FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a system for detecting theft of a vehicle’s wheel and validating the identity of a new wheel being installed on the vehicle to determine whether the new wheel is a stolen piece.

BACKGROUND

In the last few decades, alloy wheels are being widely used in vehicles, mostly owing to their aesthetic appeal. Generally, such wheels are formed of Aluminum and are therefore light in weight as well. Such wheels are installed on a wheel hub using multiple lug nuts. The provision of lug nuts along with the lightweight of the wheel allows for easy and effective mounting and dismounting of the wheel, for example, in case of replacement of worn-out tires or tire repair. However, this convenience in dismounting the wheel also attracts theft attempts. Therefore, these wheels can easily be stolen thereby rendering the vehicle immovable. Moreover, stolen wheels owing to their ease of replacement are untraceable thereby preventing recovery of the stolen wheel.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

The present subject matter relates to the aspects of detecting and preventing wheel theft from a vehicle as well as tracking if the new wheel being attached to the vehicle is a stolen wheel. The present subject matter discloses a receiver disposed on a vehicle body and configured to detect and interpret short range radio waves originating from a transmitter disposed on the wheel, such that the short-range radio waves include information pertaining to the wheel. Such information may be used to check the history of usage of the new wheel being installed on the vehicle to ensure that a stolen wheel is not being installed in the vehicle.

In an embodiment, a wheel anti-theft system for a vehicle is disclosed. The anti-theft system includes a receiver on a vehicle body. The anti-theft system also includes a transmitter that is mounted to each wheel of the vehicle. The transmitter transmits wheel identification data to the receiver at a predefined time interval. In one example, the wheel identification data is communicated wirelessly using a short-range wireless technology. The wheel anti-theft system monitors whether the transmitter is transmitting the wheel identification data at the predefined intervals and non-receipt of the wheel identification data at the predefined intervals is determined as wheel theft.

In an embodiment, a wheel anti-theft system for a vehicle is disclosed. The anti-theft system includes a receiver mounted on a vehicle body. The receiver is configured to read wheel identification data transmitted to the receiver via short-range wireless technology. The wheel anti-theft system is configured to check if the received wheel transmission data is previously associated with a wheel of another vehicle. In case the receiver determines that the received wheel transmission data is associated with the wheel of another vehicle, the anti-theft system determines that the newly attached wheel is a stolen wheel and raises an alarm in response to said determination.

According to the present subject matter, the anti-theft system not only detects an unauthorized removal of the wheel but also detects an attempt of mounting a stolen wheel on another vehicle. As a result, both the theft of wheel is prevented, and the new wheel being installed is validated.

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a side schematic view of a wheel assembly of a vehicle including a wheel anti-theft system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart depicting a method of preventing theft of a wheel of the vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart depicting a method of determining whether a new wheel mounted on the vehicle is a stolen wheel, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

For example, the term “some” as used herein may be understood as “none” or “one” or “more than one” or “all.” Therefore, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would fall under the definition of “some.” It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and therefore, should not be construed to limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the present disclosure in any way.

For example, any terms used herein such as, “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and similar grammatical variants do not specify an exact limitation or restriction, and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated. Further, such terms must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated, for example, by using the limiting language including, but not limited to, “must comprise” or “needs to include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do not preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language including, but not limited to, “there needs to be one or more...” or “one or more element is required.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements of the present disclosure. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of explaining one or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the proposed disclosure fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms including, but not limited to, “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or other variants thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and/or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one or more features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or in the context of more than one embodiment, or in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodiments and therefore should not necessarily be taken as limiting factors to the proposed disclosure.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an anti-theft system for a vehicle is disclosed. The anti-theft system includes a receiver that is configured to receive and process a short-range wireless technology, such as Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) technology. In addition, the anti-theft system includes an RFID transmitter mounted on the wheel of the vehicle and communicates the receiver to send wheel identification data or wheel ID to the receiver for further processing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For the sake of clarity, the first digit of a reference numeral of each component of the present disclosure is indicative of the Figure number, in which the corresponding component is shown. For example, reference numerals starting with digit “1” are shown at least in Figure 1. Similarly, reference numerals starting with digit “2” are shown at least in Figure 2.

