SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING ULTRASONIC COMMUNICATION

• US 20120171963A1
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yossef Tsfaty
• Original Assignee: Yossef Tsfaty
• Inventors: TSFATY, Yossef
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

A system for wireless communication using ultrasonic signals that includes a transmission module, which receives input signals from a wireless device, modifies the received input signals in a manner that converts each received input signal into a corresponding ultrasonic signal and wirelessly transmits each said ultrasonic signal over an ultrasonic link, and a receiving module, which receives the transmitted ultrasonic signals, recovers the corresponding input signals therefrom and enables outputting each respective input signal through one or more output devices. Modification of the input signals may include compressing, encoding and modulating the input signals. The input signals may be voice audio signals for enabling to use the system for supporting phone calls by enabling ultrasonic communication between for instance, a wireless headset and a mobile phone. Transmission and receiving modules may be associated with a wireless headset and mobile phone for allowing ultrasonic and optionally RF communication therebetween.

Claims

1. A system for wireless communication using ultrasonic signals, said system comprising:

at least one transmission module, which receives input signals from at least one predefined wireless device, modifies said received input signals in a manner that converts each received input signal into a corresponding ultrasonic signal and wirelessly transmits each said ultrasonic signal over an ultrasonic link, said modification includes signal modulation; and

at least one receiving module, which receives the transmitted ultrasonic signals, recovers the corresponding input signals from said respective ultrasonic signals and enables outputting each said respective input signal.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said input signal is an audio signal outputted by an audio output device of said wireless device.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said transmission module comprises at least one ultrasonic transmitter for enabling to transmit ultrasonic signals, said transmission module is further operatively associated with at least one audio transmitter of said wireless device for receiving said audio input signals, and wherein said receiving module comprises at least one ultrasonic receiver for receiving said ultrasonic signals transmitted from said transmission module, said receiving module is operatively associated with at least one audio output device for outputting said audio signals.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission module comprises:

a data encoder configured to compress and encode said input signal;

a modulator, connected to said data encoder, configured to digitally modulate the encoded signal outputted by said data encoder, according to a predefined modulation technique;

at least one digital to analog converter, connected to said modulator, configured to convert the digitally modulated signal into an analog ultrasonic signal; and

an output unit, connected to the digital to analog converter, configured to transmit the ultrasonic signal wirelessly,

wherein said receiving module comprises;

a receiver capable of sensing ultrasonic signals;

an analog to digital converter connected to said receiver enabling to convert each received ultrasonic signal into a corresponding digital signal;

a demodulator configured to demodulate digital signals outputted by said analog to digital converter;

a data decoder, connected to said demodulator, configured to decode and decompress each digital signal to obtain a decoded signal corresponding to a respective said input signal associated therewith; and

an output device, configured to output the decoded signal.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said output unit comprises at least one of:

a speaker and/or a piezoelectric device enabling to output ultrasonic signals, and said receiver comprises at least one of;

a microphone and/or a detector enabling to detect ultrasonic signals.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein said modulation technique includes at least one of:

single-carrier modulation, multicarrier modulation, OFDMA modulation, CDMA modulation, said modulation further includes data protection using at least one of;

FEC based protection techniques, scrambling based techniques and/or data interleaving based technique.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said modification of said input signals is carried out by a software application operated by said wireless device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission module further enables transmitting signals over at least one RF link to said receiving module, said receiving module, respectively enables receiving said signals over said RF link.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said transmission module comprises:

an ultrasonic transmission unit for enabling to carry out the receiving of input signals, modification and conversion thereof into ultrasonic signals and transmission of the ultrasonic signals;

an RF transmission unit which enables receiving input signals and modifying them in a manner that enables converting each received input signal into an RF signal and transmission of each said RF signal over said RF link;

a module, which enables identifying a current ultrasonic communication link status, wherein upon identification of a low communication status, said transmission module, enables operating said RF transmission unit for using RF communication when the ultrasonic communication link is poor, and

