Interrogator, transponder and transponder identification method

• US 8,193,910 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Murano, Tomomitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERWIN, RYAN W
• Application Number:
  US11/504,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 106, 340/3.51
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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: G06K 7/10049 binary tree

Abstract

There is provided an interrogator, transponder, and transponder identification method, which shorten processing time for identification. An interrogator that makes wireless communication with a transponder, comprising: a temporary number specify section that transmits a request for transmission of a unit bit string as a bit string having a predetermined length in a bit string expressing a temporary number owned by the transponder, receives a unit bit sting transmitted from the transponder in response to the request, and specifies the temporary number of the transponder, based on the unit bit string; and an identification information obtaining section that transmits, if a temporary number of a transponder is specified by the temporary number specify section, a request for transmission of identification information of the transponder to the transponder, and receives the identification information transmitted from the transponder, in response to the request.

Claims

1. An interrogator that makes wireless communication with a plurality of transponders, comprising:

a temporary number specify section transmitting to the plurality of transponders a request for transmission of an ON signal, the temporary number specify section receiving the ON signal from a transponder among the plurality of transponders in response to the request for transmission of an ON signal, the ON signal indicating a unit bit string having a predetermined length in a bit string of a temporary number generated by the transponder, the ON signal being transmitted within a time slot corresponding to the unit bit string, the temporary number specify section specifying a portion of the bit string of the temporary number based on the ON signal, the temporary number specify section repeating specifying the portion of the bit string of the temporary number based on preset priority order of plural kinds of unit bit strings until the entire bit string of the temporary number is specified; and

an identification information obtaining section transmitting, when the entire bit string of the temporary number is specified, a request for transmission of identification information to the transponder, the identification information obtaining section receiving the identification information transmitted from the transponder in response to the request for transmission of the identification information,

wherein when the temporary number specify section receives a plurality of ON signals respectively transmitted from the plurality of transponders in response to the request for transmission of the ON signal, the interrogator selects the most prioritized unit bit string from among the plural kinds of unit bit strings respectively indicated by the plurality of ON signals based on the preset priority order and transmits a multi-reception acknowledgement including the selected unit bit string to the plurality of the transponders,

when the multi-reception acknowledgement is received by the transponder and the unit bit string indicated by the transmitted ON signal is different from the selected unit bit string, the multi-reception acknowledgement causes the transponder to increase a standby time to a transmission of a next ON signal to the interrogator, and

when the multi-reception acknowledgement is received by the transponder, when the unit bit string indicated by the transmitted ON signal is the selected unit bit string, and when the standby time is zero, the multi-reception acknowledgement causes the transponder to transmit the next ON signal to the interrogator.

2. The interrogator according to claim 1, wherein the temporary number specify section distinguishes the plurality of ON signals indicating the plural kinds of unit bit strings transmitted from the plurality of the transponders respectively.

3. The interrogator according to claim 1, wherein the temporary number specify section completes the entire bit string of the temporary number by connecting a plurality of unit bit strings indicated by ON signals transmitted from the transponder.

4. The interrogator according to claim 1, wherein when the plurality of ON signals respectively indicating the plural kind unit bit strings are received by the interrogator, the temporary number specify section determines priority order of the plural kinds of unit bit strings based on the preset priority order, generates a first bit string by connecting the portion of the bit string of the temporary number with the unit bit string different from the most prioritized unit bit string among the plural kinds of unit bit strings, stores the first bit string in a temporary number stack, generates a second bit string of a temporary number by connecting the portion of the bit string of the temporary number with the most prioritized unit bit string, and stores the second bit string.

5. The interrogator according to claim 1, wherein if the identification information is received by the identification information obtaining section and if a bit string is stored in a temporary number stack, the temporary number specify section repeats specifying the portion of the bit string of the temporary number by using the newest bit string stored in the temporary number stack.

6. The interrogator according to claim 1, wherein the length of the bit string of the temporary number is shorter than the length of a bit string of the identification information.

7. A transponder that makes wireless communication with an interrogator, comprising:

a temporary number generation section that generates a temporary number;

an ON signal transmitter that transmits an ON signal in response to a request for transmission of the ON signal from the interrogator, the ON signal indicating a unit bit string having a predetermined length in a bit string of the temporary number, the ON signal being transmitted within a time slot corresponding to the unit bit string; and

an identification information transmitter that transmits, in response to a request for transmission of identification information from the interrogator, the identification information to the interrogator,

wherein when a plurality of ON signals are respectively transmitted from a plurality of transponders including the transponder in response to the request for transmission of the ON signal, the most prioritized unit bit string is selected from among plural kinds of unit bit strings respectively indicated by the plurality of ON signals based on preset priority order of the plural kinds of unit bit strings by the interrogator and a multi-reception acknowledgement including the selected unit bit string is transmitted by the interrogator,

when the multi-reception acknowledgement is received by the transponder and the unit bit string indicated by the ON signal transmitted by the ON signal transmitter is different from the selected unit bit string, the ON signal transmitter increases a standby time to a transmission of a next ON signal to the interrogator, and

when the multi-reception acknowledgement is received by the transponder, when the unit bit string indicated by the transmitted ON signal is the selected unit bit string, and when the standby time is zero, the ON signal transmitter transmits the next ON signal to the interrogator.

