuration data and instructions from the main system. Configuration data and instructions allow you to set the parameters of the RFID reader.

On figa-3c shows a schematic diagram of the main components for parallel operation of communication devices in accordance with a variant implementation of the present invention.

The host system is controlled by the user through a user interface (UI) 30, through which the user gains access to the functions of the host system (e.g., portable terminal 100). Taking into account the operation of several radio devices, control by a user through a user interface (UI) 30 is performed through a planning control unit 200, which is located between the cellular communication subsystem 180 and the RFID reader subsystem 190. The layout of the planning control unit 200 makes it possible, on the one hand, to obtain information about current radio communication operations carried out through the cellular communication subsystem 180 and the RFID reader subsystem 190, and, on the other hand, to transmit this information and user input through the user interface to the algorithm diagram planning to ensure the parallel operation of several radio devices. Similarly, control can also be carried out using an application program 35, which provides the ability to control the subsystem 180 of the cellular communication and the subsystem 190 of the radio frequency identification reader through the control block 200 planning.

In more detail, FIGS. 3a-3c show various antenna configurations, including separate antennas 181 and 194 for the cellular subsystem 180 and the RFID reader subsystem 190, a common antenna 182 connected to the cellular subsystem 180 and the RFID reader subsystem 190, and a common an antenna 182 connected to both systems 180, 190 through a switch 196. The common antenna 182 is preferably a multi-frequency antenna, i.e. an antenna whose characteristics are adapted for several frequency ranges. Such antennas, for example, are used in dual- and tri-band GSM terminals. In FIG. 3b, bandpass filters (not shown) can be included in the signal path between the antenna 183 and the cellular subsystem 180, as well as the RFID reader subsystem 190, to separate the radio frequency signals received by the antenna 183, so that the frequencies of different frequencies ranges arrived at the corresponding subsystem 180 or 190 in accordance with the corresponding working radio frequency ranges. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3c, the radio frequency switch 196 is configured to attach a common antenna 182 to subsystems 180 and 190 of choice in accordance with their activity, which is time-synchronized. The RF switch 196 can also be implemented as a custom bandpass filter. A signal for adjusting the bandpass filter circuit is supplied from the planning control unit 200. The signal separation shown in FIG. 3c is advantageous for the radio frequency circuits of the cellular subsystem 180 and the radio frequency identification reader subsystem 190, since the radio frequency signals generated by one of the subsystems 180 or 190 are not applicable to the other. In particular, the embodiment of the invention depicted in the form of a diagram in FIG. 3c gives rise to a requirement for planning the operation of both subsystems 180 and 190 with time synchronization. The common antenna 182 is optionally connected to one of the subsystems 180 and 190. The reception and emission of the radio frequency signal can be respectively performed by the cellular subsystem 180 or the RFID subsystem 190.

The planning block 200 can be implemented separately from the subsystems 180 and 190, together with the subsystems 180 and 190 within the communication subsystem in several ranges, it can also be made on the basis of one or more proprietary hardware and / or software components, these components of the planning block can be part of a terminal 100, a cellular subsystem 180, or an RFID subsystem 190.

Fig. 4a shows a general operational sequence of a scheduling algorithm according to an embodiment of the present invention. Although the working sequence is shown as a linear sequence, it must be understood that it is the basis of the control cycle algorithm, which is performed repeatedly. Based on the operation of the monitoring cycle and the possibility of obtaining information about the current operating frequency of the cellular subsystem 180, the RFID reader subsystem 190 is controlled.

In a preferred embodiment, the scheduling unit 200 is configured to perform subsequent operations when the user or application requests the operation of the RFID reader subsystem 190.

In operation S100, the current frequency range in which the cellular subsystem 180 operates is determined. The determination of the current frequency range is carried out regardless of whether the portable terminal is in the standby state or in the active state at this time. It should be noted that the terms “idle state”, “standby state” and “active state” indicate an operating mode related to the operation of the cellular subsystem 180. In particular, the idle / standby mode means the operation mode of the cellular communication subsystem 180, in which paging and measurement operations are performed, but voice communication or data transmission through the cellular communication subsystem 180 is not performed. In the active state, through the cellular subsystem 180, voice communication and / or data transmission is performed; communication is via a radio access network (RAN) of a public land mobile network (PLMN), in which a cellular subsystem is registered.

In operation S110, a check is made in which frequency range the cellular subsystem 180 — 850 MHz or 900 MHz — is currently operating (see the definition of frequency ranges given above). In the event that the cellular communication interface operates in a different frequency range, which is far enough from the ultra-high frequency used by the radio frequency identification reader subsystem 190, it can be assumed that the parallel operation of the cellular communication subsystem 180 and the RFID reader subsystem 190 is possible with less interference. The operation sequence proceeds to operation S220, in which parallel operation is permitted. However, it should be noted that the resolution of parallel operation is possible only when using the radio frequency circuit, which provides the possibility of parallel reception and emission of radio frequency signals at different frequencies, as shown in figa and 3b. An embodiment of the radio frequency circuit shown in FIG. 3c does not allow such parallel operation. In this case, time synchronization is used, which is described below with reference to operations S160-S230.

In practice, almost all cellular terminals that are commercially available now and which will be available in the future are at least multi-band terminals or, more preferably, multi-band multi-system terminals. Typical GSM compliant terminals support GSM 900/1800 or GSM 850/1800/1900 communications. Moreover, the latest multi-system terminals support GSM 900/1800/1900 and WCDMA 2100 (UMTS) communications. The same applies to cellular terminals that support the CDMA standard; for example, cdma2000-enabled cellular terminals support CDMA 850/1900 and options for available frequency combinations. It should be noted that the cellular terminals described above are for illustration only; the present invention is not limited to any individual multi-band and / or multi-system terminals.

Thus, the portable terminal 100 may request reception and transmission in standby or active mode at frequencies outside the 860-960 MHz band or at least in the frequency range that is at a sufficient distance, at least in the case when the RFID communication is operating at ultra high frequencies. In the case where the cellular subsystem 180 operates in a frequency range of 850 MHz or 900 MHz, it is determined in operation S130 whether switching of the radio frequency range is possible. Switching may be intra-system or inter-system. Switching operations should be requested by portable terminal 100 and cellular subsystem 180, respectively.

Intrasystem switching should be understood as switching to a different frequency range while maintaining the current standard of a cellular communication system, for example, from GSM 850 (USA) or GSM 900 (Europe) to GSM 1800 (Europe) and GSM 1900 (USA), respectively.

Intersystem switching should be understood as switching to a cellular communication system of another standard, which usually involves switching the frequency range, for example, from GSM 900 (Europe) to WCDMA 2100 (Europe) or from GSM 850 (USA) to cdma2000 (USA). Intersystem switching may also be a designated protocol switching.

It should be noted that the requirements for the implementation of both intra-system and intersystem switching operations must be observed. For example, you must take into account the availability of radio frequency resources, the presence of PLMN networks that support the required cellular standard, the restrictions set by the provider, and the rules for use. Details of the requirements can be found in the switching operations specified in the respective cellular standards.

It should also be noted that switching the protocol from GSM to a CDMA-based system at the request of terminal 100 (and cellular subsystem 180, respectively) may require adaptation of the standard to enable such switching. In particular, the GSM system does not establish a request allowing the cellular terminal to request switching of a frequency range in the standby mode or the active mode. The present invention introduces such a switching operation, including the conditions of requests and responses when you turn on the portable terminal 100 with cellular support. Thus, it has been proposed to introduce such protocol switching in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In the event that the switch is successful, the operation proceeds to step S230. It should be noted that the above comments on allowing parallel operation are also applicable here.

In operation S140, the output power of the RFID subsystem 190 is reduced. Reduced power output can cause reduced interference. In operation S150, the interference level is set after the output power of the RFID subsystem is reduced. If the interference level is below a predetermined threshold, then further operation may be allowed in operation S220. It should be noted that the above comments on allowing parallel operation are also applicable here. The set threshold can be determined on the basis of priority considerations (prioritizing the cellular communication subsystem 180 or the radio frequency identification subsystem 190), the quality of the services provided (bandwidth requirements, free interruption), types of communication (for example, data packets, voice communication or data stream transmission ), with which the subsystem 180 of cellular communication is currently working, etc.

Otherwise, in operation S160, it is checked whether the time-synchronized operation of the cellular subsystem or the RFID reader subsystem 190 is possible. In particular, based on the operating profile of the cellular subsystem (for example, GSM, cdma2000 and WCDMA, respectively) and the parameters of the RFID subsystem, it is determined whether the time-synchronized RFID operation is acceptable in coordination with the cellular communication (both in standby mode and in active mode )

The possibility of time synchronization depends on several conditions, which mainly include the operating mode of the cellular subsystem 180 (standby mode / active mode), and, more specifically, with the active mode of operation, does the communication mode allow time synchronization. Professionals should understand that determining whether time synchronization is possible or not requires a closer look at the various cellular standards mentioned above. Details will be shown in the operating sequence described below, described with reference to fig. 4b.

