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US 6,584,326 B1Granted
Multiple subscriber interface and simplified provisioning process for installation of multiple cellular and/or mobile SatCom services
AssigneeAlliedSignal Inc.
InventorsThad Boydston, Kevin Parmenter, Daniel R. Barbour
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and circuit for performing serial data protocols and error checking, the circuit in a mobile cellular to satellite telecommunication system.
Claims25
A circuit for performing serial data protocols and error checking, the circuit comprising:
- a plurality of external communication ports, including an input/output port wherein said input/output port is coupled to receive serial data output from a subscriber interface module card reader and coupled to transmit parallel data to a central processing unit;
- a receiver and a transmitter coupled to said input/output port;
- multiple chip selects for addressing different input sources;
- multiple data lines for transferring received data characters and for reading and writing to different ones of a plurality of control registers;
- an address register decodable to obtain different ones of said chip selects, said address register corresponding to a plurality of address lines determining which of said control registers is accessed;
- a serial-to-parallel data conversion function coupled to receive serial data from different input sources, translate said serial data into parallel data, and transmit said parallel data;
- an error checking function coupled to perform error checking on said received serial data wherein said error checking function asserts an error signal retransmit request;
- an error signal/retransmit request detector coupled to receive an asserted one of said error signal/retransmit requests;
- wherein said transmitter retransmits one of said received data characters in response to a detected one of said asserted error signal/retransmit requests;
- an extra guard time counter, and wherein an interrupt signal generator coupled to said transmitter and to said extra guard time counter, said interrupt signal generator generating a signal indicative of an end of said retransmission of said data character in response to a detected signal received from said extra guard time counter indicative of an expiration of said extra guard time;
- and
- a pollable interrupt line, whereby a source of an interrupt signal is determined.
9 more elements
A mobile cellular to satellite telecommunication system comprising:
- a plurality of SIM cards;
- a plurality of SIM card interface circuits, individual ones of said SIM card interface circuits coupled to individual ones of said SIM cards;
- an interface function coupled to receive serial data output from said plurality of SIM card interface circuits, said interface function translating said serial data into parallel data;
- and
- a CPU coupled to receive said parallel data.
2 more elements
A mobile cellular to satellite telecommunication system comprising:
- a plurality of SIM cards;
- a plurality of SIM card interface circuits coupling individual ones of said SIM cards to a UART circuit, said UART circuit comprising:
- a) multiple chip selects for addressing different individual ones of said SIM cards;
- b) multiple data lines for transferring received serial data characters and for reading and writing to different ones of a plurality of control registers;
- and
- c) an address register decodable by said SIM card interface circuits to obtain different ones of said chip selects, said address register corresponding to a plurality of address lines determining which of said control registers is accessed;
- and
- a CPU coupled to receive said parallel data.
5 more elements
A method for controlling a mobile cellular to satellite telecommunication system, the method comprising:
- accessing an individual one of multiple communication channels;
- receiving serial data characters from said accessed communication channel;
- detecting parity errors in said serial data;
- asserting an error signal/retransmit request signal in response to a detected one of said parity errors;
- re-transmitting one said data character in response to a detected one of said asserted error signal/retransmit request signal;
- generating an interrupt signal indicative of an end of said retransmission of said data character;
- converting said serial data characters to parallel data words;
- transmitting said parallel data words to the main system central processing unit, accessing one of a plurality of SIM cards;
- remotely installing one or more of said SIM cards into a hardware carrier, each said SIM card forming a plurality SIM card-to-hardware carrier electrical interfaces;
- testing each of said SIM card-to-hardware carrier electrical interfaces;
- identifying a position in said hardware carrier of each said SIM card;
- recording said position;
- installing said SIM cards into the mobile cellular to satellite telecommunication system.
10 more elements
A method for remotely installing a plurality of SIM cards into a hardware carrier of a mobile cellular to satellite telecommunication system, the method comprising:
- remotely installing one or more SIM cards into a hardware carrier, each said SIM card forming a plurality SIM card-to-hardware carrier electrical interfaces;
- testing each of said SIM card-to-hardware carrier electrical interfaces;
- identifying a position in said hardware carrier of each said SIM card and cross-referencing said position against a part number and serial number assigned to said hardware carrier;
- electronically recording said position;
- installing said hardware carrier into the mobile cellular to satellite telecommunication system.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.