Abstract:
Exemplary optical communication devices are described which, in certain embodiments, derive power optically from and communicate optically to a reading device. The communication devices may also receive data from modulated light from the reading device to achieve a bi-directional optical communication link between the self-powered optical communication device and the reading device. In some embodiments, the communication device is powered by ambient light, such as sunlight, captures data from a sensor, and communicates the stored data some time later to a reading device. In some embodiments, the communication device is powered locally and communicates through air, optical fiber, or other medium with another communication device.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to the following co-pending provisional application: Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/094,595 entitled “OPTICAL COMMUNICATION DEVICE, METHOD AND SYSTEM,” which was filed on Sep. 5, 2008. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to optical communication devices and, more particularly, to self-powered identification and/or data tags. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Optical communication devices are used in a variety of applications including, but certainly not limited to self powered identification and data tags, infrared wireless and fiber optic transceivers, and solar powered sensors. Optical identification and data tags have certain advantages over Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and data tags. Solar powered sensors are currently large and expensive, which limits their application. 
         [0004]    Self powered radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have been used for years for identifying items with a unique identification number that can be read electronically with a special powered reading device. The penetration into the marketplace is growing but has been limited by the cost of the tag, which includes an antennae that is necessary for RF communication. 
         [0005]    The Hitachi Mu-Chip is an example state of the art RFID device. Although the device measures only 2.5 mm×1.5 mm, it requires the antennae, which measures 54 mm×1.5 mm. Additionally the chip must be mounted and connected to the antennae, which increases cost and reduces reliability. Other well known limitations of RFID tags include disturbances due to metal, water, and electromagnetic interference (EMI), and cross talk between tags. In harsh environments and along conveyor belts, for instance, with closely spaced tagged items, RFID tags can be unreliable. 
         [0006]    To work in harsh environments, a Swedish company, Scirocco AB, has developed Infrared Identification (IRID) tags, which contain an energy converter block to power the tag from infrared or visible light, and an infrared transmitter block which sends the contents of the ID register when the tag is powered. The Scirocco data tags additionally provide some memory and an infrared detector block to enable data tags to receive and store data in non-volatile memory. Additional information on the Scirocco tags and system are described in U.S. Published Patent Application No. US 2006/0164291. 
         [0007]    The Scirocco system provides an identification solution that overcomes certain limitations of RFID systems with respect to metal shielding, water, EMI, and interference, which is appropriate for relatively low volume target applications. For very high volume applications, such as consumer package tracking, smart cards, keyless entry, retail inventory identification, etc. the cost may be prohibitive. The Scirocco identification tags have separate power supply (energizer) and infrared transmitter circuits, and the data tags additionally contain separate infrared detector circuits, which increase component count and cost. 
         [0008]    The energizer circuitry contains an array of silicon diodes with at least two sets of diodes connected in series to produce sufficient voltage and current to power the tag. The transmitter contains an infrared LED and some driver circuitry. The infrared detector circuitry contains a reverse biased silicon photodiode connected to an amplifier circuit. All this circuitry increases the total cost of components in the tags and increases the power consumption, which further increases the cost and/or reduces communication distance. 
         [0009]    The most common protocol for infrared wireless communication is Infrared Data Association (IRDA), which was developed in the early 1990&#39;s for communication between a computer and its peripherals. The Vishay TFDU4101 IRDA transceiver implements the physical layer of this protocol stack. The TFDU4101 package is called a “Babyface” since it has two separate transparent domes for transmitting and receiving infrared light. Under one dome is an LED for transmitting and under the other dome is a silicon photodiode for receiving. The associated LED driver and photodiode receiver circuitry is implemented in one or two silicon chips. 
         [0010]    An increasingly popular protocol for optical networking in automobiles is called Media Oriented System Transport (MOST), which was introduced in the late 1990&#39;s to enable multimedia components in a car to communicate. One of the physical layers for MOST is a ring of unidirectional point-to-point optical links using plastic optical fiber (POF). Each optical link has a fiber optic transmitting module at one end of the POF and a fiber optic receiving module at the other end. 
         [0011]    One supplier of opto-electrical converters useful for MOST is Avago. Their optical transmitter contains an LED and a driver IC, while the receiver contains a photodiode and receiver IC. Data flows in one direction through the optical link from one node to the next. Bi-directional communication is essentially accomplished by connecting all devices in a uni-directional ring topology, which works fine unless one link or one node is not functioning properly. If one device or one link goes down, bi-directional communication is not possible. 
         [0012]    Sensing of signals such as temperature, pressure, strain, acceleration, moisture, etc is commonly needed in locations that are costly to power and communicate with using wires. Consequently, remote sensors are available that include batteries and some form of wireless communication. The NPX1 tire pressure sensor from GE includes a Lithium Ion battery and a UHF transmitter that enables the module to reside inside a rotating tire. 