In operation S170, time synchronized operation can be enabled or disabled in accordance with the result of the verification operation S160. When disabled, the operation sequence proceeds to operation S210, where, as an example, the user is informed of the inaccessibility of parallel and time-synchronized operation, respectively. Otherwise, the operation sequence continues with operation S180, where the operation mode of the cellular subsystem is determined, and based on this, the operation sequence proceeds to operation S190 or S200 for performing time-synchronized operation in the standby mode, as well as in the active operation mode of the cellular subsystem . Details of the cyclic operation (S190) in the standby mode and the cyclic operation (S200) in the active mode are described with reference to FIGS. 4c and 4d, respectively.

In operation S230, which follows the cyclic operation (190) in the standby mode and the cyclic operation (S200) in the active mode, a selective repeated check can be made for the possibility of time-synchronized operation. If repetition is desired, the operation sequence returns to step S160. Selective repetition may be useful in view of a change in the operating mode and / or communication mode of the cellular subsystem. More specific details will become apparent from the following description.

Fig. 4b shows in more detail a test for the possibility of working with time synchronization in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, a link will be given to details regarding various cellular standards.

In operation S240, the operation mode of the cellular subsystem is determined. The operation mode may be standby / idle mode or active mode. In operation S245, the operating sequence advances to the next step depending on the specific mode of operation of the cellular subsystem.

In the case where the operation mode is the standby mode, operation with time synchronization is permissible in accordance with operation S295. The verification operation is completed on this.

An excursion will be given below regarding the operation of the cellular subsystem when it is in standby / idle mode. Reference will also be made to the above cellular standards.

GSM, GSM / GPRS, GSM / EDGE:

Using the GSM, GSM / GPRS, GSM / EDGE standards, the cellular system uses time division parallel access (TDMA) (in addition to frequency division parallel access, FDMA) to distribute data and voice communications between different cellular terminals within cells and / or between adjacent cells. Therefore, essentially all communication operations are performed with division into time intervals with strict synchronization, i.e. with precisely defined start and end time of data packet transmission. Thus, time frames with time intervals are set. Optional time slots are assigned to one or more cellular terminals and channels. As a result, each cellular terminal has its own predefined intervals within which transmission and / or reception is possible.

Typically, the cellular subsystem does not transmit data or voice in standby mode, with the exception of communications related to calls and measurements.

In standby mode, a GSM / EDGE-enabled terminal, for example, listens on a common control channel (CCCH) to detect possible calls made by a radio access network (RAN), base station (BS), node B, etc. Listening to the CCCH also confirms the frequency and time synchronization of the cellular subsystem. The CCCH is received and decoded in accordance with a predetermined period of DRX (discontinuous reception), i.e. from one of two to one of nine 51 multi-frames (listening interval of approximately 0.5-2 s). Typically, the listening interval for the CCCH is approximately 2 seconds. In addition, each time you listen to calls, at least seven neighboring cells are monitored. The standby terminal does not transmit anything until the need arises. Such a need may be the beginning of a call corresponding to an outgoing call of a user, a response to a connection establishment request (shown as a call message) corresponding to an incoming call by a mobile station, periodic location changes, etc. In the case when no services are used, in practice, updating the location is the only active task requiring data transmission by the mobile communications subsystem of the portable terminal. Therefore, as a rule, in standby mode, GSM / EDGE-enabled terminals listen to the CCCH for 2-4 time intervals in two seconds and measure the received signal level for a neighboring cell of the public land mobile network (PLMN), i.e. a base station (BS) of a neighboring cell. All other operations occur quite rarely and therefore the resolution of RFID activity in this case mainly determines the reception of CCCH.

Similar considerations apply to standby GSM and GSM / GPRS systems. As a result, periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem are obtained, during which RFID communications in the ultra-high frequency range can be carried out. The periods of activity of the cellular subsystem GSM, GSM / GPRS or GSM / EDGE in standby mode and, therefore, periods of inactivity are clearly defined.

WCDMA and CDMA (cdma2000):

Cdma2000 and WCDMA (Code Division Multiple Access, such as UMTS) CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology is used as a multiple access method. The base of CDMA is formed by spread spectrum modulated signals. Typically, a spread spectrum modulated signal is continuous in nature and therefore the solution to the scheduling problem is different from the cases described above for GSM, GSM / GPRS or GSM / EDGE.

During standby mode, the cdma2000-enabled terminal listens on the Forward Pilot Channel (F-PCH) of its own and neighboring cells to detect messages directed to it and to measure the strength of the pilot signal to determine whether to switch the standby mode. In addition, cdma2000-enabled terminals listen on the Paging Channel (PCH) to detect possible incoming calls. Listening to your own time interval during a 2- ^SCI F-PCH time cycle cycle (SCI is the time interval cycle index) in units of 1.28 s takes about 100 ms (for example, usually SCI = 1 (2 ^SCI = 2) in the USA and SCI = 2 (2 ^SCI -4) in Japan). If the public land mobile network (PLMN) supports the Forward Quick Paging Channel (F-QPCH) indicators, the cdma2000-enabled terminal also listens for the F-QPCH indicator for approximately 20 ms, which is done to listen to the time-division paging, which takes place about once a minute.

The standby mode of IS-2000 Release A is slightly different from that described above. The F-BCCH (Forward Broadcast Control Channel) containing service messages is decoded only when access is required or when a new pilot signal is detected, indicating the possibility of switching the standby mode. The Forward Common Control Channel (F-CCCH) transmitting call messages to the cellular terminals is decoded when a call is detected in the F-QPCH.

When WCDMA is in standby mode, a WCDMA-enabled terminal is attached to the cell, listens for system information, calls and notifications and regularly measures to find the strongest base station (BS) signal, as well as neighboring base stations (BS, nodes B and t .d.). The signal levels of the serving cell are measured in at least every DRX (discontinuous reception) cycle (from 0.64 s to 5.12 s in standby mode). Also, measurements of intra-frequency cells (with a measurement cycle from 1.28 s to 5.12 s in standby mode) and measurements of inter-frequency cells (each frequency for each cycle lasting from (N _carrier -1) * 1.28 s to (N _carrier -1 ) * 5.12 s). Calls include listening to the VSN and RSN transport channels sent on the Primary Common Control Physical Channel and S-CCPCH (Secondary Common Control Physical Channel) channels, respectively. A WCDMA-enabled terminal can also use intermittent reception (DRX) in standby mode, in which case this terminal only needs to watch one call indicator from the Paging Indicator Channel (PICH). This happens once per DRX cycle. Naturally, if the terminal starts a call (a call coming from the terminal), the message is sent on the RACH channel (random access channel).

As a result, periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem are obtained, during which RFID communication can be carried out in the ultra-high frequency range. In addition, the periods of activity of the cellular subsystem CDMA or WCDMA in standby mode and, therefore, periods of inactivity are clearly defined.

Referring again to FIG. 4b, if the operating mode is active, more detailed consideration of the standards of various cellular communication systems is required to enable or disable time-synchronized operation.

In operation S250, a check is made to see if the cellular subsystem works with GSM, GSM / GPRS or GSM / EDGE communications, and if the check is confirmed, it is determined whether the location of the time interval allows time-synchronized operation.

As mentioned above, a cellular communication system with support for GSM, GSM / GPRS, GSM / EDGE uses time division parallel access (TDMA) (in addition to frequency division parallel access, FDMA) to distribute data and voice communications between different cellular terminals within a cell and / or between adjacent cells. Therefore, essentially all communication operations are performed with division into time intervals with strict synchronization, i.e. with precisely defined start and end time of data packet transmission. This means that to enable or disable time-synchronized operation, it is necessary to consider the availability of time intervals during which the system is inactive (i.e., inactive in the sense that one or more time intervals are not intended for receiving and transmitting data).

