Patent ID: 7197279
Filing Date: 2007-03-27
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. An RFID reader accessible through a computer system for interrogating at least one RFID tag, comprising: a frequency synthesizer configured to generate a continuous wave signal; a controller coupled to the computer system through a PC card interface and configured to generate a plurality of control signals, the controller and the PC card interface both operate based on a clock signal generated by a crystal oscillator that is referenced by the frequency synthesizer in generating the continuous wave signal, and wherein a frequency of the clock signal is about 14.75 MHz or an integer multiple of 14.75 MHz; a transmit chain configured to form a transmit signal from a first portion of the continuous wave signal according to at least one of the control signals; a frequency divider coupled between the crystal oscillator and the controller; and a receive chain configured to form a plurality of signals for extracting information associated with the RFID tag based on a received signal from the RFID tag and a second portion of the continuous wave signal; wherein the frequency synthesizer, the controller, the transmit chain, and the receive chain are inter-coupled within a housing suitable for plugging in a PCMCIA slot of the computer system.