JPH1123703A - Radio data collection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption by providing an antenna function selection to determine whether a modulation signal is transmitted from first and second antennas as a interrogation wave or whether a non-modulation carrier is transmitted from a first antenna as the interrogation wave, a response wave is received by the second antenna, and at the same time the non-modulation carrier is supplied to a demodulation means. SOLUTION: When the data of an interrogator 50a are to be transmitted, a modulation circuit 3, a modulation circuit 3 demodulates the signal of a transmitter 1 of carriers and sends it from antennas 5 and 8 via a distributor 4 and switch circuits 6 and 7. At this time, no carriers enter a synchronous detection circuit 13, thus resulting in non-operation state. When the interrogator 50a enters a reception state, the modulation circuit 3 transmits a signal as a non-modulated interrogation wave from the antenna 5 via the distributor 4, thus enabling the antenna 8 to receive signals. A response wave from a responder 51 is received by the antenna 8 and is inputted to the synchronous detection circuit 13 via the switch circuit 7. At this time, the modulation circuit 3 also supplies signals to the detection circuit 13 via the distributor 4 and the switch circuit 6, thus enabling the detection circuit 13 to reduce power consumption on transmission and fully utilizing half of output power on reception.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless data collection device for collecting data of a device using wireless, and more particularly to a wireless data collection device capable of reducing power consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In conventional data collection of equipment, a patrol member goes to the vicinity of the equipment, visually confirms an indication value of the equipment, and manually inputs data to a device such as a handy terminal.

Accordingly, in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-112216 filed by the applicant of the present invention, a transponder is provided in a device, and the data of the device is read out from the interrogator by radio, so that a device such as a handy terminal can be used. Manual input was unnecessary.

In Japanese Patent Application No. 7-112216, one antenna on the interrogator side is used for both transmission and reception by using a circulator, and two antennas on the interrogator side are used for transmission and reception. .

However, if the interrogator is to be miniaturized so that it is easy to carry, using a circulator as described above can reduce the size, but increases the cost.

On the other hand, if the two antennas are formed using a printed circuit board having a commonly used dielectric constant, the antennas themselves become large and it is difficult to reduce the size. In addition, when a printed circuit board having a high dielectric constant is used for miniaturization, the gain of the antenna is reduced, and the transmission distance of the interrogation wave sent from the interrogator is shortened.

Therefore, as shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-007950 filed by the applicant of the present invention, when transmitting data in which the transmission distance is a problem, the receiving antenna is switched to transmitting by the antenna function selecting means and two data are transmitted. By operating the antenna as an array antenna, miniaturization was enabled while maintaining the transmission distance of the interrogation wave.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of such a conventional example. In FIG. 2, 1 is an oscillator for generating a carrier, 2 and 4 are distributors, 3 and 18 are modulation circuits, 5, 8 and 15 are antennas, 6 and 7 are switch circuits, 9 is a termination resistor, and 10 is a transmission data output. A circuit, 11 is a switch control circuit, 12 is an amplifier, 13 is a synchronous detection circuit, 14 is a display circuit, 16 is a detection circuit, 17 is a control circuit, and 19 is a sensor circuit.

[0009] In addition, 1 to 14 make the interrogator 50 a 15 to 1
8 is a transponder 51, 1 to 3 and 10 are modulation means 52,
4, 6, 7, 9 and 11 are antenna function selecting means 53.
12 and 13 constitute a demodulating means 54, 16 and 17 constitute a detecting means 55, and 18 constitute a modulating means 56, respectively.

The output of the oscillator 1 is connected to a divider 2, and one output of the divider 2 is connected to one input terminal of a modulation circuit 3. The output of the modulation circuit 3 is connected to a distributor 4, and one output of the distributor 4 is connected to an antenna 5. Also,
The output of the transmission data output circuit 10 is connected to the other input terminal of the modulation circuit 3.

The other output of the distributor 4 is connected to the input terminal of the switch circuit 6, one output terminal of the switch circuit 6 is connected to the input terminal of the switch circuit 7, and the input / output terminal of the switch circuit 7 is connected to the antenna 8 Connected to. The other output terminal of the switch circuit 6 is connected to one end of the terminating resistor 9, and the other end of the terminating resistor 9 is grounded.

