Data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays

• US 5,598,290 A
• Filed: 06/14/1994
• Issued: 01/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masanobu, Tanaka, Junji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEGASH, KINFE MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/260,455
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 359/180, 359/181, 359/172, 359/158, 359/142, 359/146, 359/148, 359/140, 455/151.2, 348/734, 340/825.72, 340/825.5, 340/825.51, 375/309, 375/311, 341/178, 341/176, 370/108
• US Class Current: 398/195
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/50 Transmitters

Abstract

A data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays characterized in that one transmission unit of transmission data formed by combining digital data comprising a bit row represented by two values "0" and "1" into a predetermined format is stored in a transmission buffer, transmission suspension time that should be added after the transmission of the one transmission unit of transmission data from an array of adjacent bit values that constitute the one transmission unit of transmission data is determined, and one transmission unit of transmission data is sent at an interval of the above transmission suspension time.

Claims

1. A data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays comprising:

transmission data generating means for generating one transmission unit of transmission data;

a transmission buffer for storing said one transmission unit of said transmission data produced by said transmission data generating means;

data transfer means for modulating and transferring each of said transmission data in said one transmission unit stored in said transmission buffer into a space by utilizing an infrared ray emitting LED; and

transmission suspending means for determining a transmission suspension time to be added after sending said one transmission unit of said transmission data determined based on the bit values included in said one transmission unit of said transmission data to be sent;

said data transfer means waiting said transmission suspension time before sending a next transmission unit of said transmission data.

2. A data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays comprising:

transmission data generating means for generating one transmission unit of transmission data;

a transmission buffer for storing said one transmission unit of said transmission data produced by said transmission data generating means;

data transfer means for modulating and transferring each of said transmission data in said one transmission unit stored in said transmission buffer into a space by utilizing an infrared ray emitting LED; and

transmission suspending means for determining a transmission suspension time to be added after sending said one transmission unit of said transmission data determined based on the bit values included in said one transmission unit of said transmission data to be sent;

said data transfer means waiting said transmission suspension time before sending a next transmission unit of said transmission data;

wherein said transmission suspending means comprises;

correction coefficient generating means for generating an adjacent correction coefficient defined by the number of two values "0" and "1" constituting said one transmission unit of said transmission data that has been stored in said transmission buffer;

means for generating a suspension time for correction in which said transmission suspension time is determined from the adjacent correction coefficient, said suspension time being added after said data transfer means has sent said one transmission unit of said transmission data;

timer monitoring means for detecting that said data transfer means has completed the transmission of said one transmission unit of said transmission data, counting the passage of said transmission suspension time that has been output from said means for generating said suspension time for correction, and giving, after the passage of said transmission suspension time, an instruction for generating the next data to said transmission data generating means.

3. A data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays comprising:

transmission data generating means for generating one transmission unit of transmission data;

a transmission buffer for storing said one transmission unit of said transmission data produced by said transmission data generating means;

data transfer means for modulating and transferring each of said transmission data in said one transmission unit stored in said transmission buffer into a space by utilizing an infrared ray emitting LED; and

transmission suspending means for determining a transmission suspension time to be added after sending said one transmission unit of said transmission data determined based on the bit values included in said one transmission unit of said transmission data to be sent;

said data transfer means waiting said transmission suspension time before sending a next transmission unit of said transmission data;

wherein said transmission suspending means comprises;

correction coefficient generating means for generating an adjacent correction coefficient defined by the number of two values "0" and "1" constituting said one transmission unit of said transmission data that has been stored in said transmission buffer;

means for generating a suspension time for correction in which said transmission suspension time is determined from the adjacent correction coefficient, said suspension time being added after said data transfer means has sent said one transmission unit of said transmission data;

timer monitoring means for detecting that said data transfer means has completed the transmission of said one transmission unit of said transmission data, counting the passage of said transmission suspension time that has been output from said means for generating said suspension time for correction, and giving, after the passage of said transmission suspension time, an instruction for generating the next data to said transmission data generating means;

wherein said transmission data generating means combines digital data comprising a bit row represented by two values "0" and "1" into a predetermined format for said one transmission unit of said transmission data to be stored in a transmission buffer, said correction coefficient generating means sets an initial value of said adjacent correction coefficient to "0", retrieves a bit row constituting said one transmission unit of said transmission and confirms each bit value so that when two or more "1'"'"'s" continue, continued number of "1'"'"'s" less 1 (CT1) is added to n while subtracting from n continued number of "0'"'"'s" that follow a bit row of the continued "1'"'"'s" less 1 (CTO) and when n satisfies the formula of n<

0 n is set to 0 thereby continuing the above addition of CT1 and subtraction of CTO until the confirmation of one transmission unit of transmission bit row is terminated.

