EP0062056A4 - DUAL FREQUENCY ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. - Google Patents
DUAL FREQUENCY ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM.Info
- Publication number
- EP0062056A4 EP0062056A4 EP19810902853 EP81902853A EP0062056A4 EP 0062056 A4 EP0062056 A4 EP 0062056A4 EP 19810902853 EP19810902853 EP 19810902853 EP 81902853 A EP81902853 A EP 81902853A EP 0062056 A4 EP0062056 A4 EP 0062056A4
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- frequency
- signal
- output
- antenna
- receiver
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
Links
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 title description 5
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 20
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 claims description 19
- 230000010287 polarization Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 claims 2
- 230000007717 exclusion Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 abstract description 14
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 abstract description 14
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 abstract description 8
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 abstract description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 12
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 12
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 11
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 6
- NJPPVKZQTLUDBO-UHFFFAOYSA-N novaluron Chemical compound C1=C(Cl)C(OC(F)(F)C(OC(F)(F)F)F)=CC=C1NC(=O)NC(=O)C1=C(F)C=CC=C1F NJPPVKZQTLUDBO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 6
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000005686 electrostatic field Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 3
- KKEBXNMGHUCPEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 4-phenyl-1-(2-sulfanylethyl)imidazolidin-2-one Chemical compound N1C(=O)N(CCS)CC1C1=CC=CC=C1 KKEBXNMGHUCPEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000005388 cross polarization Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000003321 amplification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003990 capacitor Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005672 electromagnetic field Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001747 exhibiting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011152 fibreglass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052732 germanium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- GNPVGFCGXDBREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N germanium atom Chemical compound [Ge] GNPVGFCGXDBREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000036541 health Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000013011 mating Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003199 nucleic acid amplification method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009428 plumbing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000005236 sound signal Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000451 tissue damage Effects 0.000 description 1
- 231100000827 tissue damage Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
- G08B13/22—Electrical actuation
- G08B13/24—Electrical actuation by interference with electromagnetic field distribution
- G08B13/2402—Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting
- G08B13/2405—Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting characterised by the tag technology used
- G08B13/2422—Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting characterised by the tag technology used using acoustic or microwave tags
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
- G08B13/22—Electrical actuation
- G08B13/24—Electrical actuation by interference with electromagnetic field distribution
- G08B13/2402—Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting
- G08B13/2465—Aspects related to the EAS system, e.g. system components other than tags
- G08B13/2468—Antenna in system and the related signal processing
- G08B13/2471—Antenna signal processing by receiver or emitter
Definitions
- This invention relates generally to electronic article surveillance systems and more particularly, to an article surveillance system that involves the trans ⁇ mission of two distinct radio frequency signals, one of which is tone modulated, that are picked up by a trans ⁇ ponder and mixed through a nonlinear impedance to be reradiated at a higher frequency equal to their sum, which is detected by a narrow band receiver.
- the system might not respond to the actual presence of a transponder element within the surveillance area if the energy picked up and reradiated as a harmonic were insufficient. For example, this could occur if the transponder antenna were improperly oriented with respect to the polarization of the trans ⁇ mitted field or if the antenna were to be electro- magnetically shielded from the transmitter by the human body or a metallic surface. Also, proximity of the transponder to the human body can detune the resonant tank circuit, thus dissipating the harmonic energy available for reradiation to the receiver. Moreover, although signal tracking circuitry can be incorporated to adjust the frequency response of the receiver to compensate for transmitter frequency drifts, transponder efficiency suffers badly whenever the tuned tank circuit is forced to oscillate at frequencies other than its normal resonant frequency.
- the Gordon et al patent describes use of a dual field system employing a high frequency electromagnetic field in conjunction with a high power, low frequency electrostatic field established between discontinuous conductors disposed on opposite sides of the surveillance space.
- the non—linear impedance element subjected to these two fields operates as a mixer to produce sum and difference frequencies that are reradiated to the - receiver for detection.
- the power required to establish the required electrostatic field within the surveillance area is significant, and such low frequency electrostatic fields can be effectively shielded from the transponder by the human body or by a surrounding conductor and diverted from the transponder through the metallic structure of a shopping cart or the like.
