|
(Patent Pending) Note: To address any privacy concerns, the RFID product chosen for this application has a maximum "read range" of only eight inches. This is to ensure it's information cannot be obtained by a passing car or at a stationary checkpoint--such as a toll booth, for example. It is no more an invasion of our privacy than the license tags we're required to have on our cars..... The response to this site has been overwhelming. We would like to
thank the law enforcement agencies, state (and local) governments, companies
and organizations who have visited us.
We would also like to thank those who have sent us emails of support in our
efforts to bring this to the attention of certain agencies of the federal government.
Agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This invention details a means of identifying unknown motor vehicles. More specifically, it identifies individual motor vehicles by the use of unique codes contained within radio frequency identifier devices or "RFID’s" and matching them to a co-identifier known as a "VIN" number. The type of accidents or more specifically "crimes," referred to in this application are the so called “hit and run” accidents in which the driver flees the scene. By utilizing radio frequency identifier devices or "RFID’s", it will now be possible to identify such drivers “after the fact.” In the past, the collection of evidence at accident scenes has always been piecemeal at best. It involves the matching of such items as car parts, paint, etc. in order to determine the make and model of a vehicle. Because of the split second time frames (and the trauma that can often be associated with such an event), eyewitness accounts of what transpired can be either unreliable in nature or non-existent. The invention described herein will detail a means of identifying drivers by the evidence their vehicles would leave behind in the form of "RFID's." The methodology described herein will help bring to justice those who commit these “hit and run” crimes. A particularly gratifying use of this invention would be in bringing to justice those who commit the most heinous of these crimes: ones involving personal injury and death. (Note: “Hit and run accidents in the United States have increased fifteen percent over the past five years. On average, motor vehicles are involved in 3.5 million hit and run accidents each year. Hit and run accidents account for one in five pedestrian fatalities…” Source: From a report compiled by the National Center For
Statistics And Analysis and released by The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration on April 22, 2003.)
The antenna emits radio signals to activate the tag and read and write data to it. Antennas are the conduits between the tag and the transceiver, which controls the system’s data acquisition and communication. RFID tags come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Animal tracking tags, inserted beneath the skin, can be as small as a pencil lead in diameter and one-half inch in length. Tags can be screw-shaped to identify trees or wooden items, or credit-card shaped for use in access applications. The anti-theft hard plastic tags attached to merchandise in stores are RFID tags. RFID tags are categorized as either active or passive: active RFID tags are powered by an internal battery and are typically read/write, i.e. tag data can be rewritten and/or modified. Passive RFID tags operate without a separate external power source and obtain operating power generated from the reader. Passive tags are consequently much lighter than active tags, less expensive, and offer a virtually unlimited operational lifetime. Read only tags are typically passive and are programmed with a unique set of data (usually 32 to 128 bits) that cannot be modified. Read-only tags most often operate as a license plate into a database in the same way linear barcodes reference a database containing modifiable product-specific information. The significant advantage of all types of RFID systems is the non-contact, non-line-of–sight nature of the technology. Tags can be read through a variety of substances such as snow, fog, ice, paint, crusted grime, and other visually and environmentally challenging conditions where barcodes or other optically read technologies would be useless. Though it is a costlier technology, compared with barcode, RFID has become indispensable for a wide range of automated data collection and identification applications that would not be possible otherwise. Developments in RFID technology continue to yield larger memory capacities, wider reading ranges, and faster processing. (I propose the use of "passive" RFID devices for this application.) A type of RFID device that could be used for this application is one that is currently being sold to industrial laundries for attaching to rental garments (i.e. uniforms). Once attached, the garment is tracked thru the cleaning process in order to provide billing information for its' clients. A generic version of this RFID is currently being manufactured by numerous companies. Dimensions: It is square in design with a length and width of 17 millimeters (.67 inches) and a thickness of 1.75 millimeters (.06 inches). It has a frequency range of 13.5 MHz and a read distance of (up to) 8 inches. It is read/write (i.e. "programmable") with a memory of two kilobits. (Note: A typical programming language used for read/write RFID devices is known as EEPROM which stands for: “Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.”) I’ve chosen this particular RFID because of it’s compact size, low cost per unit and it's heat and shock resistant capabilities. Devices that have codes pre-assigned to them at the factory (i.e.