4. A data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays comprising:

transmission data generating means for generating one transmission unit of transmission data by combining digital data comprising a bit row represented by two values of "0"and "1"into a predetermined format;

transmission buffer for storing said one transmission unit of said transmission data;

data transfer means for modulating and transferring each of said transmission data in said one transmission unit into a space by utilizing an infrared ray emitting LED, each of said transmission data being stored in said transmission buffer; and

transmission suspending means for generating transmission suspension time that should be added after said one transmission unit of said transmission data has been sent when the cumulative number of bit values of "1" or "0"that have ben sent exceeds a predetermined number;

said data transfer means sending said one transmission unit of said transmission data at an interval of said transmission suspension time produced by said transmission suspending means only in a case where the cumulative number exceeds the predetermined number.

5. A data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays comprising:

transmission data generating means for generating one transmission unit of transmission data by combining digital data comprising a bit row represented by two values of "0" and "1" into a predetermined format;

transmission buffer for storing said one transmission unit of said transmission data;

data transfer means for modulating and transferring each of said transmission data in said one transmission unit into a space by utilizing an infrared ray emitting LED, each of said transmission data being stored in said transmission buffer; and

transmission suspending means for generating transmission suspension time that should be added after said one transmission unit of said transmission data has been sent when the cumulative number of bit values of "1" or "0" that have ben sent exceeds a predetermined number;

said data transfer means sending said one transmission unit of said transmission data at an interval of said transmission suspension time produced by said transmission suspending means only in a case where the cumulative number exceeds the predetermined number;

wherein said transmission suspending means comprises

cumulative counting means for counting the number of "1'"'"'s" that constitute said one transmission unit of said transmission data stored in said transmission buffer and outputting the cumulative value thereof;

cumulative value monitoring means for monitoring the cumulative value as to whether or not the cumulative value exceeds a predetermined cumulative peak;

means for generating a suspension time for heat radiation that is added after the data transfer means has sent said one transmission unit of said transmission data when the cumulative value exceeds the predetermined cumulative peak; and

timer monitoring means for detecting that said data transfer means has completed the transmission of said one transmission unit of said transmission data, counting the passage of said transmission suspension time that has been output from said means for generating said suspension time for heat radiation, and giving, after the passage of said transmission suspension time, an instruction for generating the next data to said transmission data generating means.

6. A data transfer apparatus utilizing infrared rays comprising:

transmission data generating means for generating one transmission unit of transmission data by combining digital data comprising a bit row represented by two values of "0" and "1" into a predetermined format;

transmission buffer for storing said one transmission unit of said transmission data;

data transfer means for modulating and transferring each of said transmission data in said one transmission unit into a space by utilizing an infrared ray emitting LED, each of said transmission data being stored in said transmission buffer; and

transmission suspending means for generating transmission suspension time that should be added after said one transmission unit of said transmission data has been sent when the cumulative number of bit values of "1" or "0" that have ben sent exceeds a predetermined number;

said data transfer means sending said one transmission unit of said transmission data at an interval of said transmission suspension time produced by said transmission suspending means only in a case where the cumulative number exceeds the predetermined number;

further comprising;

cumulative counting means for counting the number of "1'"'"'s" that constitute said one transmission unit of said transmission data stored in said transmission buffer and outputting the cumulative value thereof;

cumulative value monitoring means for monitoring the cumulative value as to whether or not the cumulative value exceeds the predetermined cumulative peak;

means for generating a suspension time for heat radiation that is added after the data transfer means has sent said one transmission unit of said transmission data when the cumulative value exceeds the predetermined cumulative peak; and

said time monitoring means for detecting that said data transfer means has completed the transmission of said one transmission unit of said transmission data, counting the passage of time corresponding to said transmission suspension time output from said means for generating suspension time for correction and/or to said transmission suspension time output from the means for generating said suspension time for the heat radiation, and giving, after the passage of said transmission suspension time, an instruction for generating the next data to said transmission data generating means.

