SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS TO PERMIT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PASSIVE WIRELESS TRANSPONDERS

摘要

Passive wireless transponders can perform transponder-to-transponder communication when illuminated by an interrogation carrier wave. The transponder-to-transponder communication permits each transponder to determine the identity of “other” proximately transponders. The transponder-to-transponder communication optionally permits each transponder to identify a “nearest neighbor” using one or more backscatter signal properties such as received signal strength or time-of-flight. Using this information and one or more externally supplied or internally stored instruction sets transponders can provide neighboring transponder data to an interrogator. Using this “neighbor” data, the interrogator can provide a system user with data indicative of the relative locations of a plurality of tags arranged in a one or two dimensional matrix.

主权项

1. A method to determine the relative positions of a number of passive wireless transponders, the method comprising:
receiving information from each of a plurality of passive wireless transponders, the information received from each of the passive wireless transponders identifying at least one neighboring passive wireless transponder that is spatially proximate the respective passive wireless transponder from which the information is received; and determining a relative position of the passive wireless transponders with respect to one another based at least in part on the information received from the passive wireless transponders.