System for the dynamic reading of data from transponders

• US 9,679,174 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Destraves, Julien, Urbin-Choffray, Maxime, Voissier, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US15/039,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20160379026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 235439, 235375, 235487, 3405721, 3404263
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device

Abstract

A system is provided for dynamically reading data from transponders of tires disposed laterally on a same side of a vehicle. The system includes antennas, a sensor for each antenna, a reader, a controllable switch, and a programmable logic controller. The antennas are arranged to receive data transmitted by the transponders. Each sensor is positioned upstream of an effective reading area covered by a corresponding one of the antennas, and each sensor transmits a signal associated with passage of a tire. The reader is arranged to couple to the antennas in order to read and store data from the transponders. The switch is positioned between the antennas and the reader to provide a selective coupling between the reader and each of the antennas. The controller controls the switch as a function of wheel-passage sensor signals.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically reading data from transponders of tires disposed laterally on a same side of a vehicle, the system comprising:

system antennas arranged to receive data transmitted by the transponders of the tires;

a sensor for each of the system antennas, each sensor being positioned upstream of an effective reading area covered by a corresponding system antenna, and each sensor being structured to emit a tire-passage signal associated with passage of a tire of the vehicle;

a reader arranged to couple to the system antennas to read and store the data from the transponders;

a controllable switch positioned between the system antennas and the reader to enable a selective coupling between the reader and each of the system antennas; and

a logic controller programmed to control the switch as a function of the tire-passage signals emitted by the sensors,

wherein each of the system antennas has an effective reading distance in a direction of travel of the vehicle, with a spacing between two of the system antennas being equal to or less than half of a sum of the effective reading distances of the two of the system antennas.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle has a direction of travel,

a first antenna of the system antennas has an effective reading distance in the direction of travel, and

a first sensor of the sensors is disposed upstream of the first antenna at a distance in a region of half the effective reading distance of the first antenna.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein a sensor of the sensors, which is disposed between two antennas of the system antennas along a travel path of the vehicle, is positioned equidistantly from the two antennas.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an exit-signalling device arranged to emit a signal when a tire of the vehicle exits from a reading area of the system.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the exit-signalling device is a sensor.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the exit-signalling device is disposed downstream of a travel path of the vehicle at a distance from an end antenna of the system antennas, the distance being equal to or less than half an effective reading distance of the end antenna.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a switching speed of the controllable switch is less than 50 μ

s.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are optical-barrier devices.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein beams of the optical-barrier devices are positioned at a height of less than three centimeters from a travel ground on which the vehicle travels.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the beams of the optical-barrier devices are positioned at a height of between 1 and 2 centimeters from the travel ground.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein a number of the system antennas is less than 5.

12. The system as according to claim 1, wherein:

the system antennas are linear polarisation antennas with a vertical electrical field, and

antennas of the transponders have linear polarisation.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the system antennas have a gain equal to or less than 6 dBi.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein a maximum power that may be conducted through the system antennas is 30 dBm.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the transponders are RFID UHF transponders, and

the transponders have stored in memory unique identification numbers of the tires of the vehicle.

16. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a central data processor and a memory coupled to the reader.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controllable switch is structured to activate reading of data from a transponder of a first tire by a first antenna when a triggering signal is detected indicating entry of the first tire into an effective reading area of the first antenna.

18. A system for dynamically reading data from transponders of tires disposed laterally on a same side of a vehicle, the system comprising:

system antennas arranged to receive data transmitted by the transponders of the tires;

a sensor for each of the system antennas, each sensor being positioned upstream of an effective reading area covered by a corresponding system antenna, and each sensor being structured to emit a tire-passage signal associated with passage of a tire of the vehicle;

a reader arranged to couple to the system antennas to read and store the data from the transponders;

a controllable switch positioned between the system antennas and the reader to enable a selective coupling between the reader and each of the system antennas; and

a logic controller programmed to control the switch as a function of the tire-passage signals emitted by the sensors,

wherein the controllable switch is structured to activate reading of data from a transponder of a first tire by a first antenna when a triggering signal is detected indicating entry of the first tire into an effective reading area of the first antenna, and

wherein, when a second antenna is activated by the controllable switch, in order to read data from the transponder of the first tire, if a triggering signal is detected indicating entry of a new tire into the effective reading area of the first antenna, the controllable switch maintains the second antenna in an activated state until a triggering signal is detected indicating exit of the first tire from an effective reading area of the second antenna.

19. A portal for obtaining data from vehicles, the portal comprising a reading system for dynamically reading data from transponders of tires disposed laterally on a same side of a vehicle, the reading system including:

system antennas arranged to receive data transmitted by the transponders of the tires;

a sensor for each of the system antennas, each sensor being positioned upstream of an effective reading area covered by a corresponding system antenna, and each sensor being structured to emit a tire-passage signal associated with passage of a tire of the vehicle;

a reader arranged to couple to the system antennas to read and store the data from the transponders;

a controllable switch positioned between the system antennas and the reader to enable a selective coupling between the reader and each of the system antennas; and

a logic controller programmed to control the switch as a function of the tire-passage signals emitted by the sensors,

wherein the portal is disposed along a travel path of the vehicles,

wherein the reading system is positioned on a first side or a second side of the travel path, and

wherein each of the system antennas has an effective reading distance in a direction of travel of the vehicle, with a spacing between two of the system antennas being equal to or less than half of a sum of the effective reading distances of the two of the system antennas.