Patent ID: 8736423
Filing Date: 2014-05-27
Classification: G01S,H04L

Abstract:
1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) network control device comprising: a plurality of RFID antenna ports adapted to direct RFID traffic signals to and from one or more RFID antennas; at least two control ports, each of said at least two control ports configurable to be switched to a configuration that allows for bidirectional communication of at least some of the RFID traffic signals through the respective control port, to be switched to a command configuration that allows for bidirectional communication of RFID command signals through the respective control port, and to be switched to a bypass configuration that that allows direct transmission of certain ones of the RFID traffic signals input to one of the at least two control ports to another one of the at least two control ports for output of the certain ones of the RFID traffic signals from the another one of the at least two control ports, thereby providing for a bypass transmission path through the RFID network control device, wherein the RFID command signals include the radio frequency carrier signal having RFID command information modulated thereon, the RFID command information being different from the RFID traffic information; a switch network configurable to connect any one of said at least two control ports to any one of said plurality of RFID antenna ports of said RFID network control device; the switch network comprising a plurality of inverters, switches and conductive paths, the plurality of inverters, switches, and conductive paths arranged in a cascading configuration including at least two interconnected layers of the switches, each switch of the plurality of switches coupled to an inverter of the plurality of inverters, and each conductive path of the plurality of conductive paths assigned and coupled to a switch of said plurality of switches, each switch adapted to selectively couple at least two of said ports to provide an electrically connected communication path for traffic signals between a pair of said ports; and a control unit adapted to receive the RFID command signals and to configure and control any of the at least two control ports and the switch network based upon the RFID command information.