Various automatic identification systems that utilise radio frequencies, so-called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and that include identification tags (ID-tags) and communicators are known to the art. Each identification tag includes an antenna, a modulator, and a control logic circuit for controlling the modulator. One known ID-tag is designed to receive a signal sent by a communicator and to reflect this signal in a modulated state. Applicants provide such identification systems.

The use of such identification tags presents a large problem when a large number of objects shall pass through different passageways, such as in the case of large events, where participants or functionaries, press, etc. , are issued with an ID-tag that permits passage into different areas. The problem consists in not knowing whether a person carries the tag issued to a particular person or whether the person carrying the tag has acquired the tag improperly. Known technology does not enable a reliable check to be carried out when there are no entrances through which persons pass in an orderly line one after the other, but pass through a wide entrance in a disorderly fashion.

A corresponding problem occurs when a large number of vehicles shall be checked as they pass through a given location. This problem arises in a situation where vehicles are provided with an ID-tag, which shows that a vehicle is permitted to travel into given areas of a town, for instance, and where regular vehicle toll stations for payment and/or registration are not desirable. The absence of regular vehicle passageway stations means that the vehicles are not always positioned one after the other in lines, but may be displaced relative to one another. In such cases, monitoring of passing vehicles is also desired. In this case, the problem resides in the identification and preferably marking of a vehicle that lacks an ID-tag, despite the vehicles not being in line order.

These problems are resolved by means of the present invention.

Thus, the present invention relates to a method for carrying out passage and authorisation checks of objects, such as persons or vehicles, with the aid of an identification system that uses radio frequencies, so-called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or corresponding radio links, said system including identification tags (ID-tags) and communicators, wherein each identification tag includes an antenna, a modulator, a control logic circuit for controlling the modulator, and a memory, wherein the ID-tags are designed to receive a signal sent by a communicator and to reflect or re-send said signal in a modulated state, wherein the communicators are connected to a central computer and a database, and wherein the invention is characterised in that the memory of the ID-tags includes a code which identifies the object to which the ID-tag truly belongs, said code being caused to be transferred to said computer via a communicator; in that one or more ID-tags are caused to be read by a communicator essentially simultaneously ; in that an object-specific machine- readable parameter, such as the facial appearance of a person or the colour or shape of an object, or some other mechanically readable parameter, is caused to be read mechanically by a reading device for one or more objects within the reading area of said device; in that the parameter read in respect of one or more objects is caused to be transferred to said computer; in that the computer is caused to compare the read parameters with respect to the object or objects that has or have been read with corresponding stored object-specific parameters for read ID-tags ; and in that in the event of a predetermined deviation between said parameters one or more ID-tags are considered not to belong to the passing objects.

The invention also relates to a system of the kind that has the characteristic features set forth in the accompanying Claim 10.

The invention will now be described in more detail, partly with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where - Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a system according to the invention; - Figure 2 illustrates schematically monitoring of a number of persons; and - Figure 3 illustrates schematically monitoring of a number of cars.

Figure 1 illustrates an inventive system exemplified by the passage control of persons. The system includes an identification system that utilises radio frequencies, so-called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). The control system includes identification tags 1 (ID- tags) and communicators 2, where each identification tag 1 includes an antenna 3, a

modulator, a control logic circuit 4 for controlling the modulator, and a memory 5. This ID-tag is adapted to receive a signal 6 sent by a communicator and to reflect the signal in a modulated state. The communicators also include an antenna, referenced 11.

The invention is not limited to a radio link according to RFID, and the RFID link may be replaced with a Bluetooth link between the ID-tag and the communicators.

The communicators 2 are connected to a central computer 7 and a database 8.

According to the invention, the memory 5 of respective ID-tags has stored therein a code that identifies the person to which the ID-tag 1 truly belongs. The ID-tag 1 is designed to transfer the code to a communicator 2, which is adapted to send the code to the computer 7.

The system, also includes a known reader 9 for reading person-specific parameters, such as the iris of a person's eye 10, or some other machine-readable parameter.

