DIAGNOSTIC TAG FOR AN INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE TAG READER

• US 20160328582A1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
• Inventors: Steinbrunner, Cole, Meiring, Donald T., Grannan, James Michael, Mallak, Thomas L., Walton, Daniel D., Sherman, Nicholas J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,818,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/10 movable in a horizontal direction relative to truck
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0216 Vehicle for transporting goods in a warehouse, factory or similar
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

An industrial vehicle comprising a tag reader, a reader module, and a diagnostic tag, wherein the diagnostic tag is coupled to the industrial truck within a read range of the tag reader. The reader module and the tag reader cooperate to identify the diagnostic tag and individual tags of a tag layout and the reader module discriminates between the individual tags of the tag layout and the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout, correlates an identified individual tag of the tag layout with tag data, correlates an identified diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader, and generates a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

Claims

1. An industrial vehicle comprising a tag reader, a reader module, and a diagnostic tag, wherein:

the diagnostic tag is coupled to the industrial truck within a read range of the tag reader;

the reader module and the tag reader cooperate to identify the diagnostic tag and individual tags of a tag layout; and

the reader module

discriminates between the individual tags of the tag layout and the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout,

correlates an identified individual tag of the tag layout with tag data,

correlates an identified diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader, and

generates a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

2. The industrial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the reader module modulates power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag is inactive during identification of the individual tags of the tag layout.

3. The industrial vehicle of claim 1, wherein

the industrial vehicle comprises two or more diagnostic tags;

the tag reader comprises two or more read antennas;

each read antenna comprises a read range;

each individual diagnostic tag is within the read range of an individual read antenna;

each read antenna generates a tag read signal upon receiving a diagnostic signal transmitted by the individual diagnostic tag within its respective read range; and

the reader module

discriminates between read antennas, and

generates a missing tag signal if one of the read antennas does not generate a tag read signal corresponding to the diagnostic tag within its respective read range or the tag reader is not operating within specified operating parameters.

4. The industrial vehicle of claim 3 wherein the reader module toggles between each read antenna such that only one read antenna is enabled at a time to identify if the read antenna does not generate a tag read signal corresponding to the diagnostic tag within its respective read range or the tag reader is not operating within specified operating parameters.

5. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein

the diagnostic tag comprises a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

the passive RFID tag comprises an antenna circuit and a data chip; and

the reader module modulates power to the diagnostic tag such that power is applied to the antenna circuit during the identification of the individual tags to disable the passive RFID tag.

6. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein

the diagnostic tag comprises an active radio frequency identification (RFID) tag;

the active RFID tag comprises an antenna circuit, a data chip, and a power circuit; and

the reader module modulates power to the diagnostic tag such that power is removed from the power circuit during the identification of the individual tags to disable the active RFID tag.

7. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the operating parameters comprise received signal strength of the received diagnostic signal, signal delay between transmission of the received diagnostic signal by the diagnostic tag and receipt of the received diagnostic signal by the tag reader, waveform shape of the received diagnostic signal, signal parity, signal attenuation, or combinations thereof.

8. The industrial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the generation of the missing tag signal brings the industrial vehicle to a stop.

9. A method for identifying a fault in a RFID system comprising a tag reader, a diagnostic tag, and a reader module, the method comprising:

initializing the tag reader;

identifying the diagnostic tag and individual tags of a tag layout through the cooperation of the tag reader and reader module;

enabling the diagnostic tag;

modulating power to the diagnostic tag such that the diagnostic tag does not interfere with the identification of the individual tags of the tag layout;

generating a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified while it is enabled or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters; and

disabling the diagnostic tag if an individual tag of the tag layout is identified.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising:

generating a tag read signal for the duration of identification of the individual tag of the tag layout;

starting a delay timer upon cessation of the generation of the tag read signal; and

enabling the diagnostic tag after a delay time elapses.

11. The method of claim 9 comprising bringing the industrial vehicle to a stop when a missing tag signal is generated.