AU610927B2 - Electronic tagging system - Google Patents

Description

I i; *1

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

109 s Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: 0 00 0 So00 0 o o 0 o 0 00 o 0 o 00 0 0 0 oo a So00 0 00 o o o 0 00 00 0 Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: APPLICANT'S REF.: CAP of PI 4406 TRANSPONDER AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD.

Name(s) of Applicant(s): Address(es) of Applicant(s): 0 00 0 0 0 od o 28 Greenhill Road, Wayville, South Australia 5034 Peter Harold COLE Kamran ESHRAGHIAN Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service is: PHILLIPS, ORMONDE AND FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne, Australia, 3000 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "ELECTRONIC TAGGING SYSTEM" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): P19/3/84 required PHILLIPS ORMONDE AND FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne, Australia P 17/2/83 'lt to a m m mn b to provide ELECTRONIC TAGGING SYSTEM The present invention relates to an electronic tagging system. In particular the present invention relates to a tagging system which may be adapted to provide information or data which is variable or which may change with successive interrogations.

Electronic tagging systems in which electromagnetic radiation is used to interrogate an electronic tag or label are known. However the information extracted by such systems is generally fixed so that the reply code does not °o change with each interrogation.

~The present invention is suited to a variety of .0 goods or materials handling operations in which it is desirable to monitor variable data or information *000*e o associated with the goods or materials. For example the 0 0o:data may represent a variable parameter such as an odometer reading on a vehicle passing a service installation or the 0 00 run number on a public transport vehicle passing a roadway 00 vehicle monitoring station, or the data may represent other 0oo 20 variable parameters such as part identification numbers, 00: container contents or manufactured parts status etc. It is 0 preferable to derive such information directly from the article being monitored. Other variable parameters which may be monitored may include reading location, object weight, manufacturing operation performed, etc. The latter information may be derived from a fixed installation associated with an article being monitored.

In some prior art systems data from such an installation may be readily available in electromagnetically encoded form suitable for receipt by an automatic data logging system. However data pertaining to vehicles, materials or goods is normally read by human i operators who observe the vehicles, materials or goods and enter the observations manually into the data logging system. i Problems arise in the latter process, not only because of the frequency of human error in the data 0724L -2t 1 P18/7/78 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne, Australia transcription process but also because in some materials, goods or vehicle management operations the articles being monitored are in motion and operator determination of parameters associated with moving articles is not always practical or convenient.

In other prior art systems the variable information, for example the route number associated with a public transport vehicle having a particular serial number, may be available in a fixed installation, e.g. a central computer, remote from the site at which the information is required such as a traffic light controller adjacent to a vehicle rr label interrogator, or it may be stored in form not lending itself to rapid retrieval.

€C In such systems problems arise because it is impractical to extract from the central computer the V variable data associated with a particular item being identified within the time required for taking an appropriate action, such as modifying a traffic light sequence to give priority to the identified vehicle.

20 The present invention aims to alleviate the °o e 0 ,o previously mentioned problems by attaching to the materials, goods or vehicles being monitored interrogatable tags or labels which may be adapted to return an information bearing reply code when interrogated by an electromagnetic signal. The contents of the reply code may be manually or automatically updated to provide information relating to the present condition of the materials, goods or vehicles being monitored.

The present invention may provide a data acquisition r system in which variable information associated with vehicles, goods, materials or the like may be obtained by remote electromagnetic interrogation of electronic tags or labels attached to or placed on the vehicles, goods or materials.

The data acquisition system may include an electronic tag or label interrogator and an electronic tag or label attached to or placed on the vehicles, goods or materials. The electronic tag or label may contain 0724L -3variable data. The data may be automatically updated to provide up to date information on the condition of the vehicles, goods or materials.

The present invention may also provide a management system for vehicles, goods or materials incorporating a data acquisition system as described above.

