Inductive coupling system for the bi-directional transmission of digital data

A bi-directional, digital signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a sole transformer having a primary winding coupled to an interrogation unit and a second winding coupled to a data gathering transponder unit, said transformer transmitting an interrogation signal in a first direction from said interrogation unit to said transponder unit and a data bearing response signal in a second direction from said transponder unit to said interrogation unit;
• (b) said interrogation unit comprising first means coupled to said primary winding for generating said interrogation signal, said interrogation signal comprised of a first train of regularly occurring digital clock pulses and transmission intervals pulses, each transmission interval pulse defining a transmission interval for the transmission of said response signal;
• (c) said transponder unit comprising energy conversion means coupled to said secondary winding for providing the sole energization of said transponder unit in response to said transmitted clock signals of said interrogation signal appearing at said secondary winding, and second means responsive to said transmission interval pulses appearing at said secondary winding for generating and applying during said transmission intervals digital signals indicative of the gathered data to said secondary winding to be transmitted via said transformer to said interrogation unit, said second means comprising detection means responsive to said interrogation signal appearing at said secondary winding for providing enable signals the response to the presence of said transmission interval pulses, a serial shift register for receiving and storing said digital signals indicative of the gathered data and responsive to each of said enable signals for shifting out a bit of said digital signals, and modulating means for modulating each bit of said gathering data signals and for applying said modulated data to said secondary winding to be transmitted via said transformer to said interrogator unit.

A bi-directional, digital signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a sole transformer having a primary winding coupled to an interrogation unit and a secondary winding coupled to a data gathering transponder unit, said transformer transmitting an interrogation signal in a first direction from said interrogation unit to said transponder unit and a data bearing response signal in a second direction from said transponder unit to said interrogation unit;
• (b) said interrogation unit is portable and comprises first means coupled to said primary winding for generating said interrogation signal, said interrogation signal comprised of a first train of regularly occurring digital dlock pulses and transmission interval pulses, each transmission interval pulse defining a transmission interval for the transmission of said response signal, and alignment means for aligning said primary winding with respect to said secondary winding to ensure an inductive coupling therebetween;
• and
• (c) said transponder unit comprising energy conversion means coupled to said secondary winding for providing the sole energization of said transponder unit in response to said transmitted clock signals of said interrogation signal appearing at said secondary winding, and second means responsive to said transmission intervals pulses appearing at said secondary winding for generating and applying during said transmission intervals digital signals indicative of the gathered data to said secondary winding to be transmitted via said transformer to said interrogation unit.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inductive coupling means for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means, said first signal comprising a series of pulses, selected of said pulses defining a transmission interval for the transmission of said second signal in said second direction, said first generating means generates said first signal as a train of regular clock pulses, said first generating means modulating said selected pulses to define said transmission interval;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to the occurrence of said selected pulses at said inductive coupling means for generating and applying said second signal to said inductive coupling means to be transmitted thereby during said defined transmission interval.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inductive coupling means for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means, said first signal comprising a series of pulses, selected of said pulses defining a transmission interval for the transmission of said second signal in said second direction, said first generating means generates said first signal as a sequence of regular clock pulses and said first unit further comprises means for modulating selected of said regular clock pulses with data to be transmitted to said second unit;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to the occurrence of said selected pulses at said inductive coupling means for generating and applying said second signal to said inductive coupling means to be transmitted thereby during said defined transmission interval, and means for detecting said selected modulated pulses and for demodulating said detected modulated pulses to derive an output indicative of the transmitted data.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) single inductive coupling means for transmitting a first signal in a direction direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means, said first signal comprising a series of pulses, selected of said pulses defining a transmission interval for the transmission of said second signal in said second signal in said second direction, said first generating means generates a pair of first signal, each of said first signals being complimentary to the other of said first signals, said first generating means generates each of said complimentary first signals as a train of regular clock pulses and transmission interval pulses, each transmission interval pulse defining the length of said transmission interval;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to the occurrence of said selected pulses at said inductive coupling means for generating and applying said second signal to said inductive coupling means to be transmitted thereby during said defined transmission interval.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single indictive coupling means for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means, said first signal comprising a timing component and a power component;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to said timing component for generating said second signal to be applied to said inductive coupling means at a time to reduce the interference between said first and second signals as they are transmitted through said inductive coupling means, and energy conversion means coupled to said inductive coupling means for providing the sole energization of said second unit in response to said transmitted power component.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inductive coupling means for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means, said first signal comprising a timing component and an information component;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to said timing component for generating said second signal to be applied to said inductive coupling means at a time to reduce the interference between said first and second signals as they are transmitted through said inductive coupling means, and means for receiving and utilizing said transmitted information component.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inductive coupling means for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit, said single inductive coupling means comprises a first coil coupled to said first unit and a second coil coupled to said second unit, said first and second coils disposable in a first, separated relationship and in a second inductively coupled relationship to each other wherein said first and second signals may be transmittted between said first and second units;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means, said first signal comprising a timing component;
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to said timing component for generating said second signal to be applied to said inductive coupling means at a time to reduce the interference between said first and second signals as they are transmitted through said inductive coupling means;
• and
• (d) means for aligning said first and second coils, when they are disposed in their second relationshiop ensure an efficient inductive coupling therebetween.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single indictive coupling means consisting of first and second coils, said first coil coupled to a first unit for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from said first unit to a seocnd unit via said inductive coupling means, said second coil coupled to a second unit for transmitting a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means, said first signal comprising a timing component;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to said timing component for generating said second signal to be applied to said second coil of said inductive coupling means at a time, where by the second signal is inductively transmitted to said first coil without interference with said first signal.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inductive coupling means for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and seocnd, binary signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said indictive coupling means, said first signal comprising a timing component;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means for generating said second, binary signal in the form of a periodic signal whose presence indicates a one value and whose absence indicates a zero value, said second means responsive to said timing component for generating said second, binary signal to be applied to said inductive coupling means at a time to reduce the interference between said first and second signals as they are transmitted through said inductive coupling means.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inducative coupling means having a first terminal for receiving and transmitting a first signal in a first direction from a first unit to a second unit via said inductive coupling means and a second terminal for receiving and transmitting a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means coupled to said first terminal for generating and applying said first signal to said inductive coupling means said first signal comprising a series of pulses, selected of said pulses defining a transmission interval for the transmission of said second signal in said second direction when there is no current imposed by said first unit on said first terminal;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means coupled to said second terminal and responsive to the occurrence of said selected transmission interval defining pulse at said inductive coupling means for generating and applying said second signal to said second terminal to be transmitted thereby during said defined transmission interval.

