Transponder-based apparatus for space-time identification and location DESCRIPTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of dual-band responder systems, named "transponders".

More specifically, the invention relates to a dual-band transponder-based apparatus for space-time identification and location that carries out the data exchange between a query device and one or more responders, being located within an appropriate distance range from said query device. STATE OF THE ART

There are currently available transponder apparatuses formed by a query device (BOA) and at least one responder device (TAG) in a wireless two-way communication, wherein said (BOA) and said (TAG) are provided with means for communicating through two separate channels, one of which is for the (BOA) to activate the (TAG) being located in a predetermined activation area (MFP) and the other two-way one is to exchange data between (BOA) and said (TAG) within a second data exchange area (RFP). Such an apparatus is described in European Patent Application n. EP1209615 submitted by the same applicant of the present application.

Typical applications of apparatuses as the previously described one are all those in which a data exchange between a query device and a responder is required, after such a request is transmitted by either of the two. Examples of use may be access-check and existence-check computer gates and the data exchange within a given region between a user and a determined device such as a personal computer, a peripheral device, a storage unit etc. There are not included in the scopes related to the state of the art devices, all the applications in which it is required to correlate a space identification, already carried out by these devices, to a time identification, by the transponder or responder, so as to render its location single, both in terms of space and in terms of time. Many could be the potential uses of such an apparatus, ranging from the timing

determinations in sport competitions to the management of stocks, to the real-time control and management of commercial yielders, to the management and control of resources, materials, and people in both civil and military logistics, from the control of the movements of instrumentation and apparatuses supplied to laboratories and offices to the control for statistic purposes of the circulation of a given group of people within a determined working area.

Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to introduce a transponder apparatus comprised of a query device and at least a responder device in a wireless two-way communication characterised in that the responder device includes means to temporally mark every data exchange carried out by means of said query device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for space-time identification and location comprising a dual-band transponder capable of carrying out the data exchange between a query device and one or more responders, in a wireless two- way communication between two separate channels, named up-link and down-link channels, said responders being located within an appropriate distance range from said query device, characterised in that said responder devices include means to temporally mark every data exchange carried out by means of said query device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a block diagram of the structure of the apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the integrated version of the apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 3 is a block diagram of the timing-transponder device according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Figure 1 , the subject apparatus of the present invention includes a micro-wave, millimetre or optical waveband illuminator/programmer 10 - hereinafter defined as starter - a radio-frequency transceiver 11 and a device, hereinafter defined as timing-transponder, comprising a time-measuring device 12.

Said timing-transponder is capable of carrying out time-measurements, receiving information on the micro-wave, millimetre or optical waveband channel, named uplink channel, and exchanging information and data on a radio-frequency two-way channel, named down-link channel. In a preferred embodiment of the subject apparatus of the present invention, said timing-transponder is such that it manages external memory devices 13 and external parametric sensors 14.

In a further preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention said starter includes a micro-wave, millimetre or optical waveband transmitter and a control device, based on a stand-alone microprocessor or connected to a remote host or to any remote computer network. The operation of the apparatus according to the present invention is carried out in accordance with the usual modes for transponder devices. Referring to Figure 1 , starter 10 and timing-trasponder 12 communicate through a microwave millimetre or optical waveband channel, or "layer", performing the activation/programming function of the timing-transponders themselves. The timing-transponder 12 and the radio-frequency transceiver 11 reciprocally communicate through a two-way radio-frequency channel or "layer" which is separate and does not interfere with the microwave, millimetre or optical waveband channel for the two-way data exchange between starter 10 and timing- transponder 12.

Said two communication channels correspond ;to the microwave or millimetre waveband antenna 15 or the optical transmitter associated to starter 10 and antenna 18 associated to transceiver 11 and two antennas 16, 17 associated to said timing-transponder 12.

