JPH035996Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an identification device for identifying moving objects such as moving automobiles, trains, and pallets (movable cargo platforms) in automated warehouses.

[Prior art]

In conventional devices of this kind, for example, when identifying automobiles, a special contract is made for vehicles entering and exiting toll roads, toll parking lots, or specific areas, and each vehicle is assigned a different contract number. This information is written on a magnetic card, and when the driver passes through the appropriate gate, the driver inserts the magnetic card into the card reader installed at the gate, and the vehicle passes through with permission. It is being

However, in this case, there was an inconvenience in that the driver had to stop the car and insert the magnetic card into the card reader when approaching the gate. In addition, there were many inconveniences such as losing the magnetic card and having to find it every time.

On the other hand, it may be possible to allow vehicles to pass by turning on a signal light provided at the gate or opening a barrier, but in such a case, the ground gate will automatically identify the vehicle. A means is necessary. Therefore, a possible solution is to constantly emit light, ultrasonic waves, or electromagnetic waves encoded with a unique number given to the vehicle from the car, and have a receiver at the gate on the ground receive this and identify it. ,
Interference was a problem when multiple vehicles were passing through a gate in close proximity.

As a means to solve this problem, a beam-shaped optical signal is transmitted from the vehicle side, and a receiver on the ground side sequentially receives the beam optical signal for each passing vehicle, identifying each vehicle one by one. It is valid to go.

Therefore, the applicant of this invention has already proposed such a method in Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-39235 titled ``Vehicle Sorting System''.

And this content is to load a light emitter on each vehicle,
While time-division cyclic transmission of light from this emitter is carried out in the form of pulses, a receiver is installed on the ground.
Determine the start pulse of the above-mentioned light emission pulse, and receive a one-character optical pulse using the start-stop synchronization method.
This system is designed to determine the vehicle number. For example, a different 8-digit vehicle number is set for each vehicle, and this is transmitted as light pulse data from an on-board optical transmitter to a receiver on the ground, and time-sharing is performed. It is designed to perform cyclic transmission.

An example of when these transmitters are actually mounted on a vehicle is shown in Figure 1. In Figure 1, a vehicle that constantly emits a light signal automatically activates the gate by receiving power from the vehicle's battery. It is a block diagram which shows the aspect which passes.

In this Figure 1, 1 is a car, 2 is a car battery installed in this car 1, and 3 is a car 1.
4 is a light emitting part of this optical transmitter 3, and 5 is an optical signal emitted from this light emitting part 4, which is configured to be input to a light receiving part 7 of an optical receiver 6. There is.

Data from the vehicle (vehicle number) is electrically output from this optical receiver 6 as the vehicle passes, so one of the outputs is sent to the central computer 10, and the other 1 to breaker 8
It is configured to send the information to the signal light 9 and signal light 9 to permit the vehicle to pass. In this case, the function of checking the vehicle number output from the optical receiver 6 is configured to be performed by the optical receiver 6 or the central computer 10. Note that R in the signal light 9 indicates red, G indicates green, and the red R symbol indicates that it is lit.

However, as shown in Figure 1, the identification device configured in this way requires power to be supplied from the vehicle's battery, making the wiring very troublesome. It is conceivable to use a built-in optical transmitter 3 in the optical transmitter 3, but since the optical transmitter 3 constantly emits pulses, the battery quickly runs out, which is impractical.

On the other hand, it is possible to install a power switch and have the driver turn it on when passing through the gate, but if the driver forgets to turn it off,
In addition, it was troublesome and bothersome to turn on the switch each time the driver passed through the gate.

[Purpose and structure of the invention]

In view of the above points, the present invention was devised to solve such problems and eliminate such drawbacks.The purpose is to prevent operational errors of optical transmitters mounted on moving objects, and to reduce power consumption. Our goal is to provide a device with extremely small amounts of water.

In order to achieve this purpose, this idea
An ultrasonic transmitter that emits ultrasonic waves modulated at a specific frequency is installed on the ground side, and the ultrasonic waves from this transmitter are detected by an ultrasonic receiver located on the moving object side. In response to this detection signal, a light beam is generated as a pulse for a predetermined time from the generating section of the optical signal generator, and the pulse is received by an optical receiver on the ground station side.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the identification device according to the present invention, illustrating a vehicle as an example of a moving object, and showing a mode in which ultrasonic waves emitted from the ground are received on the vehicle and an optical signal is thereby emitted. be.

In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 12 and is configured to transmit waves in the form of a beam. Reference numeral 14 is provided in a moving body, that is, an automobile 1, and an ultrasonic transmitting head 12
This ultrasonic receiving head 14 is connected to a transceiver 15, which is also connected to the light emitting unit 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, this ultrasonic receiving head 14 receives ultrasonic vibrations from the ultrasonic transmitting head 12 by a bimorph type electrostrictive element 16.
Configured to convert to electrical output. 16
Reference characters a and 16b are electrodes of the electrostrictive element 16 for receiving ultrasonic waves.