The present invention will hereafter be described with particular reference to a vehicle fleet management system although it is to be appreciated that it is not thereby limited to such applications. For example, the present invention may have applications in fuel management systems, traffic location control, traffic light priority systems, car park management systems, railway applications, 4 personnel access security applications, etc.

In vehicle management systems the data to be collected may represent parameters such as vehicle identification, current operating mode, or mechanical history, derived from the vehicle, and certain other parameters, such as mass of the vehicle, time of service, o 0 0 20 or quantity of fuel dispensed, etc. derived from a service o0 installation.

Information to be provided within the reply from the °0 tag or label may include fixed information such as the vehicle identification number, and variable information such as the vehicle odometer reading. In public transport operations, the variable part of the reply code may include additional information, such as vehicle run number, set from time to time by the vehicle operator.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a remotely interrogatable tag capable ef imparting variable data upon interrogation, said tag comprising a variable data source for provid-g said variable data, said variable data bej capable of being j updated remotely for success interrogations.

According to urther aspect of the present invention th is provided a goods management system in whi -aid goods have associated therewith tags, each tag ,being as described above, the variable data source of a tag i 0724L 1 i there is provided a remotely interrogatable tag or label capable of imparting variable data upon interrogation, said tag or label comprising a variable data source for providing said variable data, said variable data being capable of being updated remotely before or between interrogations by an electromagnetic signal.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a goods management system in which said goods have associated therewith tags or labels, each tag or label being as described above, the variable data source of a tag or label rt 0 o l Ce o 0 O0 o a o o0 0 0 009 0 0 0 o o 00 0 0 o 0 39 39 -4aassociated with given goods in said system being adapted to provide information relevant to said goods.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle fleet manaqement or labe-& sy te in which vehicles have affixed thereto tags 42 each pr 7

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tag being as described above, the variable data source of a tag affixed to a vehicle in said fleet being adapted to provide information relevant to said vehicle.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:- Figure 1 is an illustration of a vehicle management t¢t installation incorporating automatic recording of fixed and variable data; Figure 2 is a block diagram of a variable data Selectronic vehicle label including Antenna, Transponder and 0 Data Source sections; Figure 3 is a circuit diagram of the Antenna and Transponder sections of one form of electronic vehicle S° 20 label; 0o 0oo Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of the Antenna and .000 Transponder sections of another form of vehicle label; 0 0 o00 0 Figure 5 is a block diagram of the Data Source section of an electronic label including Data Generator, Data Selector, and Data Encoder sections; 00o Figure 6 is a circuit diagram of the Data Encoder section of the Data Source; Figure 7 is a circuit diagram of the Data Selector section of the Data Source; Figure 8 is a circuit diagram of the Identification Data Generator section of the Data Source; Figure 9 is a circuit diagram of the Driver Data Generator section of the Data Source; Figure 10 is a circuit diagram of the Odometer Data Generator section of the Data Source; and Figure 11 is a circuit diagram of the Check Data Generator section of the Data Source.

0724L -5- P a OC( i-' The present invention may be better appreciated by reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 shows a vehicle monitoring and servicing station in which a vehicle identifying number, vehicle weight, vehicle odometer reading, vehicle run number, record of dispensed fuel, and driver identification all are acquired automatically and recorded in a data logging system.

The data logging system may include an on-board vehicle data accumulation system, a variable data electronic vehicle label, a vehicle label interrogator, driver identity card reader, vehicle weight transducer, dispensed fuel transducers, system controller and host computer.

It should be noted that division of the data acquisition system into separate interrogator, controller and host computer sub-units is a matter of convenience only. The functions described may alternatively be performed by a single unit, or the host computer can be S00 omitted or replaced by some other unit which may make S 20 practical use of the information collected.

0 00

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00 0 The vehicle label interrogator may include a 0 transmitter, antenna system, receiver, decoder and data a output interface. The latter may be responsible for signalling to the electronic vehicle label that a reply signal is required. It may also be responsible for Q 0 00. detecting and decoding the reply obtained, and for presenting the decoded reply to the system controller. A variety of designs for the interrogator may be adopted.

