Tag reader with diagnostic tag and an industrial vehicle incorporating the same

• US 10,515,237 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Inventors: Steinbrunner, Cole, Mallak, Thomas L., Meiring, Donald T., Walton, Daniel D., Sherman, Nicholas J., Grannan, James Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Alunkal, Thomas D
• Application Number:
  US15/782,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20180039799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/10 movable in a horizontal direction relative to truck
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

An industrial vehicle comprising a tag reader, a reader module, and a diagnostic tag, wherein the diagnostic tag is coupled to the industrial truck within a read range of the tag reader. The reader module and the tag reader cooperate to identify the diagnostic tag and individual tags of a tag layout and the reader module discriminates between the individual tags of the tag layout and the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout, correlates an identified individual tag of the tag layout with tag data, correlates an identified diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader, and generates a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

Claims

1. An industrial vehicle comprising:

a steering mechanism;

a vehicle drive mechanism;

a tag reader;

a reader module; and

a diagnostic tag, wherein

the diagnostic tag is positioned on the industrial vehicle within a read range R of the tag reader such that the tag reader is responsive to the diagnostic tag,

the tag reader is further responsive to individual tags of a tag layout positioned in the vicinity of the industrial vehicle within the read range R of the tag reader,

the reader module discriminates between the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout,

the reader module correlates an identified individual RFID tag of the tag

layout with tag data and the diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader, and

power to the diagnostic tag is disabled for a read interval when the tag reader receives a tag read signal indicative of another tag in the tag layout.

2. The industrial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the reader module modulates power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag is inactive during identification of the individual tags of the tag layout.

3. The industrial vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the industrial vehicle comprises two or more diagnostic tags;

the tag reader comprises two or more read antennas;

each read antenna comprises a read range;

each individual diagnostic tag is within the read range of an individual read antenna;

each read antenna generates a tag read signal upon receiving a diagnostic signal transmitted by the individual diagnostic tag within its respective read range; and

the reader module discriminates between read antennas, and generates a missing tag signal if one of the read antennas does not generate a tag read signal corresponding to the diagnostic tag within its respective read range or the tag reader is not operating within specified operating parameters.

4. The industrial vehicle of claim 3 wherein the reader module toggles between each read antenna such that only one read antenna is enabled at a time to identify if the read antenna does not generate a tag read signal corresponding to the diagnostic tag within its respective read range or the tag reader is not operating within specified operating parameters.

5. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein:

the diagnostic tag comprises a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

the passive RFID tag comprises an antenna circuit and a data chip; and

the reader module modulates power to the diagnostic tag such that power is applied to the antenna circuit during the identification of the individual tags to disable the passive RFID tag.

6. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein:

the diagnostic tag comprises an active radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

the active RFID tag comprises an antenna circuit, a data chip, and a power circuit; and

the reader module modulates power to the diagnostic tag such that power is removed from the power circuit during the identification of the individual tags to disable the active RFID tag.

7. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the operating parameters comprise received signal strength of the received diagnostic signal, signal delay between transmission of the received diagnostic signal by the diagnostic tag and receipt of the received diagnostic signal by the tag reader, waveform shape of the received diagnostic signal, signal parity, signal attenuation, or combinations thereof.

8. The industrial vehicle of claim 3 wherein the generation of the missing tag signal brings the industrial vehicle to a stop.

9. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the reader module executes a diagnostic routine to identify a fault when the tag reader fails to generate a tag read signal in the diagnostic routine or when a diagnostic signal from the diagnostic tag is not within specified operating parameters.

10. The industrial vehicle of claim 9 wherein the specified operating parameters comprise received signal strength of the received diagnostic signal, signal delay between transmission of the received signal by the diagnostic tag and receipt of the received signal by the tag reader, waveform shape of the received signal, signal parity, signal attenuation, or combinations thereof.

11. The industrial vehicle of claim 9 wherein the fault is indicated by a flashing light, an audible tone from a sound device, disabling the RFID reader, or combinations thereof.