The output terminal of the switch circuit 7 is connected to the synchronous detection circuit 13, and the output of the synchronous detection circuit 13 is
4 is connected. The other output of the distributor 2 is connected to a carrier input terminal of a synchronous detection circuit 13 via an amplifier 12.

A control signal of the transmission data output circuit 10 is connected to a switch control circuit 11, and each control signal of the switch control circuit 11 is connected to control terminals of switch circuits 6 and 7, respectively.

On the other hand, the output of the antenna 15 is
The output of the detection circuit 16 is connected to the control circuit 17. The output of the control circuit 17 is connected as a control signal to a sensor circuit 19 connected to the outside.

The output of the sensor circuit 19 is the modulation circuit 1
8 and the output of the modulation circuit 18 is connected to the antenna 15.

Here, the operation of the conventional example shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In the interrogator 50, at the time of data transmission, the switch control circuit 11 determines that data transmission is to be performed based on the control signal from the transmission data output circuit 10, and switches the switch circuit 6 to the "A" side in FIG. Each is switched to the "C" side in FIG.

On the other hand, the modulation circuit 3 performs ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation on the output signal of the oscillator 1 as a carrier based on the output data of the transmission data output circuit 10, and outputs the interrogated signal from the antenna 5 via the distributor 4. Send.

Since the output of the distributor 4 is also output to the antenna 8 via the switch circuits 6 and 7, the ASK-modulated interrogation wave is transmitted from the antenna 8 at the same time.

When a series of data transmission is completed, the interrogator 50
Enters the data reception state. In the data receiving state, the switch control circuit 11 determines that the data transmission has been completed based on the control signal from the transmission data output circuit 10, and moves the switch circuit 6 to the "b" side in FIG. Switch to the middle "d" side.

In the data receiving state, the modulation circuit 3 transmits the output signal of the oscillator 1 as a carrier from the antenna 5 via the distributor 4 as it is as an unmodulated interrogation wave. At this time, the interrogation wave is not transmitted because the antenna 8 is used for reception.

The transponder 51 receives the ASK-modulated interrogation wave transmitted from the interrogator 50 by the antenna 15, detects it by the detection circuit 16, and outputs it to the control circuit 17. The control circuit 17 interprets the content of the data transmitted from the interrogator 50 and performs a process according to the content of the data.

For example, when the data content is a data read command from the externally connected sensor circuit 19, the control circuit 17 outputs a control signal to the sensor circuit 19.

The sensor circuit 19 outputs measurement data and the like to the modulation circuit 18 based on a control signal from the control circuit 17.

The modulation circuit 18 applies BPSK (binary phase shift keying) modulation to the unmodulated interrogation wave transmitted from the interrogator 50 based on the output data of the sensor circuit 19, and reflects the unmodulated interrogation wave to the interrogator 50 as a response wave.

The interrogator 50 receives the BPSK-modulated response wave reflected from the transponder 51 by the antenna 8 and inputs it to the synchronous detection circuit 13 via the switch circuit 7.

The synchronous detection circuit 13 synchronously detects the BPSK-modulated response wave based on the carrier supplied through the amplifier 12 and outputs the result to the display circuit 14. Then, the display circuit 14 displays the input data and the like.

As a result, at the time of data transmission in which the transmission distance becomes a problem, the antenna 8 is switched for transmission by the antenna function selecting means 53 and the antennas 5 and 8 are operated as an array antenna, so that the gain of the antenna is increased. The transmission distance of the ASK-modulated interrogation wave from the transmitter becomes longer.

[0028]

However, in the conventional example shown in FIG. Even at the time of data transmission of the interrogator 50, the output of the oscillator 1 is input to the synchronous detection circuit 13 constituting the demodulation means 54 via the amplifier 12, that is, although the demodulation processing is unnecessary, the amplifier 12 and the The synchronous detection circuits 13 were both in operation and the power consumption was wasted.

In the data receiving state of the interrogator 50, the modulation circuit 3 transmits the output signal of the oscillator 1 as a carrier as it is from the antenna 5 via the distributor 4 as an unmodulated interrogation wave. Since the other output of the modulation circuit 4 is terminated by the terminating resistor 9 via the switch circuit 6, there is a problem that half of the output power from the modulation circuit 3 is wasted. Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is:
An object of the present invention is to realize a wireless data collection device capable of reducing power consumption.