The vehiele label may be interregated by le;; frequency means. The label may transmit its informat in the form of a phase modulation superimposed on reply frequency carrier. The reply carrier uency may be modulated by information contai in a reply code generator. The reply c generator may assemble both fixed and variab information from different sources within t ehicle.

Significant components of an electronic vehicle 7 i The vehicle label may be interrogated by low frequency means. The low frequency means comprises a frequency for which the label falls within the near field of the interrogator antenna, the near field being understood to extend a distance of one electromagnetic wavelength from the antenna. In one form this may be in a frequency range approximately 30 KHZ to 300 KHZ. The label may transmit its information in the form of a phase modulation superimposed on a reply frequency carrier. The reply carrier frequency may be modulated by information contained in a reply code generator. The reply code generator may assemble both fixed and variable information from different sources within the vehicle.

Significant components of an electronic vehicle label are shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2 the electronic o o0 6 0 0 0 o o 00 0 0 00 0 0 00.0 0 0 00 0 a o00 0 0 i -6alabel includes a pair of electromagnetic coupling antennae. One antenna receives from the interrogator a signal requesting return of vehicle data. The other antenna transmits the reply to the interrogator. The label includes a transponder circuit for detecting the interrogation signal and for generating a reply signal in the form of a modulated carrier wave. The label also includes a Data Source which supplies the information to be encoded within the reply.

In this example communication between the transponder and Data Source is by means of three logical 00 signals. The first signal may be an active low Master 0 0 a o00:0 Reset Signal (MRS) which when high may indicate that a 0t o o reply should be provided, and when low that the transponder and Data Source should be placed in a reset condition.

000o00 The second signal may be a Master Data Clock (MDC) o00 0 0 00 signal, and may serve to indicate to the Data Source the frequency with which data bits of the rI ply code are to be 000 supplied to the transponder for modulat on on to the reply 0 o0 20 carrier.

0 00 S0 The third signal may be a Data to Modulator (DTM) o oo I 0 signal containing in serial form the bits of the reply code.

oo o Although the structure shown in Figure 2 illustrates separate transmitting and receiving antennae for the 0 electronic label, it is possible to use a single o-0 electromagnetic coupling element for both reception of the interrogation signal and for transmission of the reply.

Such coupling elements can take many forms which may provide capacitive, inductive, electromagnetic and/or optical coupling.

A circuit diagram of one preferred form of transponder is shown in Figure 3. In Figure 3 a single coupling element L1 of inductive variety is used for both reception of the interrogation signal and for transmission of the reply. The coupling element Ll is tuned at different times to the interrogation frequency by capacitor C1 and to a different frequency by auxiliary capacitor C2.

Capacitor C2 may be switched in or out of circuit by field 0724L I- effect transistor switch F. In this circuit the capacitance of capacitor C2 may be selected to be eight times the capacitance of capacitor Cl, to produce the effects described in the paragraph following. In this circuit, power for the operation of the electronic circuit can be derived by rectification of the signal induced within the coupling element Li, from the vehicle power supply, or from a battery.

The transponder shown in Figure 3 accomplishes the task firstly of detecting when an interrogation is taking place. Secondly, by closing switch F for all negative half cycles of the coupling element voltage waveform, the t to( transponder generates a reply frequency carrier at half the C I interrogation frequency. Thirdly, by means of electronic t counting circuits, the transponder generates a Master Reset Signal (MRS) and Master Data Clock (MDC) signal required by 0 0 the Data Source.

A circuit diagram of another preferred form of the 00 transponder is shown in Figure 4. In Figure 4, two 0 00 20 inductive coupling elements L2 and L3 are used. Element L2 0 00 0o00 oo0 is used to receive the interrogation signal from the interrogator and element L3 is used to provide the reply to 0o the interrogator. In Figure 4 the Master Reset Signal is obtained by rectifying the oscillation in element L2. The reply frequency carrier is derived from an oscillator 0 00 0 independently of the interrogation signal, and the Master Data Clock is derived from the reply carrier oscillator by a simple frequency divider. Power for operation of the circuit can be derived by rectification of the signal induced within the coupling element L2, from the vehicle power supply, or from a battery.