During a voice call or GPRS data transmission, the cellular subsystem is in active mode during uplink and downlink intervals of a TDMA frame (parallel time-division access), which are intended for uplink and downlink data transmission. For the cellular subsystem in both directions (upstream and downstream), more than one time interval can be assigned. In addition, the cellular subsystem monitors neighboring base stations (BS, node B, etc.), one base station for one TDMA frame (containing eight time slots). In accordance with the idea of the present invention, the RFID reader subsystem combined with the GSM, GSM / GPRS or GSM / EDGE cellular subsystem should prevent carrier wave transmission during active periods of the cellular subsystem, as mentioned above.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5a shows a sample activity diagram of a GSM / EDGE subsystem operating in time synchronization mode with an RFID subsystem. In particular, activity diagrams depict GSM / EDGE active dual-mode (DTM) states to explain the relative position of the activity periods of both subsystems. Fig. 5a shows the location of two time intervals (time intervals RX # 1 and # 2) for downlink (RX) and one time interval (time interval TX # 2) for uplink (TX). In addition, once per TDMA frame (containing time intervals from # 0 to # 7), based on the measurement operation, one of the neighboring base stations (BS, node B, etc.) is monitored. As an example, a measurement operation is placed between time intervals # 4 and # 5, taking into account the structure of the TDMA uplink channel. It should be noted that the location of the time intervals of the upward and downward communication is given as an example; for uplink and / or downlink, other time intervals may be used. According to the uplink and downlink and the measurement operation, two periods of inactivity in each TDMA frame can be identified; those. a first inactivity period (essentially including TX # 0 and # 1 time intervals) located between downstream and upstream operations, and a second inactivity period (essentially including TX # 3 time interval and part of TX # 4 time interval) located between the operation uplink and measurement operation. These periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem can be applied to the operation of the RFID reader subsystem, as shown by way of example in FIG. 5a as an RFID reader operation window (continuous wave).

Based on FIG. 5a, those skilled in the art should understand that, depending on the location of time slots in TDMA systems, one or more periods of inactivity may occur within the time slice structure. These periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem can be used to operate the RFID subsystem without the risk of interference caused by the cellular subsystem and the RFID subsystem.

It should also be noted that the location of time slots for uplink and downlink is requested by the cellular subsystem of the terminal. As a result, in order to obtain periods of inactivity that allow the time-synchronized operation of both subsystems, the position of the time interval corresponding to the requirements may be requested. The request for the corresponding position of the time intervals may be accompanied by a decrease in the data transfer rate on the uplink and / or downlink of the cellular subsystem, but ensures optimal operation with time synchronization.

As a result, depending on the position of the time interval, the operation of both subsystems with time synchronization can be enabled or disabled. If enabled, the operation sequence continues with operation S295, while in the event of a ban, the operation sequence proceeds to operation S290. In operation S290, the time-synchronized operation is rejected.

In operation S260, a check is made to see if the cellular subsystem is working with WCDMA, and if the verification is confirmed in operation S265, it is determined whether the communication mode is suitable for working with time synchronization.

As mentioned above, WCDMA (Code Division Multiple Access, such as UMTS) uses CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology as a multiple access method. The base of CDMA is formed by spread spectrum modulated signals. Typically, a spread spectrum modulated signal is continuous in nature and therefore the solution to the scheduling problem is different from the cases described above for GSM, GSM / GPRS or GSM / EDGE.

To implement the apparent parallel operation of the RFID reader during a voice call or data transfer in the active mode of WCDMA, the cellular subsystem can use the compression mode. Here, reference is made to FIG. 5b, which shows an example of a temporary communication structure in compression mode. Although WCDMA uses CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology as a multiple access method, time division multiplexing is also used to separate different channels on the physical layer. The time multiplexing structure is usually based on a time frame structure in which each time frame contains 15 time slots.

In the compression mode (or the mode of separation into intervals), the base station (BS, node B, etc.) to which the cellular subsystem is connected sets transmission breaks for both downlink and uplink, which is done for the subsystem Cellular communication terminal measurements between cells. Such inter-cell measurements are required for inter-frequency switching of the cellular subsystem of the terminal and are performed at different WCDMA carrier frequencies. To perform measurement data, several time intervals can be assigned. These designated intervals may be in the middle of one frame, or may be allocated to two frames.

To ensure the operation of the RFID reader, one, several or all measurements, the execution of which is assumed by the terminal (and, accordingly, its subsystem), are skipped in order to ensure sufficient inactivity time, which can be used to operate the RFID subsystem. The length of transmission interruptions (TGLs) and their timing are determined by the cellular radio access network (RAN). Compressed frames are simultaneous in time and in upward and downward communication. The length of transmission gaps (TGL) is 3, 4, 7, 10, and 14 time slots, i.e. from 2 to 9.3 ms.

Operation in compression mode can be achieved by various methods, including reducing the expansion coefficient (for example, 2: 1), puncturing bits (for example, as a result of reducing the amount of information transmitted), or changing the scheduling at higher levels (for example, if fewer time intervals are needed for communication).

Referring to FIG. 5b (1), in a compressed frame, the intervals from #N _first to #N _last , which specify the length of the transmission gap, are not used for data transmission. As shown in the example, the instantaneous transmit power in a compressed frame is increased to prevent the effect of decreasing the expansion coefficient on the quality of services (frequency of erroneous bits, frequency of erroneous frames, etc.). The increase in power depends on the methods for reducing transmission time described above. Compressible frames are indicated by the network. Typically, compressed frames in compression mode may occur periodically or be requested on demand. The transmission speed and type of compressed frames varies and depends on environmental conditions and measurement requirements.

5b (2) to (4) show various frame structures for upstream and downstream compressed frames. Referring, in particular, to the structure of the downward compressed frame, two different types of frame structure are established. In Type A (see FIG. 5b (3)), the transmission gap (TGL) is maximized, while Type B is optimized for power control. The structure of frames of type A and B is set by the upper levels, regardless of the format of the downward time interval of type A or B. In the structure of the frame of type A, a control field of the last time interval is transmitted in the transmission gap. During a pause of a break in the transmission, the gear is turned off. In the type B frame structure, in the transmission gap, the TPC field of the first time interval and the control field of the last time interval are transmitted. During the rest of the gear break, the gear is off.

Although during transmission in compression mode, the length of transmission gaps (TGL) and their distribution in time is determined by the cellular radio access network (RAN), specialists should understand that various solutions can be implemented to provide control of communication in compression mode and set its properties (length, synchronization) using the cellular subsystem of the terminal. As a result, in order to obtain periods of inactivity that allow the time-synchronized operation of both subsystems, the terminal may request communication in compression mode. Initially organized measurement operations are skipped. A communication request in compression mode may be accompanied by a decrease in the data transmission rate on the uplink and / or downlink of the cellular subsystem, but ensures optimal operation with time synchronization.

As a result, depending on the communication mode, the operation of both subsystems with time synchronization can be enabled or disabled. If enabled, the operation sequence continues with operation S295, while in the event of a ban, the operation sequence proceeds to operation S290. In operation S290, the time-synchronized operation is rejected.

In operation S270, a check is made to see if the cellular subsystem with the cdma2000 communication is working, and if the verification is confirmed in operation S275, it is determined whether the communication mode is suitable for operating with time synchronization.

As mentioned above, cdma2000 also uses CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology as a multiple access method. The base of CDMA is formed by spread spectrum modulated signals. Typically, a spread spectrum modulated signal is continuous in nature, and therefore the solution to the scheduling problem is different from the cases described above for GSM, GSM / GPRS or GSM / EDGE.

Operation of a terminal with cdma2000 support in active mode is usually continuous. The only exception is discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode. In intermittent transmission mode (DTX), the activity of the terminal’s cellular subsystem in the return line (i.e., in the upstream direction) is only 50% of the nominal. A similar discontinuous transmission mode is also available for direct communication (i.e., downstream). These interruptions in the transmission and reception in the upstream and downstream directions can be used to ensure the operation of the RFID system.

However, it should be noted that discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode is only allowed on the F-DCCH (Forward Dedicated Control Channel in cdma2000) and R-DCCH (Reverse Dedicated Control Channel) channels, but voice data cannot be transmitted on these channels.

Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) mode can be requested by a terminal with cdma2000 support as needed. A communication request in discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode may be accompanied by a decrease in the data rate on the uplink and / or downlink of the cellular subsystem, but ensures optimal operation with time synchronization.

As a result, depending on the availability and applicability of the discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode, the operation of both subsystems with time synchronization can be enabled or disabled. If enabled, the operation sequence continues with operation S295, while in the event of a ban, the operation sequence proceeds to operation S290. In operation S290, the time-synchronized operation is rejected.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the idea of the present invention, described by way of the above TDMA-based cellular subsystems and CDMA-based cellular subsystems, is also applicable to other TDMA and CDMA-based cellular subsystems, respectively. This means that the coordination of the radio frequency identification reader subsystem in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention should not be limited to the cellular subsystems described above.

Typically, in wireless communication systems, periods of inactivity are provided to reduce power consumption of the corresponding wireless subsystem. Energy metering particularly relates to portable terminals (such as terminal 100) that are provided with batteries and / or batteries having limited power consumption. During periods of inactivity, the wireless subsystem can be turned off or at least put into power saving mode.

