PROPAGATION OF DATA THROUGHOUT AN AREA USING DISTRIBUTED TRANSPONDERS AND SCANNERS WITH RELATIVE MOVEMENT

• US 20080160907A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Estevez, Leonardo
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.05
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A method is provided for propagating data among multiple locations in an area. The method includes using a plurality of transponders distributed throughout the area, each able to receive, store, and transmit data. The method further includes using scanners moving relative to the transponders, and able to transfer data to and from these transponders over a wide or limited range. When a scanner encounters a transponder (becomes close enough for data communication), it reads data from the transponder and writes data to the transponder, including data read from prior encounters with other transponders. Data written to a transponder by a scanner may include data associated with that scanner, including but not limited to one or more of identification, speed, direction, and time stamp. The method thus propagates data among transponders and makes this transponder data available to scanners as they encounter these transponders. The method propagates data throughout an area without a requirement for a wired or wireless connection between and among the transponders, at a speed dependent on the number of and speed of scanners moving within the area. The method further includes optionally connecting a subset of transponders with a wired or wireless network to more quickly propagate data over the area, while still not requiring every transponder be connected to this network. The method further includes using RFID tags, both adapted and non-adapted to the specific application, as the transponders, and RFID scanners to write to and read from these RFID tags.

Claims

1. A method for propagating data across an area, comprising:

providing a plurality of transponders at locations in an area, each transponder operable to receive, store, and transmit data;

providing at least one scanner operable to receive, store, and transmit data;

transferring data associated with a first one of said transponders from said first transponder to said at least one scanner;

moving said at least one scanner relative to said plurality of transponders;

transferring said data associated with said first transponder from said at least one scanner to a second one of said transponders;

transferring data associated with said second transponder from said second transponder to said at least one scanner;

moving said at least one scanner relative to said plurality of transponders; and

transferring said data associated with said first transponder and said data associated with said second transponder from said at least one scanner to a third one of said transponders;

whereby data associated with transponders is propagated among said plurality of transponders, and may further be transferred from one or more of said plurality of transponders to said at least one scanner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of transferring data associated with said first transponder to said at least one scanner further comprises;

transferring data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner to said first transponder;

adding said data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner to said data associated with said first transponder;

whereby said data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner is propagated from said first transponder to said second one of said transponders and said third one of said transponders as described in claim 1.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transferring said data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner from said at least one scanner to at least one transponder, only when said at least one scanner is within a limited distance of said at least one transponder;

whereby presence of said data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner on said at least one transponder indicates that said at least one scanner was within said limited distance of said at least one transponder.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

including time stamp data in the data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner;

whereby presence of said data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner on said at least one transponder indicates that said at least one scanner was within said limited distance of said at least one transponder at the time denoted by said time stamp data.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

including scanner speed data in the data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner;

whereby presence of said data associated with and identifying said at least one scanner on said at least one transponder indicates that said at least one scanner was within said limited distance of said at least one transponder at the time denoted by said time stamp data and was moving at said speed at said time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring data between two or more of said plurality of transponders using an electronic data communication link,

whereby data associated with a first one of said transponders so linked to another one or more transponders may be rapidly transferred to said one or more transponders.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of transponders is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one scanner is an RFID scanner.

9. A method for propagating time, speed and position data associated with vehicles on a roadway which may be a road, track or similar guiding mechanism, so as to make data on traffic conditions available to drivers of other vehicles or other persons desiring such data, comprising;

providing a plurality of RFID tags at known locations along a roadway, each RFID tag operable to receive, store, and transmit data;

providing a plurality of RFID scanners, one per vehicle so equipped, operable to receive, store, and transmit data, and with at least one RFID scanner equipped vehicle traveling in a first direction along the roadway and at least one RFID scanner equipped vehicle traveling in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction;

providing time, speed, and direction data to the RFID scanner in each respective vehicle;

transferring time, speed, and direction data associated with a first vehicle, traveling in said first direction, from the RFID scanner in said first vehicle to a first RFID tag, and transferring previously-stored data from said first RFID tag to said RFID scanner in said first vehicle, when said RFID scanner in said first vehicle passes within communication range of said first RFID tag;