A block diagram of a Data Source system suitable for managing and encoding data from a number of Data Generating Systems present on the vehicle is shown in Figure 5. In Figure 5 Data Generators include an Identification Data Generator (IDG) which generates a fixed vehicle identification code, a Driver Data Generator (DDG) which generates data which can be varied from time to time by the 0724L 11 vehicle operator by means of switches located in the driving cabin, an odometer Data Generator (ODG) which accumulates vehicle odometer reading information and provides it on demand to the label, and a Check Data Generator (CDG) which generates for the purposes of error detection a cyclic redundancy check on the transmitted data in each message.

The Data Selector shown in Figure 5 selects data from each of these blocks in turn and passes it to the data encoder circuit which encodes the data to standard Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC) protocol, and passes it to the modulator circuit of Figure 3 or Figure 4.

fir A circuit diagram of a Data Encoder block is shown in Figure 6. A sufficient time after the Master Reset Signal has gone high, and provided the End Check Data (ECD) orr input at the left is low, the circuit operates under 0 0 t o control of the Master Data Clock and Data for Encoding (DFE) signals entering at the left to produce a standard 0 0 SDLC encoded signal which exits at the right as a Data To 0 0o 20 Modulator (DTM) signal.

0 00 00 0 If during the encoding process it is detected that a succession of five binary ones has been received in the DFE ooa 0 00 0 signal and is present in the eight-bit shift register 194 shown at the bottom of the diagram, the five-input NAND 00gate operates to inhibit data entry to the shift register 0 00 000. and to lower the Data Clock Enable signal supplied by the Data Encoder to the Data Sources. The result is a pause of one cycle in the supply of data to the Data Encoder input, and the insertion during the pause of a single zero in the Data To Modulator data stream.

The described process continues until all Data Sources have supplied their data to the Data Encoder. The last data source to do so is the Check Data Generator. As its last data bit is being supplied, the End Check Data (ECD) signal supplied by the Check Data Generator goes high.

When this occurs, an Evacuate Delay Counter 163 shown at the top of the Data Encoder circuit diagram is, on the next transition of the Master Data Clock, loaded with 0724L -9an initial count of eight, and then, on further transitions of the Master Data Clock, commences a delay count while the data still within the Data Encoder shift register is progressively shifted to the output. When the last such data bit has left the register, the terminal count of the Evacuate Delay Counter causes a Start Data Supply (SDS) signal to be asserted. This signal will cause the loading of an SDLC flag into the Data Encoder shift register and will also cause the Data Selector, to be discussed below, to enter a state which causes supply of Identification Data (IND) to the Data Encoder. The result is that the reply 00Q aoo message which begins with the Identification Data and 0° a concludes with the Cyclic Check Data (CCD) is terminated by 0@ a flag and is then repeated.

All data for encoding within the Data Encoder comes oooq oa to that device via the Data Selector shown in Figure 7. AS 0 a a 0 0a 0o o shown the Data Selector comprises a state machine in the form of a counter and decoder, and a multiplexer.

01When the system is first activated by lifting the Soo 20 Master Reset Signal, the state machine is in state zero, ooO but provided the Data Clock Enable signal is true, can be moved to other states on the receipt of a Master Data Clock ouoo 0 oo o" o pulse at a time when either the Start Data Supply signal from the Data Encoder is true or one of the End of Data signals EID, EDD, EOD or ECD from one of the Data Sources a 00 oo0 is true.

The Data Selector produces as its outputs a Send Identification Data (SID) signal, a Send Driver Data (SDD) signal, a Send Odometer Data (SOD) signal, and a Send Check Data (SCD) signal, each of which is asserted when the Data Selector is in the corresponding state.

