Electronic device and method for RFID
AssigneeTexas Instruments Deutschland GmbH
InventorsOliver Nehrig, Dirk Preikszat
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronic device comprising a first node to be coupled to a first antenna, a second node coupled to a second antenna, a third node to be coupled to a third antenna, a first comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to a second node, a second comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to the third node, a third comparator coupled with a first input to the second node and with a second input to the third node. Each of the first, the second and the third comparators are configured to compare a first current and a second current at the first input and the second input.
Claims5
An electronic device comprising:
- a first node to be coupled to a first antenna;
- a second node to be coupled to a second antenna;
- a third node to be coupled to a third antenna;
- a first comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to a second node;
- a second comparator coupled with a first input to the first node and with a second input to the third node;
- and
- a third comparator coupled with a first input to the second node and with a second input to the third node, wherein each of the first, the second and the third comparator is configured to compare a first current and a second current at the first input and the second input, wherein each of the first, second and third comparators comprises a current mirror, a first and a second transistor receiving a bias voltage at their control gate, the first transistor is coupled with one side of a channel to one current path of the current mirror and the second transistor is coupled with one side of the channel to another current path of the current mirror, the other side of the channel of the first transistor is the first input of the comparator, the other side of the channel of the second transistor is the second input of the comparator and the second side of the channel of the second transistor is the output node of the comparator.
A method of operating an RFID transponder comprising a first node to be coupled to a first antenna, a second node to be coupled to a second antenna, a third node to be coupled to a third antenna, the method comprising:
- comparing a current into the first node with a current into the second node;
- comparing the current into the first node with a current into the third node;
- comparing the current into the second node with the current into the third node, wherein the steps of comparing comprise comparing;
- a first current and a second current at a first input and a second input, wherein each of first, second and third comparators comprises a current mirror;
- passing a first current from one side of the current mirror through one side of a channel on the first transistor;
- passing a second current from another side of the current mirror through one side of a channel of a second transistor;
- biasing control gates of the first and second transistors with a bias voltage;
- coupling one input to the comparator to a second side of the channel for the first transistor;
- coupling another input to the comparator to a second side of the channel for the second transistor, wherein an output of the comparator is at the first side of the channel of the second transistor;
- and
- selecting the antenna based on the three comparison results.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.