- the low frequency electrostatic field could readily be diverted through nearby pipes and other metal structures to remote locations to cause false triggering by tags far o ⁇ tside the surveillance area, and the problem of false alarms due to dissimilar metal junctions in metal carts and the like was aggravated by con ⁇ centration of the electrostatic field through such metal structures.
- the present invention provides an article surveillance system wherein a non-linear impedance element, such as a semiconductor diode, is connected to a metal antenna within a removable label or tag attached to a garmet or other item of merchandise.
- the antenna is preferably in the form of a folded dipole with the diode connected between opposite sides of a closed loop section at one end to provide a tuned tank circuit with a resonant frequency double that of a selected center frequency.
- the longer antenna section extending beyond the diode closely approximates a quarter wavelength at the selected center frequency, which for example may be 915 megaHertz.
- Resonant frequency of the tank circuit which is determined by the capacitance of the diode and the inductance of the adjacent closed loop section of the antenna, is double that of the selected middle frequency (e.g. 1830 megaHertz).
- the selected middle frequency e.g. 1830 megaHertz.
- Two different radio frequency signals are both transmitted from dipole radiating antennas disposed on the opposite sides of a surveillance area. One of the signals is generated as a continuous wave from a highly stable crystal oscillator source at a fixed frequency
- the other signal being transmitted is tone modulated, preferably with an audio signal in the range of 1 to 20 kiloHertz, to produce a radio frequency deviation of plus and minus 5 kiioHertz in the carrier, which is also derived from a highly stable crystal oscillator source at a frequency (e.g., 925 megaHertz) which is equally displaced from the selected center frequency on the opposite side, so that the mean center frequency of the two signals equals the selected center frequency.
- tone modulated preferably with an audio signal in the range of 1 to 20 kiloHertz, to produce a radio frequency deviation of plus and minus 5 kiioHertz in the carrier, which is also derived from a highly stable crystal oscillator source at a frequency (e.g., 925 megaHertz) which is equally displaced from the selected center frequency on the opposite side, so that the mean center frequency of the two signals equals the selected center frequency.
- Both transmitter signals are radiated across the surveillance area from dipole antenna segments oriented at right angles to one another on the same sides, and with the respective dipole segment for radiating the same frequency from opposite sides also being oriented at right angles to one another.
- audio modulation of one of the radio frequencies avoids creation of
- PI standing wave patterns that can result in blind spots within the surveillance area and false triggering of the system by tags outside the intended area.
- the dual frequency operation reduces the effect of transmitter frequency drift and increases the system bandwidth in regard to transponder efficiency in reradiating the incident radio frequency signals.
- the frequency to which the transponder antenna is tuned may fall anywhere between the two transmitted frequencies without significantly reducing transponder efficiency, thus eliminating any need for precise antenna dimensioning and ir.inimizing problems with "body detuning" whereby the normal tuning point of the transponder is shifted downwardly in frequency due to the dielectric loading effect of a human body in contact with or in close proximity to the tag.
- the transponder antenna is detuned down from the selected center frequency, this merely increases the transponder efficiency relative to the lower transmitted frequency, and the overall mixer action is not seriously affected since proper mixing occurs with radio frequency power ratios of ten to one or even greater.
- the effects of transmitter frequency drift are minimized in that a shift in one of the transmitters is not multiplied as with reradiated harmonics in the single frequency systems, and any drift in one can be offset by an opposite shift in the other transmitter.
- the strength and frequency stability of the reradiated transponder signal, and the improbability of triggering ' a false response from transponders outside the surveillance area permits maximum receiver sensitivity and minimum receiver bandwidth.
- Signals received from circularly polarized receiver antennas on either side are applied through a very narrow bandpass filter that rejects the transmitter frequencies and then amplified so that the modulating tone can be derived using mostly conventional demodulation techniques.
- the audio tone (e.g., 2 kiloHertz) is used to frequency modulate the radio frequency carrier so that the filtered and amplified signal from the receiver antenna can be applied to a passive double balance mixer that receives a lowerside injection signal (e.g., 1808.600 megaHertz) generated by a stable local oscillator source to provide a suitable intermediate frequency (e.g., 21.4 megaHertz) at the mixer output.