         [0013]    In some cases, the sensors include solar cells that recharge the battery from sunlight or ambient light, such as certain strain gauge devices available from MicroStrain. Such devices may be placed, for example, at critical locations on a bridge to monitor strain on the bridge, and to communicate data to a reading device through a wireless RF link. Such sensor devices are frequently very large and expensive. 
         [0014]    There exists a need to overcome problems existing in prior solutions and to provide a more efficient and cost effective solution for optical communications and identification devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    Optical communication devices, systems and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, a single optical device is used to transmit and receive data. Further, in other embodiments, a single optical device is used to power a device in addition to providing for communications to external devices. 
         [0016]    Embodiments disclosed herein relate to communication devices that are powered by and communicate with light, and more specifically to such communication devices using a single optical device for data transmission and for providing power, and even more specifically to optical communication devices that use a light emitting diode (LED) for both transmitting and receiving data and for providing power to the device, such as a self-powered infrared identification and/or data tag. 
         [0017]    The problems such as, but not limited to, those described above with prior solutions are in large part solved by the communication devices described herein. Exemplary devices include an LED and a controller integrated circuit. The form and function of the controller IC depends on the particular application and the requirements. Likewise, the LED can power the controller from incident light, optically transmit data from the controller, and convert received optical data to electrical signals for the controller depending on the application and requirements. 
         [0018]    In certain embodiments, the communication device derives power optically from and communicates optically to a reading device. In some embodiments, the communication device additionally receives data from modulated light from the reading device which produces a bi-directional optical communication link between the self-powered optical communication device and the reading device. In some embodiments, the communication device is powered by ambient light, such as sunlight, captures data from a sensor, and communicates the stored data some time later with a reading device. In some embodiments, the communication device is powered locally and communicates through air or optical fiber with another communication device. 
         [0019]    For identification and data tag applications, exemplary communication devices include an LED and a controller IC preferably packaged together in transparent plastic. The LED is preferably mounted directly on top of the controller IC and electrically connected to the controller using bond wires or flip-flip chip technology. The transparent plastic is preferably molded with a single dome centered around the LED to focus light to and from the LED. In other embodiments, the controller IC and the LED can be packaged separately using traditional technology with the appropriate leads electrically connected together. 
         [0020]    For identification tags, the controller IC contains at least an identification number in some sort of read only memory (ROM). When the controller is powered by light from a reading device, this identification number is transmitted to the reading device in response. The LED converts incident light from the reader to electricity, which powers the controller. The controller stores some of this power on capacitors for instance, which power the controller when the reader momentarily stops emitting light. In response the controller uses the LED to transmit one or more bits of the identification number to the reader. In order to generate sufficient voltage to produce sufficient light from the LED, the controller may include a voltage boost circuit such as a capacitive voltage doubler. 
         [0021]    Optionally, an identification tag can receive commands from the reader in addition to transmitting data to the reader, which can among other things, prevent the tag from inadvertently transmitting. The light from the reader can be modulated between two different optical power levels by the data that forms a command, which is converted to an electrical signal by the LED in the tag and decoded by the controller IC. The electrical signal can be low pass filtered to provide power to the controller and high pass filtered to detect the data. 
         [0022]    Data tags are similar to identification tags with an exception that the reader can write to in addition to reading from the tag. Thus, a data tag also receives optical data and commands from the reader. The data tag typically has some sort of non-volatile memory in which the data is stored so that the data is not lost when the device is powered down. 
         [0023]    The controller IC for a remote sensor may be similar to an identification or data tag, but with an additional means of measuring a signal. For instance, a device that measures temperature could have an element such as a diode that produces a signal that varies with temperature and an analog-to-digital converter to digitize the signal. The digitized signal could be stored in memory or immediately communicated to a reader. 
         [0024]    The LED in the remote sensor could provide power to the controller from sunlight, ambient light, or light from a reader through air or through an optical fiber. Light from a reader could be modulated to communicate commands and data with the sensor or un-modulated to simply power the sensor. The sensor optionally could have a re-chargeable battery attached that is charged when sufficient light is captured by the LED and that powers the device when there is insufficient light. 
         [0025]    Network transceiver devices for bi-directional optical communication through air such as IRDA or through fiber such as MOST could use a single LED for both transmitting and receiving optical data at different times. Higher levels of the protocol could determine when data goes in which direction. The controller IC for the transceiver could contain the LED driver and receiver circuitry along with the network interface controller functionality or just the LED driver and receiver circuitry. Typically, such a network transceiver device is powered locally, so incident light typically does not need to power the device, however, self-powered sensors or tags could be attached to a fiber optic network or communicate through air with an IRDA enabled computer for instance. 
         [0026]    Packaging for a network transceiver device could be similar to that described for the identification and data tags or could be similar to that currently used for networks such as MOST and IRDA. For IRDA, the transceiver package could be much smaller and with one dome. For MOST, only one transceiver opto-electronic converter module would be needed instead one transmitting and one receiving module. The transceiver package could contain the LED and the controller IC or just the LED with the controller packaged conventionally. 
