METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSMISSION OF SIGNALS TO NODES IN A SYSTEM

• US 20080151858A1
• Filed: 03/05/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Erik Bundsbaek Mouridsen, Henning Sorensen, Jakob Trelborg, Martin Sandal Neilsen
• Original Assignee: Erik Bundsbaek Mouridsen, Henning Sorensen, Jakob Trelborg, Martin Sandal Neilsen
• Inventors: TRELBORG, Jakob, SORENSEN, Henning, NEILSEN, Martin Sandal, MOURIDSEN, Erik Bundsbaek
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/345
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25187 Transmission of signals, medium, ultrasonic, radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

Method of and system for transmitting signals, e.g. control signals, request signals, interrogation signals etc. to a node in the form of a controllable unit associated with a device, e.f. a controllable device, measuring means, etc. and wherein said controllable unit may be linked to at least one further node by means of a communication bus, at least one of said nodes comprising radio frequency receiving means, said method comprising the steps of a) transmitting a signal from a controller, b) reception of said signal by at least said node comprising radio frequency receiving means, c) detection of at least part of said signal indicating a destination node, and d) retransmittal of said signal or part of said signal by said more comprising radio frequency receiving means to said destination node via said communication bus.

Claims

1. A method of operating a device, including a destination node linked to non-destination nodes, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission signal by one or more of the non-destination nodes;

detecting a first part of the transmission signal that identifies the destination node;

selecting a timeslot for each of the one or more of the non-destination nodes to perform a retransmission of at least a second part of the transmission signal to the destination node;

performing the retransmission to the destination node by the non-destination node for which an earliest occurring timeslot has been selected; and

aborting a secondary retransmission from any of the non-destination nodes, for which a later occurring timeslot has been selected, upon a reception of the retransmission signal by the destination node.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a timeslot in which the performing of the retransmission occurs.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting of the timeslot is accomplished at random.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the transmission signal includes identification information relating to the destination node.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the performing of the retransmission is performed via a wired communication bus.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission signal is received from a wireless radio frequency (RF) remote control.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a response signal from the destination node, the response signal including one of an acknowledgement, a request, a measured value or combinations thereof; and

routing the response signal in accordance with a routing of the transmission signal.

19. The method according to claim 4, wherein the identification information comprises an address of the destination node.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission signal is selected from the group consisting of a control signal, a request signal, an interrogation signal and/or combinations thereof.

8. A system to provide for a transmission of signals, the system comprising:

a device, including a destination node;

non-destination nodes to which the destination node is linked, the non-destination nodes being configured to receive a signal, to detect a first part of the signal identifying the destination node, to select a respective timeslot in which each of the non-destination nodes is scheduled to perform a retransmission of at least a second part of the signal, to perform the retransmission by the non-destination node for which an earliest occurring timeslot has been selected, and to abort a secondary retransmission from any of the non-destination nodes, for which a later occurring timeslot has been selected, upon a reception of the retransmission by the destination node.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

controllable units, including pluralities of the non-destination nodes, each associated with respective devices; and

at least one communication bus, which defines a subnet in the system and which is linked to at least one of the non-destination nodes, wherein the transmission of the signals to or from the subnet is performed by a radio frequency (RF) transmitter.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the non-destination nodes each comprise a means for identifying the first part of the signal.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the non-destination nodes each comprise a means for initiating the retransmission.

12. The system according to claim 8, further comprising a remote controller to transmit the signals to the destination node.

13. The system according to claim 8, further comprising a communication bus across which the destination node and the non-destination nodes are linked, the communication bus including a wired communication channel.

14. The system according to claim 8, further comprising a means for establishing and storing a table including identification information relating to the destination node.

15. The system according to claim 8, further comprising a power supply connected to the destination node and the non-destination nodes.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a communication bus across which the destination node and the non-destination nodes are linked, the communication bus including a communication channel configured to operate in accordance with a modulation or a superimposition thereof.

17. The system according to claim 8, wherein the destination node and/or at least one of the non-destination nodes each comprises a control means, including a means for keeping account of available resources, a means for accepting or denying requests from the destination node and/or the non-destination nodes, a means for aborting operations, a means for valuating requests and the operations, and/or combinations thereof.

18. The system according to claim 8, wherein the non-destination nodes comprise transceivers configured to respond to received signals by transmitting a response signal including an acknowledgement, a request, a measured value or combinations thereof.

21. A system for controlling a device, the system comprising:

a communication bus having a plurality of controllable nodes connected thereto;

a controllable device in communication with the controllable nodes;

a controller configured to transmit a signal to the controllable nodes, with the controllable nodes being configured to detect a destination signal embedded in the signal and to select a timeslot in which each of the controllable nodes is scheduled to retransmit at least a portion of the signal, a retransmission of the portion of the signal being performed by the controllable node for which an earliest occurring timeslot has been selected; and

a destination node in communication with the communication bus and identified by the destination signal, such that any of the controllable nodes, for which later occurring timeslots have been selected, which receive the destination signal, abort a retransmission therefrom when the destination node receives the destination signal.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the controllable device and the controller are wirelessly linked to the controllable nodes and to the destination node.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the controllable device and the controller are hard-wired to the controllable nodes and the destination node.

24. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a plurality of controllable devices, wherein the destination signal designates a specific controllable device for control.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein the signal, the destination signal and the response signal are transmitted during predefined timeslots to avoid interference.

26. The system according to claim 21, wherein the destination node is identified by a priority value, an address, a radio frequency, a response value, and/or combinations thereof.

27. The system according to claim 21, wherein the controllable device and the destination node each transmit the response signal in a random timeslot.

28. The system according to claim 21, wherein the destination signal comprises a control signal to control the controllable device.