Patent GB-1057870-A (GB)
Title: Vehicle identification system
IPC: B61L25/04
Filed: 1963-10-01
Abstract: 1,057,870. Vehicle identification. WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE CO. Oct. 1, 1963 [Oct. 10, 1962; Oct. 15, 1962], No. 38574/63. Heading B7N. A system for automatically identifying railway vehicles as they pass a wayside point comprises on each vehicle an identification member 10, Fig. 1, formed with 45 alternate retroreflecting and non-reflecting strips, each narrow strip representing binary 0 (space) and each broad strip representing binary I (mark), which provides a 9-character representation of the vehicle's identity in the Bandot five-unit teletype code and at the wayside point means for scanning each passing member with infra-red energy, means for converting the reflected infrared signals into electrical signals representing the vehicle's identity and for storing these signals in a shift register and means for transferring the stored signals to, e.g., a punch tape and subsequently transmitting the taped information to a central office. Each vehicle, Fig. 3, is provided with two identification members 10 and the scanning device 20 is disposed so that the energy incident on the label strikes it at an angle and only retro-reflected energy energizes the receiving elements in the device. Five receiving elements (not shown) are provided, two of which read the coded information and provide an indication of the direction of travel of the vehicle, the other three sense the presence of a label and control the mode of operation of the device, i.e. a scan mode in which the information is read and fed into a shift register 54 and a punch mode during which the information is read out of the shift register to a tape punch. The output signals from scanner-amplifier 50 are applied to scanner logic 51 which supplies a signal to a mode box 52 to switch the system to the scan mode. The information signals are then applied to a shift register 54 and also to a scan gate 53 which provides the shift pulses for the register, furthermore, depending on the direction of movement of the vehicle, a signal is applied to a code reverse unit 61. When the complete identity has been read into the register, the mode box is switched to the punch mode in which it inhibits scanner logic 51 to prevent further signals being read into the shift register and energizes a punch gate 56. Information is now read out of-the shift register five bits at a time to a tape punch 62 under the control of code reverse unit 61 which determines whether the information is read out from one end or the other of the register and also controls via shift control 58 the number of shift pulses from oscillator 56 which are applied to the register, i.e. either groups of five pulses to advance the register by five positions or groups of forty pulses which, since the last and first stages of the register are connected, is equivalent to moving the register five positions backwards. The information is thus recorded by the tape punch which is also controlled by character counter 66 and print programme 67 which provides such additional information as " figure shift," " letter shift," " space " &c. for controlling a teleprinter at a central office. The tape is stored 64 until the information can be transmitted by transmitter 65. When the information is completely recorded character counter, 66 operates a reset mechanism 68 which switches the system back to the scan mode. In the event that exactly 45 bits of information are not received " error check " 55 is energized and acts on the print programme unit 67 which instructs the tape punch to insert a character on the taped message to indicate that the correct code was not received.