Figure 1 illustrates a side schematic view of a wheel assembly 100 of the vehicle that includes a wheel anti-theft system 102, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wheel assembly 100 may include, but not limited to, a wheel 106 that further includes a hub 108, spokes 110, and a rim 112. Further, the wheel anti-theft system 102 may include a sensing mechanism 114 that is configured to detect the presence of the wheel 106 and to obtain information pertaining to the wheel 105. The wheel anti-theft system 102 also includes a controller 116 that is operably coupled to the sensing mechanism 114. The controller 116 is configured to detect an attempt of theft of the wheel 106. In addition, the controller 116 is configured to verify the authenticity of a new wheel to be mounted on the vehicle. In other words, the controller 116 may verify if the new wheel being mounted on the vehicle, is a stolen wheel.

In an embodiment, the controller 116 may include, but is not limited to, a processor, memory, modules, and data. The memory, in one example, may store the wheel identification of each wheel including the spare wheel attached to the vehicle. The modules and the memory may be coupled to the processor. The processor can be a single processing unit or several units, all of which could include multiple computing units. The processor may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the processor is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions and data stored in the memory.

The memory may include any non-transitory computer-readable medium known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random-access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tapes.

The modules, amongst other things, include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement data types. The modules may also be implemented as, signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and/or any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions.

Further, the modules can be implemented in hardware, instructions executed by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The processing unit can comprise a computer, a processor, such as the processor, a state machine, a logic array, or any other suitable devices capable of processing instructions. The processing unit can be a general-purpose processor which executes instructions to cause the general-purpose processor to perform the required tasks or, the processing unit can be dedicated to performing the required functions. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the modules may be machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by a processor/processing unit, perform any of the described functionalities. Further, the data serves, amongst other things, as a repository for storing data processed, received, and generated by one or more of the modules.

In an embodiment, the controller 116 may be a part of an Electric Control Unit (ECU) (not shown) of the vehicle. The controller 116 may also connect to a mobile application running on an authorized user device of the vehicle’s owner. Although not shown explicitly, the controller 116 may have network capabilities that allows the controller 116 to connect to an infotainment system via a wired network and to the authorized user device via a wireless network. The controller 116 is configured in such a way that the vehicle owner can arm or disarm the controller 116 during the occurrence of certain events, such as during scheduled service check, roadside repair, among other examples. For instance, the vehicle owner can disarm the controller 116 via the infotainment system to prevent the generation of the output during the occurrence of such events. In another instance, the vehicle owner can disarm the controller 116 via the mobile application. In yet another instance, the wheel anti-theft system 102 may include a physical switch installed in vehicle’s interior that allows the vehicle owner to manually override the controller 116.

In yet another instance, the controller 116 can be disarmed using a combination of aforementioned techniques, i.e., through the infotainment system, the physical switch and/or the mobile application.

The controller 116, in operation, may perform two tasks. First, the controller 116 may receive the signal from the sensing mechanism 114 to determine whether theft of wheel is attempted. To do so, the controller 116 checks whether a valid signal is being received from the sensing mechanism 114. A manner by which the controller 116 performs the first task is explained in detail with respect to Figure 2. Second, the controller 116 may receive the signal from the sensing mechanism 114 to determine if the newly mounted wheel is a stolen wheel. To do so, the controller 116 checks if the wheel identification data received through the signal from the sensing mechanism 114 matches with the wheel identification data stored in the memory. A manner by which the controller 116 performs the second task is explained in detail with respect to Figure 3.

