Patent ID: 7009515
Filing Date: 2006-03-07
Classification: A01K,G01S,G06K

Abstract:
1. An FCC Part 15 compliant radio-frequency identification interrogator for use with a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the interrogator comprising: a frequency-hopping source configured to sequentially generate radio-frequency signals at pseudo-randomly selected frequencies within a frequency-band of 902 to 928 MHz; a transmitter coupled to the frequency-hopping source and to an antenna circuit and configured to transmit the generated radio-frequency signals on the antenna circuit; a heterodyne receiver coupled to the antenna circuit and configured to receive on the antenna circuit reflected radio-frequency signals from the RFID tag, the antenna circuit comprising a first antenna circuit having a first antenna and a second antenna circuit having a second antenna, and the transmitter configured to transmit the radio-frequency signals on the first antenna and the receiver configured to receive the reflected radio-frequency signals on the second antenna, the first antenna circuit coupled to the second antenna circuit by a divider circuit; and a signal processor coupled to the antenna circuit and to the heterodyne receiver, wherein the signal processor is configured to receive the reflected radio-frequency signals and to extract data contained within the reflected radio-frequency signals that correspond to the frequency of the transmitted radio-frequency signals.