         [0027]    LEDs are traditionally not used in optical receivers since LEDs typically produce less current, but higher voltage, than silicon photodiodes. Additionally, the semiconductor material used to make LEDs (Aluminum Gallium Arsenide for near infrared LEDs) is significantly more expensive per unit area than silicon. Since the self-powered applications described herein utilize an LED for transmitting, using the LED to also produce power and receive data eliminates the need for silicon photodiodes and reduces device cost. Additionally, the higher voltage provided by an LED is helpful to power the controller IC. Alternatively, a stack of series connected silicon photodiodes may be used to effectively power the device, however, they are difficult to integrate. For locally powered network transceivers, using an LED instead of an optimized silicon photodiode for receiving may limit data rate or sensitivity performance, but may substantially reduce cost and improve feature set. 
         [0028]    The embodiments disclosed in several aspects are suitable for communication devices, for methods for operating such devices, for methods of making such devices, and for systems incorporating such devices, all as described herein in greater detail and as set forth in the appended claims. The described techniques, structures, and methods may be used alone or in combination with one another. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0029]    The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features, and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. 
           [0030]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram for an optical identification tag system. 
           [0031]      FIG. 2A  is a block diagram of a communication device that uses a single LED for transmitting and receiving data, and for powering the device. 
           [0032]      FIG. 2B  is a mechanical drawing of a communication device that uses a single LED for transmitting and receiving data, and for powering the device. 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of exemplary power supply and clock and data recovery circuitry. 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  depicts a timing diagram for the recovered clock and data. 
           [0035]      FIG. 5A  is a block diagram of an exemplary LED driver circuit. 
           [0036]      FIG. 5B  is a block diagram of another exemplary LED driver circuit. 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  is a state diagram for controlling the LED driver shown in  FIG. 5A . 
           [0038]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  depict timing diagrams for an exemplary write and read communication protocol. 
           [0039]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  depict timing diagrams for another exemplary write and read communication protocol. 
       
    
    
       [0040]    The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0041]    Optical communication devices, systems and methods are disclosed that utilize a single optical device to transmit and receive data. Further, this single optical device can also be used to power the device in addition to providing for communications to external devices. 
         [0042]    Turning now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates one example of an optical identification tag system  10 , which includes a reader  11  and a tag  12  attached to a package  13 . It is understood that system  10  can operate with any frequency light including and preferentially near infrared light (e.g., wavelengths of about 0.7 to 1.0 micrometers). The reader  11  includes an optical transmitter  14  and optical receiver  15  that provide power to and communicate with the tag  12 . The reader  11  is powered by a battery or an electrical outlet and, if desired, can be optimized to produce a maximum amount of transmitted optical power to the tag  12  and can be optimized to receive a minimum amount of power. This enables the maximum distance between the reader  11  and the package  13 . The optical power from transmitter  14  is modulated between two power levels to encode data that is detected by tag  12 . The average value of the optical power from transmitter  14  is converted to electrical power that energizes tag  12 . 
         [0043]    The tag  12  contains non-volatile memory which stores an identification (ID) code and possibly other information that is programmed either during the tag manufacturing process or by the reader  11 . The ID code or number programmed into the tag  12  uniquely identifies the package  13  so that the package  13  can be tracked as it is moved from one location to another by a delivery service for instance. The reader  11  reads the ID code from tag  12  and compares it with codes in a database to identify the package. Tag  12  may also include additional non-volatile memory to store a variety of information that the reader  11  could store and retrieve. 
         [0044]    In another example of an identification tag system, the reader  11  produces un-modulated light from transmitter  14  that powers the tag  12 , and uses an optical receiver  15  to receive data from the tag  12 . In such a system, the tag  12  continuously transmits the identification code and potentially other information whenever the tag  12  is powered. 
         [0045]      FIG. 2A  illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the tag  12 , which includes LED  21  and controller integrated circuit (IC)  22 . The controller IC  22  contains power supply filter  23 , clock and data recovery circuitry  24 , LED driver  25 , state machine  26 , non-volatile memory  27 , and reset generator  28 . The power supply filter  23  low pass filters the voltage induced on the LED when receiving modulated light to produce a relatively constant voltage on supply voltage line  29  which is labeled VDD. The clock and data recovery circuitry  24  is powered by VDD and produces a logic level clock  30  and logic level data  31  from the LED voltage modulated by the received light. 
         [0046]    The LED driver  25  produces the relatively high voltage necessary to forward bias the LED  21  to emit light. The data transmitted may be represented by the presence of a light pulse from the LED  21  for a logical one and the absence of a light pulse for a logical zero. Power for the LED  21  may be stored in capacitors in the LED driver  25 , which are discharged when a light pulse is generated. The reader  11  preferably transmits light for some period of time before each pulse is transmitted by the tag  12 . 