8. The transponder according to claim 7, wherein if the ON signal transmitter receives a multi-reception acknowledgement from the interrogator and the unit bit string transmitted by the transponder is different from the selected unit bit string, the ON signal transmitter sets a queue counter for the standby time, based on the ON signal transmitted from the transponder and based on the preset priority order.

9. The transponder according to claim 8, wherein the ON signal transmitter receives a multi-reception acknowledgement or a request for transmission of an additional ON signal indicating a next unit bit string, from the interrogator, and transmits the additional ON signal indicating the next unit bit string if the queue counter indicates zero.

10. The transponder according to claim 7, wherein the length of the bit string of the temporary number is shorter information than the length of a bit string of the identification information.

11. A transponder identification method by wireless communication between an interrogator and a plurality of transponders, comprising:

generating a plurality of temporary numbers by the plurality of transponders respectively;

transmitting from the interrogator to the plurality of transponders a request for transmission of an ON signal;

transmitting the ON signal from a transponder among the plurality of transponders to the interrogator in response to the request for transmission of the ON signal, the ON signal indicating a unit bit string having a predetermined length in a bit string of a temporary number generated by the transponder, the ON signal being transmitted within a time slot corresponding to the unit bit string;

specifying a portion of the bit string of the temporary number by the interrogator based on the ON signal;

repeating specifying the portion of the bit string of the temporary number based on preset priority order of plural kinds of unit bit strings by the interrogator until the entire bit string of the temporary number is specified;

transmitting a request for transmission of identification information from the interrogator to the transponder when the entire bit string of the temporary number is specified by the interrogator;

transmitting the identification information from the transponder to the interrogator in response to the request for transmission of the identification information; and

receiving the identification information by the interrogator,

wherein when a plurality of ON signals are respectively transmitted from a plurality of transponders in response to the request for transmission of the ON signal, the interrogator selects the most prioritized unit bit string among the plural kinds of unit bit strings respectively indicated by the plurality of ON signals based on the preset priority order and transmits a multi-reception acknowledgement including the selected unit bit string to the plurality of the transponders,

when the multi-reception acknowledgement is received by the transponder and the unit bit string indicated by the transmitted ON signal is different from the selected unit bit string, the transponder increases a standby time to a transmission of a next ON signal to the interrogator, and

when the multi-reception acknowledgement is received by the transponder, when the unit bit string indicated by the transmitted ON signal is the selected unit bit string, and when the standby time is zero, the ON signal transmitter transmits the next ON signal to the interrogator.

12. The transponder identification method according to claim 11, wherein the interrogator distinguishes the plurality of ON signals indicating the plural kinds of unit bit strings transmitted from the plurality of the transponders respectively.

13. The transponder identification method according to claim 11, wherein the interrogator completes the entire bit string of the temporary number by connecting a plurality of unit bit strings indicated by ON signals transmitted from the transponder.

14. The transponder identification method according to claim 11, wherein when the plurality of ON signals respectively indicating the plural kind unit bit strings are received by the interrogator, the interrogator determines priority order of the plural kinds of unit bit strings based on the preset priority order, generates a first bit string by connecting the portion of the bit string of the temporary number with the unit bit string different from the most prioritized unit bit string among the plural kinds of unit bit strings, stores the first bit string in a temporary number stack, and generates a second bit string of a temporary number by connecting the portion of the bit string of the temporary number with the most prioritized unit bit string, and stores the second bit string.

15. The transponder identification method according to claim 14, wherein if the identification information is received by the interrogator and if a bit string is stored in a temporary number stack, the interrogator repeats specifying the portion of the bit string of the temporary number by using the newest bit string stored in the temporary number stack.

16. The transponder identification method according to claim 15, wherein if the multi-reception acknowledgement is transmitted from the interrogator and the unit bit string transmitted by the transponder is different from the most prioritized unit bit string, the transponder sets a queue counter for the standby time, based on the ON signal transmitted from the transponder and based on the preset priority order.

17. The transponder identification method according to claim 16, wherein when the respective transponders receive a multi-reception acknowledgement or a request for transmission of an additional ON signal indicating a next unit bit string, from the interrogator, the transponder transmits the additional ON signal indicating the next unit bit string if the queue counter indicates zero.