System for identifying particular objects

• US 4,739,328 A
• Filed: 07/14/1986
• Issued: 04/19/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TC License Limited
• Original Assignee: Amtech Corporation (McClarin Plastics LLC)
• Inventors: Koelle, Alfred R., Landt, Jeremy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US06/885,248
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 342/44, 342/51
• US Class Current: 342/44
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/04 Indicating or recording train identities
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/045 using reradiating tags
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/758 using a signal generator powered by the interrogation signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26 Systems using multi-frequency codes H04L27/32 takes precedence

Abstract

A reader interrogates an object. The object has a tag with a data source such as a read-only memory (ROM) which produces an identifying sequence of binary 1'"'"'s and 0'"'"'s in an individual pattern and transmits these signals to the reader. Each "1" or "0" is converted to a plurality of signal cycles at first and second harmonic frequencies. For example, a "1" may be identified by two signal cycles at the second frequency (e.g. 40 kHz) and then one signal cycle at the first frequency (e.g. 20 kHz) and a "0" may be identified by a signal cycle at the first frequency and then two signal cycles at the second frequency. The transponder also produces a plurality of signal cycles in an individual code (different from any combination of "1'"'"'s" and "0'"'"'s") to indicate the end of the transmission of the signal cycles identifying the object and the start of another transmission. The reader receives the signal cycles identifying the object and delays these signal cycles by (a) a first time such as 1/4 period of a cycle at the second frequency, (b) a second time such as 1/2 of such period and (c) a third time corresponding to such period. The reader compares the received signals and the first delayed signals to produce first phase-locked signals. The reader compares the received signals and the second delayed signals to produce additional phase-locked signals at the times that the first phase-locked signals are not produced. The reader then produces clock signals from the first and additional phase-locked signals. The reader produces information signals from a comparison of the received signals and the third delayed signals. The reader synchronizes the information signals with the lock signals to identify the object.

Claims

1. In combination in a system including a reader and a transponder displaced from the reader for identifying an object associated with the transponder,

means at the reader for transmitting interrogating signals at a particular frequency to the transponder,

means disposed at the transponder and responsive to the interrogating signals for generating successive pluralities of signal cycles in a pattern individual to the object, the signal cycles in each plurality including signal cycles at both first and second frequencies in a pattern representative of a binary "1" or a binary "0",

means disposed at the transponder for transmitting the successive pluralities of signal cycles at the first and second frequencies to the reader, and

means at the reader for decoding the pattern of the frequencies of the signal cycles in each of the successive pluralities to identify the object.

2. In a combination as set forth in claim 1,

the generating means including means providing initially at least one signal cycle at the first frequency and subsequently a signal cycle at the second frequency in individual ones of the pluralities to represent a binary "1" and providing initially at least one signal cycle at the second frequency and subsequently at least one signal cycle at the first frequency in other ones of the pluralities to represent a binary "0".

3. In combination as set forth in claim 1,

the first frequency being a harmonic of the second frequency,

the generating means including means providing intially a particular number of signal cycles at the second frequency and subsequently a signal cycle at the second frequency in individual ones of the pluralities to represent a binary "1" and providing initially at least one signal cycle at the first frequency and subsequently the particular number of signal cycles at the second frequency in other ones of the pluralities to represent a binary "1", the particular number of signal cycles at the first frequencies in each plurality being dependent upon the harmonic relationship between the first and second frequencies.

4. In a combination as set forth in claim 3,

the generating means generating signals of the same time duration to represent a binary "0" as to represent a binary "1 ".