Antenna 16 may be a microwave or millimetre waveband antenna or it may be an optical receiver; antenna 17 is connected to the radio-frequency transceiver on said timing-transponder 12. The antennas associated to said microwave communication channel may be characterised by high directivity so as to achieve the desired space discrimination in the activation step of the timing-transponder 12. The antenna corresponding to said radio-frequency layer channel is preferably an

omnidirectional antenna, in order to allow a communication having a wide range and no reciprocal orientation limits between said starter 10 and said timing- transponder 12.

Referring to Figure 2, representing a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, said starter and said radio-frequency transceiver may be integrated in a single device including a microwave transmitter

20, a radio-frequency transceiver 21 , one or more microprocessor units 22, and a software, on said microprocessor 22, which drives the output of the microwave signal of the microwave communication layer, manages transceiver 21 and may perform a series of accessory control and management functions, as e.g.:

- Starting, resetting, setting out again, synchronising the chronometer of the timing-transponder.

- Requesting the storage of the instant time data measured by the chronometer on the memory of the timing-transponder. - Requesting the receiving, the storage and, if necessary, the retransmission of data existing on the radio-frequency down-link channel.

- Allowing the synchronization of the chronometer on the timing-transponder with a reference chronometer, the time data of which are transmitted by the starter itself on the microwave, millimetre or optical waveband up-link channel during activation step or on the down-link channel by the radio-frequency transceiver.

- Requesting the acquisition and storage of parameters measured by integrated sensors on the timing-transponder.

- Parameterising the following transmissions of the timing-transponder indicating the periodicity and the type of data thereof to be transmitted on the down-load channel (periodic beeper).

- Parameterising the following acquisitions and storages of parameters measured by sensors indicating the periodicity and the storage modes and the time mark thereof.

- Defining the protocol or communication standard and the data format to be used for communications on the down-load channel.

The microwave transmitter 20 is associated to a directional antenna 23 and the radio-frequency transceiver is associated to an omnidirectional antenna 24.

On the other hand, said timing-transponder 12 includes in turn, as shown in Figure 3, an electronic clock 30, at least one volatile or non-volatile memory 31 , at least one microprocessor 32, a microwave receiver 33, a transmitter or a radio- frequency transceiver 34 and may be connected to at least one parametric sensor 35 as, for example, a temperature, pressure, humidity, opening or anti-tampering sensor etc.

The microwave receiver is connected to a microwave antenna 36 and the radio- frequency transceiver is connected to an omnidirectional antenna 37. Said electronic clock 30 of the timing-transponder 12 may be programmed by means of coded digital information received through the microwave or millimetre or optical waveband receiver 33 from the starter on the up-link channel or also through the radio-frequency transceiver 34 on the down-link channel, but only after being activated by the starter. Preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the present invention may be used according to the hardware architecture and the dedicated software executed by said microprocessors 22, 23, for the following activities:

- automatic real time and non-real time control and surveillance of yielders;

- real time and non-real time automated inventory;

- high precision timing for sport competitions; - monitoring and automatic tracking of mobile means, people and objects usable for security systems, automatic toll or parking pay systems, building automation and industrial automation in general;

- research, monitoring and automatic tracking of mobile means, people and objects usable for integrated logistics systems, in the civil, industrial and military fields, both in standard conditions and operative sceneries;

- automatic acquisition of systematic data from environmental sensors or measuring means.

More in detail, a tracking system for objects, people or resources (often defined as an asset management system), may be implemented as follows: one or more starters are positioned at the accesses to a determined region of space that is required to be monitored. Every object, person or resource to be monitored within the defined region is associated to a timing-transponder instead.

Upon access in the region to monitor, the starter activates the timing-transponder and programmes it so that it periodically transmits, with a period defined by the internal clock of the timing-transponder, a predefined code, which may be incremental, until an opposite command is received. Among the information transmitted by the starter to the timing-transponder, there may also be, for instance, the code of the zone, in which the timing-transponder, and thus the object connected thereto, is positioned.

