FR3114462A1 - UWB RADIO TRANSMITTER DEVICE COMPRISING A SUPPORT SUITABLE FOR RECEIVING PROGRAMMING INK - Google Patents

Abstract

UWB RADIO TRANSMITTER DEVICE COMPRISING A SUPPORT SUITABLE FOR RECEIVING PROGRAMMING INK UWB radio transmitter device (EM1) comprising a UWB radio transmitter module and a UHF radio receiver module for collecting signals in order to electrically supply the UWB transmitter module, characterized in that said UWB transmitter device (EM1) comprises a support (S1) comprising electrically conductive regions and a plurality of zones intended to receive an ink, the deposition of an ink in at least one of said zones modifying the electrical conductivity of a plurality of physical regions of said support (S1), said physical regions of the support (S1) forming a set of electrical interfaces connected to the read inputs of an electronic chip (PE1) of said UWB transmitter device (EM1), the emission of a UWB signal being carried out successively to the reading of the electrical state of said electrical interfaces and to the encoding of a datum corresponding to said electrical state read by the chip (PE1), said transmitted signal comprising said encoded datum. Figure for abstract: Fig. 1

Description

UWB RADIO TRANSMITTER DEVICE COMPRISING A SUPPORT SUITABLE FOR RECEIVING PROGRAMMING INK

Field of invention

The field of the invention relates to the field of UWB radio transmitter devices, of the radio tag type, comprising a UHF radio energy reception module to supply the electronic components of said transmitter device. The field of the invention relates to transmitter devices to be identified by two identification systems.

State of the art

There are transmitter devices of radio tag type collecting radio energy to supply the electronic components of said tag. However, the existing solutions do not make it possible to send a state variable other than data recorded in a memory of the tag for lack of sufficient energy. This constraint exists because it is preferable to transmit messages of short duration to promote their positioning by radio because these transmitting devices have very little energy at their disposal and on the other hand because it is necessary to program a chip to determine what data to send, which also imposes additional processing and resources.

Moreover, in logistics processes, it is often necessary to be able to visually identify a label on an object to check its correct delivery, for example. However, UWB transmitter devices are most often configured independently of a label comprising a graphic code which will be affixed later on the same object. This results in a more complex logistics process that must maintain two identification networks: a UWB network for positioning objects and the network allowing the use of identifiers on QR code type labels. However, to optimize the logistics flow and the movement of objects from one place to another, it is therefore necessary to match these two pieces of information by ad hoc processing, that is to say by a data system capable of recover the information from the UWB world and the data read on labels comprising a graphic code, which is not always easy due to the installation required to perform this pairing function.

It is understood that such installations are limiting when an object having a UWB transmitter device leaves a first site to enter a second site, the information specific to the labeling of a site is lost, by one or other systems.

There is a need to define a transmitter device which sends back data specific to its identification or status by the UWB positioning system and identification or status data from another system. Such a need would in particular make it possible to avoid having to resort to a third-party server or a system for managing a particular status of an object.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a radio transmitter device comprising a radio transmission module and a radio reception module for collecting signals in order to electrically supply the transmission module, characterized in that said transmitter device comprises a support comprising electrically conductive regions and a plurality of zones intended to receive an ink, the deposition of an ink in at least one of the said zones modifying the electrical conductivity of a plurality of physical regions of the said support, the said physical regions of the support forming a set of electrical interfaces connected to the read inputs of an electronic chip of said transmitting device, the transmission of a radio signal being carried out successively after reading the electrical state of said electrical interfaces and encoding a datum corresponding to said electrical state read by the chip, said transmitted radio signal comprising said encoded data.

According to one example, the radio transmitter device transmits in the UWB frequency range, “Ultra Wide Band”, it is therefore a UWB transmitter. According to another example, the transmitter is an RFID type transmitter. In the latter case, the RFID antennas can emit in the low frequencies 125KHz or in the high frequencies 13.56 MHz for passive transmitters. RFID antennas can transmit in frequencies around 2.4 GHz for passive, active and semi-active transmitters, or even in UHF frequencies around 868 MHz for certain passive and active transmitters.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a UWB radio transmitter device comprising a UWB radio transmitter module and a UHF radio receiver module for collecting signals in order to electrically power the UWB transmitter module, characterized in that said UWB transmitter device comprises a support comprising electrically conductive regions and a plurality of zones intended to receive an ink, the deposition of an ink in at least one of the said zones modifying the electrical conductivity of a plurality of physical regions of the said support, the said regions physical media forming a set of electrical interfaces connected to the read inputs of an electronic chip of said UWB transmitter device, the transmission of a UWB signal being carried out successively to the reading of the electrical state of said electrical interfaces and to the encoding of a datum corresponding to said electrical state read by the chip, said transmitted UWB radio signal comprising said encoded datum.

