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AssigneeSophia Communications, Inc.
InventorsThomas J. Campana, Jr., Robert Fries, Paul Iacopetti, Al Jewer, Edward C. Pienkowski, Michael P. Ponschke, Sr., Gib Scott, Thomas Smigelski, Gordon Smith
Estimating the term…
A method of non-real-time two-way wireless data communications using a synchronous time division multiplexed architecture (TDMA) protocol in a communications system having a plurality of fixed base stations (BS) and a plurality of receiver/transmitters (RTs), wherein a BS controller dynamically changes a plurality of data blocks in both an uplink and a downlink data frame, a plurality of data rates, a plurality of signal modulation techniques, and a plurality of frequencies according to a computer analysis of received signals in order to provide optimization of the system. The method further includes overhead data reduction techniques using abbreviations for identification character strings and concatenations of downlink data messages. Embodiment of a novel emergency alarm resolution techniques and a plurality of message collision avoidance techniques improves response times for remote transmissions.
In a two-way wireless communications system comprising a plurality of base stations (BS) under control of a computer and a plurality of receiver/transmitters (RTs), wherein each of said BS includes a radio resource manager (RRM) controlling a single frequency, and each of said RTs has a unique identification address (ID), a method for transferring data from said BS to one or more of said plurality of RTs, comprising the steps of:
In a two-way wireless communications system comprising a plurality of base stations (BS) controlled by a computer and a plurality of receiver/transmitters, (RTs), wherein each of said RTs has a unique identification address, a method for transferring data from each of said plurality of RTs to said BS, comprising the steps of:
In a two way wireless communications system comprising a base station (BS) and a plurality of receiver/transmitters (RTs), each of said RTs sending an emergency signal when an emergency condition is detected, a method for determining that first and second emergency messages have been received simultaneously from a first and second one of said plurality of RTs and causing said first and second RTs to resend said first and second messages at different times comprising the steps of:
A two-way wireless communications system for transferring data from one or more of a plurality of base station to one or more of a plurality of receiver/transmitters each having a unique identification address, said system further comprising:
In a two-way wireless communication system for transferring data from one or more of a plurality of receiver/transmitters to one or more of a plurality of base stations said system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]:…
Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received: systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link…
Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff: by adapting the transmission rate
Wireless communication networks
Term ended 15 Feb 2020 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The present invention pertains to the field of wireless data communications systems, and more specifically to a system and method for non-real time communication between a fixed base station and a plurality of remote transceivers.
Wireless communications have become a principal means for exchanging data with geographically dispersed data collection or interfacing devices, such as utility meters or inventory control monitors. This significantly reduces the amount of time and manpower that were previously required for such data collection activities. However, as the number of remote devices increases, a single data conduit, such as a narrow frequency channel, becomes inadequate to carry the amount of information that must be transferred.
In the area of wireless two-way data communications between a base station (BS) and a plurality of remote receiver/transmitters (RTs), optimum use of the data channel is difficult to obtain due to both signal degradation characteristics of the transmission medium and the message collisions that occur when multiple RTs attempt to transmit on the same channel at the same time. Typical implementations involve a time-division-multiplexed architecture (TDMA) wherein the available time is partitioned between the plurality of RTs that are using the channel, such that each RT will have uncontested use of the channel for a finite period of time. As the number of the RTs using the channel grows, however, such an approach necessitates the reduction in the time allocated to each RT, resulting in a reduction in the data that can be transmitted. To alleviate such bandwidth reduction, various compression techniques are typically employed; however, these techniques add processing time at both ends of a communications link.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional point-to-multi-point communications system.
FIG. 2 shows a time sequence diagram of a first serial data bit stream (FSDBS) which is transmitted by a base station (BS) to a plurality of remote transceivers (RTs) according to the present invention.
FIG. 2a shows an exemplary table of modulation byte values contained in a preamble of the FSDBS signal.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are intended to illustrate several preferred embodiments of the invention and not to limit same, FIG. 1 shows a point-to-multi-point communications system 10 comprising a fixed location Base Station (BS) 12 having an antenna tower 14 transmitting an over-the-air radio frequency (rf) signal 16 to a plurality of remote transceivers (RTs) 18 each having a unique identification address (ID). Typical examples of user applications for RTs 18 are a hand-held data RT 20, an RT connected to personal computer 22, and an RT 24 connected to a data collection device such as a utility meter. All the RTs 18 process signal 16 and selected ones of the RTs 18 transmit return signals 26, 28, and 30, for example, to BS 12 at a time and in a manner prescribed by the data content and signal quality of signal 16.
For example, if it is assumed that signal. 16 includes message portions that send a download data block to RT 20 and sends a meter reading request to RT 24. A return signal 26 originating in RT 20 could be an acknowledgement message indicating correct reception of the downloaded data block and a return signal 30 from RT 24 would contain an electric meter reading. Since more than one rf signal can not be satisfactorily transmitted simultaneously at a same frequency, the return link transmissions, 26 & 30 in this example, are multiplexed over time in accordance with directives contained in signal 16.
According to the present invention, at each transmission tower site, a plurality of BS's 12 typically will transmit over several channels simultaneously using a plurality of data rates and modulation techniques, each channel being controlled by a radio resource manager (RRM) 32 in each BS 12, which manages the dynamic aspects of communication with all of a separate plurality of RTs 18 operating on that channel. Each RRM 32 is coupled to a local system server (LSS) 34 via an interconnection cable 36 to transfer incoming and outgoing message traffic. LSS 34, which manages local system resources of the communications system, is further coupled to external communication means such as telephone lines and other cabled data transfer means (not shown) to exchange data with upstream controllers of the network. RRMs 32 are also coupled via interconnections between the plurality of BSs 12 to facilitate load sharing of messages between the separate RRMs 32.