         [0047]    The state machine  26  is powered by VDD  29  and clocked by the clock signal (CLK)  30 . The state machine  26  accepts data signals (DATA)  31  from the clock and data recovery circuitry  24 , which can include commands. The state machine  26  interprets the commands being sent from the reader  11 , and produces the necessary control signals to perform the desired action. The basic commands include reading and writing the non-volatile memory  27 . The non-volatile memory  27  could be read only memory (ROM) programmed during the manufacturing of the tag  12 , in which case, a write command would not be used. The non-volatile memory  27  could be one time programmable (OTP) or many times programmable memory that is programmed by the user, in which case, read and write commands are used. The memory is preferably non-volatile so that information is not lost when the tag  12  is not illuminated and consequently not powered. 
         [0048]    The reset generator  28  monitors the voltage of VDD  29  and produces a reset signal (RESET)  32  to the state machine  26  when the supply voltage is below a critical level. The critical level depends on the technology in which the controller IC  22  is fabricated, but ensures that the power supply voltage for the state machine  26  is sufficient for reliable operation. 
         [0049]      FIG. 2A  provides just one example of an identification or data tag block diagram. In some cases, such as tags that only transmit data, functions such as clock and data recovery are not necessary, and the requirements on functions such as the power supply filter are greatly reduced. In other cases, functions such as the reset generator can be eliminated provided the state machine does not require a reset. Depending on the application, the requirements on the state machine can vary widely as well. The LED driver circuitry and the form of the transmitted data can also vary widely. 
         [0050]      FIG. 2B  illustrates an example of the mechanical packaging for the tag  12 . LED  21  is mounted on top of controller IC  22  which provides mechanical stability and produces an electrical connection from the LED cathode to the controller IC  22  ground signal  33 . The ground connection is made with commonly known flip-chip bonding technology which attaches solder bumps  34  on the controller IC  22  to the backside LED  21  contact. The LED  21  anode is connected to the controller IC  22  through bond wire  35 . The connected LED  21  and controller IC  22  are encapsulated in a transparent plastic package  36  with a dome over the LED region for focusing incident and emitted light. 
         [0051]    In another example package, if an LED with both anode and cathode contacts on the surface is used, bond wire  35  can be eliminated by connecting both terminals with flip chip technology. In other examples, the LED  21  and controller IC  22  can be packaged separately in conventional LED and semiconductor packaging technology or unconventional packaging technology. The example in  FIG. 2B  is one of many packaging possibilities. 
         [0052]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an exemplary power supply filter  23  and clock and data recovery circuit  24 . Switch  40  is a p-channel type gate that connects VDD  29  to the LED  21  anode when data is being input to the tag  12 . When receiving data, the enable signal  48  is low, which connects the LED  21  anode to resistor (R 1 )  41 . Resistor (R 1 )  41  in combination with capacitor (C 1 )  44  form the power supply filter  23  and produce VDD  29 . Example values for resistor (R 1 )  41  and capacitor (C 1 )  44  are 100 k ohms and 1 nF respectively, which produces a 1.6 kHz cutoff frequency. Assuming controller IC  22  draws less than 1 uA of current from VDD  29 , the voltage drop across resistor (R 1 )  41  is less than 100 mV. Typical values for VDD  29  range from 0.5 to 1.0 volts. As illustrated below in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , a capacitor in the LED driver  25  can be switched in parallel to capacitor (C 1 )  44  to reduce the bandwidth of the power supply filter  23 . 
         [0053]    Typical values for LED parasitic effective capacitance range from 10-100 pF, which in combination with resistor (R 1 )  41  limits the maximum data rate from reader  11  to tag  12 . Assuming the data rate is substantially higher than the power supply cutoff frequency (1.6 kHz from above), VDD  29  is effectively a DC voltage. The average voltage across resistor (R 1 )  41  is equal to the average current consumption from VDD  29  times the resistance of resistor (R 1 )  41 . The average voltage on the LED  21  anode equals the voltage on VDD  29  plus the average voltage across resistor (R 1 )  41 . Assuming the received modulated light has a large extinction ratio and the data encoding scheme is DC free, the average current is produced by twice the average current, for half the time. This results in the instantaneous voltage across resistor (R 1 )  41  varying between roughly zero volts and twice the average voltage as the received data changes states. The small signal model of this circuit to determine the bandwidth at the LED  21  anode is a current source into the parallel combination of resistor (R 1 )  41  and the parasitic capacitance. Over the 10-100 pF range, the bandwidth varies from about 160 kHz to 16 kHz with resistor (R 1 ) 41 equal to 100 k ohms. Such bandwidths would limit data rates to roughly 30-300 k bits per second. 
         [0054]    To emit light from the LED  21 , the anode voltage is raised to roughly twice VDD  29 . During this time, the enable signal  48  is also set to roughly twice VDD, which turns switch  40  off and disconnects the power supply circuit from the LED  21  anode. When switch  40  is off, the current drawn from VDD  29  is provided by capacitor (C 1 )  44 . With a capacitance of 1 nF and 1 uA current draw, the voltage across capacitor (C 1 )  44  will only drop 10 mV in 10 usec, which is more than sufficient time to transmit one bit. 