- a lowerside injection signal e.g., 1808.600 megaHertz
- This intermediate frequency output from the mixer is amplified and applied to another precision filter with a narrow passband (e.g., 30 kiloHertz) that defines the predetection bandwidth.
- Detection of the modulating tone is then accomplished through the operation of a narrowband (e.g., 30 kiloHertz) crystal discrimination, the output of which is clamped to ground until its input is of sufficient strength to generate an automatic gain control detector voltage that exceeds a preselected reference level which is adjusted to set the system sensitivity.
- a narrowband e.g., 30 kiloHertz
- the tone is applied to a phase locked loop tone decoder circuit whose voltage controlled oscillator has a free-running frequency equal to that of the tone and is capable of acquiring any steady tone within a narrow frequency range (e.g., plus or minus 10 percent).
- a quadrature detector senses the phase locked condition and produces a direct current Output voltage to drive an operational amplifier with a capacitive feedback that sustains an output signal to trigger an alarm for some minimum time period (e.g., 3 seconds), no matter how brief the duration of the detected tone.
- some minimum time period e.g. 3 seconds
- the alarm is actuated no matter how briefly the transponder remains within ' the surveillance area once the detected signal is of sufficient strength and has the proper modulated frequency content. This eliminates false alarms by weak return signals from transponders outside of the surveillance area and by signals from extraneous sources that may coincidentally produce signals corresponding to the reradiated frequency, but that lack the required tone modulation.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the basic circuit elements and a partial perspective showing the antenna placement for an article surveillance system in accordance with the invention?
- FIG. 2 is a more detailed schematic illus ⁇ trating the cross polarized orientation of the transmitter antenna segments with a perspective view, of the operative antenna and nonlinear impedance elements of the transponder;
- FIG. 3 is a more detailed block and circuit diagram schematic illustrating a preferred form of the narrow band tone modulated RF transmitter of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 4 is a detailed block and circuit diagram showing the preferred form of a continuous wave RF transmitter of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 5 is a block and circuit diagram illus ⁇ trating a preferred form of the linear amplifiers shown in FIG..1; and.
- FIG. 6 is a detailed block and circuit diagram illustrating the preferred form of the narrow band tone modulated receiver of FIG. 1 wherein the transmitted signal is frequency modulated.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an article surveillance system in accordance with the invention
- appropriate transmitter and receiver antenna arrays are mounted in corresponding locations on free standing pedestals 10 and 12, or if preferred on or within existing door frames on either side of a sur ⁇ veillance area, typically at the entrance or exit to a retail establishment, so that anyone entering or leaving must traverse the space between them.
- the respective antenna arrays on either side normally directly face one another with the respective antenna elements disposed in parallel vertical planes.
- Each strip extends outward from a central hub area with individual pairs being aligned to form a conventional center fed dipole radiating antenna that is approximately one-quarter wavelength long for the frequency being transmitted, and may conveniently be oriented as shown to extend horizontally and vertically.
- the individuals- strips 18-21 may be cut from conventional copper clad, adhesive backed tape of the type commonly used in printed circuit boards and applied to a non- conductive dielectric backing with suitable low loss
- the four strip array can simply be etched out by removing the surrounding conductive surface on a printed circuit board.
- a conductive metal panel or a small mesh grid (not shown) can be located behind and parallel to the plane of the antenna strips 18 to 21 to reflect and thus concentrate the transmitted signal energy and radiation pattern inwardly across the protected space for greater efficiency and to inhibit radiation of the signals from the opposite side to areas behind the pedestals 10 and 12.
- the copper clad tape strips are applied to the - surface of a G-10 fiberglass panel that is affixed by adhesive within a lightweight anodized aluminum frame that covers the entire back surface of the pedestal 10 or 12 and structurally supports the antenna mountings and associated circuit elements.
- receiver antennas 22 and 24 that are circularly polarized, such as the crossed folded dipole configuration commonly known as a "turnstile" antenna or a helical .antenna.
- the length of each receiver dipole segment should be a quarter wavelength of the frequency reradiated signal which, as hereinafter explained, is equal to the sum of the two transmitted frequencies.
- the f signal is a narrow band modulated radio frequency generated from a highly stable oscillator source 26 that is coupled to the vertical dipole strip segments 18 of the transmitter antenna array 14 on one side and also through a linear amplifier 28 to the opposing horizontal strip segments 21 of the transmitter array 16 on the other side of the surveillance area.
