IDENTIFICATION ELEMENT HAVING AN OPTICAL TRANSPONDER

• US 20110163844A1
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gerd Reime
• Original Assignee: Gerd Reime
• Inventors: Reime, Gerd
• Granted Patent: US 10,229,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0728 the arrangement being an optical or sound-based communication interface
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00785 by light
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission

Abstract

An identification element has a transponder with a data-emitting transmission unit and with a data-receiving reception unit in order to communicate with a device for registering and/or controlling access authorization to spaces or objects. In addition, a control circuit is provided for the transmission unit and reception unit. The transponder is an optical transponder (1.1), the transmission unit of which is a light-emitting transmission unit (1.3) and the reception unit of which is a light-receiving reception unit (1.4). The optical transponder and an autonomous power supply are integrated into the identification element. The identification element is in the shape of a name plate or of an identification element of comparable size which is assigned to an object or body or is to be supported thereon. By virtue of the fact that the transmission unit (1.3) of the optical transponder (1.1) is operated by the control circuit (2.5) in such a way that it transmits optical pulses of less than or equal to 100 nanoseconds repeatedly per second and that the identification element is batteryless, a very small optical transponder is provided which requires little energy and no batteries.

Claims

1. An identification element having a transponder incorporating a data sending transmitter unit for communication with a device for at least one of detecting or controlling access authorisation to areas or objects, and a control circuit for the transmitter unit,

wherein the transponder is an optical transponder and the transmitter unit thereof is a light emitting transmitter unit which automatically sends out optical signals continuously at least periodically,

wherein an autonomous power supply is provided, wherein the optical transponder and the autonomous power supply are integrated into the identification element, and

wherein the identification element is in the form of a name tag or an identification element of comparable size which is associated with or is to be carried on an object or a body,

wherein the transmitter unit of the optical transponder is operated by the control circuit in such a manner that it sends out optical pulses of less than or equal to 100 nanoseconds several times per second, and in that the autonomous power supply is not a battery.

2. An identification element in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one solar cell forms the autonomous power supply.

3. An identification element in accordance with claim 2, wherein a charging circuit for charging a secondary rechargeable battery is associated with the at least one solar cell, said charging circuit supplying energy preferentially to the transmitter unit when the secondary rechargeable battery is flat prior to supplying energy for charging the secondary rechargeable battery.

4. An identification element in accordance with claim 2, wherein the control circuit controls the receiver unit in such a way that it is switched to be active for a certain time period after the sending of a data signal.

5. An identification element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the optical transponder comprises a memory unit and a programming device.

6. An identification element in accordance with claim 5, wherein the memory unit can be influenced by the programming device as a consequence of data received by a receiver unit provided at the identification element and receiving data via light.

7. An identification element in accordance with claim 1, wherein data in the optical transponder can be influenced by bi-directional communication with the device for at least one of detecting or controlling the access authorization.

8. An identification element in accordance with claim 1, wherein optical signals for the data words “

0” and

“

1”

have the same signal lengths.

9. An identification element in accordance with claim 8, wherein the signal length amounts to less than 100 ns.

10. An identification element in accordance with claim 8 wherein the optical signals for the data words “

0” and

“

1”

are distinguished by the subsequent break.

16. An identification element in accordance with claim 1, wherein a receiver unit is provided which is receiving data via light and which is controlled by the control circuit.

17. An identification element in accordance with claim 7, wherein the data in the optical transponder can be changed by the control circuit as a consequence of the data received by the receiver unit.

12-14. -14. (canceled)

15. Method for recognizing an identification element provided with an optical transponder comprising the steps:

recognizing the optical transponder,

recognizing the RFID number of a magnetic transponder,

in the event that the optical transponder is unallocated, recognizing the RFID number of the magnetic transponder and associating the RFID number of the magnetic transponder with the ID number of the optical transponder,

in the event that the optical transponder has been allocated, outputting the system-specific RFID number of the existing magnetic transponder that is associated with the optical ID number and

identifying the identification element.