System forTransmission of Signals in a Domestic Environment

• US 20130083833A1
• Filed: 01/04/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital CE Patent Holdings SAS (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jean-Francois Pintos
• Inventors: Robert, Jean-Luc, Louzir, Ali, Lo Hine Tong, Dominique, Pintos, Jean-Franois
• Granted Patent: US 9,042,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0491 using two or more sectors, i.e. sector diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0604 with predefined switching scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0632 Channel quality parameters, e.g. channel quality indicator [CQI]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wireless transmission system for signals intended more specifically for a domestic environment. It includes a central terminal comprising at least m transmission channels and n directive transmission antennas intended to transmit first signals at least one client terminal having at least one reception channel connected to a reception antenna in order to receive the first signals said central terminal and said client terminal communicating in a transmission channel having a predetermined frequency band, and an estimation device able to generate an item of information representative of the reception quality of first signals in at least one point of a predetermined geographic zone associated with the client terminal and a return channel in order to transmit said at least one item of information to the control means of the central terminal.

Claims

1. System for transmission of signals comprising:

a central terminal comprising at least m transmission channels and n transmission antennas intended to transmit first signals, with n>

m>

1, switching means for associating with each signal transmission channel one antenna from among the n antennas according to a switching schema selected by control means,

at least one client terminal (2) comprising at least one reception channel connected to a reception antenna in order to receive first signals transmitted via the central terminal said central terminal and said client terminal being able to communicate in a transmission channel having a predetermined frequency band,

wherein, the transmission antennas are directive antennas, each transmission antenna being able to transmit first signals in a predetermined angular sector,

and the system also comprising an estimation device able to generate at least one item of information on the reception quality of first signals transmitted by the central terminal in at least one point of a predetermined geographic zone associated with the client terminal and a return channel to transmit said at least one item of information to the control means of the central terminal, said control means selecting a switching schema according to said at least one item of information.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the estimation device comprises:

close to the central terminal, a transmission circuit able to transmit, via at least one of the directive antennas selected for said client terminal, a second signal called the interrogation signal in a frequency band close to or identical to the predetermined frequency band of the transmission channel between the central terminal and the client terminal, and

in the geographic zone associated with the client terminal, a measurement circuit able to measure the power of the interrogation signal in said zone, the measurement being representative of the quality of reception of first signals in said zone.

3. System according to claim 2, wherein the measurement circuit comprises at least one RFID sensor associated with an RFID reader,

said at least one RFID sensor being able to receive the interrogation signal, to code it according to a coding relating to an identifier of said RFID sensor and to transmit the coded signal to said RFID reader, and

said RFID reader being able to generate, from said coded signal, an item of information representative of the quality of reception of first signals in the geographic zone associated with the client terminal.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein the measurement circuit comprises an RFID sensor located on the client terminal.

5. System according to claim 3, wherein the measurement circuit comprises a plurality of RFID sensors distributed over a plurality of fixed points of the zone associated with the client terminal.

6. System according to claim 5, wherein the RFID reader is located at a fixed point of the zone associated with the client terminal.

7. System according to claim 6, wherein each RFID reader comprises means for measuring the received power of coded signals transmitted by the RFID sensors of the zone and a processing circuit to decode the received signals, to determine for each signal received the identifier of the sensor having transmitted said signal and to generate a signal comprising, for each coded signal received, the received power and the identifier.

8. System according to claim 2, wherein the transmission circuit noticeably transmits periodically an interrogation signal to the measurement circuit of the zone during a specific temporal interval.

9. System according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of client terminals with each of which is associated a geographic zone, and in which the measurement circuit comprises, in each of said geographic zones, at least one RFID sensor and an associated RFID reader, and in which the transmission circuit transmits for each of said geographic zones an interrogation signal to the RFID sensor(s) of said geographic zone during a specific temporal interval.

10. System according to claim 3, wherein each RFID sensor is a surface acoustic wave passive sensor.

11. System according to claim 2, wherein the interrogation signal is a pulse train.

12. System according to claim 1, wherein the control means select a switching schema from among a plurality of predetermined switching schemas of a switching matrix according to said at least one item of information transmitted via said return channel.

13. System according to claim 1, wherein the return channel is a wireless transmission channel operating for example according to the “

ZigBee”

or “

Zwave”

standard.