- the other transmitter signal f2 is similarly generated at a fixed radio frequency by a highly stable oscillator source 30 that ' is to the horizontal strip segments 19 of the transmitter antenna array 14 on one side, and on the other side through a linear amplifier 32 to the oppositely disposed vertical strip segments 20 in the transmitter antenna array 16.
- both oscillator sources 26 and 30 employ respective temperature-compensated, crystal oscillators having cascaded frequency multiplier and narrow passband filters for generating the continuous wave f2 and the radio frequency carrier for the tone modulated signal fl, as more fully described hereinafter in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4.
- the distance between the metal strip antenna segments 18-21 and the adjacent reflective surface of the conductive panel or grid behind it which depends on the thickness of the low loss dielectric backing, is sel ' ected to produce a low voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) to match the antenna input impedance with the output impedance of the respective transmitter signal source at the transmitted frequency so as to provide an effective radiation pattern with an approximate 60 degree beam width extending outward from the transmitter antenna arrays 14 and 16 on each side.
- VSWR low voltage standing wave ratio
- transponder 34 Both radio frequencies f]_ and ⁇ 2 are thus radiated from transmitter arrays 14 and 16 on opposite sides and with opposite polarizations to intersect and impinge from both sides upon a transponder 34 located in the surveillance area between the two pedestals 10 and 12.
- the transponder 34 is shown schematically in FIG. 1 as a circularly polarized helical antenna loop with a diode 36 connected across a short closed section of the loop.
- the preferred form of the transducer 34 consists of an elongated flat metal antenna 38 loop with a central gap on one side that provides a folded dipole configuration.
- the overall antenna length is ideally a quarter wavelength of the mean center frequency between the two transmitted radio frequencies f ⁇ and ⁇ 2 - ⁇ ⁇ e nonlinear impedance element 36, which takes the form of a semiconductor diode, is connected between opposite sides of the loop near one end about midway from the side gap so that the capacitance of the diode 36 with the inductance of the adjacent closed end of the conductive loop form a tank circuit with a resonant frequency equal to or approxi ⁇ mating the sum of the two transmitter frequencies -f and f2 or, in other words, a resonant frequency twice that of the selected mean center frequency for the transmitter signals.
- the diode 36 on the antenna loop 38 to produce the desired resonant frequency for the tank circuit is not crucial and for the most part is determined empirically based on the capacitance of the selected diode and the conductive properties of the antenna loop.
- the short straight metal segment on the diode side of the gap serves as a quarter wave dipole radiating antenna at ije- ⁇ resonant frequency of the tank circuit.
- both transmitted signals f and f2 are received by the transponder antenna loop 38, they are mixed through the non-linear impedance effect of the semiconductor diode 36 to initiate tank circuit oscillation at its resonant frequency, which is equal to the sum of the fi and f2 frequencies.
- Increased mixing and overall transponder efficiency is enhanced through use of a planar diode exhibiting high-speed switching, low RF threshold and low forward bias.
- lower-priced germanium diodes are preferred because of their relatively low threshold of about 0.3 volts, as compared to higher-priced silicon diodes with thresholds of 0.6 volts.
- the approximate two percent frequency separation between the transmitted signals provides important advantages in maximizing transponder efficiency and in the ability of the system to avoid false alarms because the transponder return signal "stands out" from- that which might be produced by dissimilar metal objects such as umbrellas, shopping carts and the like, which have tended to cause false alarms with previous 'systems.
- the bandwidth of the transponder 34 relative to the incident radio frequencies is broadened without reducing its efficiency because the receiver antenna 38 can be tuned to fall anywhere between the two transmitter frequencies, which also minimizes the effects of "body detuning" in that the downward shift in frequency due to such dielectric loading effects can easily be accommodated within this range.
- tuning or detuning of the antenna 38 more toward one transmitter frequency than the other only serves to enhance the signal strength at that frequency without reducing mixer conversion efficiency because proper radio frequency mixing can occur with power ratios of ten to one or greater between the ⁇ signals.
- signals picked up by the receiver antenna 22 and 24 on either side are applied through a conventional mixer connection 40 to a narrow band tone modulated receiver 42.