         [0055]    The average voltage of the LED  21  anode side of resistor (C 1 )  41  is produced by the low pass filter combination of resistor (R 2 )  42  and capacitor (C 2 )  43 . This average voltage is compared by receiver (RCVR)  45  to the voltage of the LED anode side of resistor (R 1 )  41 . The output of receiver  45  is the received data signal  31 . The received data signal (DATA)  31  is input to the edge detector  46 , which produces an output pulse in response to a transition of the received data signal  31 . The edge detector  46  output is input to the one-shot  47 , which produces an output pulse with a relatively fixed pulse width. The one-shot  47  is triggered by a rising edge of the signal applied to the input and is enabled to produce a successive pulse after the previous output pulse returns low. A second pulse input to the one-shot  47  while the one-shot  47  output is still high is ignored. 
         [0056]    The clock and data recovery circuit shown in  FIG. 3  is just one example of many possible circuit architectures. For example, data could be ac-coupled into receiver (RCVR)  45  or the LED  21  anode voltage could be compared to the voltage on VDD  29  if receiver (RCVR)  45  has some built in offset. The clock  30  could be generated from data  31  using a phase locked loop (PLL), a delay locked loop (DLL), or a variety of combinations of edge detectors, one-shots, and delay elements. 
         [0057]      FIG. 4  illustrates a timing diagram for non-return to zero (NRZ) data and the encoded data sent from the reader  11  to the tag  12 , and the clock produced at the output of the one-shot  47 . Data can be encoded according to a variety of well known encoding schemes, however, this example shows bi-phase encoding, which is an example of an encoding protocol for the optical data that prevents long strings of data without transitions. Other examples of possible coding schemes include 4b5b, 8b10b, Miller coding, and NRZ. 
         [0058]    Bi-phase encoding produces a transition between NRZ bits and an additional transition in the middle of an NRZ one. The width of the pulse produced by the one-shot  47  is longer than half an NRZ bit period, which suppresses any pulse produced by the edge detector  46  in the middle of an NRZ bit period. The pulse width of the one-shot  47  output is longer than one half an NRZ bit period and shorter than one NRZ bit period. The duty cycle of the bi-phase coding can be adjusted to reduce the required tolerances on the one-shot  47  pulse width output. 
         [0059]    Other examples of timing diagrams for the example circuit shown in  FIG. 3  are also possible. The timing diagrams associated with other possible clock and data recovery circuits such as PLLs and DLLs would be different from the example timing diagram shown in  FIG. 4  for the example circuit shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0060]      FIG. 5A  illustrates an exemplary LED driver circuit  25 , the primary function of which is to produce the high voltage necessary for the LED  21  to emit light. The switches  50 ,  52 ,  53 , and  54  and the associated control signals  55 ,  58 ,  59 , and  60  enable capacitor (C 3 )  51  to be charged to the voltage on the node VDD  29  while receiving data and light, and then be switched in series with the power supply capacitor (C 1 )  44  to produce roughly twice the voltage of VDD  29 . 
         [0061]    The switches  50 ,  53 , and  54  are p-channel type and switch  52  is n-channel type. When receiving light (either unmodulated, or modulated to carry data), capacitor (C 3 )  51  is charging to the voltage on VDD  29 . Switches  52  and  53  are conducting and switch  54  is not conducting. The state of switch  50  depends on the protocol timing. It is not conducting while receiving data, but is conducting just prior to and while transmitting a light pulse. When capacitor (C 3 )  51  is charging, the top plate of the capacitor is connected to VDD  29  through switch  53  and the bottom plate is connected to ground through switch  52 . 
         [0062]    Once the LED driver  25  capacitor (C 3 )  51  and the power supply capacitor (C 2 )  44  are sufficiently charged and the state machine  26  determines that a light pulse should be generated, switches  53  and  52  become non-conductive and switches  50  and  54  become conductive, which results in the voltage applied to the anode of LED  21  being roughly twice the voltage on VDD  29 . The logical inverters  61  and  62  are necessary so that the voltage of the output signals  58  and  48  are not lower than the high voltage necessary to enable the LED  21  to emit light. The control signals  55 ,  56 ,  57 ,  59 , and  60  are produced by the state machine  26 . 
         [0063]      FIG. 5B  illustrates another exemplary LED driver circuit  25  that produces a relatively constant current through LED  21 . The voltage on the control signal  55  to the gate of device  50  can be a logical high or low, or can be equal to the gate voltage of device  64 . When the tag  12  is producing light from LED  21 , devices  65  and  63  are conducting and the current through device  64  is determined by the voltage drop across resistor (R 3 )  66  divided by the resistance. The voltage drop across resistor (R 3 )  66  is roughly the voltage on VDD  29  minus the gate to source voltage of device  64 . The current through device  64  is mirrored to device  50  by the voltage on control signal  55 . 
