TransCore AI142205618 Users Manual
AI1422 Half-Frame Reader
User Guide
TransCore, Inc.
19111 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, Texas 75287-3106
October 2004
P/N 411237-003
©
2004 TC IP, Ltd. All rights reserved. TRANSCORE is a registered trademark. The trademark is used under
license. All other trademarks listed are the property of their respective owners. Contents are subject to change.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Products covered by this document are protected by one or more of the following U.S. patents 4,739,328;
4,864,158; 4,999,636; and foreign equivalent patents. Other patents pending.
For further information, contact:
TransCore
19111 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, Texas 75287-3106 USA
Phone: (972) 733-6600
Fax: (972) 733-6699
TransCore Action Center (TrAC)
19111 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, Texas 75287-3106 USA
Phone: (800) 755-0378
Fax: (972) 733-6695
WARNING TO USERS IN THE UNITED STATES
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) RADIO FREQUENCY
INTERFERENCE STATEMENT
47 CFR §15.105(a)
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device
pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency (RF) energy and
may cause harmful interference to radio communications if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual. Operating this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in
which case, depending on the laws in effect, the users may be required to correct the interference at their
own expense.
NO UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS
47 CFR §15.21
CAUTION: This equipment may not be modified, altered, or changed in any way without permission
from TransCore, Inc. Unauthorized modification may void the eq uip m ent authorization from the FCC and
will void the TransCore warranty.
USE OF SHIELDED CABLES IS REQUIRED
47 CFR §15.27(a)
Shielded cables must be used with this equipment to comply with FCC regulations.
A license issued by the FCC is required to operate this RF identification device in the United States.
Contact TransCore, Inc. for additional information concerning licensing requirements for specific devices.
TransCore, Inc.
USA
Contents
1 Before You Begin
Purpose of This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Guide Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
2 System Overview
System Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Transponder Interrogator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Reader Power Regulation and Filtering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Transponders (Tags) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Contents
3 Interface Connections
Description of AI1422 Reader System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Antenna Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Main RS–232 Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Aux RS–232 Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Customer I/O Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Lock LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Main Power LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
RF Power LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Trigger Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Channels A, B, and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Power Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
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AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System User Guide
4 System Test Procedures
Required Tools and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Testing Basic Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Measuring RF Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Measuring System Noise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Reading the Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
5 Command Codes
Default Command Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Asynchronous Reader Data Telegram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Health Status Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Retransmit Request. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Diagnostic Command Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Diagnostic Command Code Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Diagnostic Command Code Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
6 Troubleshooting
Required Tools and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Failure Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Unit Will Not Read Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Unit Will Not Retain Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Maintenance Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
A Character Conversion
B Technical Specifications
C Diagnostic Command Codes List
viii
Contents
List of Figures
Figure 2-1 Typical Reader System Configuration 2-3
Figure 3-1 Front Panel of AI1422 Transponder Interrogator 3-3
Figure 3-2 RS–232, DB25 Interface Connector Pin-outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Figure 3-3 Customer I/O Interface Pin-outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Figure 4-1 Power Source Connections 4-4
Figure 4-2 Locations for DC Voltage Adjustment Measuring RF Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Figure 4-3 Antenna Interface on Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Figure 4-4 Typical Waveform with a Tag in the Reader Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Figure 4-5 Typical Quiescent Noise Waveform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Figure 4-6 Typical Beat Frequency Interference Waveform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
List of Tables
Table 1-2 Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Table 4-1 System Noise Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Table A-1 TransCore 6-Bit-Per-Character Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Table B-1 AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3
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AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System User Guide
x
1
Before You Begin
The AI1422 Half-Frame Reader User Guide provides information
necessary for interfacing the AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System to a host
computer system.
Purpose of This Guide
This user guide provides information for interfacing the AI1422 Half-Frame Reader
System with a host processor system, also called a host computer system. This guide
also provides on-site test procedures useful in troubleshooting any problems
encountered after installation. Command codes, which allow the user to configure the
reader system for communicating with the host computer, are discussed in Chapter 4.
The ASCII character conversion to TransCore 6-bit character codes is provided in
Appendix A.
Intended Audience
Chapter 1
Before You Begin
The intended audience for the AI1422 Half-Frame Reader User Guide is engineers
and technicians. These people are involved in the design, specification, and
installation of AI1422 Half-Frame Reader Systems.