5. In combination in a system including a reader and a transponder displaced from the reader for identifying an object associated with the transponder,

means at the reader for transmitting interrogating signals at a particular frequency to the transponder,

means disposed at the transpnder and responsive to the interrogating signals for generating successive pluralities of signals cycles in a pattern individual to the object, the signal cycles in each plurality including one signal cycle at a first frequency and two signal cycles at a second frequency constituting the second harmonic of the first frequency, the signal cycles at the second frequency preceding the signal cycle at the first frequency in each plurality representatitve of a binary "1" and the signal cycles at the first frequency preceding the signal cycle at the second frequency for each plurality representing a binary "0",

means at the transponder for transmitting the successive pluralities of signal cycles at the first and second frequencies to the reader, and

means at the reader for decoding the pattern of the frequencies of the signal cycles in each of the successive pluralities to identify the object.

6. In a combination as set forth in claim 5,

means at the transponder for generating an individual pattern of signal cycles at the first and second frequencies to identify the end of the successive pluralities of signal cycles generated at the first and second frequencies and identifying the object, and

means at the reader for decoding the individual pattern of the signal cycles at the cycles at the first and second frequencies to identify the end of the successive pluralities of signal cycles generated at the first and second frequencies and idnetifying the object.

7. In a combination as set forth in claim 5,

means at the transponder for generating, at the end of the successive pluralities of signals at the first and second frequencies, a sequence of signal cycles having a greater number of successive signal cycles at the second frequency than that represented by any combination of signal cycles coding for sequential 1'"'"'s and 0'"'"'s in the successive pluralities, and

means at the reader for decoding the sequence of signal cycles to identify the end of the successive pluralities of signal cycles at the first and second frequencies.

8. In a combination as set forth in claim 6,

the generating means including means for generating the sequence comprising six signal cycles at the second frequency and one signal cycle at the first frequency to identify the end of the successive pluralities of signal cycles at the first and second frequencies and the start of another such generation of such successive pluralities.

9. In a combination as recited in claim 6,

the means for generating the pattern of the signals to identify the end of the successive pluralities of signal cycles including means for generating the signals at the first and second frequencies in an individual pattern different from a binary "1" or a binary "0" or any combination of a binary "1" or a binary "0" and occurring in a time period constituting an integral multiple of the time period for generating the signals representing a binary "1" or representing a binary "0".

10. In a combination as set forth in claim 9,

the generating means including means for generating six (6) successive signals at the second frequency and then one (1) signal at the first frequency to identify the end of the successive pluralities of signal cycles generated at the first and second frequencies and identifying the object.

11. In a combination as recited in claim 6,

means disposed at the reader and responsive to the decoding of the end of the successive pluralities of signal cycles generated at the first and second frequencies and identifying the object for generating the successive pluralities of signal cycles at the first and second frequencies to identify the object.

12. In combination in a system including a reader and a transponder displaced from the reader for identifying an object associated with the transponder,

means at the reader for interrogating the transponder,

means disposed at the transponder and responsive to the interrogation from the reader for generating successive pluralities of signal cycles in an individual pattern identifying the object, the signal cycles in each plurality having patterns of signal cycles at both first and second frequencies to identify a binary "1" or a binary "0",

means for transmitting the successive pluralities of signal cycles to the reader,

means at the reader for receiving the transmitted signal cycles,

means at the reader for delaying the successive pluralities of the received signal cycles by a first delay time,

first means at the reader for comparing the received signal cycles and the signal cycles delayed by the first delay time to obtain a demodulation of the information represented by the signal cycles in the successive pluralities,

means at the reader for delaying the successive pluralities of the received signal cycles by a second delay time different from the first delay time,

second means at the reader for comparing the received signal cycles and the signal cycles delayed by the second delay time to generate phase-locked signals,

means responsive at the reader to the phase-locked signals for generating clock signal cycles at the reader to facilitate the decoding of the information represented by the signal cycles in the successive pluralities,

means at the reader for delaying the successive pluralities of the received signal cycles by a third delay time different from the first and second delay times,

third means at the reader for comparing the received signal cycles and the signal cycles delayed by the third delay time to generate control signals, and

means responsive to the control signals for generating additional phase-locked signals at times synchronous with the pahse-locked signals generated by the second comparing means to facilitate the generation of the clock signal cycles on a periodic basis.