- the mixing of the two transmitted signals in the transponder return signal permits the response of the receiver 42 to be restricted to very narrowband operation that serves to eliminate false alarm responses due to extraneous noise and transmission signals from other sources. Indeed the receiver bandwidth needed is for the most part dependent only upon the frequency stability of the transmitter sources 26 and 30, thus permitting a very narrow detection "window" corre ⁇ sponding to the possible transmitter frequency drift.
- the bandwidth of the received signals available for detection of the modulating tone can be extremely narrow, and the bandwidth of the receiver (post detection) can be further narrowed in precise detection of the modulating tone.
- system reliability and sensitivity is further enhanced by having the receiver 42 supply an output signal to actuate an alarm 44 only when the strength of the modulating tone signal detected exceeds a selected ' minimum amplitude level for a pre ⁇ determined fixed interval to insure the actual presence of a transponder within the detection zone.
- a stable tone generator 46 of conventional design which may be a simple RC type, generates a fixed frequency tone in the audio range of one to twenty kiloHertz. This tone, which in the current system is at 2 kiloHertz, is applied as a modulating signal to a . voltage controlled crystal oscillator 48 to frequency modulate its output.
- the crystal oscillator 48 is of conventional design with precise temperature compensation capable of holding a . . frequency stability of 0.7 cycles per million from 5°C to 45°C at a frequency of approximately 51.4 megaHertz.
- the amplitude of the modulating signal from .the tone generator 46 applied to the voltage control circuit is adjusted to produce a maximum frequency deviation of plus or minus only about 0.25 to 0.30 kiloHertz, thus resulting in only very narrowband modulation of the oscillator carrier.
- the modulated output of the oscillator '48 is then applied to a conventional frequency multiplier 50 which triples the oscillator frequency that is then applied to a narrowband two pole bandpass filter 52.
- This filtered multiplier signal is then applied to another conventional frequency multiplier 54, which again triples the available frequency to be applied to another narrowband pass filter 56.
- the filtered output from the bandpass filter 56 is then applied to yet another frequency multiplier 58 that this time only doubles the input frequency to produce the desired modulated output signal (f ) at 925 megaHertz with -a narrowband modulation deviation of plus or minus 5 kiloHertz, which is then applied to a variable gain RF amplifier 60 and power amplifier 62.
- This amplifier transmitter signal f is passed through a narrowband three pole bandpass filter 64 to a power divider 66 that delivers the transmitter signal to the vertical antenna strips 18 on the transmitter array 14 of the pedestal 10, and also through a lightweight cable connector to the linear amplifier 28 on the other pedestal 12.
- the other transmitter frequency f2 is generated in a similar fashion using a conventional temperature compensated, crystal oscillator 68 that is capable of holding the frequency to 0.5 parts ' per million from 5°C. to 45 ⁇ C with an output frequency of about 50.3 megaHertz.
- This output frequency is tripled by frequency multiplier 70 to be filtered by a two pole bandpass filter 72.
- the narrowband output from the filter 72 is then applied to another frequency multiplier 74 which again triples the frequency to be applied through another two pole bandpass filter 76, and the filtered output frequency is then doubled in a final frequency multiplier 78 to produce the desired f2 signal at 905 megaHertz.
- the f2 signal is applied to the input of an RF variable gain amplifier 80 and the further amplifier stage 82 to reach a desired transmitting power level.
- the amplified output is then filtered through a narrowband, three pole bandpass filter 84 to remove any amplified distortions or harmonics and apply it to a power divider 86 to be applied directly to the antenna strips 19 and the transmitter array 14 on the pedestal- 10 and through an appropriate RF coupling to the respective linear amplifier 32 on the opposite pedestal 121 Because of the great efficiency and sensitivity achieved, the transmitted power of these signals is an order of magnitude below that required in earlier systems, thus negating any health concerns about possible tissue damage from microwave transmissions.
- the respective fj and f2 signal outputs from the power divider 66 or 86 can be connected to the respective linear amplifiers 28 and 32 on the opposite antenna pedestal 12 by simple wire leads or lightweight cable, thus eliminating the need for the expensive and difficult installation of heavy and bulky RF cable connections required in previous systems to avoid power loss.