Based on either of the aforementioned tasks, the controller 116 may generate the output that can be used to inform the vehicle owner about the attempted theft. The controller 116 may be coupled to an alarming system (not shown) that may inform the vehicle owner regarding the attempted theft based on the output from the controller 116. In one example, the output can be used to generate alarms of different types, such as an aural alarm, a notification to the owner’s registered mobile number via a Short Message Service (SMS), among other examples. In an embodiment, the output from the controller 116 may also be used to notify a central monitoring server of a law enforcement agency regarding the attempted theft using an appropriate protocol. The output from the controller 116 can be used to generate a visual alarm in addition to the aural alarm, such as activation of hazard lights to alert nearby people of the attempted theft.

In an embodiment, the sensing mechanism 114 includes a receiver 118 and a transmitter 120. Although not shown, the receiver 118 may include an antenna that allows the receiver 118 to both receive and transmit short-range radio waves. Further, the receiver 118 includes a control circuit that operates the antenna, and the control circuit may be connected to the vehicle’s battery to power the control circuit and the antenna.

The receiver 118 can be installed at a suitable location in the vehicle body 104 to receive the wheel identification data from the transmitter 120. For instance, the receiver 118 may be installed inside a wheel well of the vehicle body 104 as shown in Figure 1. Further, based on the configuration the wheel anti-theft system 102 may include a separate receiver 118 for placement in each wheel well of the vehicle. The receiver 118 can be mounted in a rear bumper of the vehicle, such as a sport utility vehicle (SUV), in which the spare wheel is mounted either on the tailgate or an undercarriage of the vehicle. In another configuration, the wheel anti-theft system 102 may include a single receiver 118 to receive the wheel identification data from all transmitters 120 in the vehicle. In such configuration, the receiver 118 can be installed inside the vehicle interior, such that the receiver 118 can receive the wheel identification data from the transmitter 120.

The receiver 118, in operation, may perform two tasks. First, the receiver 118 may detect if the transmitter 120 is transmitting the wheel identification data to the receiver 118. The receiver 118 performs this task to determine if the wheel 106 is dismounted from the wheel hub (not shown). Second, the receiver 118 checks if the received wheel identification data matches with the wheel identification data associated with the wheel of the vehicle. The receiver 118 may perform this task to determine if a new wheel mounted on the wheel hub is a stolen wheel.

On the other hand, the transmitter 120 can be installed at various locations on the wheel 106. For instance, the transmitter 120 is installed on the spoke 110 of the wheel 106 as shown in Figure 1. In another instance, the transmitter 120 may be installed on the rim 112 of the wheel 106. In yet another instance, the transmitter 120 can be installed inside a hub 108 of the wheel 106. In one example, the transmitter 120 is installed in such a way that the transmitter 120 is permanently installed inside the wheel. The transmitter 120 may be embedded inside the wheel 106 using known potting techniques. In another example, the transmitter 120 may be removably attached to the wheel, such that the transmitter 120 can be removed in case the transmitter 120 is damaged.

In either of the aforementioned instances, the transmitter 120 is installed in such a way that the transmitter 120 can transmit short-range radio waves to the receiver 118. The transmitter 120 is configured to communicate with the receiver 118 to indicate the presence of the wheel 106. According to the present disclosure, the transmitter 120 is a Radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder or tag that can communicate wirelessly with the receiver 118. In one example, the transmitter 120 can be an active RFID tag that includes a power source and an antenna to transmit the wheel identification data to the receiver 118. The power source can be a battery and/or an inertial energy generation system, such as a Kinetic Energy Regeneration System (KERS) that generates the power for charging the battery when the wheels are rotating. In another example, the transmitter 120 can be a passive RFID tag that does not include a power source but relies on the radio frequency energy of the receiver 118. Although the present embodiment illustrates the transmitter 120 as the RFID tag, the transmitter 120 can be any other device capable of transmitting short range radio waves.

The transmitter 120, in one embodiment, can be coupled to another sensor or a set of sensors that can transmit telemetry data from each wheel to the ECU. For instance, the transmitter 120 can be coupled to a tire-pressure monitoring sensor (TMPS), a brake temperature measuring sensors (BTMS), among other examples. Such coupling may allow for a common power source to power other sensors and the transmitter 120 in case the transmitter 120 is an active RFID tag.