The parameter may also consist of a picture of a person's face or some other parameter that can be read from a distance of some metres.

According to another embodiment of the invention, said parameter may be a person's height. Even a parameter as rough as this is able to ascertain whether or not the ID-tag carried by said person is the correct ID-tag issued to said person, with a relatively high degree of probability.

The reader 9 is further adapted to send the read parameter to said computer 7.

According to a first embodiment, the pre-stored parameter is stored in the ID-tag and is transferred to the computer 7 when the ID-tag is read.

According to a second embodiment, said pre-stored parameter has been stored in the database 8 of the computer 7 and is fetched from the database to the computer with the aid of said code.

When the pre-stored parameter has been transferred to the computer, the computer 7 functions to compare the read parameter with the parameter fetched from the database.

When the compared parameters are in predetermined agreement, the ID-tag is considered to belong to the person carrying the tag. When insufficient agreement exists, the computer 7 functions to deliver a signal that indicates that the ID-tag does not belong to the person carrying the tag.

By pre-stored parameters is meant that reading of a parameter relating to a person may be effected, for instance, in conjunction with issuing said person with an ID-tag while, at the same time, providing said-tag with a person specific code.

When using the code to fetch the person specific parameter from the database 8, said parameter will be fetched extremely quickly. This enables a very quick comparison to be made between the stored parameter and the read parameter. Thus, it is possible to establish whether or not the ID-tag belongs to the person whose parameter was read, very quickly and with a high degree of probability.

The ID-tag may contain a large amount of information that is transferred to the computer and the database, with the exception of the aforesaid code. This information may contain the name, employment number, the areas in which the person is allowed to move freely, and so on.

The reader 9 that reads said parameter is preferably placed in connection with a communicator 7, so that reading of said parameter will take place essentially simultaneously with reading of the ID-tag. The aforesaid comparison will herewith also be made generally simultaneously.

When the parameter and ID-tag are read at some form of entrance, portal, or gate, the signal generated in the event of a predetermined deviation in the comparison may be an acoustic and/or a light signal. This will enable security guards to ensure that only authorised persons pass through the entrance.

The reader 9 may be adapted to read the parameters of two or more persons in rapid succession, in conjunction with reading respective ID-tags. In this way, it is possible to detect whether or not the number of persons agrees with the number of read ID-tags.

Many different types of readers for reading person specific parameters are known to the art. The present invention does not rely on the use of any particular reader per se, and consequently the reader will not be described in detail in this document.

The aforesaid will be apparent from the Swedish basic priority document No. 0201578-2.

As before mentioned, a problem arises when checking the passage of a large number of persons through a wide entrance in a disorderly fashion, such as the case when there are no entrances through which persons pass sequentially one after the other as illustrated in Figure 2.

According to the present invention, one or more ID-tags are read essentially simultaneously by a communicator 2. The range of detection of the communicator 2 in Figure 2 is delimited by the lines 14,15. Moreover, an object-specific machine readable parameter, such as the facial expression of a person, or the colour or shape of an object, or some other machine readable parameter is caused to be read mechanically by a reader 9 in respect of one or more objects, in Figure 2 persons 16-19, within the detection range of the reader. In Figure 2, the reading range is delimited by the lines 12,13. The parameter read in respect of one or more objects 16-19 is sent to the computer 7, which is caused to compare the parameters read in respect of said read object or objects 16-19 with a corresponding pre-stored object specific parameters in respect of read ID-tags that have been read within the detection range of the communicator 2.

The communicator 2 and the reader 9 may be placed on a bracket structure and directed obliquely downwards.

Thus, Figure 2 shows said persons 16-20 within the detection range of the communicator 2.

The person 21 is situated outside the communicator detection range. Correspondingly, the persons 16-19 are situated within and the persons 20-21 are situated outside the reading

range of the communicator. The person 18 is assumed not to possess an ID-tag, or to carry the ID-tag belonging to another person.

