Abstract: A method for generating an UWB pulses based on LC oscillator topology. Fast turn on of the oscillator is achieved by creating large asymmetry in a normally symmetrical topology which is used in a typical differential type oscillator. One method for achieving large asymmetry is activating one branch of a differential pair of branches for a short duration before activating both branches in a normal operation. The bandwidth of the pulse is controlled by modifying the duration of the oscillator activation. Fast turn on and turn off is essential for high bandwidth generation. The method is adaptable for generating binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation. Selecting the activated branch of a fully symmetrical topology controls the output phase and creates two possibilities which differ exactly by 180 degrees. In a preferred embodiment, all the pulse generator components are on-clip leading to a low cost solution. The circuit can generate high power pulses directly on a load.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing on a pulsed waveform sequence including pulsed waveforms. An impulse radio receiver is provided including a radio frequency (RF) front end connected to a demodulator, and the demodulator is connected to a processing unit. Power is provided to at least a portion of an RF component such as the RF front end and/or the demodulator, during time windows sufficient for testing an hypothesis regarding timing of the pulsed waveforms. The powering is controlled by the processing unit. Preferably, testing the hypothesis includes accumulating a signal of the pulsed waveforms, correlating with the pulsed waveforms, or accumulating the correlation result of the pulsed waveforms. Preferably, others functions of the receiver are powered or enabled subsequent to the testing. Preferably, the impulse radio receiver is an ultra-wide band receiver.

Abstract: The Very Light Readers of the present invention are based on an augmented Tag circuit with a preferred embodiment including at least one VLSI chip integrating a UWB front end, digital transceiver, and possibly an internal controller; a UWB Antenna; a power supply; a controller configured to implement the Media Access Control protocol of the system; a Communication Interface subsystem for connection to the system network and a clock source. Also described is a system capable of reducing collision occurrence in a network for communicating between multiple readers and a plurality of RF Tags. Tags are configured to receive interrogation signals and transmit response signals. Readers are configured to transmit interrogation signals, receive response signals, estimate the quantity of responses received to an interrogation, determine the round trip delay time of each response and estimates whether a collision between responses has occurred. If so, the Reader transmits an additional interrogation signal.

Abstract: A wide area radio frequency identification (RFID) system includes: a first RFID cell and a second RFID cell. The first RFID cell and the second RFID cell each include a reader and tags. The readers access the tags using ultra-wide band signaling. The RFID cells each include: a communications interface operable to communicate with a network operations center, and a communications gateway which supports direct communications between RFID cells. The method includes accessing the second RFID cell from the first RFID cell, and the accessing is performed using the communications gateway that can cover a range of at least five hundred meters.

Abstract: A system capable of monitoring an area and detecting a disturbance with the area. The system has a plurality of ultra-wide band radio frequency tags, each of the tags including a digital signal processing module configured to monitor changes in radio frequency multipath properties of received packets transmitted by at least one other of the tags. Changes in the radio frequency multipath properties may be caused by a disturbance indicative of an object in the vicinity of the tags. A corresponding method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A system including a radio frequency identification (RFID) network and a wireless local area network (WLAN). The RFID network transfers ultra-wide band signals between a reader and a tag. In the wireless local area network (WLAN) an access point communicates with a WLAN transceiver using WLAN signals. The reader is operatively attached to either the wireless access point or the WLAN transceiver and the WLAN is a back haul network of the RFID network. Co-existence of the two networks is provided either by time division between the ultra-wide band signals and WLAN signals; and/or receiver isolation of said RFID network from said WLAN signals.

Abstract: A system of radio frequency communication between Readers and Tags, the system comprising at least one tag Reader and a plurality of Tags, each tag is given a unique tag ID, deployed in a region in which at least some of the Tags are in radio communication with the tag Reader and a Media Access Control protocol such that the tag Reader is configured to send and receive radio communication to and from at least some of the plurality of Tags. The plurality of Tags are configured to send and receive radio communication to and from the tag Reader and the Media Access Control protocol is configured to control the radio communication between the tag Reader and the plurality of Tags The Media Access Control protocol includes a multi-dimensional addressing scheme allowing Readers to efficiently address tag communities ranging from small to very large in unicast, multicast and broadcast modes.

Abstract: A method for synchronizing on a pulsed waveform sequence including pulsed waveforms. An impulse radio receiver is provided including a radio frequency (RF) front end connected to a demodulator, and the demodulator is connected to a processing unit. Power is provided to at least a portion of an RF component such as the RF front end and/or the demodulator, during time windows sufficient for testing an hypothesis regarding timing of the pulsed waveforms. The powering is controlled by the processing unit. Preferably, testing the hypothesis includes accumulating a signal of the pulsed waveforms, correlating with the pulsed waveforms, or accumulating the correlation result of the pulsed waveforms. Preferably, others functions of the receiver are powered or enabled subsequent to the testing. Preferably, the impulse radio receiver is an ultra-wide band receiver.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system (10) for distance determination of RF tags (4) and its applications based on measuring the round trip delay, avoiding deterministic collisions between a plurality of wide band response signals transmitted by the tags (4) by adding a pseudo-random time delay to the wide band response signal, and iteratively reducing the collision probability between plurality of wide band response signals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system (10) for distance determination of RF tags (4) and its applications, based on measuring the round trip delay, avoiding deterministic collisions between a plurality of wide band response signals transmitted by the tags (4) by adding a pseudo-random time delay to the wide band response signal, and iteratively reducing the collision probability between plurality of wide band response signals.

Abstract: A system including a radio frequency identification (RFID) network and a wireless local area network (WLAN). The RFID network transfers ultra-wide band signals between a reader and a tag. In the wireless local area network (WLAN) an access point communicates with a WLAN transceiver using WLAN signals. The reader is operatively attached to either the wireless access point or the WLAN transceiver and the WLAN is a back haul network of the RFID network. Co-existence of the two networks is provided either by time division between the ultra-wide band signals and WLAN signals; and/or receiver isolation of said RFID network from said WLAN signals.

Abstract: A method for communicating between elements including a reader and tags of a radio frequency identification system. The method includes addressing a wide-band-message signal by including in the signal an identifier of the first tag. The addressed wide-band-message signal is transmitted by the reader. A first tag waits to receive the addressed wide-band-message signal; and upon receiving the addressed wide-band-message signal and recognizing the identifier, the first tag responds to the addressed wide-band-message signal by transmitting an addressed wide-band response signal either back to the reader or to a relaying tag. The tag relays to another element of the system by transferring at least one datum of the query from the addressed wide-band-message signal to the addressed wide-band response signal, where the elements are readers or tags. The system and method allow for many parallel wide band addressed links, and for position determination using at least two tags with known locations.

Abstract: A method for providing a digital output signal (59) representing an analog input signal (54) in a system (50) including an analog circuit (51) and a control unit (52). Analog circuit (51) preferably features high bandwidth, high gain, and low current consumption. Analog circuit (51) is preferably implemented with low accuracy components. Control unit (52) keeps error outputs (55) of analog circuit (51) at a minimal value so that control unit (52) cancels analog input signal(54) by outputting discrete value signals (58) in a feedback loop as input (58) to analog circuit (51). A DSP (53) of system (50) is previously trained using known analog signals and a model relating inputs (54,58) to error outputs (55) of analog circuit (51) is previously known. During operation, a digital representation (57) of the discrete value signals (58) is fed to DSP (53) that reconstructs analog input signal (54) by knowing from the prior training the effect of control unit (52) and the model of analog circuit (51).