         [0064]    Devices  72  and  71  are not conducting when tag  12  is emitting light. When device  71  is conducting and devices  72  and  63  are not conducting, device  50  is not conducting and the LED driver is disconnected from the LED  21 . When device  72  is conducting and devices  71  and  63  are not conducting, device  50  is conducting which connects the LED  21  to the LED driver capacitor (C 3 )  51 . 
         [0065]    The example LED driver  25  circuits shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B  are just two of many possibilities for self-powered controller IC  22  applications. These circuits use capacitors to boost the voltage on VDD  29  to the level necessary to produce light from the LED  21 . Other circuits could use capacitors configured in different ways or could use inductors, for example, to boost the voltage. Applications in which the controller IC  22  is powered locally, no voltage boost may be necessary at all, provided the local power supply provides sufficient voltage. 
         [0066]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary state diagram for the state machine  26  controlling the LED driver  25  described in  FIG. 5A . When the tag  12  is powering up and the voltage on node VDD  29  is below the reset threshold limit, the signals  55 ,  56 ,  57 ,  59 , and  60  from the state machine  26  are all high. Consequently, the power supply filter capacitor (C 1 )  44  is charging through device  40  and the LED driver  25  capacitor (C 3 )  51  is charging through device  53 . Device  52  is conducting which connects the bottom plate of capacitor (C 3 )  51  to ground, and device  54  is not conducting. 
         [0067]    When the tag  12  is receiving data, all the LED driver  25  control signals remain in the same state as in the reset state. Capacitors (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51  are connected in parallel to create the voltage on node VDD  29  and, in combination with resistor (R 1 )  41 , the power supply filter  23 . When receiving data, the controller IC  22  power supply current flows through resistor (R 1 )  41 , which can reduce the voltage on VDD  29  by up to 100 mV relative to the average voltage across the LED  21 . To charge capacitors (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51  to the full anode voltage instead of the reduced VDD  29  voltage, just prior to transmitting a light pulse, the state machine  26  sets switch  40  to the non-conductive state and switch  50  to the conductive state by setting control signals  55  and  56  low, which bypasses resistor (R 1 )  41 . The state machine also disables the data receiver to minimize current draw from the LED  21  during this driver pre-charge state to minimize droop on VDD  29 . 
         [0068]    To transmit a light pulse, the state machine  26  sets devices  52  and  53  in the non-conductive state by setting control signals  57  and  60  low. The state machine  26  then sets control signal  59  low, which puts device  54  in the conductive state. The bottom plate of capacitor (C 3 )  51  is connected to node VDD  29  through device  54  and the voltage of the top plate of the capacitor (C 3 )  51  is pushed up to roughly twice the voltage on VDD  29 . The state diagram in  FIG. 6  illustrates the state machine states, but does not show this sequencing of control signal transitions when changing from the pre-charge to transmit states. 
         [0069]    During the LED driver pre-charge state, capacitors (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51  are charged to a voltage roughly within the range of 0.5 to 1.0 volts for near infrared LEDs. Visible LEDs produce higher voltages. During the transmit state, the voltage applied to the LED  21  is roughly twice the pre-charge value, or roughly 1 to 2 volts. Assuming values of 1 nF for each of the capacitors (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51 , the effective capacitance of the series combination is 0.5 nF, which can produce 10 mA for 500 nSec, or 100 mA for 50 nSec, through the LED  21  with a resulting voltage drop of roughly 100 mV. 
         [0070]    The necessary brightness and duration of the transmitted light pulses from the tag  12  depend on the capabilities of the reader  11 . The LED driver circuitry  25  in the tag  12  can be adjusted to produce more light for less time or less light for more time depending on the capabilities of the reader  11 . The trade off between time and optical power can be adjusted in the LED driver circuit in  FIG. 5A  by adjusting the parasitic resistance of switches  50  and  54  or by adding some series resistance between switch  50  and the LED  21 . The trade off between time and optical power can be adjusted in the LED driver circuit in  FIG. 5B  by changing the resistance of resistor (R 3 )  66 . 
         [0071]      FIG. 7A  and  FIG. 7B  illustrate an exemplary communication protocol for transmitting data between the reader  11  and the tag  12  assuming the size of the tag  12  non-volatile memory  27  is 16 bytes. As shown in  FIG. 7A , the protocol to write data to the tag  12  begins with a series of bi-phase encoded zeros to set the DC value of node VDD  29 . Assuming values of 100 k ohms for resistor (R 1 )  41 , 1 nF for capacitors (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51 , and the series of bi-phase zeros preceding the write command, the power supply filter  23  settles to the operating voltage in roughly 1 mSec. Following the start sequence of bi-phase zeros, the reader  11  transmits a unique start code of bi-phase encoded NRZ data 0x47, for example, which synchronizes the tag  12  to the reader  11  and initiates communication. A variety of start codes can be used, but should have sufficient number of zeros and ones to prevent random bit errors from looking like a start code. 