One advantage is to allow immediate use of the UWB transmitter device by the supply chain without any software or hardware modification. A deposit of ink at the level of a zone of the support of the transmitter device makes it possible to pair an identifier of an object with an identifier of a UWB type radio location system.

According to a first alternative embodiment, the deposition of ink activates the electrical conductivity of a plurality of physical regions of the support. According to a second alternative embodiment, the ink deposit electrically isolates a plurality of physical regions of the support.

According to different embodiments, either the ink is conductive, or it contains a product which activates the conductivity or the insulation of a substrate already present on the UWB transmitter device and more generally the transmitter module. This can be implemented for example by a chemical reaction.

One advantage is to modify a configurable electrical state by depositing ink in certain pre-existing areas.

According to one embodiment, the areas intended to receive conductive ink are electrically connected to electrical interfaces of the electronic chip of the transmitter device.

According to one embodiment, at least one zone is arranged between two conductive elements, for example two electrical tabs. An advantage is to allow a configuration in which an operator can decide the combination of areas to be filled in order to generate a digital code to be transmitted according to the measured impedance of the circuit configured by the deposit of the ink.

According to one embodiment, the support forms an element of an electrical circuit comprising at least two interfaces connected to at least two inputs/outputs of the electronic chip.

An advantage is to make it possible to write an electrical state directly readable by an electronic chip of said transmitter device.

According to one embodiment, the transmitted UWB radio signal encodes an identifier of the transmitting device and a datum whose value depends on an ink deposit configuration in the areas of the medium. One advantage is to transmit a radio signal directly comprising a pair of values making it possible to pair the two identifiers so that they can be more easily exploited according to the information systems deployed.

According to one embodiment, the printed medium comprises a printed graphic code. One advantage is to allow the code to be read from a device comprising an optical reader, for example. According to one example, the ink deposited within the zones of the support forms all or part of the visible graphic code.

According to one embodiment, the printed graphic code is a QR code, a Flash Code, a bar code or even a DataMatrix code.

One advantage is to allow the code to be read from a device comprising an optical reader, for example.

According to one embodiment, the transmission of a UWB radio message is automatically generated as soon as a sufficient level of energy by radio channel is reached.

According to one embodiment, the ink comprises a set of conductive particles.

According to one embodiment, the ink makes it possible to modify the properties of the support on which it is affixed. For example, a solvent that activates a substance in the label and it is the latter that becomes conductive. It is an alternative embodiment of a conductive ink. In one case we have a conductive ink, in the second case the ink activates a substance which becomes conductive.

According to one embodiment, the areas intended to receive ink form a matrix electrically connected to a plurality of inputs/outputs of the electronic chip.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following detailed description, with reference to the appended figures, which illustrate:

• [Fig.1]: a front view of a first example of a transmitter device of the invention comprising three zones for receiving a quantity of conductive ink;
• [Fig.2]: a side view of a second example of a transmitter device of the invention comprising a support comprising a zone for receiving a quantity of conductive ink.

The “UWB” notation designates the “Ultra Wide Band” frequency band in English terminology. The "UHF" notation designates the "Ultra High Frequency" band in English terminology.

The invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks. In particular, one of the objectives of the invention is to provide a programmable transmitter device when certain areas are covered with ink without any other material than a pen or a printer.

FIG. 1 represents an exemplary embodiment in which an EM transmitter device ₁ is represented. In this example, a first antenna ANT ₁ making it possible to transmit UWB signals is shown. A second ANT ₂ for receiving energizing radio waves is shown. According to one example, UHF signals are received by the transmitter device in order to supply a capacitor serving as a reserve of electrical energy. This energy, when it is sufficient, makes it possible to automatically generate the transmission of a UWB message.