13. In a combination as set forth in claim 12, wherein

the first delay means includes means for delaying the received signal cycles by a period of time corresponding to the time for the production of a signal cycle at the second frequency,

the second delay means includes means for delaying the received signal cycles by a period corresponding to one fourth (1/4) of the first delay time, and

the the third delay means includes means for delaying the received signal cycles by a period corresponding to one half (1/2) of the first delay time.

14. In a combination as set forth in claim 13,

switching means having first and second states of operation,

means responsive to the control signal cycles from the third comparing means for obtaining a controlled operation of the switching means in the first and second states in accordance with the pattern of such control signal cycles, and

the means for generating the additional phase-locked signal cycles includes means responsive to each operation of the switching means in the second state for generating the additional phase-locked signal cycles.

15. In combination in a reader for identifying an object associated with a transponder displaced from the reader wherein the transponder generates, in a particular pattern identifying the object, pluralities of signal cycles at first an second frequencies in a first sequence to identify a binary "0" and in a second sequence, different from the first sequence, to identify a binary "1" and transmits the pluralities of signal cycles in the particular pattern of the first and second sequences to the reader,

first means for receiving the pluralities of signal cycles in the particular pattern of the first and second sequences,

second means for comparing the received pluralities of signal cycles and the received pluralities of signal cycles delayed by a first time period to detect the information coded by the received pluralities of signal cycles,

third means for comparing the received pluralities of signal cycles and the received pluralities of signal cycles delayed by a second time period different from the first time period to generate phase-locked signals,

fourth means for comparing the received pluralities of signal cycles and the received pluralities of signal cycles delayed by a third time period different from the first and second time periods to generate additional phase-locked signal cycles at times different from the phase-locked signals generated by the third means, and

fifth means responsive to the phase-locked locked signals generated by third and fourth means for synchronizing the detection of the information generated by the received pluralities of signals with the generation of the phase-locked signals and the additional phase-locked signals.

16. In a combination as set forth in claim 15,

switching means having first and second states of operation,

the fourth means including means for maintaining the switching means in the second state of operation, and

means responsive to the operation of the switching means in the second state for generating the additional phase-locked signals,

the third means being operative to generate the phase-locked signals when the switching means is in the first state.

17. In a combination as set forth in claim 16,

the means for generating the additional phase-locked signals including a capacitance responsive to the operation of the switching means in the first state for becoming charged and responsive to the operation of the switching means in the second state for discharging to generate the additional phase-locked signals.

18. In a combination as set forth in claim 15,

low pass digital filter means responsive to the demodulated signals for eliminating noise signals.

19. In combination in a reader for identifying an object associated with a transponder displaced from the reader wherein the transponder generates, in a particular pattern identifying the object, pluralities of signal cycles at first and second frequencies in a first sequence to identify a binary "0" and in a second sequence, different from the first sequence, to identify a binary "1" and transmits the signal cycles in the particular pattern of the first and second sequences to the reader,

means for receiving signals in the particular pattern of the first and second sequences,

means for delaying the signal cycles for a first particular time period related to the first and second frequencies,

means for delaying the signal cycles for a second particular time period related to the first and second frequencies but different from the first particular time period,

means for delaying the signal cycles for a third particular time period related to the first and second frequencies but different from the first and second particular time periods,

means for comparing the received signal cycles and the signal cycles delayed by the first time period for generating phase-locked signals,

means for comparing the received signals and the signals delayed by the second time period for generating additional phase lock signals at the times not generated by the first comparing means,

means for comparing the received signal cycles and the signal cycles delayed by the third time period for generating demodulated signals, and

means responsive to the demodulated signals and the phase-locked signal cycles and the additional phase-locked signal cycles for recovering the code identifying the object.

20. In a combination as set forth in claim 19,

the first delaying means including means for providing a delay of one fourth (1/4) of the period represented by one of the signal cycles at the second frequency,

the second dealying means including means for providing a delay of one half (1/2) of such period, and

the third delaying means including means for providing a delay of such period.