12. The industrial vehicle of claim 9 wherein the fault is indicated by a visual alert on a display of the RFID reader.

19. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

modulating power to the diagnostic tag in one of four diagnostic modes comprising an always on mode, a smart mode, a smart modulation mode, and an always off mode such that the diagnostic tag does not interfere with the identification of the individual tags of the tag layout;

maintaining power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag transmits a diagnostic signal at regular intervals when in the always on mode; and

disabling or removing power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag does not transmit a diagnostic signal when in the always off mode;

wherein power to the diagnostic tag is disabled for the read interval in response to the tag reader receiving the tag read signal indicative of another tag in the tag layout when the diagnostic tag is in the smart mode.

13. A method for identifying a fault in a RFID system of an industrial vehicle, the RFID system comprising a tag reader, a diagnostic tag, and a reader module, the method comprising:

initializing the tag reader;

identifying the diagnostic tag positioned on the industrial vehicle and individual tags of a tag layout through the cooperation of the tag reader and reader module;

enabling the diagnostic tag;

modulating power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag does not interfere with the identification of the individual tags of the tag layout;

maintaining power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag transmits a diagnostic signal at regular intervals when in an always on mode;

discriminating between the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout; and

correlating an identified individual RFID tag of the tag layout with tag data and the diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader.

14. The method of claim 13 comprising generating a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified while it is enabled or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

15. The method of claim 13 comprising:

generating a tag read signal for the duration of identification of the individual tag of the tag layout;

starting a delay timer upon cessation of the generation of the tag read signal; and

enabling the diagnostic tag after a delay time elapses.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

modulating power to the diagnostic tag in one of four diagnostic modes comprising the always on mode, a smart mode, a smart modulation mode, and an always off mode such that the diagnostic tag does not interfere with the identification of the individual tags of the tag layout; and

disabling or removing power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag does not transmit a diagnostic signal when in the always off mode.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising disabling or removing power to the diagnostic tag for a read interval when the tag reader receives a tag read signal indicative of another tag in the tag layout when in the smart mode.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising disabling or removing power to the diagnostic tag for a read interval when the tag reader receives a tag read signal indicative of another tag in the tag layout, and for addition periodic, regular intervals to search for one or more tag read signals from one or more other tags, when in the smart modulation mode to prevent or reduce the likelihood of masking the one or more tag read signals from the one or more other tags.

20. A method for identifying a fault in a RFID system of an industrial vehicle, the RFID system comprising a tag reader, a diagnostic tag, and a reader module, the method comprising:

initializing the tag reader;

identifying the diagnostic tag positioned on the industrial vehicle and individual tags of a tag layout through the cooperation of the tag reader and reader module;

enabling the diagnostic tag;

modulating power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag does not interfere with the identification of the individual tags of the tag layout;

disabling power to the diagnostic tag for a read interval when the tag reader receives a tag read signal indicative of another tag in the tag layout when the diagnostic tag is in a smart mode;

discriminating between the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout; and

correlating an identified individual RFID tag of the tag layout with tag data and the diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

generating a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified while it is enabled or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

22. The method of claim 20 comprising:

generating a tag read signal for the duration of identification of the individual tag of the tag layout;

starting a delay timer upon cessation of the generation of the tag read signal; and

enabling the diagnostic tag after a delay time elapses.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

modulating power to the diagnostic tag in one of four diagnostic modes comprising an always on mode, the smart mode, a smart modulation mode, and an always off mode such that the diagnostic tag does not interfere with the identification of the individual tags of the tag layout;

maintaining power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag transmits the diagnostic signal at regular intervals when in the always on mode; and

disabling or removing power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag does not transmit a diagnostic signal when in the always off mode.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

disabling or removing power to the diagnostic tag for the read interval when the tag reader receives the tag read signal indicative of another tag in the tag layout, and for addition periodic, regular intervals to search for one or more tag read signals from one or more other tags, when in the smart modulation mode to prevent or reduce the likelihood of masking the one or more tag read signals from the one or more other tags.