FIG. 1 comprises a support S ₁ having conductive tracks separated by at least one zone ZA ₁ intended to receive an ink EC ₁ extending according to a predefined shape such as square, circular, parallelepipedic or triangular shapes. According to one example, the zones are made in slight cavities formed on the surface of the support S ₁ . When the ink is deposited by a pen, a conductive track comes into contact with an electrically conductive ink. When a zone is in contact with various electrically conductive tracks, the deposition of a conductive ink results in rendering a track with at least one other track.

FIG. 1 represents an electrical circuit CIR ₁ configurable according to the areas covered with ink. Thus, an identifier can be encoded electrically by depositing an ink EC ₁ on certain areas of the support S ₁ . This identifier can then be read by the electrical tracks of an electronic chip PE ₁ of the transmitter device EM ₁ . It may be a configurable part corresponding to an identifier pre-recorded in a memory of the electronic chip PE ₁ .

Figure 2 shows a section of the thickness of the support S₁according to an embodiment of the EM transmitter device₁that can be that of Figure 1 or which may correspond to another embodiment. FIG. 2 represents another exemplary embodiment in which the electric tracks R₁and R₁' comprise two conductive elements forming projections arranged at the level of zone Z_{AT 2}so as to increase the conductive contact surfaces with the ink. When EC ink₁is deposited at the level of zone ZA₂, the ink can cover the two small protrusions arranged on the surface of the media.

According to one example, the transmitter device can take the form of a blank label to be printed which comprises an electronic chip PE ₁ comprising inputs and outputs for transmitting and receiving signals with the antennas ANT ₁ : UWB and ANT ₂ : UHF.

According to one mode of use, the radio transmitter device EM ₁ initially has no programmed identifier. A “matrix” of conductive entries is placed on the support S ₁ , and will be programmed by depositing an ink on a set of zones intended to receive the ink. The matrix of conductive inputs is printed so that an electrical state can be printed on the electrical interfaces read by the electronic chip PE ₁ of the transmitter device EM ₁ .

The chip of the emitter device EM ₁ is connected to a matrix of points which have one or more contact(s) on the surface of a support of said emitter device EM ₁ . According to one example, a pen deposits its ink which contains some conductive particles. When a box is checked for example on the support of the transmitter device EM1, or even if a text is written on it (depending on the density of the contacts on the surface), a conduction is established by the ink which gives information to be traced on the radio.

When the electronic chip emits a UWB signal, it uses the identifier generated by the new connections established using the ink and encoded by the graphic code generated by the ink. One benefit is to also make the identifier visually accessible by printing on the support S ₁ . The identifier is then recovered by the PE1 chip and is transmitted via UWB radio. This identifier is also possibly accessible thanks to an optical reader scanning the graphic code.

According to one embodiment, the transmitter is not a UWB transmitter but an RFID transmitter.

According to one embodiment, the transmitter device EM ₁ includes a pre-recorded identifier and a programmable identifier.

According to one embodiment, the electronic chip PE ₁ is configured to read the code on each transmission or to program a reading definitively on the first transmission. This last method makes it possible to avoid damaging the reading of the identifier following a shock or a scratch on the support.

According to one example, a dry-erasable or alcohol-erasable ink depending on the resistance that one wishes to give it can be used. This example makes it possible to reinitialize the transmitter device EM ₁ in order to reuse it.

Example of realization of a UWB radio transmitter device

A UWB radio transmitter device may comprise an electronic medium comprising a modulator and a UWB antenna. The radio transmitter device transmits messages in the form of sequences of ultra-wideband radio pulses, known as “UWB messages”. Such UWB messages, formed by a sequence of radio pulses, are also referred to as “Ultra Wide Band-Impulse Radio” or UWB-IR in Anglo-Saxon literature. The transmitter device of the invention can be likened to a radio tag when it is intended to be affixed or fixed to an object in order to be located.

The UWB transmitter device includes a modulator and an antenna for transmitting a signal in the UWB band. The data is modulated by the modulator. According to one embodiment, a memory and a computer can be integrated into the radio transmitter device to process, store and format the data to be transmitted in the messages or the UWB signals.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the UWB radio transmitter device comprises a power supply in order to supply a voltage to the various components. According to another embodiment, the power supply comes from a capacitor which is charged thanks to the reception and collection of radio waves, for example in the UHF band.

