Patent ID: 8466776

Claim:
A passive wireless tag assembly responsive to a wireless interrogator signal from an interrogator by reflecting a return signal derived from the wireless interrogator signal, the return signal containing information added by said passive wireless tag assembly, said passive wireless tag assembly comprising: at least one SAW circuit operable for receiving the wireless interrogator signal as an incoming electromagnetic wave, transforming the electromagnetic wave into a surface acoustic wave, and then transforming the surface acoustic wave back into a subsequent outgoing electromagnetic wave serving as the return signal; an information circuit constructed and arranged to add information to at least one of the surface acoustic wave, the incoming electromagnetic wave, and the subsequent outgoing electromagnetic wave; at least one pair of antennas, each pair connected in a Van Atta array by transmission lines with one another and with said at least one SAW circuit and said information circuit and being constructed and arranged to receive the wireless interrogator signal and transmit the return signal in a direction from whence the wireless interrogator signal came; a first conductive surface and a second conductive surface connected at a right angle to one another to form a corner reflector for providing vertical and horizontal steering of the interrogator signal, said at least one pair of antennas being positioned on said first conductive surface; and at least one passive modulation circuit positioned on said first conductive surface and operatively connected to the SAW circuit to provide vertical steering of the interrogator signal, the passive wireless tag assembly further comprising at least one antenna positioned on said second conductive surface to provide horizontal steering of the interrogator signal and to form, in conjunction with said first conductive surface, a dihedral corner reflector.