Inductively coupled telemetry and actuation

The transmission of both power and data between a transmitter and receiver, using a single carrier communicating in the near field by means of a weak transformer action, is not new. The ability to transmit power as well as data enables remote electronic circuits to be powered via the coupled carrier frequency and hence remove the need for a battery cell or generator. Current RFID systems have a number of limitations the most important being the fact that they are functionally passive. They provide access to identification codes and other data but are not active in terms of sensing or interacting with the tag environment. This paper describes the development of an RFID technology which allows the tag to both sense it´s environment and affect change within that environment by means of actuation. It offers remote sensing and actuation from a variety of applications, using a batteryless inductively coupled method. This technology builds upon and extends the capabilities of radio frequency identification.