Economical extension of the operating distance of an RF remote link accommodating information signals having differing carrier frequencies

• US 20020187796A1
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Pugel, Michel Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 6,895,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/500
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/28 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

A system for economically extending the effective operational range of an infrared remote control system having a remote control unit with an infrared transmitter, and a controlled device having an infrared receiver. The system includes a first transmitter to receive IR signals from the remote control unit and transmit an RF output signal corresponding to the infrared signal received from the remote control unit. The RF signal is received by an RF receiver which generates a second IR signal corresponding to the received radio signal. The second IR signal is transmitted to and received by the IR controlled device. In some cases, the first IR control signal, and in all cases, the RF, signal include information/data concerning the IR carrier frequency. This information/data of IR carrier frequency, instead of the RF transmission of the actual IR carrier frequency, permits a reduction of the RF bandwidth since the full frequency spectrum of possible IR carriers need not be transmitted, thus permitting amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation to be used. The RF receiver decodes the received signal and uses the information/data to configure a second IR control signal that is compatible with and transmitted to the controlled device.

Claims

1. An RF transmission system comprising:

an RF transmitter for RF transmitting an information containing signal having a carrier with a carrier frequency,

means for substituting data designating the frequency of the carrier in place of RF transmitting the actual carrier, and

an RF receiver for receiving the RF transmission, the RF receiver including means for reconstructing the information containing signal including the designated carrier frequency by using the substituted data.

2. An RF transmission system comprising:

an RF transmitter for RF transmitting an information containing signal having a carrier with a carrier frequency,

means for substituting data for transmission in place of RF transmitting the actual carrier, and

an RF receiver for receiving the RF transmission, the RF receiver including means for reconstructing the information containing signal including the designated carrier frequency by using the substituted data,

the RF transmitter using an RF carrier and the RF carrier is ASK modulated by the information containing signal with substituted data.

3. An RF transmission system comprising:

an RF transmitter having a first carrier at a first carrier frequency which is modulatable by an information containing signal having a second carrier at a second carrier frequency;

means for deleting the second carrier and substituting data identifying the second carrier frequency in place of the actual carrier for transmission, and

an RF receiver for receiving the RF transmission, the RF receiver including means for reconstructing the information containing signal including the designated carrier frequency by using the substituted data.

4. An RF transmission system comprising:

an RF transmitter having a first carrier at a first carrier frequency which is modulatable by an information containing signal having a second carrier at a second carrier frequency;

means for deleting the second carrier and substituting data identifying the second carrier frequency in place of the actual carrier for transmission, and

an RF receiver for receiving the RF transmission, the RF receiver including means for reconstructing the information containing signal including the designated carrier frequency by using the substituted data,

the RF carrier is ASK modulated by the information containing signal with substituted data.