The above opposite command is ordered by a further starter positioned at the exit from the controlled zone operating so as to reprogram the timing-transponder, for instance in order not to periodically transmit the code any longer or to provide the new code to be transmitted relative to the zone in which it is shifted. The timing-transponder uses its clock to synchronise periodic transmissions of its identification code or the acquisition, storage, and/or re-transmission of possible other information deriving from sensors positioned on the mobile device, positioned on the object to monitor.

The architecture of a possible control system employing the apparatus for space- time identification and location according to the present invention will be equipped with stand-alone or network connected transceivers in order to allow the system to detect the state and space-time position of the mobile device itself and of whatever is integrally connected and associated thereto.

Said control system may for instance comprise a network of receivers and starters connected to a server or control unit, which will function to allow the location of the various timing-transponders. The spatial location may take place both on the basis of the code of the starter and by association to the receiver receiving the data, because radio coverage of the receiver defines a determined intervention zone. The data received from the receiver network will then, for example, be transferred to the control server, which on the basis of appropriate management software processes and updates the database. All of the asset management functions required are then implemented on the basis of the information that resides in the database which is virtually updated in real time. All of the synchronised information, obtained from the timing-transponders, is used

by the control system to update in real time the presence, position, operation and administrative state etc. of the objects, people or resources connected to the timing-transponders.

A further preferred use of the apparatus according to the present invention relates to an automatic timing system with microwave trigger.

In detail, the mobile device, formed by the timing-transponder provided with connection interfaces to external parametric memories and sensors, is integral with the resource, person or object, the movements of which are to be timed. The timing-transponder is linked to the absolute time, receiving the appropriate trigger signal on the up-link distance (microwave, millimetre or optical waveband) from a starter. The absolute time data may be transferred on the transponder both using the communication with the starter, connected to an "absolute" clock, on the up-link distance in the activation step, or receiving such time data on the down-link radio-frequency distance, continuously transmitted by the radio-frequency transmitter connected in turn to the absolute clock.

The starter, provided with a directional microwave or millimetre waveband antenna, continuously transmits the coded trigger signal (up-link distance), which may be a simple reset code or it may in turn contain the reference time data. As soon as the mobile device receives the microwave trigger, it stores the reference time data transmitted either on the up-link distance or on the down-link distance.

On such signal, the integrated chronometer is synchronised and autonomously starts measuring the deviations (relative and partial times) or the absolute time, and may store the time slots separating several events associated to several starters or to consecutive transmissions of the same starter.

After an appropriate command ordered by a starter, the timing-transponder may transmit on the down-link channel the complete or partial contents of its memory associated to its identification code. A further preferred use of the apparatus according to the present invention relates to a break-in proof or anti-tampering system.

This time the timing-transponders, appropriately associated to break-in proof or anti-tampering sensors, are positioned at the access gates of containers intended

for the transport of goods or objects so that said timing-transponder may temporally mark every opening and closing of said accesses. Consider, for instance, that said containers are stowed on a cargo ship, the timing- transponder associated to each of them are linked to the absolute time, receiving the appropriate trigger signal on the up-link distance (microwave, millimetre or optical waveband) from a fixed-type starter located in position or a portable-type starter manoeuvred by an operator. The absolute time data may be transferred on the transponder both using the communication with the starter, connected to an "absolute" clock, on the up-link distance in the activation step, or receiving such time data on the down-link radio-frequency distance, continuously transmitted by the radio-frequency transmitter connected in turn to the absolute clock. The same containers will then be stowed in the ship and carried to destination and the timing- transponders integral therewith will register and temporally mark all of the openings of the access gates detected by the break-in proof sensors interfaced with them.

Upon return to the departure harbour it will be possible to verify that the unloading of said containers has taken place according to the modes and times destined, by reading the contents of the timing-transponders associated thereto which will be able to transfer, upon an appropriate command ordered by a starter, the complete or partial contents of its memory associated to its identification code on the downlink channel.