21. In a combination as set forth in claim 19,

means for responding to the signal cycles at the first and second frequencies to indicate when the particular pattern of the first and second sequences has been completed.

22. In a combination as set forth in claim 20,

the transponder generating a plurality of signal cycles in a third sequence of signal cycles at the first and second frequencies where the third sequence is different from any combination of the first and second sequences to identify an object, and

means at the reader for responding to the third sequence of signal cycles to indicate when the particular pattern of the first and second sequences has been completed.

23. In combination in a system for identifying an object,

means displaced from the object for transmitting interrogating signals to the object,

means responsive at the object to the interrogating signals for generating signals in a first pattern of signals at first and second frequencies representative of a binary "1" and in a second pattern of signals at the first and second frequencies representative of a binary "0", the first frequency being a harmonic of the second frequency and the duration of the signals representing a binary "0" being the same as the duration of the signals representing a binary "1",

means disposed at the object for transmitting the successive pluralities of signals at the first and second frequencies in representation of the binary "0'"'"'s" and the binary "1'"'"'s",

means at the displaced position for receiving the transmitted signals, and

means at the displaced position for decoding the received signals to identify the pattern of binary "0'"'"'s" and binary "1'"'"'s" represented by such signals.

24. In a combination as set forth in claim 23,

the generating means including means for generating a greater number of signals at the first frequency than at the second frequency for each binary "1" and binary "0" by a ratio corresponding to the ratio of the first and second frequencies.

25. In a combination as set forth in claim 24,

the first frequency being the second harmonic of the second frequency and the number of signals at the first frequency being twice as great as the number of signals at the second frequency.

26. In a combination asset forth in claim 25,

the generating means generating two (2) signals at the first frequency and then one (1) signal at the second frequency to represent a binary "1" and generating one (1) signal at the second frequency and then two (2) signals at the first frequency to represent a binary "0".

27. In combination in a reader for identifying an object associated with a transponder displaced from the reader wherein the transponder generates, in a particular pattern identifying the object, pluralities of signal cycles at first and second frequencies in a first sequence to identify a binary "1" and in a second sequence, different from the first sequence, to identify a binary "0"

switching means having first and second states of operation and normally being operative in the first state,

charge storage means,

means responsive to the operation of the switching means in the first state for charging the charge storage means,

means responsive to first particular patterns of the signals in the first and second states for generating phase-locked signals at a particular frequency,

means responsive to second particular patterns of the signals in the first and second states for obtaining an operation of the switching means in the second state,

means responsive to the operation of the switching means in the second state for obtaining a discharge of the charge storage means, and

means responsive to the discharge of the charge storage means for obtaining the generation of additional phase-locked signals at the particular frequency.

28. In a combination as set forth in claim 27,

means responsive to the phase-locked signals and the additional phase-locked signals and the pluralities of signals generated by the transponder for identifying the object associated with the transponder.

29. In a combination as set forth in claim 27,

the means for generating the phase-locked signals including means responsive to the signals at the first and second frequencies in the particular pattern and responsive to such signals delayed by a first particular time for passing the phase-locked signals at each instant in accordance with the relative amplitudes at such instant of such signals and such delayed signals,

the means for generating the additional phase-locked signals including means responsive to the signals at the first and second frequencies in the particular pattern and responsive to such signals delayed by a second particular time different from the first particular time for passing the additional phase-locked signals at each instant in accordance with the relative amplitudes at such instant of such signals and such delayed signals.

30. In a combination as set forth in claim 29, including,

the first frequency being the second harmonic of the second frequency,

means for delaying the signals at the first and second frquencies in the particular pattern by one-fourth of the time period of signals at the first frequency to provide the signals delayed by the first particular time, and

means for delaying the signals at the first and second frequencies in the particular pattern by one half of the time period of the signals at the second frequency to provide the signals delayed by the second particular time.