Abstract: A sensor-front-end processor (SFEP) predrives external sensors during a predominant part of time. In a low-consumption state it waits to receive a command (sc; st) to acquire and condition sensor signals. After receiving the command it drives the sensors, sets its own measuring range, acquires a coarse code (ccc, vcc) of a current and voltage sensor signal, conditions said signal and acquires a signal fine code (ccf, vcf). The command (sc) is generated in adjustable time intervals. The sensor-front-end processor acquires and conditions the signals from the sensors consecutively one after another. The command (st) is generated whenever a request (irq) to interrupt predriving one of the sensors was generated, i.e. whenever a level of the sensor signal or its relative change with respect to the previous measurement drops out from an interval for this sensor. The detected codes are stored in the memory.

Abstract: A controlled switching circuit (csc) comprises two controlled switches (cs1, cs2) fabricated with PINTOS transistors and connected between its output terminal as well as a battery (b) or a rectifier rectifying voltage induced in an antenna. Conditions of the battery voltage and the rectified voltage with a time delay are checked. Only when the battery voltage gets unacceptable and the value of rectified voltage exceeded a preset value tag circuits are supplied by the rectified voltage induced in an antenna. The invention provides for an automatic selection of a way of supplying an RFID tag in a way that it is stably supplied by a battery as far as still possible, but just according to the invention this is rendered possible for a longer time due to a very low voltage drop across a controlled switching circuit, and that a supply by a radio-frequency radiation field is selected only when the battery gets depleted.

Abstract: A memory access arbiter (MAA) in an RFID tag is connected to an unique address space (UAS), which comprises a non-volatile memory (NVM), a transferred data memory (TDM) and a status-information memory (SIM) storing information on the status of the transferred data memory (TDM). The transferred data memory (TDM) and the status-information memory (SIM) are volatile memories, e.g. of the RAM type having a memory capacity of 16 bits or 32 bits according to the standard of an applied RFID communication. The RFID tag of the invention provides for a faster communication between an interrogator and an external logic element by one order of magnitude, which is due to fast volatile memories for transferred data as well as for corresponding status information. A still higher communication rate is achieved by introducing a command that has not yet been standardized.

Abstract: Prior to logging of a process flags for locking at all addresses of a logging area of a tag are set to state 1 by means of an interrogator. A high limit (h) and a low limit (l) of an interval (l-h) of such values (v) of a physical parameter are determined, which are proper for preserving usability of a tagged article. Said values (v) acquired with a sensor and acquisition times related thereto are converted into less numerous data characterizing the process by observing said limits (h, l). Said data characterizing the process are logged in said logging area. Said process log cannot be modified in any way at a later stage. The invention also provides for an efficient observation of longer period of the process in the tagged article in order to inspect the usability thereof.

Abstract: When communicating with a traditional interrogator of passive smart tags, an actively transmitting smart tag of the invention, even within a data frame being transmitted, observes a first phase (?i) being a phase of a voltage induced in a tag's antenna by an interrogator's high-frequency carrier signal and transmits wave packets in that it excites the antenna with a voltage having a phase (?t), which is always set at the beginning of transmission of each said wave packet shifted with respect to said first phase (?i) by the same phase angle (??). At ??=180° an amplitude of voltage across an interrogator's antenna, when some of said wave packets influence this antenna, attains the largest attainable interference rise. Miniature actively transmitting smart tags are enabled to wirelessly communicate with said traditional interrogator and a communication range of pocket-sized tags is herewith increased.