7. A method for transmitting a series of data units using infrared rays, comprising the steps of:

formatting one of the data units for transmission;

storing the data unit;

analyzing actual values of bits of the stored data unit including determining a number of bits having a "1" or a "0" value;

transmitting the stored data unit using infrared rays; and

determining whether to delay transmission of a next data unit based on the analyzing step.

8. The method in claim 7, wherein when infrared transmission is to be delayed, the delay amount is determined based on the number of bits having a "1" value and the number of bits having a "0" value in the one data unit such that the delay mount varies depending on the number of bits having a "1" value and the number of bits having a "0" value in the one data unit.

9. The method in claim 8, wherein the delay amount increase when the number of consecutive bits having a "1" value in the one data unit increases and the number of consecutive bits having a "0" value in the one data unit decreases.

10. The method in claim 8, wherein the delay amount is proportional to a difference between a number of consecutive "1" bits and a number of consecutive "0" bits in the one data unit.

11. The method in claim 8, wherein the delay amount is calculated in accordance with the following:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">N=CT1-CT0

where the delay amount is proportional to a correction coefficient N, CT1 is the number of consecutive "1" bits minus 1 in the one data unit, CT0 is the number of consecutive "0" bits minus 1 in the one data unit.

12. The method on claim 7, wherein the infrared transmission of the next data unit is delayed when a total number of "1" bits in the one data unit exceeds a predetermined value.

13. The method on claim 7, further comprising:

determining a delay factor that depends on a number of consecutive "1'"'"'s" and a number of consecutive "0'"'"'s" in the one data unit;

calculating a first delay in accordance with the delay factor;

determining a total number of "1" bits in the one data unit;

when the total number of "1" bits exceeds a predetermined value, generating a second delay; and

delaying infrared transmission of the next data unit by one or both the of the first and second delays.

14. A method for transmitting a series of data units using a light transmitter, each data units including a sequence of bits with each bit having a value of "1" or a value of "0", comprising the steps of:

formatting one of the data units for transmission from an LED transmitter;

storing the data unit in a buffer;

selectively calculating a variable delay based on the actual values of bits of the data unit stored in the buffer;

transmitting the data unit in the buffer using the LED transmitter; and

delaying transmission of a next data unit in accordance with the calculated variable delay.

15. A data communications system, comprising:

a data generator formatting data bits to be transmitted into a first data unit;

a transmission buffer for storing the first data unit;

a transmitter including a light generator generating light signals in accordance with the data bits in the transmission buffer for reception and detection at a receiver; and

a data processor determining a number of bits having a "1" value or a number of bits having a "0" value in the first data unit stored in the transmission buffer and calculating a variable delay period based on the determined number of "1" or "0" bits,

wherein after the first data unit is transmitted, the data processor delays transmission of a second data unit by the calculated delay period.

16. The system in claim 15, wherein the delay amount varies depending on the number of bits having a "1" value and the number of bits having a "0" value in the first data unit.

17. The system in claim 15, wherein the delay amount increases when the number of consecutive bits having a "1" value in the first data unit increases and the number of consecutive bits having a "0" value in the first data unit decreases.

18. The system in claim 16, wherein the delay amount is proportional to a difference between a number of consecutive "1" bits and a number of consecutive "0" bits in the first data unit.

19. The system in claim 15, wherein the delay amount is calculated in accordance with the following:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">N=CT1-CT0

where the delay amount is proportional to a correction coefficient N, CT1 is the number of consecutive "1" bits minus 1 in the first data unit, CT0 is the number of consecutive "0" bits minus 1 in the first data unit.

20. The system in claim 15, wherein the transmission of the second data unit is delayed when a total number of "1" bits in the first data unit exceeds a predetermined value.

21. The system in claim 15, wherein the data processor performs the tasks of:

determining a delay factor that depends on a number of consecutive "1'"'"'s" and a number of consecutive "0'"'"'s" in the first data unit;

calculating a first delay in accordance with the delay factor;

determining a total number of "1" bits in the first data unit;

when the total number of "1" bits exceeds a predetermined value, generating a second delay; and

delaying transmission of the second data unit by one or both the of the first and second delays.