Method and apparatus for downloading information from a controllable light source to a portable information device

• US 5,815,127 A
• Filed: 06/24/1996
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Timex Corporation (Tanager Group BV)
• Original Assignee: Timex Corporation (Tanager Group BV)
• Inventors: Jacobs, Michael A., Insero, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US08/669,197
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1, 345/2, 345/10, 345/11, 345/20, 345/169, 364/708.1, 375/225, 359/147
• US Class Current: 345/1.2
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/00 Setting the time according to the time information carried or implied by the radio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/00 Television systems details H04N3/00, H04N5/00; methods or arrangements, for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00; selective content distribution H04N21/00

Abstract

A system for transferring data from a CRT (cathode ray tube) video display monitor on a personal computer to a portable information device such as a multifunction electronic wristwatch. The CRT video display has a video signal generator providing raster scanning of the screen and a program for formatting the binary coded data into blocks of serial data bits, with start bit and stop bit. The blocks of data are supplied to the video signal generator in synchronism with raster scanning of the screen so as to provide an integral number of one or more blocks of data for each vertical frame, and modulated to vary the brightness of the screen and provide scan line segments providing light pulses corresponding to presence or absence of binary coded transmitter pulses. The scan line segments commence at selected screen coordinate locations, such that each successive scan line segment representing a data bit commences at a different temporal position along the scan line than the preceding scan line segment.

Claims

1. Method for increasing the baud rate of transmission from a screen scanning display having a raster sweeping successive scan lines, with a flyback interval between each scan line sweep by the raster, so as to activate successive pixels in a matrix, said apparatus adapted to transmit data to a portable information device adapted to receive asynchronously transmitted blocks of data comprising pulses of light at a predetermined pulse repetition rate, the method comprising:

causing successive bits within a block of data to commence at successive screen coordinate locations, each screen coordinate location being selected such that each successive bit commences on a different scan line and at a different temporal position along its respective scan line than the previous bit.

2. The method according to claim 1, and further causing the time intervals between successive bits within each block to be substantially the same.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the raster completes a plurality of sweeps with an equal plurality of flyback intervals and a partial sweep with one additional flyback interval between successive screen coordinate locations.

4. Apparatus for increasing the baud rate of transmission from a screen scanning display having a raster sweeping successive scan lines, with a flyback interval between each scan line sweep by the raster, so as to activate successive pixels in a matrix, said apparatus adapted to transmit data to a portable information device adapted to receive asynchronously transmitted blocks of data comprising pulses of light at a predetermined pulse repetition rate, the apparatus comprising:

program means causing successive bits within a block of data to commence at successive screen coordinate locations, each screen coordinate location being selected such that each successive bit commences on a different scan line and at a different temporal position along its respective scan line than the previous bit.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the program means causes the time intervals between successive bits within each block to be substantially the same.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the raster completes a plurality of sweeps with an equal plurality of flyback intervals and a partial sweep with one additional flyback interval between successive screen coordinate locations.

7. The method of transmitting binary coded data from a CRT video display to a physically separate portable information device, said CRT video display providing raster scanning of a screen at a horizontal scanning frequency and a vertical frame rate and providing modulation to vary the brightness on the screen, said portable information device having a photosensor for detecting light emitted by said CRT video display screen and for producing output signals as receiver pulses indicative of the light detected by said photosensor, data collection means for receiving and storing said binary coded data and interface circuit means connected between said photosensor and said data collection means, said method comprising the steps of:

formatting said binary coded data into blocks of data to be transmitted asynchronously,

positioning said photosensor at a spaced location from said screen and directing the photosensor toward said screen,

transmitting said blocks of data by modulating said raster to provide scan line segments comprising less than a full scan line for providing light pulses at a preselected pulse repetition rate on said CRT video display screen displayed as at least one integral block of data during each frame, said pulse repetition rate being less than said horizontal scanning frequency,

causing successive scan line segments within a block of data to commence at successive screen coordinate locations such that each successive scan line segment commences on a different scan line and at a different temporal position along its respective scan line than the previous scan line segment.

receiving light pulses on said photosensor and supplying receiver pulses to said interface circuit,

filtering ambient light disturbances from said output signals,

storing said transmitted data in said data collection means, and

removing said data receiving device from proximity to said CRT video display.

8. The method of using a display screen of a transmitter to transmit data from the transmitter to a receiver which is positioned to view substantially the entirety of said screen, said screen made up of a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array and being scanned repeatedly by a modulatable scanning signal to produce a spatially and temporally variable, two-dimensional, light image on the screen, said screen having a plurality of substantially parallel lines that are scanned successively at a predetermined line scanning rate to produce a complete scanning of said screen each time all of said lines have been scanned while modulating said scanning signal so that the screen emits a plurality of successive, substantially temporally non-overlapping light pulses during each complete scanning of the screen, each of said light pulses being produced by sequentially modulating a sub-plurality of said pixels, said light pulses representing said data, said method comprising:

modulating said scanning signal such that each sequentially modulated sub-plurality of pixels comprises a scan line segment within a full scan line, which scan line segment commences on a different scan line and at a different temporal position within its respective scan line than that of a previously modulated scan line segment.

9. The method according to claim 8, including commencing modulation of successively modulated scan line segments after substantially equal time intervals.

10. The method defined in claim 8, wherein each of said light pulses is produced during the scanning of a respective one of said lines, and wherein at least one of said lines is always scanned without producing one of said light pulses after a line has been scanned during which a light pulse was produced.

11. The method defined in claim 8, wherein said data includes a plurality of binary digits, and wherein each of said light pulses represents a respective one of said binary digits, and wherein said plurality of binary digits is subdivided into a plurality of subpluralities of binary digits, said subpluralities being transmitted successively by said transmitter, and the transmission of each subplurality being preceded by transmission of a predetermined start bit and followed by transmission of a predetermined stop bit.

12. A transmitter having a display screen for transmitting data from the transmitter to a receiver which is positionable to view substantially the entirety of said screen, said screen being made up of a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array and being scanned repeatedly by a modulatable scanning signal to produce a spatially and temporally variable, two-dimensional, light image on the screen, said screen having a plurality of substantially parallel lines that are scanned successively at a predetermined line scanning rate to produce a complete scanning of said screen each time all of said lines have been scanned and having screen controls for modulating said scanning signal so that said screen emits a plurality of successive, substantially temporally non-overlapping light pulses during each complete scanning of the screen, each of said light pulses being produced by sequentially modulating a sub-plurality of said pixels, said light pulses representing said data, the improvement comprising:

program means associated with said screen controls for modulating said scanning signal such that each sequentially modulated sub-plurality of pixels comprises a scan line segment within a full scan line, which scan line segment commences on a different scan line and at a different temporal position within its scan line than that of a previously modulated scan line segment.

13. The improvement according to claim 12, wherein said program means commences modulation of successively modulated scan line segments after substantially equal time intervals.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 12, wherein said program means causes said screen to emit each of said light pulses during the scanning of a respective one of said lines, and wherein said program means cause at least one of said lines to be scanned without producing one of said light pulses after a line has been scanned during which a light pulse was produced.