MULTI-TONE DETECTION FOR IN-BAND DATA MODEM LINK ESTABLISHMENT IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20120028681A1
• Filed: 07/30/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company), GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Madhavan, Sethu K., Yi, Ki Hak, Saraydar, Cem U
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices

Abstract

A method and system for modem signaling over a voice channel of a cellular or other wireless communication system. A plurality of sequential tones are transmitted, each of which corresponds to at least one network type and contains at least one primary frequency selected so as to successfully be passed through its associated network type. This permits the use of modem signaling to establish a data connection regardless of the type of network equipment utilized, so that the method will work with both newer and older generation vocoders and other network equipment.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a modem via a voice channel of a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of tones corresponding to a plurality of wireless network types, wherein each tone is associated with at least one of the wireless network types and contains at least one sinusoidal frequency component capable of being passed through the associated wireless network type(s); and

signaling a remote modem over a voice channel by sending the plurality of tones sequentially to the remote modem via one or more wireless carrier systems, each wireless carrier system being at least one of the wireless network types.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the signaling step further comprises repeating the sending of the plurality of tones in an alternating fashion until the remote modem detects at least one of the tones for establishing a data communication link.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the tones are spaced temporally with a gap duration and tone duration such that the each tone may be individually received by the one or more wireless carrier systems.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the gap duration and tone duration are each substantially fixed so that the tones are transmitted with a cadence.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the gap duration varies between at least some of the tones such that the tones are arranged intermittently.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tones are arranged sequentially with no gap between adjacent tones.

7. A method of communicating between a vehicle and call center via a voice channel of a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of:

establishing a voice channel connection between a call center and a telematics unit in a vehicle via a wireless cellular network;

generating a sequence of tones, including at least one tone having a first frequency in the range of either 200-850 Hz or 1400-1750 Hz and at least one other tone having a second frequency that is above the first frequency, wherein the sequence of tones includes at least some tones at said second frequency interspersed between tones at said first frequency; and

sending the sequence of tones over the voice channel connection.

8. The method set forth in claim 7, wherein each frequency corresponds to at least one wireless network type.

9. The method set forth in claim 7, wherein generating step further comprises generating first tones at said first frequency alternating with second tones at said second frequency.

10. The method set forth in claim 7, wherein generating step further comprises generating the sequence of tones such that it includes tones having a third frequency, wherein the sequence of tones includes groups of at least three individual, temporally spaced tones each having a different one of said first, second, and third frequencies.

11. The method set forth in claim 7, wherein said generating step further comprises generating the sequence of tones such that there is a gap between adjacent tones.