Related Documents
AP4110 Programmer’s Guide
Guide Topics
This document presents the following information:
Chapter 1 – Before You
Begin
Chapter 2 – AI1422 Half-
Frame Reader System
Overview
Chapter 3 – Interface
Connections
Describes the purpose, intended audience, guide topics, related
documentation, and document conventions.
Provides an overview of the AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System’s features,
options, and accessories.
Describes the AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System interface connectors and
identifies their primary functions.
Chapter 4 – System Test
Procedures
Provides testing procedures that the user can use to fine-tune the AI1422
Half-Frame Reader System.
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AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System User Guide
Chapter 5 – Firmware
Command Codes
Chapter 6 – Maintenance
and Troubleshooting
Appendix A – Character
Conversions
Discusses the firmware command code that are used to configure the AI1422
Reader for communication with a personal computer or other host computer.
Provides maintenance procedures and troubleshooting indications that are
used to keep the AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System operating.
Provides TransCore 6-bit-per-character conversions from the standard ASCII
character set.
Typographical Conventions
Table 1-2 lists the conventions used in this manual.
Table 1-2 Typographical Conventions
Convention Indication
This procedure might cause harm to the equipment and/or
the user.
Concerns about a procedure
1-4
Code
Dialog Box Title
Function
Menu Item
Note
NUL Zero-value ASCII character or a zero-value byte
NULL Zero-value pointers. Null-terminated string refers to strings
Code, including keywords and variables within text and as
separate paragraphs, and user-defined program elements
within text appear in courier typeface.
Title of a dialog box as it appears on screen
Start with the characters, G4, and are in mixed case with no
underscores, and include parentheses after the name, as in
G4FunctionName().
Appears on a menu. Capitalization follows the interface.
Auxiliary information that further clarifies the current
discussion. These important points require the user’s
attention. The paragraph is in italics and the word Note is
boldface.
of printable ASCII characters with a zero-value byte placed
in memory directly after the last printable character of the
string.
2
System Overview
The AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System is a microprocessor-controlled,
single-antenna unit that uses a unique communications protocol to
interface with vehicle identification (ID) equipment.
System Overview
This reader system uses radio frequency (RF) energy to read data from tags. The
AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System then decodes the tag ID information, validates the
ID code, and transmits tag data directly to a host processor for real-time data process
ing and use.
Communications (terminal) programs usually do not provide adequate data processing
capability. Your host computer software can be customized to provide the required
capabilities.
The AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System consists of the AI1422 Transponder Interrogator, which consists of a reader and RF module, combined with a TransCore antenna,
a TransCore tag, a host processor system, and a power source.
typical reader system configuration.
Chapter 2
System Overview
-
Figure 2-1 illustrates a
Figure 2-1 Typical Reader System Configuration
Transponder Interrogator
The transponder interrogator reads 60 bits of user-programmable data in the transponder.
2-3
AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System User Guide
The transponder interrogator is operated in a continuous read mode, and any tag entering its read field has its data automatically read and relayed to the host computer. In
many applications this function is implemented by installing the reader on a vehicle
with restricted movement, such as a railcar or monorail bus. The tags are imbedded in
the roadway at various locations in the vehicle’s path. The data read from the tag
allows the host computer to assess the vehicle’s location and make any appropriate
response to that information.
The transponder interrogator is an independent tag decoder that combines a reader and
RF source to provide automatic identification and data storage within a single,
compact unit. The transponder interrogator includes the following components:
• 19-inch rack-mount design
• Serial input/output (I/O) link
• Real-time clock
• 32K buffer storage in static random access memory (SRAM) with battery backup
• Reader and RF module, combined in one unit
Reader Power Regulation and Filtering
The reader system uses an input voltage ranging from 8V DC to 140V DC. The
AI1422 Reader System incorporates a high-performance, DC-to-DC power supply
that converts voltage in this range to 13.5V DC. TransCore offers three input voltage
options, 8V DC to 32V DC, 28V DC to 140V DC, and 14V DC to 70V DC.
Antenna
TransCore has two antennas that can operate with the AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System, the AA3233 Rail Antenna and the AA3234 Light Rail Antenna. The AA3233
Rail Antenna can be used where high shock and vibration conditions exist. The
AA3234 Light Rail Antenna can be used for light rail applications that require a low
profile for mounting on the carriage of commuter trains and people-mover systems.
Transponders (Tags)
The AI1422 Half-Frame Reader System can use TransCore’s half-frame read-only
tags.
2-4
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