- Linear amplifiers 28 and 32 each simply consist of a variable radio frequency amplifier stage 88, the output of which is applied through a narrowband three pole bandpass filter 90 to remove any signal distortion or noise picked up on the connecting line or generated in the amplification process.
- the gain of the amplifier stage 88 is adjusted to restore the transmitter signal strength to approximately the same level being supplied to the transmitter antenna segments on the opposite side.
- the signals picked up by the receiver antennas 22 and 24 are applied through the mixer 40 to a very narrow band, four-pole band pass filter 92, the passband being centered at the mean frequency of the mixed transponder return signal - for example at 1830 megaHertz.
- a valid return signal from the transponder 34 is frequency modulated with a single fixed audio tone, preferably at 2 kiloHertz to provide a maximum deviation of only 5 kiloHertz on either side of the 1830 megaHertz carrier frequency.
- the band pass filter is designed to reject the lower frequency transmitter signals by a minimum of 60db to prevent internal mixing due to circuit non- linearities.
- a filtered output from the bandpass filter 92 is applied to a double balanced mixer 94 to be mixed with lower side injection frequency f3 at 1808.600 megaHertz, for example, from a stable local oscillator source to produce an intermediate frequency (IF) output of 21.4 megaHertz at its output when a valid transponder return signal is present.
- This lower side injection frequency is likewise generated from a highly stable, temperature compensated crystal oscillator 96 operating at about 50.24 megaHertz.
- This oscillator frequency is initially quadrupled in a frequency multiplier 98 and applied successively through two tripling frequency multipliers 100 and 102 to a four-pole narrow band pass filter 104 to supply the lower side injection signal to the mixer 94.
- the intermediate frequency output of the balanced mixer 94 is applied to a low noise amplifier 106 to establish the overall receiver noise figure at 12db to be fed into a four-section monolithic crystal band pass filter 108, preferably the Model 1619-1622 produced by Piezo Technology, Inc. under its registered trademark "COMLINE", wherein the response of amplitude versus frequency is 30 kiloHertz at the -3 db points.
- the crystal band pass filter 108 effectively determines the predetection band width, and along with the 12db noise figure and modulation index of five, provides an overall receiver sensitivity of -113 dbm for a 20db S+N/N ratio at the output of a crystal discriminator 110 described in more detail hereinafter.
- the output from the crystal band pass filter 108 passes through successive RF amplifier stages 112 and 114, each of which is provided on a chip with automatic gain control capability, to provide the desired input level to the crystal discriminator 110.
- the output of each stage 112 and 114 causes the respective automatic gain control circuits to generate a direct current proportional to the amplitude of the output.
- These respective AGC levels from " the individual stages 112 and 114 are summed together to operate as an overall automatic gain detector 116- whose output is a direct current proportional to the combined output amplitude of each stage which is indicative of the initial transponder signal strength from band pass filter 108.
- This combined AGC detector output is fed to a low pass filter 118 having a predetermined time constant to produce a gradually increasing charge at a rate proportional to the strength of the transponder return signal being detected.
- the low pass filter 118 is delivered to a comparator circuit 120 ' to # be compared with a preselected threshold level established by the sensitivity setting on a potentiometer 122.
- the crystal discriminator 110 consists of a monolithic crystal filter of the type available from Piezo Technology, Inc. as its Model 2378F which is combined with an RCA integrated circuit Model CA 3089E as described in' the pertinent data sheet, -to produce an extremely narrowband stable discriminator with a bandwidth in the order of only 30 kiloHertz. With a valid transponder return signal, the output of the discriminator 110 constitutes the modulating audio tone, which in the existing system is at two kiloHertz.
- the output of the discriminator 110 is maintained at ground potential by a clamp circuit 124 until a triggering output from the comparator circuit 120 indicates that the charge built up on the low pass filter 118 exceeds the selected sensitivity setting from the potentiometer 122. This permits the system to be set at a sensitivity level that ignores transitory or weak return signals from remote transponders or other ' sources.
- the two kiloHertz audio tone is applied through a low pass filter 126 to be decoded by conventional phase locked loop techniques using a quadrature detector 128 and phase detector 130 that is capable of acquiring any steady tone within 10% of the modulating tone frequency estab ⁇ lished as the free running frequency of voltage controlled oscillator 132.