[0030]

In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an interrogator and a response which modulates an interrogation wave from the interrogator based on data and reflects it as a response wave. A radio data collecting apparatus comprising: a transponder; a modulating means for outputting a modulated signal or a non-modulated carrier obtained by modulating a carrier based on transmission data; first and second antennas; Demodulating means for demodulating the response wave received by the second antenna based on the first signal and the first signal as the interrogation wave.
And transmitting from the second antenna, or transmitting a non-modulated carrier as the interrogation wave from the first antenna and receiving the response wave by the second antenna, and transmitting the non-modulated carrier to the demodulating means. An interrogator comprising antenna function selecting means for selecting whether to supply the carrier as the carrier based on the state of the modulating means.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the modulated signal or the unmodulated carrier is distributed and one output is supplied to the first antenna. A divider;
A first switch circuit for supplying the antenna or the response wave to the demodulation means; and supplying the modulated signal of the other output of the distributor to the first switch circuit or the non-modulated carrier. Using a second switch circuit that supplies the signal to the demodulation unit and a switch control circuit that controls the first and second switch circuits based on the state of the modulation unit. It is characterized by the following.

In order to achieve the above object, a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first and second aspects of the present invention, the modulation means for outputting the ASK-modulated signal is used. It is.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first and second aspects of the present invention, the transponder applies BPSK modulation to the unmodulated carrier to generate the interrogator as a response wave. It is characterized in that it is reflected to

[0034]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing one embodiment of a wireless data collection device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1,3 to 8,10,11,1
3 to 19, 51, 55 and 56 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG.

Also, 1,3 to 8,10,11,13 and 14 are interrogators 50a, and 1,3 and 10 are modulating means 52.
a, 4, 6, 7 and 11 are antenna function selecting means 53
a and 10 constitute demodulation means 54a, respectively.

The output of the oscillator 1 is connected to one input terminal of a modulation circuit 3, the output of the modulation circuit 3 is connected to a distributor 4, and one output of the distributor 4 is connected to an antenna 5.
The output of the transmission data output circuit 10 is connected to the other input terminal of the modulation circuit 3.

The other output of the distributor 4 is connected to the input terminal of the switch circuit 6, one output terminal of the switch circuit 6 is connected to the input terminal of the switch circuit 7, and the input / output terminal of the switch circuit 7 is Connected to.

The output terminal of the switch circuit 7 is connected to the synchronous detection circuit 13, and the output of the synchronous detection circuit 13 is
4 is connected. The other output terminal of the switch circuit 6 is connected to a carrier input terminal of the synchronous detection circuit 13.

Further, a control signal of the transmission data output circuit 10 is connected to a switch control circuit 11, and each control signal of the switch control circuit 11 is connected to control terminals of the switch circuits 6 and 7, respectively.

However, the connection relation regarding the transponder 51 is shown in FIG.
And the description thereof is omitted.

Here, the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The basic operation is the same as that of the conventional example.
At the time of data transmission, the switch control circuit 11 determines that data transmission is to be performed based on the control signal from the transmission data output circuit 10, and places the switch circuit 6 on the "A" side in FIG. 1 and the switch circuit 7 in FIG. Switch to each side of "c".

On the other hand, the modulation circuit 3 performs ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulation on the output signal of the oscillator 1 as a carrier based on the output data of the transmission data output circuit 10, and outputs the interrogated signal from the antenna 5 via the distributor 4. Send.

Since the output of the distributor 4 is also output to the antenna 8 via the switch circuits 6 and 7, the ASK-modulated interrogation wave is transmitted from the antenna 8 at the same time.

At this time, the synchronous detection circuit 13 is inactive because no carrier is input to the carrier input terminal.

When a series of data transmission is completed, the interrogator 50
a enters the data reception state. In the data receiving state, the switch control circuit 11 determines that the data transmission has been completed based on the control signal from the transmission data output circuit 10, and sets the switch circuit 6 to the "b" side in FIG. Switch to the middle "d" side.

In the data receiving state, the modulation circuit 3 transmits the output signal of the oscillator 1 as a carrier from the antenna 5 via the distributor 4 as it is as an unmodulated interrogation wave. At this time, the interrogation wave is not transmitted because the antenna 8 is used for reception.