The transmitter 120 and the receiver 118 can communicate with each other in different modes. For instance, the transmitter 120 can communicate with the receiver 118 in continuous mode. In such a mode, the transmitter 120 may continuously send the wheel identification data to the receiver 118. In another instance, the transmitter 120 can communicate with the receiver 118 at a predefined interval. In yet another instance, the transmitter 120 may communicate with the receiver 118 only upon the occurrence of known events, such as the application of parking brakes, among other examples. In either instance, the transmitter 120 communicates with the receiver 118 until the wheel is mounted to the wheel hub (not shown). In yet another example, the receiver 118 may reduce the frequency of reading the wheel identification data from the transmitter 120 when the ignition is turned off to reduce the power consumption. In some case, the receiver 118 may even cease to receive the wheel identification data to reduce the power consumption by the receiver 118 after the ignition is turned off.

The communication between the transmitter 120 and the receiver 118 may be encrypted to make the communication between the transmitter 120 and the receiver 118 secure thereby prevent tampering with the wheel identification data. For instance, the communication can be encrypted using a fixed cryptographic key. In another instance, the communication can be encrypted using a variable cryptographic key. In yet another instance, the communication can be encrypted using a time-dependent cryptographic key. In either of the aforementioned instances, the communication is secured so as to prevent the stealing and/or tampering of the wheel identification data transmitted as part of the communication.

Figure 2 illustrates a method 200 to detect an attempt of theft of the wheel. The order in which the method steps are described below is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method steps can be combined in any appropriate order to execute the method or an alternative method. Additionally, individual steps may be deleted from the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein.

The method 200 can be performed by programmed computing devices, for example, based on instructions retrieved from non-transitory computer readable media. The computer readable media can include machine-executable or computer-executable instructions to perform all or portions of the described method. The computer readable media may be, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media, such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable data storage media.

In one example, the method 200 can be performed partially or completely by the wheel anti-theft system 102. The method 200 begins at step 202 at which the controller 116 checks whether the wheel anti-theft system 102 is disabled or not. In one example, the controller 116 check if a disarm command is provided by the vehicle owner through the infotainment system. If the wheel anti-theft system 102 is disabled, the method 200 terminates at step 204. On the other hand, if the wheel anti-theft system 102 is not disabled, the method 200 proceeds to step 206 where the signal from the transmitter 120 is transmitted to the receiver 118. In one example, the signal may include the wheel identification data. Thereafter, at step 208, the signal is relayed by the receiver 118 to the controller 116 for further processing. At step 210, the controller 116 checks if an unauthorized removal is detected. In one embodiment, the controller 116 checks if the wheel identification data is received as a part of the signal as an indicator of unauthorized removal. In another example, the controller 116 checks if the receiver 118 is sending the signal to the controller 116 at a predefined interval as another indicator of unauthorized removal. In the illustrated example, the controller 116 may include a timer that records a time period between two consecutive received signal and non-receipt of the wheel identification data at the lapse of predefined interval is indicated as theft of the wheel.

In case the controller 116 does not detect an unauthorized removal, the method 200 proceeds back to step 206 where the signal is received again. However, in case the controller 116 detects the unauthorized removal is detected, the method proceeds to the step 212 at which the alarm is triggered. The alarm can be either aural or visual or both. The method 200 finally proceeds to step 214 at which a message is sent to the vehicle owner’s registered mobile number and a monitoring server of civil authority.

Figure 3 illustrates a method for validating if new wheel mounted on the vehicle is a stolen wheel. The method 300, in one example, can be performed partially or completely by the wheel anti-theft system 102. Further, the method 300 is performed when a wheel is to be mounted on one of the wheel hubs of the vehicle. The method 300 begins at step 302 at which the controller 116 checks whether the wheel anti-theft system 102 is disabled or not. In one example, the controller 116 check if a disarm command is provided by the vehicle owner through the infotainment system. If the wheel anti-theft system 102 is disabled, the method 300 terminates at step 304. On the other hand, if the wheel anti-theft system 102 is not disabled, the method 304 proceeds to step 306 at which the wheel identification data is transmitted by the transmitter 120. In one example, the transmitter 120 may encrypt the wheel identification data. Thereafter, at step 308, the wheel identification data is received by the receiver 118 and is relayed to the controller 116 for further processing. As a part of the processing, the controller 116 may decrypt the encrypted wheel identification data relayed by the receiver 118. In another example, the encrypted wheel identification data may be decrypted by the receiver 118 before relaying to the controller 116.

