Tool identification system
AssigneeGTE Valeron Corporation
InventorRichard O. Juengel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provision is made for identifying tools used in an automated machine tool system. A module or transponder is mounted to the tool and interrogated by a transceiver which, in the preferred embodiments, has read/write capabilities. The transponder uses energy from the transmitted signal to power itself and send information stored in its memory back to the transceiver. In one embodiment, electromagnetic energy is transmitted from the transceiver to the transponder while the transponder to transceiver communication link is provided by way of capacitive coupling.
Claims11
A method comprising:
- mounting a transponder in a tool, said transponder including a read/write memory having a unique identification code stored therein, the memory requiring clock, chip select, and data operation signals to be applied thereto for proper operation;
- placing said tool in a temporary storage device;
- wirelessly transmitting from a transceiver an encoded waveform containing sufficient power and encoded operation signals to the transponder to power and operate the memory, the waveform always at least including a repetitively generated clock code impressed therein;
- using the clock code impressed in the waveform received by the transponder to define a plurality of time slots;
- sensing the waveform during said time slots for the presence of codes associated with said chip select and data signals;
- applying decoded chip select, clock and data signals to the memory to read the identification code therein;
- transmitting the identification code from the memory in the transponder to the transceiver;
- comparing the identification code with preselected information;
- and
- loading said tool into a machine for performing operations on a workpiece as a result of said comparison.
An identification system comprising a transceiver and a transponder, said transponder including a read/write memory requiring chip select, clock and data operation signals applied thereto for operating the memory;
- said transceiver including oscillator means for generating a reference alternating current signal, modulator means for shifting the frequency of the reference signal in accordance with certain input control signals, said input control signals being adapted to shift the frequency of the reference signal at first and second times to generate first and second clock codes, the modulator means being further adapted to selectively shift the frequency of the reference signal during a first time slot between the first generation of the first and second clock codes thereby defining a chip select code, with the modulator means further being adapted to selectively shift the frequency of the reference signal during a second time slot between the first and second clock codes thereby defining a data code for one digital state;
- and
- said transponder including a divider means responsive to the generation of said clock codes to generate first and second time slots, said transponder further including decoder means for detecting the presence of the shifted frequency at said first time slot to thereby decode the chip select signal from the waveform, said decoder means being further adapted to detect the shifted frequency of the waveform during said second time slot to thereby decode data of said one digital state;
- and said transponder further including means for supplying decoded clock, data and chip select signals to said memory to control the operation thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.