- the output of the phase detector 130 is applied to a loop filter 134 to produce a signal for adjusting the frequency and phase of the voltage controlled oscillator 132 to achieve phase lock.
- the quadrature detector 128 then provides its output to a conventional operational amplifier 136 having feedback capacitor 138 that maintains an output signal for triggering a suitable alarm 44 for providing an audible or visual response for a selected time interval no matter how brief the initial response.
- a conventional operational amplifier 136 having feedback capacitor 138 that maintains an output signal for triggering a suitable alarm 44 for providing an audible or visual response for a selected time interval no matter how brief the initial response.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
- Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Burglar Alarm Systems (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US19557280A | 1980-10-09 | 1980-10-09 | |
US195572 | 1980-10-09 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0062056A1 EP0062056A1 (en) | 1982-10-13 |
EP0062056A4 true EP0062056A4 (en) | 1985-06-06 |
Family
ID=22721923
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19810902853 Ceased EP0062056A4 (en) | 1980-10-09 | 1981-10-01 | DUAL FREQUENCY ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. |
Country Status (12)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0062056A4 (fi) |
JP (1) | JPH0353678B2 (fi) |
AU (1) | AU552568B2 (fi) |
BR (1) | BR8108829A (fi) |
CA (1) | CA1190970A (fi) |
DK (1) | DK161172C (fi) |
ES (1) | ES506117A0 (fi) |
FI (1) | FI73532C (fi) |
IT (1) | IT1142881B (fi) |
NZ (1) | NZ198497A (fi) |
WO (1) | WO1982001437A1 (fi) |
ZA (1) | ZA816937B (fi) |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0091581B1 (en) * | 1982-04-12 | 1988-05-18 | Ici Americas Inc. | Crossed beam high frequency anti-theft system |
CA1236542A (en) * | 1983-08-02 | 1988-05-10 | Harold B. Williams | Electronic article surveillance system having microstrip antennas |
US5349332A (en) * | 1992-10-13 | 1994-09-20 | Sensormatic Electronics Corportion | EAS system with requency hopping |
US5347280A (en) * | 1993-07-02 | 1994-09-13 | Texas Instruments Deutschland Gmbh | Frequency diversity transponder arrangement |
US5831530A (en) * | 1994-12-30 | 1998-11-03 | Lace Effect, Llc | Anti-theft vehicle system |
US5798693A (en) * | 1995-06-07 | 1998-08-25 | Engellenner; Thomas J. | Electronic locating systems |
US8358209B2 (en) * | 2005-06-03 | 2013-01-22 | Sensomatic Electronics, LLC | Techniques for detecting RFID tags in electronic article surveillance systems using frequency mixing |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2371128A7 (fr) * | 1976-11-15 | 1978-06-09 | Nedap Nv | Systeme de detection a circuit resonnant non lineaire |
DE2818561A1 (de) * | 1977-04-28 | 1978-11-09 | Parmeko Ltd | Verfahren und anordnung zur positionsueberwachung eines gegenstandes innerhalb einer ueberwachungszone |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
NO126975B (fi) * | 1967-03-30 | 1973-04-16 | John Welsh | |
US3631484A (en) * | 1969-07-30 | 1971-12-28 | Microlab Fxr | Harmonic detection system |
US3707711A (en) * | 1970-04-02 | 1972-12-26 | Peter Harold Cole | Electronic surveillance system |
US3895368A (en) * | 1972-08-09 | 1975-07-15 | Sensormatic Electronics Corp | Surveillance system and method utilizing both electrostatic and electromagnetic fields |
US4139844A (en) * | 1977-10-07 | 1979-02-13 | Sensormatic Electronics Corporation | Surveillance method and system with electromagnetic carrier and plural range limiting signals |
ZA7994B (en) * | 1978-01-11 | 1980-01-30 | Tag Radionics Ltd | Presence sensing system |
US4249167A (en) * | 1979-06-05 | 1981-02-03 | Magnavox Government And Industrial Electronics Company | Apparatus and method for theft detection system having different frequencies |
-
1981