According to one embodiment, the UWB radio transmitter device comprises a control module configured to control the transmissions of UWB messages. According to one embodiment, the transmission period, the transmission power, the data coding, the UWB modulation, etc. are configured in the control module to perform UWB message transmissions. According to one example, an accumulated energy threshold makes it possible to trigger the transmission of a UWB message. According to one embodiment, the different functions listed can be supported by different components or be implemented by the same component.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the UWB radio transmitter device comprises a radio reception module for receiving a stream of radio waves. In this embodiment, a transmitter beacon of a radio stream allows the UWB radio transmitter device to collect radio frequency energy.

According to one embodiment, a transmitter beacon of a radio stream can be one or more wireless power supply stations distributed over the geographical area covered by the UWB reception beacons. In this embodiment, the wireless power supply stations remotely supply the tags 20 with electrical energy. According to one embodiment, the transmitting beacons, also called “wireless power supply stations” or UHF generator, are distinct from the receiving beacons. Nothing however excludes, according to other examples, having one or more of said wireless power supply stations which are integrated in one or more UWB receiving beacons, so that at least one piece of equipment of said estimation system station is both a wireless power station and a receiving beacon.

According to the embodiment, the UWB transmitter device comprises a rectifier for converting the spectral power received by the radio reception module into an electric voltage or current. The converted energy can then be stored in an electric accumulator, such as a capacitor. The electric accumulator therefore behaves like a battery making it possible to deliver the energy necessary for the transmission of UWB messages. According to one example, the capacitor can be controlled electrically from an electrical instruction generated by component or directly by itself when a charge level is reached.

According to one embodiment, the transmitter device of the invention could also power a sensor and/or a computer, for example a microprocessor, which interface with the UWB modulator.

According to one embodiment, the UWB radio transmitter device comprises a simplex communication module. By "simplex", we mean that the communication module is suitable only for sending UWB messages but does not allow receiving UWB messages sent by other third-party equipment.

According to one example, the simplex communication module is for example in the form of an electrical circuit comprising equipment such as an antenna, an amplifier, a local oscillator, a mixer, an analog filter and any other equipment that can contribute to transmission of UWB signals.

According to one example, the simplex communication module is configured to transmit the UWB messages in a frequency band centered on 4 gigahertz (GHz) and/or centered on 7.25 GHz. However, nothing excludes considering frequency bands centered on other frequencies.

UWB messages, transmitted in the form of radio signals, present at a given instant an instantaneous frequency spectrum of predetermined width, for example between 500 megahertz (MHz) and 2.5 GHz, which corresponds to radio pulses of durations respectively between a few nanoseconds and a few tenths of a nanosecond.

In one embodiment, the simplex communication module is configured to transmit the UWB messages using an all or nothing radio pulse modulation (“On Off Keying” or OOK in the English literature) to encode bits at emit. That is to say, the values of the bits to be transmitted are encoded by the presence or absence of a radio pulse. For example, if at a given moment the bit to be transmitted is "1" then the simplex communication module transmits a radio pulse, whereas if the bit to be transmitted is "0" said simplex communication module does not transmit a pulse. radio. Such arrangements are advantageous in that they make it possible to reduce the electrical consumption necessary to transmit a UWB message, since the transmission of bits to be transmitted at “0” consumes almost no electrical energy.

According to another embodiment, a position modulation of radio pulses (“Pulse Position Modulation” or PPM in the Anglo-Saxon literature) can be implemented in the method of the invention. For example, considering that the bits to be transmitted in the form of radio pulses are clocked at a predetermined period Tc, then at each period Tc, the pulses are transmitted with an offset relative to the period Tc, the value of said offset depending the value of the bit to send.

According to one embodiment, each ultra-wideband radio pulse can be formed by multiplying a sinusoidal signal by a pulse envelope. In this case, the local oscillator forming the sinusoidal signal corresponding to the carrier frequency of the radio pulses can remain activated continuously over the duration of the UWB message, and the amplitude of said sinusoidal signal is modulated by said pulse envelope. Apart from the instants of emission of radio pulses, the amplitude of the sinusoidal signal is modulated by a signal of zero value.