Upon receipt of the wheel identification data, the controller 116 at step 308 validates the received wheel identification data. In one example, the controller 116 may check if the received wheel identification data is the same as the wheel identification data stored in the memory of the controller 116. In case the received wheel identification data matches the stored wheel identification data, the method 300 proceeds back to the step 306. However, in case the received wheel identification data does not match the stored wheel identification data, the method 300 proceeds at step 310 at which the controller 116 may generate an output that can be used to trigger an alarm. Finally, at step 312, the controller 116 may trigger a notification to a monitoring server of the law enforcement agency to indicate the mounting of a stolen wheel on the vehicle. In addition, the controller 116, at step 314, may also send a notification to the owner’s registered mobile number about mounting a stolen wheel onto his/her vehicle.

As explained above, any attempt of stealing the wheel is detected, and a timely response is generated to thwart the theft. In addition, the stolen wheel is tracked that may enable an appropriate authority to return of the wheel to the rightful owner.

While specific language has been used to describe the present disclosure, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.

We Claim:
1. An anti-theft system (102) for a wheel mounted on a wheel hub by at least
one fastener, the anti-theft system (102) comprising:
a receiver (118) mounted on the wheel-hub;
5 a transmitter (120) attached to the wheel adapted to relay a wheel ID
to the receiver (118) at a predefined interval; and
a controller (112) in communication with the receiver (118) and
adapted to receive the wheel ID from the receiver (118) and to detect
attempted theft of the wheel in case of non-receipt of the wheel ID after the
10 pre-defined interval.
2. The anti-theft system (102) as claimed in claim 1, comprising:
the receiver (118) adapted to receive another wheel ID from another
wheel being mounted on another wheel hub;
15 the controller (112) adapted to:
determine if the received wheel ID from the receiver (118) is
present a list of stored wheel IDs in a database; and
detect an attempted theft when the received wheel ID is absent
from the stored list of wheel IDs.
20
3. The anti-theft system (102) as claimed in claim 1, comprising an alarm unit
adapted to:
receive an alert of the attempted theft; and
generate one of aural feedback, visual feedback, and a text notification
25 for the user.
4. The anti-theft system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver
(118) is an RFID reader.
30 5. The anti-theft system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter
(120) is one of an active RFIG tag and a passive RFID tag.
17
6. The anti-theft system (102) as claimed in claim 5, comprising a power
source to power the active RFID tag.
5 7. A method of detecting an attempted theft of a wheel by anti-theft system
(102), the method comprising:
monitoring, by a receiver (118), relay of a wheel ID associated with
the wheel from an transmitter (120) attached to the wheel, wherein the
wheel ID is relayed at predefined intervals;
10 receiving, by a controller (112) coupled to the receiver (118), a signal
from the receiver (118) in response to the receipt of the relayed wheel ID;
and
determining, by the controller (112), an attempted theft based on nonreceipt of the wheel ID after the predefined interval, wherein the non-receipt
15 of the wheel ID is indicative of removal of the wheel from the wheel hub.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, comprising:
communicating an alert to an alarm unit based on the detection of the
attempted theft; and
20 generating one of aural feedback, visual feedback, and a text
notification for the user.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7, comprising:
receiving another wheel ID from another wheel being mounted on
25 another wheel hub;
determining if the received wheel ID from the receiver (118) is present
a list of stored wheel IDs in a database; and
detecting an attempted theft when the received wheel ID is absent
from the stored list of wheel IDs.
10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transmitter (120) is one of an
active RFIG tag and a passive RFID tag.