Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – With meter reading
Patent
1993-09-28
1996-06-04
Yusko, Donald J.
Communications: electrical
Continuously variable indicating
With meter reading
340572, H04Q 700
Patent
active
055237495
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for handling of articles such as baggage or carrier cargo. In particular the invention relates to a system for automated identification of articles wherein an electronic sub system called an interrogator including a transmitter and receiver extracts by electromagnetic means useful information from an electronically coded label attached to such articles as they are processed through sorting operations eg. at an airport or node of a cargo handling organisation.
Although the present invention is herein described with reference to a baggage/cargo sorting system it is to be appreciated that it is not thereby limited to such applications. Thus the sorting system of the present invention may be applied to material handling operations generally eg. sorting of stock or parts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A block diagram of the type of system to which the invention relates is shown in FIG. 1. This system uses the principle of electromagnetic communication in which an interrogator containing a transmitter generates an electromagnetic signal which is transmitted via an interrogator antenna system to an electronic label containing a label receiving antenna. The label antenna receives a proportion of the transmitted energy and through a rectifier generates a dc power supply for operation of a reply generation circuit connected either to the label receiving antenna or a separate label reply antenna with the result that an information bearing electromagnetic reply signal is radiated by the label.
As a result of electromagnetic coupling between the label and interrogator antennae, a portion of a time-varying radio frequency signal is transmitted by the label antenna and may enter the interrogator antenna, and in a signal separator located within the interrogator be separated from the signal transmitted by the interrogator, and passed to a receiver wherein it is amplified, decoded and presented via a microcontroller in digital or analog form to other systems such as a host computer or a system of sorting gates which make use of the information provided by the interrogator.
In the label, operations of the reply generation circuit may be controlled in time by an oscillator, the output of which may be used either directly or after reduction in frequency by a divider circuit to control the code generator circuit and a reply interval generator circuit. The code generator circuit may control a modulator circuit which may present a time-varying impedance varying in accordance with the modulation signal either directly to the receiver antenna or to the rectifier, or may present a modulated reply carrier signal to a reply antenna. The code generator circuit may alternatively present to the receiver antenna or to the rectifier a reply signal without carrier wave. The reply interval generator circuit may control timing signals to the code generator circuit or to the modulator circuit so that the reply signal is radiated by the label for only a portion of the time for which the label is interrogated.
Propagation of electromagnetic signals between the interrogator antenna system and the label antenna may be constrained to take place within a field confinement structure which may be used to enhance the coupling of energy between the interrogator antenna system and the label antenna, and may also be used to diminish unwanted propagation of interrogator energy beyond the region desired for interrogation. The interrogator antenna system may be connected to the interrogator via an antenna re-configuration switch, either mechanical or electronic, which allows the nature of the interrogation field created by the interrogator antenna system at the position of the label to be changed in magnitude and direction. Such antenna re-configuration may be automatic over time or may be under control of the microcontroller within the interrogator.
Within the interrogator the transmitter may generate, in addition to the signals supplied to the interrogator a
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Cole Peter H.
Turner Leigh H.
Integrated Silicon Design Pty. Ltd.
Merz Edward
Yusko Donald J.
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