         [0072]    Following the unique start code 0x47 is a command byte that specifies reading or writing, with NRZ 0x00 specifying a write command and 0x10 specifying a read command. For a write command, data to be written to non-volatile memory  27  follows including an error detection checksum (CRC). Assuming 16 bytes of non-volatile memory  27 , the write command includes 15 bytes of data and one byte of checksum, which produces 16 bytes of data that are to be written to memory  27 . The state machine  26  in the controller IC  22  generates a checksum internally from the first 15 bytes received and compares the internally generated checksum to the 16 th  byte received. If both checksums match, the controller IC  22  writes all 16 bytes to memory  27 . 
         [0073]    The non-volatile memory  27  can be implemented with a variety of well known technologies, which typically utilizes a charge pump circuit to produce a high voltage to enable programming of one or more data bits. The write protocol from  FIG. 7A  shows a sequence of bi-phase encoded zeros following the checksum byte (CRC) that enables the controller IC  22  to successively charge capacitors associated with the memory  27  (i.e., within such charge pump circuits) that are necessary to program the contents of the entire memory. The sequence of bi-phase zeros continues as necessary to complete the programming operation, which when concluded, the memory  27  contains 15 bytes of data and one byte of checksum. 
         [0074]      FIG. 7B  illustrates an exemplary protocol to read data from the tag  12  to the reader  11 . As with writing, the read command is preceded by a series of bi-phase coded zeros to stabilize the power supply filter  23 . The read command begins with the unique bi-phase coded start code 0x47 followed the bi-phase coded NRZ value 0x10, which identifies a read operation. Following the 0x10 read code is the address (ADDR) of the bit to be read. Assuming 16 bytes of memory  27 , 7 bits of address is sufficient to address every bit in the memory. With more memory, additional address bits will be necessary. The 7 address bits are located within an 8 bit address byte. Following the address byte is a time period (CHG) when the reader  11  transmits maximum optical power and the tag  11  pre-charges the LED driver and power supply capacitors (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51  to the maximum possible voltage. Following the pre-charge state, either a light pulse is generated or not by the tag  12  (BIT) depending on the state of the memory location addressed. 
         [0075]    During a read operation, the reader  11  addresses each bit individually until the entire memory contents have been read. The reader  11  generates a checksum (CRC) over the first 15 bytes read and compares the result to the last byte read from the tag  12 . If the generated checksum and the contents of the last byte read match, then the first 15 bytes read are deemed correct. 
         [0076]    When the tag  12  produces a pulse of light, the series connected capacitors (C 3 )  51  and (C 1 )  44  are discharged. After producing a light pulse, the resulting voltage across capacitor (C 1 )  44  (which also provides the power supply voltage VDD  29  for the state machine  26 ) depends on the initial voltage across capacitor (C 1 )  44  and the time during which the LED driver circuit  25  is active for a given current setting. The protocol illustrated in  FIG. 7B  allows the resulting voltage across capacitor (C 1 )  44  to drop below the voltage necessary for reliable state machine  26  operation, which enables the maximum amount of charge to be converted to light. After transmission of a data bit, the state machine  26  is either reset by the reset generator  28  or by a timeout circuit in the state machine  26 . 
         [0077]      FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B  illustrate another exemplary protocol for transmitting data between the reader  11  and the tag  12 ′ assuming the size of the tag  12  non-volatile memory  27  is 16 bytes. This protocol is more efficient in the amount of time necessary for the reader  11  to read data from the tag  12 ; however, this protocol requires that the LED driver circuit  25  turn off after transmitting a pulse before the capacitor (C 1 )  44  is discharged below the reliable operating voltage of the state machine  26 . 
         [0078]    The write protocol shown in  FIG. 8A  to write data to the tag  12  begins with a series of bi-phase encoded zeros to set the DC value of node VDD  29 . Following the start sequence of bi-phase zeros, the reader  11  transmits a unique start code of bi-phase encoded NRZ data 0x47, which synchronizes the tag  12  to the reader  11  and initiates communication. Following the unique start code 0x47 is a command byte that specifies reading or writing, with NRZ 0x20 specifying a write command, and 0x30 specifying a read command. For a write command, data to be written to non-volatile memory  27  follows including an error detection checksum (CRC). Assuming 16 bytes of non-volatile memory  27 , the write command includes 16 bytes of data and one byte of checksum. The state machine  26  in the controller IC  22  generates a checksum internally from the first 16 bytes received and compares the internally generated checksum to the 17 th  byte received. If both checksums match, the controller IC  22  writes the 16 data bytes to memory  27 . 
         [0079]      FIG. 8B  illustrates another exemplary protocol to read data from the tag  12  to the reader  11 . As with writing, the read command is preceded by a series of bi-phase coded zeros to stabilize the power supply filter  23 . The read command begins with the unique bi-phase coded start code 0x47 followed by the bi-phase coded NRZ value 0x30, which identifies the read operation. Following the 0x30 read code, the controller IC  22  transmits every bit (B 1 , B 2  . . . B 136 ) from the memory  27  sequentially followed by an 8 bit checksum, which is generated within the state machine  26 . Prior to each bit being transmitted, a time is provided to pre-charge (CHG) the capacitors (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51 . 