In view of the above requirements and limitations necessary to ensure the time-synchronized operation of the cellular subsystem and the RFID reader subsystem, reference should be made to FIG. 4c, which schematically depicts the operational sequence of the cyclic procedure in idle / standby mode, corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention . The cyclic idle / standby procedure is part of the overall operating sequence described with reference to FIG.

Typically, when idle / idle, the cellular subsystem of the terminal listens for call messages coming from the PLMN and the base station (BS, node B, etc.) to determine whether it is possible to establish a communication connection. Thus, when the RFID-enabled cellular terminal is turned on or the RFID reader function is turned on, the coordination of work with time synchronization starts in accordance with the next monitoring cycle corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention.

In operation S300, when a cellular subsystem is connected to a radio access network (RAN) or a base station (BS, node B, etc.) or later in idle / standby mode, the cellular subsystem receives one or more messages with system information that contain data about the search call group to which the cellular subsystem is assigned, and, consequently, the distribution of search calls by time.

In operation S310, when the cellular subsystem is connected to the radio access network (RAN) or the base station (BS, node B, etc.) or later in the idle / standby mode, the cellular subsystem also receives time position information regarding potential level measurements signals of neighboring base stations.

In operation S320, when receiving information about the moments of the search calls and the moments of the measurements, this information is supplied to the planning unit. Based on the information about the position in time of the moments of calls and moments of measurements, the planning unit is synchronized with respect to the position of the search calls and measurements in time so that the exact moments of calls and measurements, as well as their length, become known. As a result, the planning unit receives information about the exact time position of the periods of activity and inactivity of the cellular subsystem, and more precisely, the time of the beginning and end of the periods of activity and inactivity of the cellular subsystem.

In operation S330, a further planning unit and / or RFID reader subsystem is further configured. See the description below.

In operation S340, the operation of the RFID reader subsystem can be started. Launching can be caused by receiving input data from a user or terminal or by a triggering signal generated by an application running on the terminal. When a start is indicated, the operation sequence continues with operation S350; otherwise, it proceeds to operation S360.

In operation S350, the scheduling unit synchronizes the operation of the RFID reader so that it is performed during periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem. Inactivity periods are set based on information about the moments of the search calls, as well as information about the moments of the measurements (see operation S320).

In operation S360, a check is made to see if new information is available containing data on scheduling of synchronized operation (i.e., information about paging times or measurement times), for example, from system messages received by a cellular subsystem of a terminal from a radio access network (RAN) . If new information is available, the operation sequence returns to operation S300, otherwise it proceeds to operation S370.

In operation S370, the time-synchronized operation of the RFID reader subsystem can be repeated multiple times. The operating sequence may return to operations S340 or S350, when, for example, the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem is divided into several separate operations of the radio frequency identification subsystem.

It should be noted that the operating mode of the cellular subsystem may change. This means that when the radio access network is displayed (for example, a call message, an incoming call setup message, etc.) or in response to a user request (for example, an outgoing call setup message), the cellular subsystem can switch from idle / standby to active mode of operation. If the operation mode changes to the active mode, the operation sequence may return to operation S160 described in relation to FIG. 4a to check the validity of the time-synchronized operation in the active mode.

In view of the above requirements and limitations necessary to ensure the time-synchronized operation of the cellular subsystem and the RFID reader subsystem, it is also necessary to refer to Fig. 4d, which schematically depicts the operational sequence of the cyclic procedure in active mode, corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention. The cyclic active mode procedure is part of the overall operating sequence described with reference to Fig. 4a.

In the active mode of operation (i.e., during a voice call or data transfer) or in modes requiring the same activity as in the active mode (for example, GSM / GPRS ready state), the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem should be coordinated in this way to prevent its coincidence with the activity of the cellular subsystem. According to an embodiment of the invention, the active mode of operation includes the following operations.

In operations S400 and S410, information is obtained about the standard and the communication mode, as well as about the distribution of activity over time. In particular, when the terminal switches to the active (or similar) mode of operation or later, when it is already in the active mode, the standard and communication mode (GSM, GSM / GPRS, GSM / EDGE, compression mode WCDMA, cdma2000, DTX mode and etc.) and information on the position of activity in time of the cellular subsystem. If the mode recognized from the cellular subsystem is GSM, GSM / GPRS, GSM / EDGE, TGL synchronization in WCDMA compression mode or discontinuous transmission synchronization (DTX) in cdma2000, activity time position information mainly includes activity distribution data over time intervals . Here it is necessary to make a link to the discussion above with reference to fig.4b.

In operation S420, upon receipt of the position information in time, it enters the planning unit. Based on the information about the position in time of the moments of the search calls and the moments of the measurements, the planning unit is synchronized so that periods of inactivity and their length become known. As a result, the planning unit receives information about the exact time position of the periods of activity and inactivity of the cellular subsystem, and more precisely, the time of the beginning and end of the periods of activity and inactivity of the cellular subsystem.

In operation S430, a further planning unit and / or RFID reader subsystem is further configured. See the description below.

In operation S440, the operation of the RFID reader subsystem can be started. Launching can be caused by receiving input data from a user or terminal or by a triggering signal generated by an application running on the terminal. When a start is indicated, the operation sequence continues with operation S450, otherwise it proceeds to operation S460.

In operation S450, the scheduling unit synchronizes the operation of the RFID reader so that it is performed during periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem. Inactivity periods are set based on the time position information (see operation S420).

In operation S460, a check is made to see if new information is available containing data on scheduling of synchronized operation (i.e., information about search call times or measurement times), for example, from system messages received by a cellular subsystem of a terminal from a radio access network (RAN) . If new information is available, the workflow returns to operation S300, otherwise it may go to operation S470.

In operation S470, the time-synchronized operation of the RFID reader subsystem can be repeated multiple times. The operation sequence may return to operation S440 or S450, when, for example, the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem is divided into several separate operations of the radio frequency identification subsystem.

It should be noted that the operating mode of the cellular subsystem may change. This means that when indicating a radio access network or in response to a user request, the cellular subsystem can switch from idle / standby to active mode. If the operation mode changes to the idle / standby mode, the operation sequence may return to operation S160 described with respect to FIG. 4a to check the validity of the time-synchronized idle / standby mode or may go directly to operation S300 described with respect to FIG. 4c.

The above description of the planning algorithm is based on the requirements that must be observed to implement the principle of time synchronization of both subsystems. Next, the optimized operation of the RFID reader subsystem will be described. Optimization is beneficial for the effective operation of the RFID reader subsystem during periods of inactivity during which its operation is permissible. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a configuration and control interface, preferably an application program interface (API), which allows you to configure and control the operation of the RFID reader subsystem. The configuration and control interface of the RFID reader subsystem can be implemented by exchanging data and commands through the data transfer interface of the RFID reader subsystem. It should be noted that the above-mentioned special digital input / output trigger signal connector, which can be used to synchronize the operation of the RFID reader subsystem, can be implemented as a separate signal input for the logic watchdog of the RFID reader subsystem, or, alternatively, the trigger signal can fed to the logical watchdog of the RFID reader subsystem through its data interface. A separate trigger signal connector may be preferred for reasons of guaranteeing synchronization with the trigger signal.

The configurability of the RFID reader subsystem is preferably controlled by a scheduling unit, which also starts the operation of the RFID reader subsystem. Here, reference should be made to operations S330 and S430 of the cyclic procedures in the standby mode and the active mode, respectively.

In general, the scheduling mechanism, described in detail above, to determine the periods of activity and inactivity of the cellular subsystem uses information about the position in time. This information is used in such a way that the synchronization unit prevents the operation of the RFID reader subsystem during the operation of the cellular subsystem, i.e. when the cellular subsystem, for example, receives call messages, measures, sends or receives data packets, or sends random access data packets. Among other things, the planning unit is configured to set the maximum duration of a single radio frequency radiation so that it does not exceed the period of inactivity of the cellular subsystem and to start the operation of the RFID reader subsystem in accordance with the expected start of the inactivity period. To start the synchronized radio-frequency activity of the RFID reader subsystem, the scheduling unit can use a special digital input / output trigger signal connector.

Fig. 6a shows an example of an activity time sequence based on the GSM / EDGE DTM activity diagram of Fig. 5a in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the first period of activity Δ _aI , the second period of activity Δ _aII , the first period of inactivity Δ _nI and the second period of inactivity Δ _{nII are determined} . In accordance with periods of inactivity, the periods of the radio frequency signal of the RFID reader subsystem are indicated as “windows of the radio frequency activity of the RFID reader” (see legend to FIG. 6a) and mean the radio frequency radiation of the antenna of the RFID reader subsystem in accordance with the signal power level, accuracy and reliability requirements.