A bi-directional, digital signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a sole transformer having a primary winding coupled to an interrogation unit and a secondary winding coupled to a data gathering transponder unit, said transformer transmitting an interrogation signal in a first direction from said interrogation unit to said transponder unit and a data bearing response signal in a second direction from said transponder unit to said interrogation unit;
• (b) said interrogation unit comprising first means coupled to said primary winding for generating said interrogation signal, said interrogation signal comprised of a first train of regularly occurring digital clock pulses and transmission interval pulses, each transmission interval pulse defining a transmission interval for the transmission of said response signal when no current flows through said primary winding from said interrogation unit;
• and
• (c) said transponder unit comprising energy conversion means coupled to said secondary winding for providing the sole energization of said transponder unit in response to said transmitted clock signals of said interrogation signal appearing at said secondary winding, and second means responsive to said transmission interval pulses appearing at said secondary winding for generating and applying during said transmission intervals digital signals indicative of the gathered data to said secondary winding to be transmitted via said trasnformer to said interrogation unit.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inducative coupling means having a first winding coupled to a first unit and a second winding coupled to a second unit, said inductive coupling means transmitting a first signal in a first direction from said first unit to said second unit via said inductive coupling means and a second signal in a second direction from said second unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said first winding, said first signal comprising a timing component indicative of when no current flows through said first winding from said first unit;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to said timing component for generating said second signal to be applied to said second winding of said inductive coupling means.

A bi-directional signal transmission system comprising:

• (a) a single inductive coupling means consisting of first and second terminals, said first terminal coupled to a first unit for transmitting a first signal in a first direction from said first unit to said second unit via said inductive coupling means, said second terminal coupled to a second unit for transmitting a second signal in a second direction from said seocnd unit via said inductive coupling means to said first unit;
• (b) said first unit comprising first means for generating and applying said first signal to said first terminal, said first signal comprising a timing component indicative of when there is no current imposed by said first unit on said first terminal and an information component;
• and
• (c) said second unit comprising second means responsive to said timing component for generating said second signal to be applied to said second terminal, and means for receiving and utilizing said transmitted information component.

A first unit adapted for use in a bi-directional signal transmission system, further including a second unit and an inductive coupling wherein a first signal is transmitted via the inductive coupling in a first direction to the second unit and a second signal is transmitted in a second direction opposite to said first direction via the inductive coupling from the second unit, said first unit comprises:

• (a) a winding comprising a separate part of the inductive coupling;
• (b) first means for generating and applying said first signal to said winding, said first signal comprising a timing component indicative of when no current flows through said winding from said first unit;
• and
• (c) second means enables by said timing component for receiving said second signal from said winding.

A first unit adapted for use in a bi-directional signal transmission system, further including a second unit and an inductive coupling, wherein a first signal is transmitted via the inductive coupling in a first direction to the second unit and a second signal is transmitted in a second direction opposite to said first direction via the same inductive coupling from the second unit, said first unit comprises:

• (a) a winding comprising a separable part of the inductive coupling;
• (b) first means for generating and applying said first signal to said winding, said first signal comprising a power component and a timing component for defining a transmission interval free of said power component;
• and
• (c) second means enabled during said transmission interval for receiving said second signal when no power component is applied to said winding from said first unit.

A first unit adapted for use in a bi-directional signal transmission system, further including a second unit and an inductive coupling wherein a first signal is transmitted via the inductive coupling in a first direction to the second unit and a second signal is transmitted in a second direction opposite to said first direction via the same inductive coupling from the second unit, said furnished unit comprises:

• (a) a winding comprising a separable part of the inductive coupling;
• (b) means for generating and applying said first signal to said winding, said generating means comprises means for generating a train of regular clock pulses, and means for selecting at periodic intervals certain of said clock pulses to define a sequence of corresponding transmission intervals during which the second signal is transmitted via the same inductive coupling to said winding;
• and
• (c) second means enabled during each of said transmission intervals for receiving said second signal from said winding.