transferring time, speed, and direction data associated with a second vehicle, traveling in said second direction, from the RFID scanner in said second vehicle to said first RFID tag, and transferring previously-stored data, including time, speed and direction data from said first vehicle traveling in said first direction, from said first RFID tag to said RFID scanner in said second vehicle, when said RFID scanner in said second vehicle passes within communication range of said first RFID tag;

moving said RFID scanner in said first vehicle relative to said plurality of RFID tags so as to become within communication range of a second RFID tag at some distance further along the roadway in the first direction;

transferring time, speed, and direction data associated with said first vehicle, and data associated with said first RFID tag as transferred during communication between said first vehicle and said first RFID tag, from the RFID scanner in said first vehicle to said second RFID tag, and transferring previously-stored data from said second RFID tag to said RFID scanner in said first vehicle;

moving said RFID scanner in said second vehicle relative to said plurality of RFID tags so as to become within communication range of a third RFID tag at some distance further along the roadway in the second direction;

transferring current time, speed, and direction data associated with said second vehicle, and transferring previously-stored data associated with said first RFID tag, including time, speed, and direction data associated with said first vehicle, from the RFID scanner in said second vehicle to said third RFID tag, and transferring previously-stored data from said third RFID tag to said RFID scanner in said second vehicle;

moving said RFID scanner in said first vehicle in the first direction relative to said plurality of RFID tags so as to become within communication range of each subsequent RFID tag along the roadway, at each tag transferring current time, speed, and direction data associated with said first vehicle from the RFID scanner in said first vehicle to said each subsequent RFID tag, and transferring previously-stored data from prior RFID tag encounters to said each subsequent RFID tag;

moving said RFID scanner in said second vehicle in the second direction relative to said plurality of RFID tags so as to become within communication range of each subsequent RFID tag along the roadway, at each tag transferring current time, speed, and direction data associated with said second vehicle from the RFID scanner in said second vehicle to said each subsequent RFID tag, and transferring previously-stored data from prior RFID tag encounters to said each subsequent RFID tag;

whereby time, speed and direction data, at said first tag for said first vehicle traveling in said first direction, is propagated by said second vehicle, traveling in said second substantially opposite direction, to RFID tags along the roadway in the direction opposite the direction of said first vehicle, thus making available to a third vehicle traveling in the first direction data on traffic speed at said first RFID tag, and by extension, other RFID tags some distance ahead of said third vehicle;

whereby and also by extension, making available to a fourth vehicle traveling in the second direction data on traffic speed at said first RFID tag, and by extension, other RFID tags some distance ahead of said fourth vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

a data communication link connecting two or more of the RFID tags deployed along the roadway;

whereby the database of traffic speed at a plurality of RFID tags is more rapidly transferred some distance along the roadway than if transferred by movement of RFID scanners in vehicles.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

A data communication link connecting a data collection and display device such as a computer to one or more of said plurality of RFID tags.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

Sequentially numbering transponders along the roadway in a monotonic manner;

Computing direction data in the scanner by noting whether the most recently passed transponder numbers are increasing or decreasing;

Generating direction data I or D respectively;

Transferring this data I or D to transponders as they are encountered.

13. A system for propagating data across an area, comprising:

a plurality of transponders at locations in an area, operable to receive, store, and transmit data;

one or more scanners moving in the area relative to said plurality of transponders, and operable to move into communication range of a first of the plurality of transponders and transfer data between said scanner and said first transponder;

said one or more scanners operable to move into communication range of another of said plurality of transponders, and transfer data between said scanner and said another transponder, including data previously transferred to said scanner, and data from said another transponder.

whereby data is propagated among transponders across the area.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein scanners and/or transponders are adapted to intentionally limit the communication range between or among said scanners and transponders, whereby presence of data from a scanner on a transponder is indicative of that transponder and that scanner being within said limited range of each other at some time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the data associated with the scanner includes a scanner identification and a time stamp, whereby data on approximate time-dependent position for said scanner is propagated across an area and made available to other scanners as they read data from one or more transponders.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the data associated with the scanner includes scanner speed and a time stamp, whereby speed data and time-dependent position data for said scanner is propagated across an area and made available to other scanners as they read data from one or more transponders.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising an electronic data communication link operable to transfer data between a transponder and another transponder, whereby the data present on a transponder so linked to said another transponder may be rapidly transferred to said another transponder so as to be made available to scanners reading data from said another transponder.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more of the plurality of transponders is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the scanner is an RFID scanner.