The optimized setup time of the signal that triggers the radio frequency activity of the RFID reader subsystem, denoted as Δ _I , represents the duration of the transition to the operating mode Δ _I. The transition time to the operating mode Δ _I is the time it takes for the RFID reader subsystem to start transmitting the radio frequency signal by the antenna from the moment the trigger signal is received in accordance with the signal power level, accuracy and reliability requirements of the RFID reader subsystem. Among other things, the transition time to the operating mode Δ _I is due to the establishment of a phase-locked loop (PLL), heating of the microcontroller / logic circuit, time to establish the radio frequency interface and / or other unavoidable processes that occur before switching on the radio frequency activity.

It is also desirable to take into account the additional protective interval Δ _II between the end of the period of activity of the cellular subsystem and the beginning of the emission of the radio frequency signal by the radio frequency identification reader subsystem. When considering the transition time to the operating mode Δ _I and the guard interval Δ _{II, the} signal that starts the RFID subsystem must be set as Δ _I -Δ _II before the end of the period of activity of the cellular subsystem. If the reference point is arbitrarily set at the zero point in time, which corresponds to the end of the activity period and the beginning of the period of inactivity of the cellular subsystem, the triggering signal must be assigned to the time point T _I = Δ _I -Δ _II <0. Radiation of an RF signal by the RFID reader subsystem occurs, respectively, at time T _II = Δ _II <0, which is equal to the interval Δ _II .

The optimized time to return the trigger signal to its original state in order to stop the radio frequency activity of the RFID reader subsystem, denoted as Δ _III , represents the duration of the exit from the operating mode Δ _III . The exit time from the operating mode Δ _III is the time it takes for the RFID reader subsystem to stop transmitting the radio frequency signal generated by the RFID reader subsystem from the moment the trigger signal returns to its original state. Radiofrequency radiation will be stopped before the start of activity of the cellular subsystem and, therefore, before time 0 'and the end of the period Δ _III . In contrast to the transition time to the operating mode Δ _I, in this case, it is not necessary to guarantee sufficient time for the establishment of a phase-locked loop (PLL), radio frequency interface, etc. when the radio frequency activity ceases during the time Δ _III , since the signal level, accuracy and reliability of the radio frequency signal are not important here until the output stage is turned off and radio frequency radiation from the antenna of the RFID subsystem does not occur.

When considering the time to exit the operating mode Δ _{III, the} return of the triggering signal to the initial state that terminates the operation of the RFID subsystem should be set as Δ _III before the end of the period of inactivity of the cellular subsystem. If the reference point is arbitrarily set at the zero point in time, which corresponds to the end of the period of inactivity and the beginning of the period of activity of the cellular subsystem, the triggering signal should be assigned to the point in time T _III = -Δ _III <0 '. Thus, the radiation of the radio frequency signal stops in the period of time ending before the reference point at time 0 ', as a result of which the interference of the cellular subsystem is prevented.

Professionals should understand that the period of operation of the RFID reader subsystem can be optimized by setting the guard interval Δ _II and taking into account the transition time to the operating mode Δ _I and the exit time from the operating mode Δ _III . The transition time to the operating mode Δ _I and the exit time from the operating mode Δ _III are usually specific to the used subsystem of the RFID reader.

Other parameters of the RFID reader subsystem can also configure and / or optimize the operation of the RFID reader subsystem. Optimization and tuning of the operation of the RFID reader subsystem is beneficial for the efficient use of periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem and tuning of the RFID reader subsystem for special durations and periods of inactivity. Settings and / or optimization may include changing some parameters of the RFID reader subsystem.

Static Information

The planning block before and after the radio frequency activity of the RFID reader subsystem must be informed at least about the standby cycle of the RFID reader subsystem and the necessary time for entering and leaving the operating mode. Also, information about the minimum, normal and maximum values, as well as the units of measurement of the parameters listed below should be available for the planning block. Usually this information is provided by the manufacturer of the radio frequency identification reader subsystem in the list of technical specifications. Preferably, the information should be stored in a planning unit or terminal so that, if necessary, the planning unit gets access to it.

Standards related semi-static information

Among other things, the planning unit can receive and change (optionally) the values of the following parameters, which relate to the duration of radio frequency activity. See EPCglobal Standard, Generation 2. The following parameters may be important; they are described with reference to fig.6b-6d.

On fig.6b shows the envelopes of the on and off for the exciting RF signal. Here you need to make a link to the above description of the time of entry and exit from the operating mode. The rise time T _r and the fall time T _f shown in FIG. 6b enter during the entry into the operating mode Δ _I and the exit time from the operating mode Δ _III . However, it should be noted that FIG. 6b shows only the envelope of the radio frequency signal detected by the radio frequency interface of the RFID reader subsystem. The rise time T _r and the fall time T _f must be in the range from 1 μs to 500 μs (since after entering the operating mode, it takes T _s to reach the excitation signal at a constant level (100% power level)). The settling time T _s should be in the range of 1 μs to 1500 μs. Upon entering the operating mode, after reaching 10% of the power level, the envelope should increase monotonously until reaching the ripple limit M _I (95% of the power level). Upon exiting the operating mode, the envelope should decrease monotonically when it falls between 90% of the power level and at least the power limit M _s (1% of the power level). Power levels M _I (negative spike, max. 95%) and M _h (excess, max. 105%) define the boundaries of the power level for the RF envelope.

It should be noted that in some regions, an attempt to detect a carrier is carried out before starting the RFID communication. For example, taking into account the requirements of ETSI (European Telecommunication Standardization Institute), which are particularly taken into account in Europe, the use of RFID, for example, in the frequency range from 865 MHz to 868 MHz, involves the so-called operation “listening before dialogue” (LBT). The Pre-Dialog Listening (LBT) operation is designed to determine if a particular subband frequency for RFID is busy or free. This definition prevents communication conflicts in one radio frequency subband. For example, in accordance with the technical requirements of ETSI, immediately before each communication session of the RFID reader subsystem, it must be switched to the so-called listening mode, in which one or more predefined frequency subbands are observed. Observation occurs during special listening periods, which also play the role of T _LSB carrier detection periods. The carrier detection periods T _LSB (for example, in accordance with the requirements of ETSI) should include a constant time interval, for example 5 ms, and a variable time interval in the range from 0 ms to r ms, in particular from 0 ms to 5 ms. If the observed subrange is free (not busy), the variable time interval is set to 0 ms. In addition, ETSI specifications define clear acceptable minimum threshold levels that establish sensitivity characteristics. These allowable minimum levels depend on the level of transmit power intended for use in RFID communications. It should be noted that when setting up and / or optimizing the operation of the RFID reader subsystem, it is also necessary to take into account the variable carrier detection period T _LSB (equal to a variable time period in the range from 5 ms to 10 ms).

On figs shows the encoding of data at the physical level. In particular, the envelope of the radio frequency signal for the symbols “0” and “1” used to encode data is shown. T _ari is the reference time interval for the interrogator-label signaling (ie, the signaling of the RFID subsystem towards the transponder). It represents the duration of the character "0", meaning, for example, the number 0 in binary code. The parameter x (ranging from 0.5 to 1.0) sets the duration of the symbol “1” based on the reference time interval T _ari , i.e. the parameter x sets the relative reference time interval for the interrogator-label signaling and indicates the duration of the character “1” based on the duration of the character “0”, where the character “1” is, for example, the number 1 in binary code. High values mean a transmitted continuous wave, which was previously described as a radio frequency signal request or excitation. Low values mean attenuated continuous wave. The modulation depth, rise time, fall time and pulse width are set. The correct values of the above parameters depend on the type of modulation used to communicate with the transponder, including amplitude-shift keying with two side frequency bands (DBS-ASK), amplitude-shift keying with one side frequency band (SSB-ASK), amplitude shift keying (PR- ASK) to be supported by the defendants. According to the type of modulation, the reference time interval T _ari can be 6.25 μs (for DSB-ASK), 12.5 μs for SSB-ASK) and 25 μs (for PR-ASK). In addition, the minimum modulation depth should be 80%, normal - 90%, and maximum - 100%. The rise time of the radio frequency envelope (10% → 90%) and (90% → 10%) should be in the range from 0 to 0.33 * T _ari . The width of the radio frequency pulse should be in the range from MAX (0.265 * T _ari , 2) to 0.525 * T _ari .

The width of the RF pulse, the rise time of the RF envelope, the decay time of the RF envelope are specific to the RFID reader subsystem. These parameters are not changed and are read only. The carrier frequency can be selected in the frequency range from 860 MHz to 960 MHz. However, local regulations must be taken into account, and the carrier frequency is further determined based on local radio frequency conditions.