The parameters read in respect of persons 16-19 are compared in the computer 7 with said pre-stored object specific parameters in respect of the read m-tags belonging to said persons 16-20. This means that when a comparison is made between the parameters read by the reader 9 and the detection achieved by the communicator 2, the parameters read in respect of persons 16-19 will be matched with the object specific parameters of the persons 16-20. In the event of a predetermined deviation between said parameters, it is considered that one or more ID-tags does/do not belong to the matched object. In the case of the illustrated example, this applies only to the person 18, since the person 20 has not been detected by the reader 9.

According to one highly preferred embodiment of the reader 9, the reader 9 is a video device with which said parameter is determined by image processing. For example, as a result of image processing, the detecting device or reader 9 is able to detect one person at a time within said detection range and therewith carry out said comparison.

This means that when one or more ID-tags is/are not considered to belong to passing objects, the detector or reader may be caused to mark on an image screen those objects that are not considered to belong to any detected ID-tag. This marking on the display screen may have the form of a red ring or some corresponding marking. Moreover, there can be taken from the detector a picture that represents the erroneous object. The embodiment in which an object is marked is highly preferred.

According to the present invention, the reading lobes of the detector or reader 9 and the communicator 2 need not be mutually identical. Figure 2 shows mutually intersecting lobes. However, the lobes may be directed in mutually the same direction or define angles with each other. It is important, however, that the lobes overlap.

The fact that the lobes overlap is decisive, since, in accordance with the invention, data from the ID-tags is paired together with the reading of object specific parameters read by means of the reader 9, so as to determine whether or not a given object has the ID-tag specific to said object.

Pairing can be effected by fetching the pre-stored object specific parameter from the computer memory 8 on the basis of the contents of the ID-tag, and thereafter comparing the fetched parameter with all parameters read by the reader 9.

Pairing can also be effected on the basis of an object parameter read by the reader, by making a comparison between this parameter and all of the pre-stored parameters that are stored and connected with the ID-tags read at that moment in time, and thereafter marking read objects with which there is a predetermined deviation between the read parameter and all pre-stored parameters.

Although the invention does not guarantee absolute security against the passage of an unauthorised person or object, the probability of a person in the possession of someone else's ID-tag being able to pass because the object specific parameter can be considered sufficiently similar to the pre-stored parameter is extremely low. In addition to application of the inventive method at entrances, gates, etc. , the invention can also be applied over a wide area, for example an exhibition area or some corresponding area.

It is preferred that the computer 7 is caused to generate a signal indicating that a read ID- tag 1 is not considered to belong to the object concerned, in the absence of insufficient agreement.

Figure 3 illustrates a vehicle traffic monitoring system. This monitoring system may relate to permission to drive a vehicle at a specific place, vehicle toll fees, etc. Monitoring is effected with the aid of a detector or reader 9 and a communicator 2. These may be mounted on a bracket structure and directed obliquely downwards. Each vehicle 25-29 is expected to have been provided with an ID-tag 1. The vehicles move in the direction of the arrow 30.

With regard to vehicles, it is preferred that said parameters consist in the colour of the vehicle, its characteristic shape, or its registration number.

In the case of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, the vehicle 28 has not been provided with an ID-tag.

Corresponding to the method illustrated in Figure 2, the vehicles 25-28 will be matched against object specific parameters coupled to the m-tags that can be expected in each vehicle 25-29. The vehicles that will be matched together with pre-stored parameters are vehicles referenced 25 and 27. The vehicle 29 will not be found, since the detector or reader 9 does not see this vehicle. With regard to the vehicle 28, no BD-tag is found and consequently the vehicle is considered to be false since although seeing the vehicle, the detector fails to find an ID-tag that has the correct parameter for this vehicle. As in the case of person-monitoring processes, this vehicle can be marked on an image screen and a picture of the vehicle can be produced for identification.

The present invention thus solves the aforesaid problem.

It will be obvious that the invention can be modified with regard to the choice of reader, the content of the ID-tags and the construction of the system.

The present invention shall not therefore be considered to be limited to the aforedescribed exemplifying embodiments, since variations and modifications can be made within the scope of the accompanying Claims.