When the Data Selector is in state zero, which is the state entered when the shift register in the Data Encoder is being evacuated prior to the loading of a flag, none of those signals is asserted.

The design of the Data Selector may be such that additional data sources can easily be accommodated by using unused outputs from the decoder and the corresponding 0724L d

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unused inputs to the multiplexer, providing that the last data source other than the Check Data Generator in the chain is the one to cause loading of the terminal state of the counter.

Inputs to the Data Selector include the above mentioned Start Data Supply and End Data signals, and the four data input signals Identification Data (IND), Driver Data (DRD), Odometer Data (ODD), and Cyclic Check Data (CCD). For all states other than state zero, the appropriate data stream may be selected as the output Data for Encoding (DFE) signal for transfer to the Data Encoder.

0a CThe structure of the first data source, viz. the Q 000 0 00o Identification Data Generator, is shown in Figure 8. This 16 0 o circuit includes a counter to control the address inputs of 0 cca sixteen-input multiplexer which selects in turn the bits of the hard-wired identification data for transfer to the 00 C 0 G Identification Data (IND) output line. The counter also produces at the appropriate time an End Identification Data 0 (EID) output signal required to move the Data Selector to a 20 the next state.

o 00 The Identification Data Generator of Figure 8 is 000.designed to allow an initial count other than zero to be co o loaded into the counter when an initialisation signal Send Identification Data (SID) is received, so that an 0 C Identification Data stream of any desired length can be o o0 0 oo produced.

The structure of the second data source, viz. a Driver Data Generator, is shown in Figure 9. The circuit of Figure 9 is similar to that of the Identification Data Generator of Figure 8, with the logic stages of the multiplexer inputs being controlled by means of switches under control of the vehicle operator.

The structure of the third data source, viz. an Odometer Data Generator, is shown in Figure 10. This circuit also has similarities to the circuit of the Identification Data Generator of Figure 8, with the multiplexer inputs in this case being connected to a sixteen-stage counter which maintains a count of 0724L -11a transitions in an Odometer Cam Output (OCO) signal. The Odometer Cam Output signal is provided by the vehicle odometer and makes a positive transition each time the vehicle travels a set distance. Circuits interposed between the OCO signal and the counter prevent change of the odometer count from occurring while an interrogation is in progress, and provide a measure of prescaling of the odometer count before it is presented as the Odometer Data Output.

The structure of the fourth data source, viz. the Check Data Generator, is shown in Figure 11. The first 00 0°0 property of the circuit of Figure 11 to be noted is that on receipt of a Start Data Supply (SDS) signal a logic high state is loaded into all stages of the shift register in preparation for accumulation of a cyclic redundancy check 0cr for a new message.

0 In normal operation following this initialisation, the Start Data Supply input is low and the Data Clock 0 20 Enable input is high. The circuit of Figure 11 then 0 d 20 performs a standard cyclic redundancy check calculation on 0 00 0o00 0 data received via the Data For Encoding (DFE) input.

The calculation of the cyclic redundancy check 00 O described above is interrupted when the Send Cyclic Data input (SCD) is asserted in response to changes in the Data Selector state machine which occur after the last data bit osa from the Odometer Data Generator has been delivered. The Check Data Generator c:'ircuit configuration is then transformed to that of a simple shift register producing on successive Master Data Clock transitions the Cyclic Check Data (CCD) output signal.

Like the other data sources, the Check Data Generator sub-unit also contains a counter to signal via the End Check Data (ECD) output the time when the last Cyclic Check Data bit is being supplied from the circuit.

Although the embodiments of the invention described in relation to Figures 3 and 4 above, employ in the reply signal a form of modulation known as Binary Phase Shift Keying, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art 0724L 12- j The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of perfornming it known to applicant(s): P19/3/84 1 i that many other forms of modulation including but not limited to amplitude, frequency or pulse time modulation may be employed without changing the essential characteristics of the invention.

It will be appreciated that various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.

