Collaborating RFID devices

摘要

Cooperative RFID devices are provided that are aware of other RFID devices in their near vicinity (field range), and their operational pattern depends on presence of these other devices. If a cooperative RFID device is alone in the RF field of a reader terminal, it will allow operation of a first type (e.g. not allowing complex communication, but only allowing responses to requests for non-sensitive data or completely concealing its presence by not allowing any transmission at all) and when another defined and known RFID device is detected in the same RF field, operation of a second type is allowed (e.g. allowing any data transfer, responding to requests for any data, including sensitive data, etc.).

主权项

1. A method for controlling communication in a radio frequency identification (RFID) system between a first RFID device and a reader/writer terminal, comprising:
performing by the first RFID device an operation of a first type, determining whether a detection state exists by detecting whether broadcasting is performed from at least a second RFID device in the RFID system, and when said detection state exists, allowing said first RFID device to perform operation of a second type, said operation of a second type being different from said operation of a first type, said operation of a second type including responding to a request from said reader terminal for an identifier of said first RFID device; when said detection state exists, receiving at least one data item broadcast from at least said second RFID device and configuring said first RFID device to operate depending on said received at least one data item; and receiving a plurality of data items from a plurality of respective RFID devices.