         [0080]    The time required to pre-charge the capacitors depends on the received light power. Assuming the LED produces 1 uA of current at the sensitivity limit, the capacitance of (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51  is 1 nf each, and the voltage change on (C 1 )  44  and (C 3 )  51  is 200 mV, the time to pre-charge is roughly 400 usec. During this charge time all DC current paths on the controller IC are turned off and the state machine waits for a light off transition from the reader  11  to initiate transmitting the next bit. Delay elements based on RC time constants associated with the state machine produce a short time between the end of the pre-charge time and the beginning of a transmitted bit. The transmission time can be configured to produce a relatively bright light pulse for a short period of time or less light for a longer period of time. If the reader  11  detects a light pulse during this time, the data from the tag  12  is a logical one. If the reader  11  does not detect a light pulse during this time, the data from the tag  11  is a logical zero. 
         [0081]    During a read operation, the reader  11  reads the entire memory  27  in with one command. Both the reader  11  and the tag  12  generate a checksum from the 16 bytes of data from memory  27 . The checksum from the tag  12  is read by the reader  11  as the 17 th  byte of data. If the generated checksum and the contents of this last byte read match, then the first 16 bytes read are deemed correct. 
         [0082]    The protocols shown in  FIGS. 7A ,  7 B,  8 A and  8 B are examples of a wide range of possible protocols for communicating data between the reader  11  and the tag  12 . Industry standard protocols, such as used for RFID devices or even IRDA, may be used directly or with some modification, or completely new protocols could be developed. The protocols from  FIGS. 7A ,  7 B,  8 A and  8 B show the self-powered tag  12  transmitting a maximum of one light pulse between re-charge times, however, multiple pulses or even pulses with multiple optical power levels may be implemented. 
         [0083]      FIGS. 1-8  illustrate examples of detailed implementations for identification and data tag applications. For self-powered remote sensor and other applications, the controller IC  22  may be very similar. For remote sensors, the controller IC  22  may additionally contain some sort of sensor and digitizer. For example for remote temperature sensors, the controller IC  22  may be powered by sunlight through the LED  21 , measure the voltage across a diode and store the results in non-volatile memory. At a later time a reader  11  could read the stored samples just like from the data tag  12 . In another example, the controller IC may have more intelligence and store results only if certain conditions are met. This reduces the amount of memory needed on the controller IC. Other examples of remote sensors include pressure, humidity, acceleration, and chemical among others. 
         [0084]    Another exemplary remote sensor does not store any results in the controller IC  22 . A reader  11  could shine a focused light beam at the sensor to energize and write commands to the tag  12 . The tag  12  could then digitize the sensor value and communicate the results back to the reader  11 . 
         [0085]    Another exemplary remote sensor may include a re-chargeable battery. The device could be powered and the battery charged by ambient or sun light. The battery could provide power during times of low light. The sensor could operate in a read only mode by continually transmitting optical data while powered, or could respond to a reader. A reader could issue optical read or write commands by producing modulated light intensity substantially higher than ambient light. 
         [0086]    In a sensor, an identification, or data tag with an attached re-chargeable battery, the architecture of the controller IC  22  may vary from the tag  12  described in  FIGS. 1-8 . For example, the battery voltage could be sufficient to emit light from the LED  21  without any voltage boost. As another example, the charge stored on the battery could be sufficient to enable the optical communication device to transmit long strings of data without being re-charged. As another example, the clock and data recovery circuit could be a PLL. 
         [0087]    In all these sensor, and identification and data tag examples and applications, however, the LED  21  converts incident light to electrical power for the controller IC and converts electronic data to optical data for a reader. In some of these examples, the incident light is modulated with data that is detected by the controller IC  22 . 
         [0088]    The controller IC  22  for locally powered optical communication devices using one LED  21  for transmitting and receiving could also be substantially different from that of an identification or data tag, or a remote sensor. An example of a simple controller IC  22  could comprise just an LED driver  25  and receiver  45 . The optical data received by the device could be forwarded electrically to a network interface controller and electrical data from the network interface controller could be forwarded to the device and communicated optically to another device. An example of a more intelligent controller IC  22  includes an LED driver  25 , clock and data recovery  24 , and the complete network interface controller functionality. In all these locally powered optical communication device examples, the LED  21  is used for both transmitting and receiving optical data. 
         [0089]    The foregoing detailed description has described only a few of the many possible implementations of the present invention. For this reason, this detailed description is intended by way of illustration, and not by way of limitations. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications. It is only the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the scope of this invention. Moreover, the inventive aspects of the embodiments described above are specifically contemplated to be used alone as well as in various combinations. Accordingly, other embodiments, variations, and improvements not described herein are not necessarily excluded from the scope of the invention.