- 1981-09-28 CA CA000386839A patent/CA1190970A/en not_active Expired
- 1981-09-29 NZ NZ198497A patent/NZ198497A/en unknown
- 1981-10-01 JP JP56503332A patent/JPH0353678B2/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1981-10-01 BR BR8108829A patent/BR8108829A/pt unknown
- 1981-10-01 WO PCT/US1981/001335 patent/WO1982001437A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1981-10-01 EP EP19810902853 patent/EP0062056A4/en not_active Ceased
- 1981-10-01 AU AU77219/81A patent/AU552568B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1981-10-07 ZA ZA816937A patent/ZA816937B/xx unknown
- 1981-10-08 ES ES506117A patent/ES506117A0/es active Granted
- 1981-10-08 IT IT49451/81A patent/IT1142881B/it active
-
1982
- 1982-06-02 FI FI821956A patent/FI73532C/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1982-06-09 DK DK258082A patent/DK161172C/da not_active IP Right Cessation
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2371128A7 (fr) * | 1976-11-15 | 1978-06-09 | Nedap Nv | Systeme de detection a circuit resonnant non lineaire |
DE2818561A1 (de) * | 1977-04-28 | 1978-11-09 | Parmeko Ltd | Verfahren und anordnung zur positionsueberwachung eines gegenstandes innerhalb einer ueberwachungszone |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU552568B2 (en) | 1986-06-05 |
DK161172B (da) | 1991-06-03 |
ZA816937B (en) | 1982-11-24 |
IT1142881B (it) | 1986-10-15 |
EP0062056A1 (en) | 1982-10-13 |
NZ198497A (en) | 1985-08-30 |
FI73532B (fi) | 1987-06-30 |
FI73532C (fi) | 1987-10-09 |
FI821956A0 (fi) | 1982-06-02 |
DK258082A (da) | 1982-06-09 |
WO1982001437A1 (en) | 1982-04-29 |
ES8207351A1 (es) | 1982-09-01 |
DK161172C (da) | 1991-11-25 |
BR8108829A (pt) | 1982-08-24 |
JPH0353678B2 (fi) | 1991-08-15 |
ES506117A0 (es) | 1982-09-01 |
CA1190970A (en) | 1985-07-23 |
IT8149451A0 (it) | 1981-10-08 |
AU7721981A (en) | 1982-05-11 |
JPS57501550A (fi) | 1982-08-26 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US4471344A (en) | Dual frequency anti-theft system | |
US4700179A (en) | Crossed beam high frequency anti-theft system | |
US3707711A (en) | Electronic surveillance system | |
US4063229A (en) | Article surveillance | |
US4303910A (en) | Detection system | |
US4302846A (en) | Marker tag for a detection system | |
US3728721A (en) | Differential doppler detection for rf intruder alarm systems | |
US6049301A (en) | Surveillance apparatus and method for the detection of radio receivers | |
CA1169525A (en) | Surveillance system employing a floor mat radiator | |
AU552568B2 (en) | Dual frequency anti-theft system | |
EP0091581B1 (en) | Crossed beam high frequency anti-theft system | |
KR880002492B1 (ko) | 이중주파수 도난방지장치 | |
US5729202A (en) | Electronic article-surveillance apparatus and method of operating same | |
WO1994014143A1 (en) | Dual frequency tag using rf and microwave technology | |
CA2075991C (en) | Security system for surveilling the passage of commodities through defined zones | |
US7034687B2 (en) | Error-avoiding anti-theft surveillance system | |
US4087802A (en) | Method and apparatus for electronic surveillance of precisely defined control zone | |
US5801631A (en) | Theft checking system | |
US3376507A (en) | Balanced microwave hybrid function mixer assembly | |
BE893006A (fr) | Systeme anti-vol a double frequence. | |
RU2032223C1 (ru) | Устройство охранной сигнализации для обнаружения метки | |
KR19990043900A (ko) | 마이크로 스트립 액티브 안테나를 이용한 전파식 근접감지시스템 | |
GB1585129A (en) | Anti-pilferage device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Designated state(s): AT CH DE FR GB LU NL SE |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19821014 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19860724 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN REFUSED |
|
18R | Application refused |
Effective date: 19910819 |
|
RIN1 | Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected) |
Inventor name: WILLIAMS, HAROLD |