In the transponder 51, as in the prior art, the interrogator 50
BPSK (binary phase shif)
t keying) modulation and reflected as a response wave to the interrogator 50a.

The interrogator 50a receives the BPSK-modulated response wave reflected from the transponder 51 by the antenna 8,
The signal is input to the synchronous detection circuit 13 via the switch circuit 7.

At this time, the modulation circuit 3 outputs the output signal of the oscillator 1 as a carrier as it is, and this output is transmitted via the distributor 4 and the switch circuit 6 to the synchronous detection circuit 13.
Will be also supplied to the carrier input terminal.

Therefore, the synchronous detection circuit 13 synchronously detects the response wave based on the carrier supplied through the distributor 4 and the switch circuit 6 and outputs the response wave to the display circuit 14. Then, the display circuit 14 displays the input data and the like.

That is, at the time of data transmission by the interrogator 50a, no carrier is supplied to the synchronous detection circuit 13 constituting the demodulation means 54a, so that the synchronous detection circuit 13 is in an inactive state and power consumption is reduced. Is supplied as a carrier to the synchronous detection circuit 13 via the switch circuit 6, so that half of the output power from the modulation circuit 3 is not wasted.

When the interrogator 50a is driven by a battery, the life of the battery can be prolonged, so that the size of the battery can be reduced.

As a result, the unmodulated interrogation wave output from the modulation circuit 3 is supplied to the synchronous detection circuit 13 as a carrier by the antenna function selection means 53a at the time of data reception, and the carrier is not supplied at the time of data transmission, thereby reducing the consumption. The power can be reduced.

Although the wireless data collection system is illustrated in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is of course possible to apply the present invention to a mobile object identification device.

The modulation method of the response wave reflected by the transponder 51 is exemplified by BPSK, but ASK (Amplitud)
e Shift Keying), QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift)
Keying) and QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulati)
on) or other methods.

[0057]

As is apparent from the above description,
According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. An antenna function selecting means supplies an unmodulated interrogation wave, which is an output of the modulation circuit, as a carrier to the synchronous detection circuit at the time of data reception to the synchronous detection circuit, and does not supply the carrier at the time of data transmission, thereby reducing power consumption. The device can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a wireless data collection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram showing an example of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oscillator 2, 4 Divider 3, 18 Modulation circuit 5, 8, 15 Antenna 6, 7 Switch circuit 9 Termination resistor 10 Transmission data output circuit 11 Switch control circuit 12 Amplifier 13 Synchronous detection circuit 14 Display circuit 16 Detection circuit 17 Control circuit 19 Sensor circuit 50, 50a Interrogator 51 Transponder 52, 52a, 56 Modulation means 53, 53a Antenna function selection means 54, 54a Demodulation means 55 Detection means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A wireless data collection device comprising: an interrogator; and a transponder which modulates an interrogation wave from the interrogator based on data and reflects it as a response wave. A modulating means for outputting a modulated signal obtained by modulating a carrier or a non-modulated carrier;
An antenna, demodulating means for demodulating the response wave received by the second antenna based on the carrier, and transmitting the modulated signal as the interrogation wave from the first and second antennas, or Whether the modulated carrier is transmitted from the first antenna as the interrogation wave and the response wave is received by the second antenna, and whether the unmodulated carrier is supplied to the demodulation unit as the carrier is set in the state of the modulation unit. An interrogator comprising: an antenna function selecting means for selecting based on the radio data collection device. 2. A distributor for distributing the modulated signal or unmodulated carrier and supplying one output to the first antenna, and supplying the modulated signal to the second antenna or transmitting the response wave to the second antenna. A first switch circuit for supplying demodulation means, and a second switch for supplying the modulation signal of the other output of the distributor to the first switch circuit or supplying the non-modulated carrier to the demodulation means. A first circuit and a second circuit based on a state of the modulation means.
2. The wireless data collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said antenna function selecting means includes a switch control circuit for controlling said switch circuit. 3. The wireless data collection device according to claim 1, wherein said modulation means for outputting said modulated signal subjected to ASK modulation is used. 4. The transponder transmits a BPS to the unmodulated carrier.
3. The wireless data collection device according to claim 1, wherein a K-modulated signal is reflected as a response wave to the interrogator.