non-programmable ones) could also be used. This alternative will also
be discussed below. The device that releases the RFID’s would have three parts. The
first of which would be a: Evenly spaced holes along the sides would mate the lens to it’s
base and thus the lens, it’s underlying gasket and the base would be
assembled as a complete unit.
see
Figure 4
Overall, the lens would have the appearance of an “upside down”
ice cube tray (Note: Due to design considerations--bumpers that become narrow in some areas, for example--it might be necessary to use only one row of devices instead of the usual two.) The front and rear areas of each vehicle would be equipped with
it’s own separate device. However, due to most impacts being “front end”
in nature, the main purpose for having a device installed in the rear
would be for determining (or “proving”) vehicle position after an
accident. RFID’s and their device holders would be issued by local state
Departments of Motor Vehicles. Installation would be done by authorized
personnel only. Police could incorporate checks of devices when pulling
over motorists for moving violations. It is also suggested that they
be examined like motorists are now at “sobriety checkpoints” with these
unannounced checkpoints being established solely for this purpose. A
quick (non-invasive) verification of the coded RFID media could be
accomplished with the use of remote handheld readers--also known as
“interrogators” See
Figure 2
Prohibitive fines could be levied in cases of tampering and/or removal of devices. Drivers who do not report tampering (i.e. broken lens, loss of media, etc.) for any reason could also be subject to large fines. Since it would be possible for vehicles to leave behind evidence
(in the form of RFID's), drivers would now be much more likely to report
having been involved in accidents; regardless of circumstances. When a vehicle is sold (or registration information changes for any reason), the appropriate state Department of Motor Vehicles duly lists these changes in their databases. I propose for this application that each state Department of Motor Vehicles receive bulk quantities of RFID devices from a (single) pre-designated company. Along with these devices would be a list (or "range”) of available codes that could be used for programming. This code could not be altered and could only be “unlocked” by computers containing a specific program proprietary to the above mentioned company. With the hexadecimal format (16 to the 16th power) that is used for this code, there are a total of ten quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) possible code sequences. Individual states could elect to use their assigned code ranges in either a serialized or random manner. (Hexadecimal = a numbering system that uses 16 as it’s base. The marks 0-9 and a-f (or equivalently A-F) represent the digits 0-15.) Each vehicle registered in that state’s database would then receive the required number of these RFID devices, with a single identical code assigned (i.e. programmed) to them as a whole. (Note: Since device holders would be pre-manufactured, the specific number of RFID devices required for each vehicle would already be known.) Once assigned, this code would then be furnished to the designated company--along with the vehicle identification or “vin” number of the motor vehicle--to which it had been allocated. (Vehicle identification or "vin" number: a unique 17 digit alphanumeric sequence that details among other things, the year, make and model of a specific motor vehicle.) The equally unique code contained within these RFID devices would then act as an co-identifier for the "vin" number of that vehicle. That “vin” number could then be accessed in the designated company's database as a first step towards locating the owner of the motor vehicle. The above mentioned code would remain with the vehicle and all new vehicle registration information would "update" to this code with the code itself never changing. The issuance of new tags, registration of the vehicle in another state, a change of ownership, etc. would all update to this permanently installed code. In the case of new vehicles, RFID’s and their device holders would be installed prior to the vehicle leaving the factory and entering the stream of commerce. Each vehicle’s manufacturer would receive an allotment of codes in the same manner that individual state DMV’s do. Indeed, in this instance, state DMV’s need never be involved in the assigning of codes. This information, the codes and the “vin” number of each vehicle, would then be entered into the designated company’s database. As mentioned previously, non-programmable devices could also be used. These devices would have their codes pre-assigned to them at the factory and this code could (also) never be altered. Each state would receive it’s allotment of devices and--just as with the programmable ones--could have the option of using these codes in either a serialized or random manner. A segment of these codes would then be assigned to each vehicle. Local state DMV’s and vehicle manufacturers would act as “issuers”