Fig. 6d shows an example of the time distribution of communication from the reader to the responder (R → T) and from the responder to the reader (T → R). Communication from the reader to the transponder (R → T) is based on a continuous wave, which corresponds to the above RF signal request / excitation. A continuous wave is continuously emitted by the RFID reader subsystem in order to guarantee activation of the RFID transponder. To gain access to the information recorded in the RFID transponder, a set of commands is provided that can be modulated into a continuous wave.

In more detail, the RFID reader subsystem has the ability to send information to one or more RFID transponders by modulating the radio frequency envelope (continuous wave, RF interrogation or excitation signal) by the method of amplitude manipulation with two side frequency bands (DBS-ASK), amplitude manipulation with one side frequency band (SSB-ASK), amplitude reversal phase shift keying (PR-ASK) and using the pulse interval coding (PIE) format. RFID transponders are designed to receive the energy they need to operate from the same modulated carrier radio frequency.

In addition, the RFID reader subsystem is designed to receive information from the RFID transponder by transmitting an unmodulated radio frequency carrier (continuous wave, RF interrogation or excitation signal) and listening to the reflected backward response. RFID transponders communicate information by modulating the amplitude or phase of the reflected carrier frequency. The encoding format selected in response to the commands of the RFID reader subsystem is, for example, frequency modulation (FMO) or Miller modulation of the subcarrier frequency. The communication line between the RFID reader subsystem and the RFID transponder is half duplex, which means that the RFID transponder is not required to demodulate the RFID reader subsystem commands during backscatter. An RFID transponder should not provide a full duplex response.

For example, the selection, query, and confirmation commands are shown. Before issuing a command to the RFID transponder, the RFID reader must at least emit a continuous wave eight times longer than the duration of the RT _cal symbol of the interrogator-tag calibration, where RT _cal is equal to the length of the data symbols “0” and “1” (ie RT _cal is in the time range from 2.5 * T _ari to 3.0 * T _ari ).

When an RFID responder receives a selection command, it receives instructions to respond to a subsequent command. The first query command instructs the RFID transponder to respond with a 16-bit random or pseudo-random number (RN16). When an acknowledgment command is received from the RFID reader informing the RFID transponder that the 16-bit random or pseudo random number (RN) is correct, the transponder, for example, transmits an electronic product code (EPC), protocol control (PC) values and cyclic redundancy check (CRC). An RFID reader can perform checks based on cyclic redundancy check for both successful and unsuccessful responses. Thus, the RFID reader can then transmit a further command or a “non-acknowledgment” command. The last command is sent to inform the RFID responder that the payload of the previous response was received with an error.

As shown in FIG. 6d, it is necessary to take into account several waiting periods, for example, waiting periods between the transmission of successive RFID reader commands (T ₄ ), between the end of the RFID reader command and the beginning of the RFID responder response (T ₁ ) and, conversely, between the end of the RFID responder response and the start of the next RFID reader command (T ₂ ).

Commands and sequences of commands are intended to receive information from RFID transponders and / or to change the information recorded in them.

Fig. 6e shows the principles of the RFID instruction sequence and the state of the radio frequency identification transponder. EPCglobal's RFID communication is designed to communicate with the defendant family; this, in particular, includes communication with an individual respondent.

The RFID reader subsystem can manage the RFID transponder family based on three basic processes, which in turn include one or more specific commands. Without further details, a brief description of the basic processes is provided.

To select a family of RFID responders with whom communication is planned, in particular communication for inventory and access control, a selection process is provided. The selection command can be sequentially used to select a single family of RFID responders according to user criteria. This operation can be considered as an analogy of selecting one or more records from the database.

To identify RFID transponders, i.e. An “inventory” process is provided to identify RFID transponders in a family selected using a select command. The RFID reader subsystem can begin an inventory cycle, i.e. one or more inventory commands and responder response cycles by transmitting a request command to one of four sessions. One or more RFID responders can respond. The RFID reader subsystem can detect the response of individual RFID transponders and request PC, EPC and CRC from the detected RFID transponder. The inventory process may include multiple inventory teams. The inventory cycle takes place in one session at a time.

The access process is designed to communicate with the RFID transponder, where the communication mainly involves reading and / or writing information to the RFID transponder. Before implementing the access process, each RFID transponder must receive a unique tag. The access process may include multiple access commands, some of which use reader-responder coding based on a one-time cryptographic key.

In more detail, the selection process uses a single selection command, which the RFID reader subsystem can then use to select a single family of RFID transponders according to user-defined criteria, providing the ability to separate transponders based on union, intersection, and negation functions. RFID reader subsystems can perform union and intersection operations by issuing sequential selection commands.

The set of commands for the inventory process includes the Query (query), QueryAdjust (query tuning), QueryRep (response to the query), ASK (confirmation), and NAK (non-confirmation) commands. The Query team starts the inventory cycle and decides which RFID responders are participating in the inventory cycle, where the “inventory cycle” is defined as the period between successful Query teams. The Query command includes the Q time interval calculation parameter, which is used for arbitrary rollback in the conflict prevention scheme. The time interval calculation parameter Q is configured and configured by the RFID reader subsystem. Upon receipt of the Query command, each of the participating RFID transponders must select an arbitrary value from 0 to 2 ^Q - 1 and record this value in its own time interval counter. RFID responders who select zero should go into the response state and respond immediately. RFID responders who select a nonzero value must go into arbitration and wait for the QueryAdjust or QueryRep command. If one RFID responder responded, then when it responds, the request / response algorithm provides the RFID responder with a 16-bit random or pseudo-random number (RN16) for backscatter. The RFID reader subsystem provides confirmation to the RFID transponder using an acknowledgment command (ACK) including the same RN16. Then the acknowledged RFID transponder goes into the acknowledged state and transmits it backscatter to its PC, EPC and CRC. The RFID reader subsystem can then use the QueryAdjust or QueryRep commands, which cause the identified RFID transponder to go into ready state and actually force another RFID responder to start a request-response dialog with the RFID reader subsystem, again starting the above query sequence. If the RFID transponder cannot accept the ACK command or receives it with an erroneous RN16, then it shall return to the arbitration state.

RFID transponders in an arbitration or response state that accept a QueryAdjust command first set Q (incrementing, decrementing or leaving it unchanged), then select an arbitrary value in the range from 0 to 2 ^Q - 1 and write it to their time interval counters. RFID responders who select zero should go into the response state and respond immediately. RFID responders who choose a nonzero value must go into an arbitration state and wait for the QueryAdjust or QueryRep command. RFID responders in the arbitration state decrement their time counter every time they receive a QueryRep command and when they reach zero, they go into the response state and transmit RN16 backscatter .

To summarize, during the RFID activity cycle of the RFID reader subsystem, the RFID transponders are first selected in accordance with the selection process, after which the RFID reader subsystem can continue the inventory process and finally the access process.

Professionals should understand that in a preferred embodiment, the planning unit should be able to obtain one or more values of the above parameters and, if necessary, change one or more of these values. The planning unit receives and / or changes the parameter values using the configuration and setting interface described above.

The scheduling unit can at least receive and change the values of those parameters that are important for synchronizing the radio frequency activity of the RFID reader subsystem and the cellular subsystem. The activity of the cellular subsystem is given priority over the activity of the RFID reader subsystem, since its activity is usually controlled by the radio access network (RAN), and the terminal's exposure to it is very limited.

Accordingly, the available time periods allowing RFID communication, and their frequency are recognized from the periods of activity and inactivity of the cellular subsystem. This means that the maximum duration of individual continuous waves and the waiting time between two consecutive continuous waves is known (see FIG. 6d). At these maximum time intervals, RFID communication between the reader subsystem and the transponder (s) can take place, see FIGS. 6d and 6e. The duration required for the intended RFID communication procedure includes one or more commands and responses that can be determined or evaluated based on a sequence of commands and responses, as well as the timing requirements described above. The duration required for the intended RFID communication procedure can be optimized to match the maximum duration of a single continuous wave by adjusting one or more position parameters in time, including the reference time interval T _{ari, the} relative value of the reference time interval x, the width of the radio frequency pulse, the carrier frequency, and parameter for calculating time intervals Q. Parameters must be configured in at least one or more of the valid ranges. When you install a digital (input / output) trigger signal, which is essentially a logical parameter, the selection process starts.

In addition, the power level of the RFID reader subsystem can be adjusted by the corresponding power setting command supplied by the scheduling unit to the RFID reader subsystem. Also, the number of RFID transponders to be read can be specified or limited.

It should be noted that the periods of inactivity of the cellular subsystem can be quite short in relation to the duration required for RFID communication, as described above as an example based on the EPCglobal standard. The transfer rate from the reader to the transponder is in the range from 26.7 kbit / s to 128 kbit / s depending on the modulation scheme used, while the transmission rate from the transponder to the reader is from 40 kbit / s to 640 kbit / s (and from 5 kbps to 320 kbps with modulation of the subcarrier frequency). However, the effective transmission rate is limited by several limitations regarding the position in time, as described above with reference to FIG. 6d. The inactive period available for RFID communications should be used as efficiently as possible.