FIG. 3 shows how the ultrasonic waves 13 sent out from the ultrasonic transmitting head 12 on the ground are projected onto the ultrasonic receiving electrostrictive element 16, and 17 is provided with electrodes 16a and 16b. The iron housing 17 has a cylindrical shape, and the ultrasonic wave 13
A disc-shaped bimorph ceramic electrostrictive element 16 is attached to the back surface of the front surface on which the image is projected.
Now, when the ultrasonic wave 13 is projected onto the front side of the iron housing 17, mechanical vibrations at the frequency of the ultrasonic wave are applied to the electrostrictive element 16, and the electrodes 16a, 16
b produces electrical output.

With this configuration, due to the characteristics of ultrasonic waves, it is possible to transmit ultrasonic waves with relatively strong beam properties from the gate side on the ground, so when multiple vehicles pass through the gate, they do not approach each other. Even if the vehicles are located at the same time, each vehicle can receive the ultrasonic beams in an orderly manner, thereby allowing each vehicle to emit an optical signal 5 to an optical receiver 6 on the ground in a timely manner.

When the ultrasonic receiving electrostrictive element 16 receives the ultrasonic wave 13 from the gate side on the ground, the transceiver 15 shown in FIG. The configuration and functions will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the transmitter/receiver according to the present invention, and only the parts necessary for explanation are shown.
The portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 4 corresponds to the transceiver 15 shown in FIG.

15-1 is an electrostrictive element 16 and a selective amplifier 15- that selectively amplifies the transmitted ultrasonic wave according to its frequency.
a coupling capacitor connected between 2 and 15-3
15-4 is a Schmitt circuit that receives the output of the selection amplifier 15-2 and generates a rectangular wave, and 15-4 is a first timer that maintains the output for a predetermined time based on the output of the Schmitt circuit 15-3. The circuit 15-5 is this first timer circuit 15-4
and a power switch circuit that is controlled by the output of a second timer circuit to be described later and shifts to the "on" state, 15-6 is a built-in battery, and 15-7 is a power switch circuit that is operated based on the operation of the above-mentioned power switch circuit 15-5. Built-in battery 1
This is an optical transmitting circuit which takes in the electric power from 5-6, converts the set vehicle number into a digital code, and outputs it to the light emitting section 4 as a cycle pulse output.

15-8 is a manual push button, and 15-9 is a second timer circuit that is activated by the output of the manual push button 15-8.These are controlled by the output of the second timer circuit 15-9 and the built-in battery 15 is -6 to the optical transmitter circuit 15-7, the power switch circuit 15-5 supplies power to the light emitting section 4 of the optical transmitter for a predetermined time set by a timer circuit, and emits an optical signal. It constitutes a means of coercion. Note that the capacitor 15-1 and the selection amplifier 15
-2, Schmitt circuit 15-3, timer circuit 15
-4, a symbol 19 consisting of a manual push button 15-8 and a timer circuit 15-9 is activated by the signal when the ultrasonic receiving head 14 detects the ultrasonic signal 13 from the ultrasonic transmitting head 12, and is powered on. This is a drive circuit that drives the switch circuit 15-5.

Next, the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, when ultrasonic waves of a specific frequency, for example, 20 KHz, are transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitting head 12 of the ultrasonic transmitter 11 shown in FIG. A certain electrostrictive element 16
It produces an electrical output corresponding to a 20KHz ultrasonic input.

The output of this electrostrictive element 16 is passed through a coupling capacitor 15-1 in the transmitter/receiver 15 to a selective amplifier 15.
-2, where it is selectively amplified in accordance with the frequency of the transmitted ultrasonic wave, and its output is input to the next stage Schmitt circuit 15-3 to generate a rectangular wave. Here, this Schmitt circuit 15-3 produces an output when the input from the selection amplifier 15-2 is large to some extent, and has a slight hysteresis characteristic.

Next, when the first timer circuit 15-4 receives an output from the Schmitt circuit 15-3, the first timer circuit 15-4 maintains the output for a predetermined period of time, and turns on the next power switch circuit 15-5. and sends power from the built-in battery 15-6 to the optical transmitter circuit 15-7. Here, this first timer circuit 15-4
is provided in order to reliably send an optical signal repeatedly for a predetermined period of time once an ultrasonic input is detected. While the power switch circuit 15-5 in the preceding stage is in the "on" state, this optical transmitter circuit 15-7 converts the set vehicle number into a digital code and sends it to the optical transmitter as a cyclic pulse output. Output to the light emitting section 4. Here, the light emitting section 4 of this optical transmitter is composed of a group of photoelectric conversion elements such as light emitting diodes, and outputs a beam-shaped optical pulse in response to input from the optical transmitting circuit 15-7. This pulsed optical signal 5 is then projected onto the light receiving section 7 of the optical receiver 6 located on the gate side on the ground.

