Considered a pioneer in the design, development, and manufacturing of innovative communications systems and products, TransCore’s GlobalWave system merges the data communications used in the transportation industry with the data communications needs of other industries to offer a complete end-to-end solution for asset tracking, management, and monitoring.

TransCore's radio frequency identification (RFID) products include:

• How Our System Works

• Modulated Backscatter Technology

• Amtech Systems Grow With You

• Tough, Smart and Totally Dependable

• Custom Reader Configurations for Different Customers

• From Read-Only to Read/Write We Have a System That's Right For You

• Licensing

• Standards

Our Amtech product line is comprised of dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) systems based on radio frequency (RF) technology. This ground-breaking wireless data technology, one of the many firsts you’ll find at TransCore, allows communications between readers and electronic tag devices attached to vehicles, equipment and containers.

Companies around the world utilize our technology to identify, track and monitor almost anything that moves. From electronic toll and traffic management to commercial and private fleets, parking and access control applications to rail and intermodal yards.

Our wireless systems are rugged and reliable, built to withstand heavy industrial, marine, rail and traffic environments.

Our systems can operate at international-standard 915 MHz and 2450 MHz bands and 5.8 GHz capability will soon be available. They are in operation around the world in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North America and South America. Each Amtech system is manufactured at TransCore’s ISO 9001 quality-certified Amtech Technology Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico which houses research and development, engineering and manufacturing departments.

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How Our System Works

A basic system consists of tags, antennas, and readers. The reader's radio frequency (RF) source is either integrated or a separate component. The reader broadcasts RF energy over an adjustable area called the read zone or reader footprint. The tag on the vehicle reflects a small part of this RF energy back to the antenna. The reflected radio waves denote the tag's unique identification code and other stored data.

The antenna relays the signal to the reader, which can add information such as date/time to the tag's identification code, and stores it in a buffer. The reader can transmit the tag's identification code to the customer's information management system. And the entire process takes only milliseconds!

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Modulated Backscatter Technology



Modulated backscatter technology allows readers to communicate with tagged objects traveling in excess of the normally specified 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour). This technology can also operate from as far away as 100 feet (30.5 meters). This highly stable, reliable, and reflective method of wireless reader-to-tag communications is the transportation industry's premier method of automatic equipment and vehicle identification. Key reasons for using reflective, or passive, tags over traditional transmitter or "active" tags include:

• Because the tag simply reflects the reader's signal, there are no frequencies to synchronize, and interference from other radio frequency sources is rare.
• Frequency changes can be made in the reader, eliminating tag recall.
• Reflective tags require less internal power than traditional transmitter tags so they have a longer life. They also have greater range than bar code, infrared, or other passive systems.

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Amtech Systems Grow With You

Amtech products are compatible. This flexibility means the Amtech system you buy today--using a mix of the best read-only and read/write technology--will accommodate tomorrow's expansion at substantial savings.

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Tough, Smart and Totally Dependable

The accuracy of Amtech systems has exceeded customer expectations. We design our systems with security features to prevent tampering or fraudulent use. Built-in, self-diagnostic capabilities allow continuous performance monitoring to detect or prevent possible problems early on.

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Custom Reader Configurations for Different Customers

Reader logic cards can be integrated with a customer's computer system and interfaced to the radio frequency module and antenna.

For flexibility, readers can be located away from the radio frequency module and antenna.

The Amtech ITS 2200, a sophisticated read/write system, is available with the radio frequency module built into the reader unit and connects with the antenna.

The Amtech SmartPass^®, is an integrated reader system, combining the reader, radio frequency module, and antenna in a single, easy-to-install and maintain unit.

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From Read-Only to Read/Write We Have a System That's Right For You


TransCore's Amtech equipment offers a variety of tag types.  Some tags are read-only; others are read/write tags that hold multiple pages of variable (changeable) data and/or fixed (unchangeable) data. The read/write tag also features read and write password protection and allows communication over an extended area or a number of lanes, and users can update data on the tag as quickly as it passes a reader. More advanced tags feature audio and visual indicators, and a message display. These tags may use sound and Light Emitting Diode (LED) and/or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) readouts to report the status of each data or toll transaction. With read-only tags, the data is fixed.

The Amtech Dynamic Tag^TM can be integrated with a vehicle's on-board sensors through a monitoring device, to receive fast, accurate data. Critical information, such as fuel levels, water and oil pressure, and temperature can be relayed from the tag to an Amtech SmartPass® reader that sends the information directly to your host computer. Information can be used to evaluate critical maintenance requirements of costly equipment, which helps prevent major breakdowns.

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Licensing

Amtech equipment is type approved in many industrial jurisdictions throughout the world. Depending on equipment requirements, Amtech systems may require licensing by local regulatory authorities.

In the United States, Amtech radio frequency modules are licensable under Part 90 of the Federal Communications Commission.

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Standards

Amtech technology meets the automatic equipment identification standards for the Association of American Railroads, Union Internationale des Chemins de fer, American Trucking Associations, International Organization for Standardization, and the American National Standards Institute. The company's technology also meets the California Department of Transportation Title 21 compatibility specification for automatic vehicle identification.

TransCore is actively involved on standards committees of major standards-setting organizations. Amtech products are the only products that meet automatic equipment identification standards worldwide in all transportation market segments:

• AAR--Association of American Railroads S-918 mandated standard for automatic equipment identification
• ANSI--American National Standards Institute MH5.1.9 standard for identification of freight containers
• ISO--International Organization for Standardization 10374.2 standard for intermodal freight containers
• ATA--American Trucking Associations standard for automatic equipment identification
• CEN--Comité Européen de Normalisation EN 10374 for automatic container identification
• Title 21--California Department of Transportation Title 21, compatibility specifications for automatic vehicle identification equipment
• IATA--International Air Transport Association Recommended Practice #1620