The relationship and operation of RFID are described above based on the application of this technology for product labeling and identification. You must understand that the present invention is not limited to any particular application and can be used in various cases where RFID technology is applicable. In essence, RFID technology can be considered as a wireless data storage technology, where responders are a storage of immutable data and / or storage with random access to data, which can be accessed using reading subsystems. In principle, the connection between the transponders and the reading subsystem functions by analogy with the examples of the invention. For example, RFID technology was chosen to store biometric identification information in advanced digital passports. Such a passport contains an RFID transponder that records biometric information about its owner, such as a digital photograph of his face, a digital image of one or more fingerprints and / or a digital image of the iris. The RFID reader subsystems available at passport control points at the state borders provide access to biometric information to establish the identity of the passport holder. In particular, RFID transponders in passports use an access control mechanism to prevent unauthorized access to recorded information.

In addition, RFID transponders can also be equipped with a logic sensor circuit, in particular, state sensors or environmental sensors, such as temperature sensors, humidity sensors, pressure sensors, gas sensors (detecting one or more specific types of gases), etc. . Calibration of these sensors and / or reading of data from them can be performed via the interface (s) described in detail above. However, it must be borne in mind that access to the sensor for the purpose of calibration, implemented in the RFID transponder, requires some time, which will be denoted as the read time of the sensor T _read . This also applies to reading data generated by such a sensor. Access to data generated by the sensor or received from the sensor requires a period of time, which will be denoted as the recording time of the sensor T _write . It should be noted that one or more recording periods of the T _write sensors and one or more reading periods of the T _read sensors should also be taken into account when setting up and / or optimizing the operation of the RFID reader subsystem. Optimization can be accomplished by limiting the number of accesses for reading and / or writing sensors, preferably to one or more specific sensors, in a single communication session with an RFID transponder during a single period of inactivity. Unlike the above parameters, which relate to communication characteristics (parameters related to communication), the parameters associated with the sensors can usually be considered parameters related to the application.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the RFID reader subsystem can be adapted to emit a radio frequency request signal (radio frequency excitation signal, continuous wave) and, if necessary, for “listening before dialogue” measurements. As an example, an RF request signal (continuously) is emitted to activate one or more RFID transponders in the coverage area of the radiating subsystem of the RFID reader. Data exchange with one or more RFID transponders (including receiving data from RFID transponders and transmitting data and / or commands to RFID transponders) can be carried out in different frequency ranges, as well as, possibly, using different protocols and / or based on various wireless transmission technologies data. However, supplying power via the RF request signal is advantageous in terms of implementing a passive power module supporting wireless data transmission.

Professionals should understand that the idea of the present invention, described by the example of a cellular subsystem, is also applicable to other radio frequency communication subsystems, in particular to subsystems with a wireless network interface. This means that coordination of the activity of the RFID reader subsystem in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention should not be limited to the cellular subsystems described above, but the general solution is also applicable to the future 3.5 and 4 generation mobile communication standards, WLAN (wireless local area networks), WiMAX, UWB (ultra wideband), Bluetooth and any other wireless technology. Although interference has the greatest impact on the operation of wireless communication systems at frequencies close to 900 MHz in the ultra-high frequency range in which the RFID subsystem operates, the broadband noise produced by the RFID reader subsystem can also cause difficulties in the operation of wireless communication subsystems at other frequencies.

In addition, planning according to an embodiment of the present invention will be very useful in radio frequency identification subsystems operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band that strongly interfere with wireless subsystems operating in the same frequency band, for example, IEEE 802.1 Ib / g WLAN and Bluetooth.

Based on the idea of the invention set forth in the above description, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the substantially parallel operation of the RFID reader subsystem and the wireless / cellular subsystem is implemented. The advantages of essentially parallel operation of both subsystems can be used by the subscriber when additional data transmission is necessary, for example, to search for additional information depending on the data received from the RFID transponder in a database storing such additional information. If the RFID transponder complies with the EPCglobal standard and essentially provides a worldwide unique product code (EPC) serving as the identification code of the labeled product, additional information may include, for example, supply chain data such as origin, manufacturer, wholesaler, production date, expiration date etc. Another use case may include transferring information read from an RFID transponder to a database for supply chain management.

In contrast to the traditional method of receiving information initially from the RFID transponder, the received information can be buffered and further connected to the database via the cellular / wireless interface. This provides access through a wide area network (WAN), for example, to a database on the Internet. The idea of the invention allows to skip buffering and speed up access to the database due to the essentially parallel operation of both subsystems. The benefit of the invention is particularly noticeable when used when a large number of RFID transponders are read, and the read information can be written to the database or when information from the database is retrieved based on information read from the responder.

In addition, the invention relates to the operation of the RFID reader subsystem. Since both subsystems operate in time synchronization mode, and the cellular / wireless subsystem is usually a priority due to network requirements and restrictions, RFID communication must be configured so that it falls into periods of inactivity of the cellular / wireless subsystem. This matching requirement can be achieved by tuning one or more parameters received from the RFID reader system and configured to match the RFID communication time with one or more available periods of inactivity.

For specialists it should be obvious that with the development of technology, the idea of the present invention can be implemented in a wide range of different applications. Thus, the invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above, but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims (44)