On the other hand, an output is generated by pressing the manual push button 15-8, and the second timer circuit 15-9 operates based on this output.
While the output 5-9 is being generated, the power switch circuit 15-5 is in the "on" state, and the optical signal 5 is output from the light emitting section 4 in the same way as when receiving the ultrasonic wave described above.

Here, the push button circuit consisting of the manual push button 15-8 and the second timer circuit 15-9 is used when ultrasonic transmission and reception are not performed normally for some reason, or when ultrasonic transmission equipment is installed at the gate on the ground. This is provided in case you pass through a gate that is not designated.

The time set in this second timer circuit 15-9 is determined by pressing the manual pushbutton 15-8 when the vehicle approaches the gate, starting emitting light signals from the vehicle, and starting the light signal on the gate side. Light receiving section 7 of receiver 6
The time required for the vehicle to pass in front of the vehicle is sufficient, so it may be approximately 5 seconds.

Next, when the vehicle is normally running or stopping at a place other than the gate, weak noise ultrasonic waves are input to an antenna (not shown), but the Schmitt circuit 15-3 in the transceiver 15 is activated. The output is as high as the output from the selection amplifier 15-2 in the previous stage.
It does not arise from. Therefore, Schmitt circuit 1
Each circuit after 5-3 does not operate, and power is not supplied to the optical transmitter circuit 15-7.

In this way, it is always in a state where it is waiting for ultrasonic waves of a specific frequency from the gate side on the ground, and the amount of power required for this can be made extremely small. If the circuit is constructed using a C-MOS semiconductor element with low power consumption, it can perform its functions with a current consumption of 20 to 30 μA.

On the other hand, the average power required to transmit an optical signal when passing through a gate on the ground is just under 1 mA. From this, if a lithium battery with a capacity of about 2000 mA/hour is used, it can be put into practical use for 4 to 5 years without replacing the battery.

The present invention has been described above using the case where a vehicle passes through a gate as a moving object, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to identification of packets in moving cars, trains, and automated warehouses. In addition, in the future, the circuit components can be made into LSI and made extremely compact, so it has many and effective applications, such as automatic toll collection systems for toll roads and toll parking lots, and mobile platforms for automatic work. The identification device according to the present invention can also be applied to, etc.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to the present invention, the optical transmitter transmits a light beam pulse for a certain period of time only when an ultrasonic signal is received from the ground, so the power consumption during standby is reduced. This has the effect that the number of operations is extremely small, and since no operation is required, there is no possibility of inducing operational errors, and the practical effects are extremely large.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional identification device;
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the identification device according to the present invention, Fig. 3 is a block diagram extracting the portion related to the ultrasonic receiving head of the transmitter/receiver used in the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the identification device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the transceiver in the invention. 1... Car, 4... Light emitting part of optical transmitter, 6...
...Optical receiver, 11... Ultrasonic receiver, 14... Ultrasonic receiving head, 15... Transmitter/receiver, 15-2...
...Selection amplifier, 15-4...First timer circuit, 15-5...Power switch circuit, 15-6...
... Built-in battery, 15-7 ... Optical transmitter circuit, 15-8
...Manual push button, 15-9...Second timer circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A mobile object identification device having an ultrasonic transmitter 11, a transceiver 15, and an optical receiver 6, the ultrasonic transmitter 11, the optical receiver 6 and is installed close to the gate, and the optical receiver 6 receives the optical signal through the light receiving section 7.
The ultrasonic transmitter 11 transmits an ultrasonic signal using an ultrasonic transmitting head 12, and the transceiver 15 is mounted on a moving body and includes a light emitting unit 4, an ultrasonic receiving head 14, and a drive circuit. 19
, power switch circuit 15-5, and built-in battery 1
5-6 and an optical transmission circuit 15-7, the ultrasonic reception head 14 detects an ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic transmission head 12, and the drive circuit 19 processes the detection signal. The power switch circuit 15-5 generates an output within a predetermined time to drive the power switch circuit 15-5, and the power switch circuit 15-5
5-6 to the optical transmission circuit 15-7,
A mobile object identification device characterized in that an optical transmitting circuit 15-7 cyclically transmits data pulse light to a light receiving section 7 via a light emitting section 4. (2) The power switch circuit 15-5 is connected to the drive circuit 19
The mobile object identification device according to claim 1, which is also driven by a timer 15-9 started by a manual push button 15-8.