of RFID codes (and their device holders) only. The commercial search
engines See
Figure 8
(Note: Since a motor vehicle can often cross state lines during
it’s lifetime, individual state DMV’s--who functioned as original
issuers of these codes-- would not be accurate locators in determining it’s
(current) state of registration anyway. This would be better served by
commercial search engines -- or a proprietary database set up by law enforcement
agencies themselves.) The coded information can be obtained in the field with the use of
handheld readers or “interrogators” The computer will contain the software necessary to decode this information. This information can then be decoded by using a (customer specific) or "proprietary" algorithm. This algorithm is contained within an “uncoupler” (or chip) located on the computer’s motherboard; this being a standard requirement employed by RFID companies in order to read the codes embedded within their products. (Algorithm = a procedure or formula for solving a problem.) After the device’s retrieval from the accident scene, the programmed code would then be matched with it’s companion motor vehicle identification or “vin” number located in the designated company's database. This “vin” number would then be researched in a national database (i.e. commercial search engine) to obtain the specific state DMV it was registered to. That state DMV would then be contacted for the current registration information for that vehicle. One current example of state DMV’s cross referencing a vehicle’s identification or “vin” number with it’s registration information is in locating the owner of an abandoned motor vehicle found within their jurisdiction. (Note: A national database of vehicle identification or “vin” numbers for all motor vehicles registered in the United States is currently in existence on the internet and is, indeed, available to the general public. Two examples (at the time of this writing) are “WWW.Autocheck.Com” See Fig. 8 and “WWW.Free-Vin-Check.Com.” These databases list, among other things, the current state that a vehicle is registered in. With this basic tool--in combination with their own DMV registries—local state law enforcement personnel could then match specific “vin” numbers with current registration information.) Therefore, the matching of a code to a specific motor vehicle’s “vin” number located in the designated company's database would be the only unique step in this process. The other two steps; the researching of a vehicle’s “vin” number in a national database as well as the matching of a “vin” number to the owner of a vehicle in a particular state DMV registry are already quite common and occur countless times on a daily basis. For secure applications, RFID's can employ an enhanced option known as a “highly secured access mode.” In this mode, all of the RFID devices, as well as the computers that download their information, have a proprietary password. A mutual device and reader recognition or “handshaking” must be accomplished before each communication. For purposes of deterring unauthorized access, this encryption feature is recommended when a specific company is chosen. (Note: To enhance their recovery at accident scenes, devices could be coated with either a fluorescent or infared paint. The fluorescent paint to make it more visible to the human eye under low light conditions; the infared to make it visible (or “glow”) when exposed to alternative light sources. In addition to the above, a method of affixing a magnetic strip could also be used in order to expedite a device’s retrieval by means of a metal detector.) In hit and run accidents, time is of the essence when a driver flees the scene. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that he would stop, get out and search for all the RFID devices that had been released as a consequence of his vehicle impacting with another object. Note that the registration information of a vehicle can be obtained on site; that evidence doesn’t need to go thru the time consuming process of being sent to a lab for analysis. This will expedite obtaining the identity of the offender and--upon his arrest--determining if he is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. RFID's can also be useful for determining who was at fault in an accident. Their recovery at the scene of an accident could be used to determine the position of vehicles at their initial points of impact. Referring now descriptively to the drawings: Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
Fig. 5
Fig 6
Fig 7
Fig 8
SAMSys
Sensormatic
Sirit Technologies
Tagsys
TagMaster
SmartCode
Back to RFID2VIN Top |
