High power moving object identification system

• US 5,712,630 A
• Filed: 07/24/1995
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Misawa, Atsushi, Saeki, Takashi, Nagata, Masahiro, Yoshiyasu, Toshiaki, Kasho, Yasunori, Oono, Koji, Nii, Takayuki, Nanboku, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON JR, WILLIAM HALL
• Application Number:
  US08/506,196
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 342/42, 342/44, 342/50, 342/51, 340/825.54, 340/825.34, 340/825.69, 340/825.77, 340/825.53, 235/375
• US Class Current: 340/10.3
• 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: H04L 27/02 Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence

Abstract

A moving object identification system with a novel coding scheme achieves 75% transmission efficiency. With this system, a transmittable range is expanded. Logical value assignment for residual resonant oscillations in a residual resonant signal is performed by comparing a residual frequency with a threshold frequency. A wave energy reduction of an ASK modulated signal is used to decrease the energy of the signal in order to distinguish similar residual frequencies in the case of extremely close communication. Reliability of Write/Read instructions in this system is improved by employing a test writing before an actual writing and a voltage monitoring device.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a moving object comprising:

an interrogator transmitting an RF transmission signal indicative of transmission data;

a transponder adapted to be mounted on said moving object for transmitting an RF answer signal indicative of answer data available at said transponder to said interrogator upon receiving said transmission signal, said transponder including energy storing means which stores energy from said RF transmission signal for powering said transponder;

said interrogator comprising;

coding means for providing, from said transmission data, a coded signal in which one logical level of said transmission data is represented by a first series of binary digits and another logical level of said transmission data is represented by a second series of binary digits;

a carrier wave generator for generating a carrier wave; and

a modulator for modulating said carrier wave by said coded signal in an amplitude shift keying (ASK) technique to give an ASK modulated signal in which a binary digit "1" of said coded signal is represented by a maximum amplitude of said carrier wave and a binary digit "0" is represented by the absence of said carrier wave, said ASK modulated signal defining said transmission signal;

said transponder comprising;

a demodulator for demodulating said ASK modulated signal into a demodulated signal having a sequence of pulses of varying width; and

decoding means for decoding said demodulated signal into said transmission data;

wherein, said coding means of the interrogator is configured to provide each said first and second series of binary digits such that a number of binary digit "1" in each series of binary digits is greater than a number of the binary digit "0" in each series of binary digits.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

each of said first and second series of binary digits has only one binary digit "0";

and wherein

each of said first and second series begins with the binary digit "1" or ends with the binary digit "1".

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein

each of said first and second binary series consists of three binary digit "1"s and a single binary digit "0".

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said transponder comprises:

a resonant circuit which oscillates in resonance with said ASK modulated signal to cause a residual oscillation within a period corresponding to the absence of said carder wave, said period defining an answer frame within which said transponder transmits said answer signal, and

an FSK modulator for modulating said answer data in a frequency shift keying (FSK) technique to give said answer signal in which one logical level of said answer data is represented by a first frequency and another logical level of said answer data is represented by a second frequency, said modulator including switch means which is connected to said resonant circuit so that said resonant circuit effects said residual oscillation in said answer frame selectively at said first frequency and at said second frequency in accordance with the varying logical level of said answer data; and

wherein

said interrogator comprises an FSK demodulator which demodulates said answer signal into said answer data.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein

said transponder comprises means for sending a test signal as said answer signal back to the interrogator in response to a calibration instruction included at the beginning of said transmission signal, said test signal having a test frequency which corresponds to said first frequency and which varies with varying circuit constant of said resonance circuit;

said FSK demodulator comprising means which compares said first and second frequencies of said answer signal with a threshold frequency so as to modulate said answer signal into said answer data; and

said interrogator comprising means for determining said threshold frequency as a function of said test frequency received in response to said calibration instruction.

6. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein

said interrogator comprises:

comparator means for comparing the level of the answer signal from said transponder with a threshold level so as to provide a limit signal when the level of said answer signal exceeds said threshold level;

coding control means responsive to said limit signal for controlling said coding means to reduce the number of pulses in said ASK modulate signal representing said binary digit "1".

7. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein

said coding control means responds to said limit signal for controlling said coding means to decrease the number of pulses in said ASK modulated signal representing said binary digit "1" by one pulse and to elongate a subsequent absent period of said ASK modulated signal indicative of said binary digit "0" by a time corresponding to said one pulse.

8. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein

said comparator means determines the difference between the level of the answer signal and said threshold level to provide said limit signal representative of said difference;

and wherein

said coding control means responds to said limit signal for decreasing the number of pulses in said ASK modulated signal representing said binary digit "1" by an extent corresponding to said difference and to elongate the subsequent absent period of said ASK modulated signal indicative of said binary digit "0" by a time corresponding to the reduced number of pulses.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said transponder comprises a memory in which transmission data from said interrogator is written and from which said transponder reads said answer data in accordance with a READ instruction included in said transmission data;

and wherein

said interrogator comprises control means which, in response to a WRITE instruction, provides to said transponder a check order of writing said transmission data into an extra area of said memory with an energy consumption at said energy storing means, in precedence to writing said transmission data into a specified area of said memory, a voltage monitor being provided in said transponder to monitor a voltage available at said energy storing means, said voltage monitor enabling said transmission data to be written into said memory when the monitored voltage is sufficient for writing said transmission data into said memory and disabling said data to be written into said memory when the monitored voltage is insufficient for writing said transmission data into said memory.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said transponder comprises a memory in which transmission data from said interrogator is written and from which said transponder reads said answer data in accordance with a READ instruction included in said transmission data;

and wherein

said interrogator comprises control means which, in response to a WRITE instruction, provides to said transponder a dummy instruction of not actually writing said transmission data into memory but consuming the same energy as required in writing said transmission data, in precedence to actually writing said transmission data into a specified area of said memory,

a voltage monitor being included in said transponder to monitor a voltage available at said energy storing means, said voltage monitor enabling said transmission data to be written into said memory when the monitored voltage is sufficient for writing said transmission data into said memory and disabling said data to be written into said memory when the monitored voltage is insufficient for writing said transmission data into said memory.

11. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said transponder comprises:

a memory in which transmission data from said interrogator is written and from which said transponder reads said answer data in accordance with a READ instruction included in said transmission data;

a RAM in which transmission data from said interrogator is temporarily written, said RAM requiring substantially the same energy consumption at said energy storing means as said memory does in writing said transmission data; and

a voltage monitor which monitors a voltage available at said energy storing means and initializes said RAM when the monitored voltage is insufficient for writing said transmission data into said RAM;

said interrogator comprising;

control means which, in response to a WRITE instruction, provides a first WRITE order of writing said transmission data into said RAM and a READ order of reading said data from said RAM and transmitting said data back to said interrogator; and

check means which checks whether said data transmitted back from said RAM of said transponder is valid or not, and which provides to said transponder a second WRITE order of writing said transmission data into said memory when said data from said RAM is valid.

12. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second series of binary digits has only one binary digit "0", and in said coded signal each "0" is separated from another by at least one "1".