The modulated signal obtained after amplitude modulation of the sinusoidal signal is then provided at the input of the amplifier, which can also remain activated for the entire duration of the UWB message to be transmitted. By modulating the sinusoidal signal by a pulse envelope before amplifying, the radio pulses are formed before the amplifier. Said amplifier therefore no longer forms the radio pulses but merely amplifies said previously formed radio pulses. It should be noted that it is nevertheless possible to deactivate the amplifier between the radio pulses in order to reduce the electrical consumption of the amplifier.

According to one embodiment, the control module comprises one or more processors and storage means (magnetic hard disk, electronic memory, optical disk, etc.) in which a computer program product is stored, in the form of a set of program code instructions to be executed.

Alternatively or in addition, the control module comprises one or more programmable logic circuits (FPGA, PLD, etc.), and/or one or more specialized integrated circuits (ASIC).

According to one embodiment, the control module includes a set of means configured in software (specific computer program product) and/or hardware (FPGA, PLD, ASIC, discrete electronic components, etc.).

In order to reconstruct the position of a transmitter device, the server comprises means for performing:

• A consistency check between each message received by a plurality of reception beacons, the consistency corresponding to a difference in arrival time of the messages below a predefined threshold and;
• A construction of the position of a transmitting device by a trilateration algorithm between the arrival times of the different UWB messages.

Such a method is based on the exploitation of the different flight times of the UWB messages transmitted by a transmitting device and received by each receiving beacon.

In order to implement such an algorithm, according to one example, the system comprises a device for transmitting a clock which broadcasts synchronization data to the various reception beacons. Each beacon B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₃ receives a synchronization signal coming for example from another system or from a “master” beacon. The synchronization signal is, for example, a signal comprising a time marker distributed to each beacon, said signal being generated from a remote clock.

According to one embodiment, each beacon includes a computer for:

• extracting at least one identification data item from said radio tag;
• calculating time information timestamping the reception of a message transmitted by the transmitter device, said time marker being generated from a clock and a synchronization message. In the latter case, each beacon comprises, for example, an interface for receiving said synchronization signal.

Claims (9)

UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) comprising a UWB radio transmitter module and a UHF radio receiver module for collecting signals in order to electrically power the UWB transmitter module, characterized in that said UWB transmitter device (EM ₁ ) comprises a support (S ₁ ) comprising electrically conductive regions (R ₁ , R ₁ ') and a plurality of zones (ZA ₁ , ZA ₂ , ZA ₃ ) intended to receive an ink (EC ₁ ), the deposition of an ink (EC ₁ ) in at least one of said zones (ZA ₁ , ZA ₂ , ZA ₃ ) modifying the electrical conductivity of a plurality of physical regions (R ₁ , R ₁ ') of said support (S ₁ ), said regions (R ₁ , R ₁ ') of the support (S ₁ ) forming a set of electrical interfaces connected to the read inputs of an electronic chip (PE ₁ ) of said UWB transmitter device (EM ₁ ), the transmitter module being configured to transmit a UWB radio signal successively to the reading of the electrical state of said electrical interfaces and to the e ncoding of data corresponding to said electrical state read by the chip (PE ₁ ), said transmitted UWB radio signal comprising said encoded data. UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the deposition of a conductive ink activates the electrical conductivity of a plurality of physical regions (R ₁ , R ₁ ') of the support (S ₁ ). UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the deposition of an ink activates the conductivity or the insulation of a plurality of physical regions (R ₁ , R ₁ ') of the sensitive medium (S ₁ ). UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the zones intended to receive a conductive ink (EC ₁ ) are electrically connected to electrical interfaces of the electronic chip (PE ₁ ) of the transmitter device (EM ₁ ). UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the support (S ₁ ) forms an element of an electrical circuit (CIR ₁ ) comprising at least two interfaces connected to at least two inputs/outputs of the electronic chip (PE ₁ ). UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the UWB radio signal emitted encodes an identifier of the transmitter device (EM ₁ ) and a datum whose value depends on a deposit configuration of an ink in the zones of the support (S ₁ ). UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an ink deposited within the zones of the support (S ₁ ), said ink forming a visible graphic code. UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an ink comprising a set of conductive particles. UWB radio transmitter device (EM ₁ ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the zones intended to receive ink form a matrix electrically connected to a plurality of inputs/outputs of the electronic chip (PE ₁ ).