Signal power management circuits and smart cards including the same are provided. For example, a signal power management circuit comprises a rectifier that is configured to rectify a received radio frequency signal and output a first rectified voltage, a first regulator that is configured to maintain the first rectified voltage at a predetermined first voltage level, and a second regulator that is configured to receive an output of the first regulator and maintain a second rectified voltage different from the first rectified voltage at a predetermined second voltage level. A signal detector of the signal power management circuit is configured to receive the first rectified voltage and the second rectified voltage and detect a signal component of the received radio frequency signal on the basis of a difference between the first voltage level of the first rectified voltage and the second voltage level of the second rectified voltage.

A method for recovering missed RFID tagged items in an RFID tunnel environment is disclosed. The method comprises using a dynamic RFID tunnel system comprised of a first RFID tunnel and a second RFID tunnel to inventory one or more containers of items having RFID tags. A first RFID read of the one or more containers is performed in the first RFID tunnel and compared to an expected containers' inventory stored in a database. If the comparison does not match, a second RFID read of the containers is performed in a second, subsequent RFID tunnel at a higher RFID read power and by moving the containers at a speed slower than a speed of movement of the containers into the first RFID tunnel. If a comparison of the second read to the expected containers' inventory still does not match, the containers may be recirculated through the tunnel system or may be diverted to an exceptions audit depending on how the system is configured.

A device and method for detection of wear of a sliding contact which may be displaced along a brushgear, includes a sensor and a measurement indicator designed for detection by the sensor. The sensor and the measurement indicator approach or move away from each other by a shortening of the sliding contact caused by wear, and a brushgear system. The problem of enabling simple, reliable detection of the practically complete wear of the sliding contact is addressed by the sensor being designed for contactless and/or contacting detection of the measurement indicator, and by means of a brushgear system having a device of this kind, and also a method of this kind in which the sensor detects the measurement indicator becoming closer to the sensor contactlessly and/or contactingly and, when a threshold value for a predetermined wear of the sliding contact is exceeded, issues a warning signal.

A radio frequency identification (RFID) system first interrogates, in a first mode, one or more particular target zones of the plurality of target zones including a given target zone. Each particular target zone is interrogated with one of the antennas at a time at a first power for the particular target zone. The RFID system monitors, upon first interrogating, for a trigger condition to occur. In response to the trigger condition not occurring, the RFID system continues the first interrogation in the first mode. In response to the trigger condition occurring, the RFID system second interrogates the given target zone in a second mode at a second power with a plurality of the antennas. The second power for the given target zone is greater in an aggregate across the second interrogating antennas than the first power for the given target zone.

A communication method includes: performing carrier sensing at a predetermined time interval; transmitting first data including ID information of a current radio tag to an access point when a signal transmitted by another radio tag to the access point is not detected during the performing of the carrier sensing and the current radio tag is not in a transmission stop state; interpreting a command included in a signal, when the signal is detected during the performing of the carrier sensing and is not a signal transmitted by another radio tag to the access point, the interpreting being performed under an assumption that the signal detected is a signal transmitted from the access point; and changing the radio frequency of a signal to be transmitted by the current radio tag, when the interpreting shows that the signal includes a command instructing changing of a frequency.

An RFID receiver (1) comprises an antenna (11) configured to receive a radio signal (20) from an RFID transmitter (2) and to generate an electrical signal (110) from the radio signal (20) received from the RFID transmitter (2). A decoder circuit (10) is connected to the antenna (11) and configured to extract from the electrical signal (110) generated by the antenna (11) data bits encoded in the electrical signal (110). The decoder circuit (10) comprises an analog-to-digital converter (12) connected directly to the antenna (11) and configured to generate a digital input signal (13) from the electrical signal (110) generated by the antenna (11). A bit extractor (14) is connected to the analog-to-digital converter (12) and configured to extract the data bits from the digital input (13) signal generated by the analog-to-digital converter (12).

A system having a UHF RFID transceiver is adapted to communicate exclusively with a single electro-magnetically coupled transponder located in a predetermined confined transponder operating region. The system includes a near field coupling device comprising a plurality of lines connected in parallel with an unmatched load. The near field coupling device may be formed, for example on a printed circuit board with a plurality of electrically interconnected traces and a ground plane. The system establishes, at predetermined transceiver power levels, a mutual electro-magnetic coupling which is selective exclusively for a single transponder located in a defined transponder operating region. Also included are methods for selective communication with the transponder in an apparatus such as a printer-encoder.

A portable object includes an antenna and a processor coupled to the antenna. The processor is configured to communicate with an item of equipment according to a contactless communication protocol that contains an anticollision procedure. The processor is also configured to execute a plurality of software modules. The software modules include application modules and a triggering module, which is configured to cause a triggering of the anticollision procedure between the single portable object and the item of equipment. The processor is configured to cause a signal, which is generated by executing the triggering module, to be transmitted from the antenna to the time of equipment.

A payment card reader for reading integrated circuit (IC) payment cards is disclosed. The payment card reader includes a microcontroller having non-programmable logic, coupled with a data input from the IC payment card, configured to effect a first implementation of a communication standard for communication between the microprocessor and the IC payment card, the non-programmable logic comprising a non-programmable hardware timer. The microcontroller also includes extensible logic, coupled with the data input via a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pin, the extensible logic configured to include an extensible timer and interrupt logic, the extensible timer and interrupt logic for use with the non-programmable logic and the data input to effect a second implementation of the communication standard for communication between the microprocessor and the IC payment card.

A tag reading device includes an external interface, an RFID interface, a buffer memory, and a processor. The external interface communicates with a higher-level device. The RFID interface reads tag information from an RFID tag. The buffer memory sequentially records the tag information read from the RFID tag using the RFID interface. The processor transmits the tag information recorded in order in the buffer memory to the higher-level device via the external interface, and updates a transmission start pointer indicating untransmitted tag information in the buffer memory.