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An improved automatic/remote RF instrument monitoring system including a plurality of transponders configured to operate with one of a plurality of parameter sensing instruments remotely located from an interrogate/receiver. The interrogate/receiver transmits RF transponder activation signals in the

An improved automatic/remote RF instrument monitoring system including a plurality of transponders configured to operate with one of a plurality of parameter sensing instruments remotely located from an interrogate/receiver. The interrogate/receiver transmits RF transponder activation signals in the form of a tone modulated onto a carrier. In response to the activation signals, the transponders “wake-up”and transmit an RF transponder signal which is received and processed by the interrogate/receiver. The transponders include a transmission enable circuit which initiates transmission of the RF transponder signals at random times after receipt of the activation signals. The RF transponder signals are formed by a plurality of spaced transponder information packets. Transponder information packets of the transponder signal are transmitted at pseudorandom frequencies as a Manchester encoded bit stream including a preamble field of predetermined preamble data, an instrument parameter field of data sensed by the instrument, an instrument identification field of instrument identification data, and an error control code field of BCH error control code data.

대표청구항 ▼

An RF transponder suitable for use with an automatic/remote instrument monitoring system wherein the transponder is one of a plurality of such transponders configured to operate with at least one of a plurality of parameter sensing instruments remotely located from an interrogate/receiver which tran

An RF transponder suitable for use with an automatic/remote instrument monitoring system wherein the transponder is one of a plurality of such transponders configured to operate with at least one of a plurality of parameter sensing instruments remotely located from an interrogate/receiver which transmits an RF activation signal to said transponders and which receives and processes RF transponder signals received from the transponders, said transponder comprising: preamble field means for providing a preamble field of predetermined preamble data; instrument parameter field means adapted for interconnection to a parameter sensing instrument for providing an instrument parameter fielf of instrument parameter data sensed by the instrument; instrument identification field means for providing an instrument identification field of instrument identification data; BCH error control coding means for error control coding at least a portion of the fields of data including the preamble field data, instrument parameter field data, and instrument identification field data, and for providing an error control code field of BCH error control code data; transmission enable means for receiving an RF activation signal from an interrogate/receiver and for providing a transponder enable signal in response thereto; sequence control means coupled to the transmission enable means, preamble field means, instrument parameter field means, instrument identification field means and BCH error control code means, for causing the fields of data to be assembled in a predetermined manner to produce a plurality of transponder information packets in which the BCH error control code field follows the instrument identification field, the instrument identification field follows the instrument parameter field, and the instrument parameter field follows the preamble field, in response to the transponder enable signal; transmission encoding means for transmission encoding the transponder information packets and producing transmission encoded transponder information packets; data path control means for causing the portion of the fields of data to be error control coded to be simultaneously transferred to the transmission encoding means and to the BCH error control coding means, and for causing the error control code field of data to be transferred to the transmission encoding means following the transfer to the transmission encoding means of the portions which have been BCH error control coded; RF transmitter means operatively coupled to receive the transmission encoded transponder information packets for transmitting an RF transponder signal including the transmission encoded transponder information packets; and frequency control means coupled to the RF transmitter means for actively varying a frequency of the RF transponder signal such that transponder information packets thereof can be transmitted at different frequencies within a predetermined frequency bandwidth.