1. A method for scheduling communication through a wireless subsystem and a radio frequency identification subsystem, including:
determining one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem;
determining one or more periods of inactivity based on said one or more periods of activity;
synchronizing the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem with one or more of the indicated periods of inactivity and
starting up the radio frequency identification subsystem in accordance with one or more periods of inactivity to ensure substantially parallel operation of the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem. 2. The method according to claim 1, including:
determining the operating mode of the wireless subsystem, where the operating mode includes at least a standby mode and an active mode; and
determination of one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem, depending on the operating mode. 3. The method according to claim 2, in which the wireless subsystem is in standby mode, and the specified method includes:
obtaining from the wireless communication subsystem information about the time position related to paging operations and information about the time position related to signal measurements;
and determining periods of activity, including the length of the periods, based on the obtained position information in time. 4. The method according to claim 2, in which the wireless subsystem is in active mode, and the specified method includes:
in the case of a wireless subsystem based on time division multiple access technology:
obtaining information about the position in time related to the position of the time intervals in accordance with the time intervals that are currently assigned for uplink and downlink communications and measurement operations;
and in the case of a wireless subsystem based on multiple access technology with code division multiplexing:
obtaining information about the position in time related to periods of activity, in accordance with the intermittent mode of operation. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said wireless subsystem is a wireless communication subsystem based on time division multiple access technology, and said method includes:
if applicable and / or necessary: request information about time intervals for uplink and / or downlink, which includes one or more unallocated time intervals in the frame structure. 6. The method according to claim 4, in which the specified wireless subsystem is a wireless subsystem based on technology of broadband multiple access, code-division multiplexing, and the specified method includes:
if applicable and / or necessary: request communication mode with frame compression; and
obtaining information about the position in time related to interruptions in transmission and their duration in accordance with the communication mode with frame compression. 7. The method according to claim 4, wherein said wireless subsystem is a wireless communication subsystem based on cdma2000 technology, and said method includes:
if applicable and / or necessary: intermittent transmission mode request; and
obtaining information about the position in time related to discontinuous transmission in the reverse and forward communication lines. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, including:
starting up the radio frequency identification subsystem in accordance with the time the radio frequency identification subsystem enters the operating mode (Δ _I ) and / or the time the radio frequency identification subsystem leaves the operating mode (Δ _III ). 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, including:
obtaining one or more parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem related to communication and / or application; and
determination of the communication period necessary for the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem in accordance with the obtained parameters related to communication and / or parameters related to the application; and
setting up one or more parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem related to communication and / or the application to adapt the communication period necessary for the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem to one or more of the indicated periods of inactivity. 10. The method according to claim 9, in which the parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem related to communication, include one or more of the following parameters:
carrier detection period (T _LSB );
type of modulation, including amplitude keying with two side frequency bands, amplitude keying with one side frequency band and amplitude keying with phase reversal;
the reference time interval T _ari , data symbol "0";
relative reference time interval (x) of the data symbol "1";
Radio Frequency Pulse Width (PW);
carrier frequency;
parameter for calculating time intervals (Q);
rise time of the radio frequency envelope (T _r );
radio frequency envelope decay time (T _f );
settling time (T _s );
time (T ₁ ) from transmitting a radio frequency identification command to a response of a radio frequency identification transponder;
time (T ₂ ) from the response of the transponder of the radio frequency identification to the transmission of the radio frequency identification command;
a time (T ₃ ) representing a waiting time in the absence of a response of a radio frequency identification transponder; and
minimum time (T ₄ ) between successful transmissions of radio frequency identification commands. 11. The method according to claim 9, in which the application parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem include one or more of the following parameters:
maximum number of calls to the sensor;
sensor read time (T _read ) and
sensor recording time (T _write ). 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, including:
determining the frequency range currently used by the wireless subsystem; and
if the frequency range of the wireless subsystem is so close to the frequency range used by the radio frequency identification subsystem that interference is likely to occur:
a request to switch the frequency range of the wireless subsystem to a range in which interference is not expected; and providing parallel operation of the wireless subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem. 13. The method according to claim 11, in which the switching of the frequency range allows for the operation of the wireless subsystem in a different frequency range using the same protocol. 14. The method according to claim 11, in which switching the frequency range includes a protocol change. 15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, including:
reducing the power level of the radio frequency signal of the radio frequency identification subsystem and
determination of the level of interference;
and in case the interference level is below the threshold level, ensuring the parallel operation of the wireless subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem. 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the radio frequency identification subsystem operates in the ultra-high frequency range, in particular in the frequency range from 860 to 960 MHz. 17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the wireless subsystem operates with at least one system from the group including a cellular wireless subsystem based on time division multiple access and a cellular subsystem based on multiple access code division multiplexing. 18. The method according to clause 16, in which the wireless subsystem works with at least one system from the group including the cellular subsystem GSM, the cellular subsystem GSM / EDGE, the cellular subsystem based on broadband code division multiple access and the cdma2000 cellular subsystem. 19. A machine-readable medium on which a program code is recorded for performing operations according to any one of claims 1 to 13, when said program code is executed in a processor device, terminal device, network device, portable terminal, consumer electronic device or terminal with wireless support. 20. The planning module for providing the planned communication through the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem, where the specified planning module works with the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem;
moreover, the planning module is configured to determine one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem and determine one or more periods of inactivity based on the specified one or more periods of activity;
wherein the planning module is synchronized with one or more periods of inactivity; and
the scheduling module generates a triggering signal to start the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem in accordance with the indicated one or more periods of inactivity to implement essentially parallel operation of the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem. 21. The module according to claim 20, in which the planning module is configured to determine the operating mode of the wireless subsystem, which operates at least in standby mode and in active mode, and the planning module is configured to determine one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem communication depending on the operating mode. 22. The module according to item 21, where the wireless subsystem is in standby mode;
however, the planning module is configured to receive from the wireless communication subsystem information about the position in time related to the operations of the paging call, and information about the position in time related to the signal measurements,
and the scheduling module is configured to determine periods of activity, including the duration of the periods, based on the received position information in time. 23. The module according to item 21, where the wireless subsystem is in active mode,
in this case, in the case of using a wireless communication subsystem based on time division multiple access, the scheduling module is configured to obtain time position information related to the position of time intervals in accordance with the time intervals that are currently assigned for uplink and downlink communications and measuring operations,
and in the case of using a wireless communication subsystem based on code division multiple access, the scheduling module is configured to obtain information on the position in time of activity periods in accordance with the intermittent communication mode. 24. The module according to any one of paragraphs.20-23, where the trigger signal is generated in accordance with the time the radio frequency identification subsystem enters the operating mode (Δ _I ) and / or the time the radio frequency identification subsystem leaves the operating mode (Δ _III ). 25. The module according to any one of paragraphs.20-23, which is configured to obtain one or more parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem related to communication and / or the application, and determine the communication period necessary for the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem, in accordance with parameters related to communication and / or application;
however, the planning module is configured to configure one or more parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem related to communication and / or the application, to adapt the communication period necessary for the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem to one or more of the indicated periods of inactivity. 26. The module of claim 25, wherein the parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem related to communication include one or more of the following parameters:
carrier detection period (T _LBS );
type of modulation, including amplitude keying with two side frequency bands, amplitude keying with one side frequency band and amplitude keying with phase reversal;
the reference time interval T _ari data symbol "0";
relative reference time interval (x) of the data symbol "I";
radio frequency pulse width (PW);
carrier frequency;
parameter for calculating time intervals (Q);
rise time of the radio frequency envelope (T _r );
radio frequency envelope decay time (T _f );
settling time (T _s );
time (T ₁ ) from transmitting a radio frequency identification command to a response of a radio frequency identification transponder;
time (T ₂ ) from the response of the transponder of the radio frequency identification to the transmission of the radio frequency identification command;
a time (T ₃ ) representing a waiting time in the absence of a response of a radio frequency identification transponder; and
minimum time (T ₄ ) between successful transmissions of radio frequency identification commands. 27. The module according A.25, in which the parameters of the radio frequency identification subsystem related to the application include one or more of the following parameters:
maximum number of calls to the sensor;
sensor read time (T _read ) and
sensor recording time (T _write ). 28. The module according to any one of paragraphs.20-23, which is configured to determine the frequency range currently used by the wireless communication subsystem, while if the frequency range of the wireless communication subsystem is so close to the frequency range used by the radio frequency identification subsystem, that interference is likely, the scheduling module is configured to request switching the frequency range of the wireless subsystem to a frequency range in which interference is not expected, while switching the frequency range allows for parallel operation of the wireless subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem. 29. The module according to any one of claims 20-23, which is configured to lower the power level of the radio frequency signal of the radio frequency identification subsystem and determine the level of interference, so that if the noise level is below the threshold level, the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem can work in parallel. 30. A terminal communication device with support for planned communication through a wireless communication subsystem and a radio frequency identification subsystem of a terminal device, wherein the terminal device includes a scheduling module working with a wireless communication subsystem and a radio frequency identification subsystem,
moreover, the planning module is configured to determine one or more periods of activity of the wireless subsystem and determine one or more periods of inactivity based on the specified one or more periods of activity;
the planning module synchronizes with one or more periods of inactivity; and
the planning module generates a triggering signal to start the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem in accordance with one or more of the indicated periods of inactivity to implement essentially parallel operation of the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem. 31. The device according to item 30, in which the planning module is a planning module in accordance with paragraphs.20-29. 32. The device according to item 30 or 31, in which the wireless subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem operate with a common antenna, the radio frequency characteristics of which are adapted to the operating frequencies of these subsystems. 33. The device according to item 30 or 31, in which the triggering signal is generated upon signaling from an application running on the device and / or upon receipt of an input signal that occurs upon user input. 34. The device according to item 30 or 31, which is a cellular terminal device with cellular support in several frequency bands and / or several cellular systems. 35. The device according to clause 34, in which the wireless subsystem works with at least one system from the group including a cellular wireless subsystem based on time division multiple access and a cellular subsystem based on code division multiple access . 36. The device according to clause 35, in which the wireless subsystem works with at least one system from the group including the cellular subsystem GSM, the cellular subsystem GSM / EDGE, the cellular subsystem based on broadband code division multiple access , the UMTS cellular subsystem and the cdma2000 cellular subsystem. 37. The device according to item 30 or 31, in which the subsystem of the wireless communication is a subsystem of the wireless communication interface, where the subsystem of the wireless communication interface works with at least one system from the group including IEEE 802.xx wireless network communication technology, wireless technology Bluetooth connectivity and ultra-wideband wireless network technology. 38. A communication system that provides planned communication through a cellular communication subsystem and a radio frequency identification subsystem, wherein said system includes a planning module working with a cellular communication subsystem and a radio frequency identification subsystem; and the planning module is configured to determine one or more periods of activity of the cellular subsystem and determine one or more periods of inactivity based on the specified one or more periods of activity;
wherein the planning module is synchronized with one or more periods of inactivity; and
the planning module generates a triggering signal to start the operation of the radio frequency identification subsystem in accordance with one or more of the indicated periods of inactivity to implement essentially parallel operation of the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem. 39. The system of claim 38, wherein the planning module is a planning module in accordance with paragraphs 20-29. 40. The system of claim 38 or 39, wherein the terminal device is a terminal device in accordance with paragraphs 30-37. 41. The system of claim 38 or 39, wherein the wireless communication subsystem and the radio frequency identification subsystem work with a common antenna, the radio frequency characteristics of which are adapted to the operating frequencies of the subsystems. 42. The system of claim 38 or 39, wherein the radio frequency identification subsystem operates in at least the ultra-high frequency range (UHF), in particular in the frequency range from 860 to 960 MHz. 43. The system of claim 42, wherein the radio frequency identification subsystem operates in accordance with the EPC Global standard. 44. The system of claim 38 or 39, wherein the radio frequency identification subsystem operates in the ISM frequency band, in particular in the 2.4 GHz ISM band.

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