For example, not all of the Data Generators illustrated in Figure 4 are required. The number of Data Generators could be increased or decreased, the significance of the data from the Data Generators varied, ,and the circuit implemention by means of which the Data Generator outputs are produced or assembled by the Data Selector could be varied, possibly by incorporation of on-board computing facilities within the label or the vehicles, goods or materials being identified, without 2 changing the essential nature of the invention.

Likewise inclusion of error checking facilities in the reply code and choice of Synchronous Data Link Control protocol for implementation of the error checking are matters of practical implementation not essential to the invention. These could be omitted or varied without affecting its essential nature.

~It may also be noted that the data provided by the fixed installation could be varied from that illustrated in Figure i, or substantially omitted, as for example when variable data is acquired for purposes of traffic monitoring by interrogation of electronic labels on vehicles travelling at speed on roadways.

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Claims (9)

1. 2. A tag or label according to claim 1 further comprising an antenna system and a transponder operatively connected between said variable data source and said antenna system.
2. 3. A tag or label according to claim 2 wherein said o0 transponder comprises means for transmitting a reply signal including a modulated reply frequency carrier. oa 4. A tag or label according to claim 3 wherein said Sfl 0 a, 4 variable data source includes means for generating a reply 0. 0 4 code, said reply code being adapted to modulate said o 4 o carrier.
3. 5. A tag or label according to claim 3 or 4 wherein said reply frequency carrier is phase modulated.
4. 6. A tag or label according to any one of the preceding o0:, o claims wherein said variable data source includes first S generator means for generating variable data. 00°" 7. A tag or label according to claim 6 wherein said 0 first generator means includes means for generating an 00.41" o 0 encoded representation of a vehicle odometer reading. S 8. A tag or label according to claim 6 or 7 wherein said first generator means includes means for generating So0 an encoded representation of a vehicle run number. 0 o 9. A tag or label according to any one of claims 6-8 wherein said variable data source includes second generator means for generating fixed data. A tag or label according to claim 9 wherein said fixed data comprises a vehicle identification code.
5. 11. A tag or label according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said tag is adapted to be interrogated by low frequency means as herein defined. 39 12. A goods management system in which said goods have SRq 714 L b724 ing as d r 724L -4- -i ir i-;j associated therewith tags or labels, each tag or label being in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, the variable data source of a tag or label associated with given goods in said system being adapted to provide information relevant to said given goods.
6. 13. A vehicle fleet management system in which vehicles have affixed thereto tags or labels, each tag or label being in accordance with any one of claims 1-11, the variable data source of a tag or label affixed to a vehicle in said fleet being adapted to provide information relevant to said vehicle.
7. 14. A management system according to claim 12 or 13 further comprising means for remotely interrogating tags o or labels and means for acquiring data imparted by said o oo 0 a tags or labels. S 15. A management system according to claim 13 or claim °o 00o o 14 when appended to claim 13 wherein information relating 00o0 to the position of a vehicle upon a highway at the time of oo o interrogation is associated with information obtained from oa the tag or label affixed to that vehicle.
8. 16. A management system according to claim 13 or claim 14 or 15 when appended to claim 13 wherein information oOo relating to quantity of fuel dispensed to a vehicle is 0000 ooo associated with information obtained from the tag or label 0 00 0 o o affixed to that vehicle. 00000 17. A management system according to any one of claims 000000 oo13-1G when appended to claim 4 wherein said means for S generating a reply code includes means for assembling fixed and variable information from different sources Q0 3o0 within a vehicle. 000000 0 0 18. A tag or label according to claim 1 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. I i i. I -4 a- EI~
9. 19. A management system according to claim 12 or 13 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 25 October 1990 PHILLIPS ORMON'DE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: TRANSPONDER AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD 1862u 00 0 0 0 0 ot ,0004, 00 0r 0 00 a0 t 00 000000 0 0 0 009 200 00000 0 0 04o0 0 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 00440 0 0 39 kO -16-