wherein said receiving module comprises;

an ultrasonic receiving unit, which enables receiving transmitted ultrasonic signals and extracting input signals associated therewith for outputting of said input signals; and

an RF receiving unit, which enables receiving transmitted RF signals and extracting input signals associated therewith for outputting of said input signals.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein a wireless headset is operatively associated with a first transmission module and a wireless mobile device is operatively associated with a second receiving module for enabling using said ultrasonic communication between said wireless headset and mobile wireless device for transmitting and receiving of data by using said RF communication or said ultrasonic communication for transmitting data from said wireless mobile device to said wireless headset and said ultrasonic communication for transmitting data from said wireless headset to said wireless mobile device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said headset is based on Bluetooth technology and wherein said first transmission and receiving modules are embedded therein, wherein the Bluetooth link is used for service discovery and connection establishment and maintenance, using Bluetooth protocols.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein said transmission module enables receiving modulated RF input signals that carry data over a long range RF link from at least one wireless communication network station, modify said received input signals to output and transmit corresponding ultrasonic signals to said receiving module, and said receiving module is operatively associated with a mobile wireless device enabling to receive said ultrasonic signals or said RF signals from said transmission module and use data output abilities of said mobile wireless device to output data corresponding to said input signals.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising an interfacing device enabling to connect to said receiving module and to said mobile wireless device interfacing them to one another.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein said receiving module is connected to a wireless headset and wherein said transmission module enables outputting data over said RF link while outputting said ultrasonic signals to enable establishing, authenticating and maintaining communication with said wireless headset via said RF link and outputting audio signals corresponding to said input signals via at least one audio output device of said wireless headset.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said wireless headset is a Bluetooth based headset and wherein said receiving module is embedded in said wireless headset.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication device includes at least one of:

a personal digital assistance (PDA) device, a laptop, a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a cellular Smartphone, or a cellular modem, and said output device comprises at least one of;

a wireless headset, a wireless speaker.

17. A method of wireless communication using ultrasonic signals, said method comprising:

receiving input signals from at least one predefined wireless device, using a transmission module;

modifying said received input signals in a manner that converts each received input signal into an ultrasonic signal, said modification includes modulation of said input signal;

wirelessly transmitting said respective ultrasonic signal over an ultrasonic link;

receiving the transmitted ultrasonic signal, using a receiving module;

recovering the input signals from said ultrasonic signals; and

enabling outputting each said respective input signal through an output device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said modulation includes single-carrier or multicarrier or CDMA modulation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said input signals are audio signals outputted by at least one audio device of said wireless device, and wherein the recovered audio input signals are outputted by another audio output device.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising identifying other systems using ultrasonic communication in a close environment and characteristics of the ultrasonic signals they are using and modifying said input signals according to said input signal and according to the identified characteristics, thereby enabling to produce distinguishable ultrasonic signals.

21. A system for wireless communication using ultrasonic signals, said system comprising:

a first and a second transmission modules each enables receiving input signals from at least one predefined wireless communication link, modifying said received input signals in a manner that converts each received input signal into a corresponding ultrasonic signal and wirelessly transmitting each said ultrasonic signal over an ultrasonic link, said modification includes signal modulation;

a first and a second receiving modules, each enables receiving the transmitted ultrasonic signals, recovering the corresponding input signals from said respective ultrasonic signals and outputting each said respective input signal;

a station device comprising said first transmission and receiving modules, said station device enables receiving ultrasonic signals from an ultrasonic link and converting them to a long range RF signals and transmitting the RF output signals to at least one remote cellular base station; and

an interfacing module, which is operatively associated with a wireless device, said interfacing module comprises said second transmission and receiving module for enabling bidirectional communication between said station device and said wireless device associated therewith over said ultrasonic link.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said wireless device is a mobile phone and wherein said interfacing module is embedded within said mobile phone.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein said wireless device is a mobile phone and wherein said interfacing module is a separate device connecting to said mobile phone.