TRANSPONDER MODULE AND ACCESS MODULE FOR ACTIVATING AND CONFIGURING SUCH TRANSPONDER MODULE OVER A CAN BUS

• US 20170222828A1
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mylaps B.V.
• Original Assignee: Mylaps B.V.
• Inventors: Ober, Henk Jan, Schaap, Marcel, Six, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,454,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/24 Race time-recorders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40169 Flexible bus arrangements arrangements for maintenance or administration involving management of faults; events, alarms H04L41/06; automatic restoration of network faults H04L41/0654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/627 Controller area network [CAN] identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]

Abstract

A method is described for establishing a data link between an access module and a sports timing transponder module comprising: connecting said access module to a CAN bus, said CAN bus being connected to one or more transponder modules, a transponder module being associated with a transponder ID; sending one or more announce CAN messages over said CAN bus, the payload of an announce CAN message comprising an answer CAN address; receiving one or more request CAN messages from said one or more transponder modules, a request CAN message comprising said answer CAN address and a transponder ID of one of said one or more transponder modules; and, said access node selecting a transponder module on the basis of said one or more request CAN messages for establishing said data link.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a data link between an access module and a transponder module, comprising:

connecting said access module to a CAN bus, said CAN bus being connected to one or more transponder modules, a transponder module being associated with a transponder ID;

sending one or more announce CAN messages over said CAN bus, the payload of an announce CAN message comprising an answer CAN address;

receiving one or more request CAN messages from said one or more transponder modules, a request CAN message comprising said answer CAN address and a transponder ID of one of said one or more transponder modules;

said access node selecting a transponder module on the basis of said one or more request CAN messages for establishing said data link.

2. The method according to claims 1 comprising:

establishing a data link with said selected transponder module by broadcasting an acknowledge CAN message over said CAN bus, said acknowledge CAN message comprising the transponder ID of said selected transponder.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the CAN ID field of an announce CAN message comprises the CAN ID of said access module.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

said access module receiving one or more request CAN messages over said CAN bus from said one or more transponder modules, the CAN ID field of a request CAN message comprising an answer CAN ID.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

in response to receiving said one or more broadcasted announce CAN messages, said one or more transponder modules broadcasting request CAN messages at different time instances to the access module.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

a transponder module determining the time instance for broadcasting said request CAN message to said access module in response to the reception an announce CAN message on the basis of its transponder ID.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selected transponder module is identified in the request CAN message that is first received by said access module.

8. The method according to claim 1 comprising

establishing a data link between said access module and said selected transponder module for determining whether a user has the right to use at least part of one or more functions in the transponder.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein determining whether a user has the right to use at least part of one or more functions in the transponder comprises:

sending time information, to said selected transponder module for enabling said transponder module to check whether a user of the transponder module has a right to use at least part of one or more transponder functions.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein connecting said access module to a CAN bus comprises:

removably positioning a hardware card comprising said access module in a socket that is configured for receiving said hardware card such that when the hardware card is positioned in the socket electrical contacts of said hardware card are in electrical connection with said CAN bus.

16. The computer program product comprising software code portions configured for, when run in the memory of a computer, executing the method steps according to claim 1.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the CAN ID field of a request CAN message comprises an answer CAN ID.

18. The method according to claim 1 comprising establishing a data link between said access module and said selected transponder module for sending license information associated one or more functions in the transponder.

19. The method according to claim 1 comprising establishing a data link between said access module and said selected transponder module for sending one or more software updates to the transponder.

20. The method according to claim 9 wherein sending time information comprises encrypted time information associated with a real-time clock in said access module.

11. A transponder module for use in a sports timing system, said transponder module being configured for establishing a data link with an access module enabling a user to activate and/or access at least part of one or more transponder functions, said transponder comprising:

a CAN interface for electrically connecting said transponder module to said CAN bus;

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, and a microprocessor, coupled to the computer readable storage medium, wherein responsive to executing the computer readable program code, the processor is configured to perform executable operations comprising;

receiving an announce CAN message from said access module, the payload of said announce CAN message comprising an answer CAN address;

broadcasting a request CAN messages from said one or more transponder modules, each request CAN message comprising said answer CAN address and a transponder ID of one of said one or more transponder modules.

12. The transponder module according to claim 11 wherein said processor is further configured to perform executable operations comprising:

determining a time instance for broadcasting said request CAN message over said CAN bus in response to the reception an announce CAN message, said time instance being determined on the basis of said transponder ID.

13. An access module configured for establishing a data link with a transponder module, said access module being configured to activate and/or access at least part of one or more transponder functions in said transponder module, said access module comprising:

a CAN interface for electrically connecting said transponder module to a CAN bus that is further connected to one or more transponder modules;

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, and a microprocessor, coupled to the computer readable storage medium, wherein responsive to executing the computer readable program code, the processor is configured to perform executable operations comprising;

broadcasting one or more announce CAN messages over said CAN bus, the payload of an announce CAN message comprising an answer CAN address;

receiving one or more request CAN messages from said one or more transponder modules, a request CAN message comprising said answer CAN address and a transponder ID of one of said one or more transponder modules;

selecting a transponder module on the basis of said one or more request CAN messages for establishing said data link.

14. The socket configured for receiving an access module according to claim 13, the socket being in electrical contact with a CAN bus that is connected to one or more transponders, the socket being configured removably position the access module in the socket such that when the access module is positioned in the socket, the access module is in electrical contact with the CAN bus.

15. A transponder system for use in a vehicle comprising:

a transponder

a access key communicatively connected to said transponder via a data bus;

a socket configured to receive said access key and to removably position the access key in said socket wherein when the access key is positioned in said socket, the access key being electrically connected via said data bus to said transponder,

wherein said access key is configured to activate said transponder and/or to configures the transponder on the basis license information and/or firmware updates.