Access control system having multiple sensing antenna coils

• US 8,138,884 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: SKIDATA AG (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Ponert, Gregor, Golser, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGDORF, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US11/891,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20090051483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/382, 235/380, 235/384
• US Class Current: 340/5.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/10 Movable barriers with registering means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/15 with arrangements to prevent the passage of more than one individual at a time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna

Abstract

An access control system has at least two antenna coils (12, 13 and 14, 15) arranged one behind the other at an entrance lane (4) and connected to a reading device (20), which with a capacitance (40, 41) form an oscillating circuit (30, 31). Here either the one oscillating circuit (30, 31) with the in entrance direction (5) first antenna coil (12, 13) or the other oscillating circuit with the second antenna coil (14, 15) is actuated by the reading device (20), in order to read out data for the purpose of access authorization from a transponder (22) which is carried by a user and has a transponder coil (24) coupleable with the antenna coils (12 to 15). The oscillating circuit (30, 31) not actuated by the reading device (20) is detuned or short-circuited.

Claims

1. An access control system comprising:

a reading device having a power supply;

first and second pairs of mutually opposing antenna coils wherein said antenna coils of said first and second antenna coil pairs are provided on opposite sides of an entrance lane, said first and second antenna coil pairs being arranged one behind the other at the entrance lane so that said first antenna coil pair is passed first by a user moving through said entrance lane, and said second antenna coil pair is passed thereafter by the user;

said antenna coils of said first and second antenna coil pairs being connected to the reading device by respective cables, and being provided with a capacitance to each form a respective oscillating circuit, said antenna coils being provided for detecting access authorization by reading out data from a transponder, which is carried by said user and has a transponder coil couplable with the antenna coils, wherein either the oscillating circuits associated with the first antenna coil pair are actuated by said reading device during a reading transaction while said oscillating circuits of said second antenna coil pair are deactivated, or the oscillating circuits associated with the second antenna coil pair are actuated by the reading device during the reading transaction while said oscillating circuits of said first antenna coil pair are deactivated;

detuning or short-circuiting electronics being provided respectively for each of the oscillating circuits of said first antenna coil pair and said second antenna coil pair wherein the detuning or short-circuiting electronics are switchable by a switch signal to detune or short-circuit the oscillating circuits such that the oscillating circuits of either said first antenna coil pair or said second antenna coil pair when deactivated are detuned or short-circuited by the detuning or short-circuiting electronics, a low-voltage DC voltage being used as a power supply and as the switch signal for the detuning or short-circuiting electronics to detune or short-circuit either said first antenna coil pair or said second antenna coil pair when deactivated, which said low-voltage DC voltage is drawn from the power supply of the reading device;

wherein the cables, which connect the reading device with the oscillating circuits of the first and second antenna coil pairs, at the same time being provided for supplying power from the power supply to the detuning or short-circuiting electronics of the oscillating circuits of the first and second antenna coil pairs and for transmitting the switch signals for the detuning or short-circuiting electronics;

a blocking system which releases the entrance lane in a basic position and blocks the entrance lane upon an invalid reading of the access authorization by said first antenna coil pair and detection of a person by a people sensor, said blocking system releasing said entrance lane again upon a valid reading of the access authorization by said second antenna coil pair, wherein the blocking system can be actuated by the reading device in dependence on a valid or invalid reading of an access authorization effected with said first antenna coil pair or said second antenna coil pair;

each of said mutually opposing antenna coils of said first antenna coil pair when actuated, and each of said mutually opposing antenna coils of said second antenna coil pair when actuated, being actuated at the same time by the reading device, but alternately in an in-phase or in an antiphase operation mode, wherein the one operation mode with which the transponder is detected is maintained for reading out the transponder carried by the user until the reading transaction is completed;

wherein when an invalid access authorization is read by said first antenna coil pair and the user is detected by the people sensor, the antenna coils of said first antenna coil pair are deactivated by said detuning or short circuiting electronics and when thereafter a valid access authorization is read by said antenna coils of said second antenna coil pair, said first antenna coil pair is actuated again.

2. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein the detuning or short-circuiting electronics has at least one diode switch for switching of said detuning or short-circuiting electronics in response to said switch signals.

3. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein the detuning or short-circuiting electronics is preceded by a decoupling unit for decoupling an alternating voltage of the oscillating circuit of said first and second antenna coil pairs.

4. The access control system according to claim 3, wherein the decoupling unit is formed by a coil.

5. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein a switch is used for actuating the detuning or short-circuiting electronics of the oscillating circuits.

6. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein said blocking system has a blocking element which normally opens the entrance in said basic position and is actuatable to a closed blocking position which intersects said entrance lane and selectively blocks the entrance lane, said blocking element being moved to said blocking position upon said invalid reading of the access authorization by said first antenna coil pair and detection of a person by said people sensor, and said blocking element being moved again to said basic position releasing said entrance lane upon a valid reading of the access authorization by said second antenna coil pair.

7. An access control system comprising:

a reading device having a power supply;

first and second pairs of mutually opposing antenna coils wherein said antenna coils of said first and second antenna coil pairs are provided on opposite sides of an entrance lane, said first and second antenna coil pairs being arranged one behind the other at the entrance lane so that said first antenna coil pair is passed first by a user moving through said entrance lane, and said second antenna coil pair is passed thereafter by the user;

said antenna coils of said first mad second antenna coil pairs being connected to the reading device and each forming a respective oscillating circuit for detecting access authorization by reading out data from a transponder, which said transponder is carried by said user and is detectable by the antenna coils, wherein either the oscillating circuits associated with the first antenna coil pair are actuated by said reading device through a first switch during a reading transaction while said oscillating circuits of said second antenna coil pair are deactivated by said first switch, or the oscillating circuits associated with the second antenna coil pair are actuated by the reading device through said first switch during the reading transaction while said oscillating circuits of said first antenna coil pair are deactivated by said first switch;

detuning or short-circuiting electronics being provided wherein the oscillating circuits of either said first antenna coil pair or said second antenna coil pair when deactivated are detuned or short-circuited by the detuning or short-circuiting electronics, said detuning or short-circuiting electronics being provided respectively for each of the oscillating circuits of said first antenna coil pair and said second antenna coil pair wherein the detuning or short-circuiting electronics are switchable by a switch signal to detune or short-circuit the oscillating circuits such that the oscillating circuits of either said first antenna coil pair when deactivated or said second antenna coil pair when deactivated are detuned or short-circuited by the detuning or short-circuiting electronics, a low-voltage DC voltage being used as a power supply and as the switch signal for the detuning or short-circuiting electronics to detune or short-circuit either said first antenna coil pair or said second antenna coil pair when deactivated, which said low-voltage DC voltage is drawn from the power supply of the reading device;

wherein the cables, which connect the reading device with the oscillating circuits of the first and second antenna coil pairs, being provided with a second switch for selectively supplying said power and said switch signals at the same time by said low-voltage DC voltage to said detuning or short-circuiting electronics of either said first antenna coil pair when deactivated or said second antenna coil pair when deactivated while the other of said first and second antenna coil pairs is activated by said first switch;

a blocking system having a blocking element which normally releases the entrance lane in an open basic position and is actuatable to a closed blocking position which selectively blocks the entrance lane, said blocking element being moved to said blocking position upon an invalid reading of the access authorization by said first antenna coil pair and detection of a person by a people sensor, said blocking element being moved again to said basic position releasing said entrance lane upon a valid reading of the access authorization by said second antenna coil pair, wherein the blocking element can be actuated by the reading device between the basic and blocking positions in dependence on a valid or invalid reading of an access authorization effected with said first antenna coil pair or said second antenna coil pair;

each of said mutually opposing antenna coils of said first antenna coil pair when actuated, or each of said mutually opposing antenna coils of said second antenna coil pair when actuated, being actuated at the same time by the reading device, but alternately in an in-phase or in an antiphase operation mode, wherein the one operation mode with which the transponder is detected is maintained for reading out the transponder carried by the user until the reading transaction is completed;

wherein when an invalid access authorization is read by said first antenna coil pair and the user is detected by the people sensor, the antenna coils of said first antenna coil pair are deactivated by said detuning or short circuiting electronics and when thereafter a valid access authorization is read by said antenna coils of said second antenna coil pair, said first antenna coil pair is actuated again.

8. The access control system according to claim 7, wherein the detuning or short-circuiting electronics have at least one diode switch.

9. The access control system according to claim 7, wherein said blocking element separates said entrance lane into an entrance side and exit side when in said blocking position wherein said first antenna coil pair is located on said entrance side, said second antenna coil pair being located on said exit side and detecting said transponder of said user when said user is located on said entrance side.

10. The access control system according to claim 9, wherein said antenna coils of said first antenna coil pair are deactivated by said detuning or short circuiting electronics when said second antenna coil pair is actuated and detecting said transponder.

11. The access control system according to claim 10, wherein, when said transponder on said entrance side is detected by said second antenna coil pair and the valid access authorization is read by said antenna coils of said second antenna coil pair, said first antenna coil pair is actuated again and said second antenna coil pair is deactivated.