Dual mode electronic toll collection transponder
First Claim
1. A transponder for engaging in RF communications with a roadside reader from a vehicle, comprising:
- an antenna;
an electronic toll collection (ETC) component, the ETC component including an RF transceiver coupled to said antenna for modulating outgoing signals and for demodulating received signals, and a controller for implementing a pre-defined ETC communications protocol to detect and interpret said received signals and generate response signals for transmission as said outgoing signals when operating in an ETC mode, and wherein the ETC component includes a bypass port; and
an external interface coupled to said bypass port and having an external port for receiving input signals,wherein said controller includes a bypass module for receiving a bypass instruction and entering a bypass mode, wherein in said bypass mode said input signals are relayed from said external interface to said RF transceiver for transmission as said outgoing signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A dual mode transponder for engaging in RF communications with a roadside reader from a vehicle. The transponder includes an antenna, an electronic toll collection (ETC) component, and an external interface. The ETC component implements a pre-defined ETC communications protocol to detect and interpret received signals and generate response signals when operating in an ETC mode. The ETC component also includes a bypass port. The external interface is coupled to the bypass port and has an external port for receiving input signals. The ETC component includes a bypass module for receiving a bypass instruction and entering a bypass mode. In the bypass mode the ETC component refrains from implementing the ETC communications protocol. Instead, the ETC component transmits the input signals relayed from the external interface to the ETC component to the reader.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A transponder for engaging in RF communications with a roadside reader from a vehicle, comprising:
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an antenna; an electronic toll collection (ETC) component, the ETC component including an RF transceiver coupled to said antenna for modulating outgoing signals and for demodulating received signals, and a controller for implementing a pre-defined ETC communications protocol to detect and interpret said received signals and generate response signals for transmission as said outgoing signals when operating in an ETC mode, and wherein the ETC component includes a bypass port; and an external interface coupled to said bypass port and having an external port for receiving input signals, wherein said controller includes a bypass module for receiving a bypass instruction and entering a bypass mode, wherein in said bypass mode said input signals are relayed from said external interface to said RF transceiver for transmission as said outgoing signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A transponder for engaging in RF communications with a roadside reader from a vehicle, comprising:
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means for propagating an outgoing signal and receiving an incoming signal; means for modulating an information signal to generate the outgoing signal and demodulating the incoming signal to generate a received signal; means for controlling the means for modulating to implement a pre-defined ETC communications protocol by receiving the received signal and generating the information signal when operating in an ETC mode; and means for interfacing with an external device to receive external signals and input the external signal to the means for controlling, wherein said means for controlling includes means for bypassing the pre-defined ETC communications protocol by receiving a bypass instruction and entering a bypass mode, wherein in said bypass mode said external signals are relayed from said means for interfacing to said means for modulating for transmission as said outgoing signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for engaging in RF communications between a dual purpose vehicle-mounted transponder and a roadside reader, the transponder having an ETC controller for implementing a predefined ETC communications protocol, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving an incoming signal from the roadside reader; demodulating the incoming signal to generate a received signal; determining whether the received signal relates to an ETC transaction or a non-ETC application; generating a response signal in accordance with a pre-defined ETC communications protocol by the ETC controller and transmitting the response signal to the roadside reader, if the received signal relates to said ETC transaction; and receiving input data from an external device and transmitting the input data to the roadside reader, if the received signal relates to said non-ETC application.
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Specification