GB1312005A - Identification of moving objects - Google Patents

Abstract

1312005 Vehicle identification SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES Ltd 12 May 1970 [13 May 1969 (2) 14 May 1969 16 May 1969 23 July 1969 7 Aug 1969] 22907/70 Heading B7N [Also in Division G1] In an arrangement for reading a code label 8 formed of horizontal retroreflective stripes on an object moving along a predetermined track, e.g. a rail vehicle, in which the label is scanned vertically by light from source 4 reflected from a rotating mirror drum 7, the light beam is modified by a lens arrangement 5 to illuminate an elliptical portion of the label having a width less than and a length approximately equal to that of each stripe. The stripes on the label are formed into vertical columns each providing a binary representation of two or more decimal numbers and a column identification code. The lens unit 5 carries one or more lenses inclined with respect to the beam axis so as to focus the source on to the required area of the label, the light reflected from the label passes via partially reflecting mirror 6, lens 9, slit mask 10 and filter 11 to the light sensitive device 12 which provides an output signal to the processing equipment. Each label is formed of 5 vertical columns I-V each including two broken line portions carrying a unit as shown in Fig. 4b. Each unit includes six narrow stripes 42 defining two wide (binary 1) and three narrow (binary 0) intervals thus being able to represent a decimal digit in a 2 from 5 code. The columns are also each provided with three broad stripes 41 disposed so that the columns can be identified by comparing the time intervals between broad stripes with predetermined intervals or by counting the number of narrow stripes between broad stripes or both. The labels can be preformed with each unit represented as 8 narrow stripes two of which are blanked out to form the two wide intervals or the stripes can be formed on rotatable members which can be rotated to "stripe present" or "stripe absent" positions. The signals from the light sensitive device are sorted into wide and narrow pulses in discriminator 101. The narrow ones in channel 2 are applied to interval discriminator 102 which passes the binary information after parity check in unit 106 to shift register 107. The broad pulses are supplied to discriminator 103 which compares the pulse intervals with two set values to energize channels A, B or C in dependence on the result. The channels and the outputs from the narrow and wide pulse counters 104, 105 are applied to column discriminator 104 which energizes gates 109 to route the information stored in register 107 to the correct position in the buffer register 110.