Cordless telephone system

• US 5,946,305 A
• Filed: 12/11/1995
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANDERPUYE, KENNETH N
• Application Number:
  US08/570,263
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/450, 455/466, 455/509, 455/511, 455/515, 455/517, 375/200, 375/357, 375/367, 370/280, 370/319, 370/321, 370/337, 370/347, 370/350, 370/515
• US Class Current: 370/280
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A digital cordless telephone system can prevent control signals transmitted from a plurality of base stations from interfering with each other In a digital cordless telephone system wherein a communication signal is transmitted among it and terminal stations by transmitting digital data through a predetermined channel and a communication among it and the terminal stations is controlled by a control channel different from the predetermined channel, data in a slot arrangement is used as a control signal, the control signal of the slot arrangement is intermittently transmitted at a constant interval, and a transmission at every constant interval is randomly extinguished.

Claims

1. A base station of a digital cordless telephone system having a plurality of terminal stations and at least one other base station, comprising:

radio frequency processing means for processing an RF signal for transmitting and/or receiving digital data;

communication control means for controlling said radio frequency processing means to communicate with one or more of said plurality of terminal stations using a control channel, wherein said communication control means generates a control signal having periodic pulses for reception by said plurality of terminal stations, and wherein some of said periodic pulses are randomly extinguished; and

random number generating means for generating random numbers used to select which of said periodic pulses are to be randomly extinguished, whereby periodic pulses from said base station will not simultaneously occur with periodic pulses from said at least one other base station when said selected periodic pulses are randomly extinguished.

2. A base station of a digital communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communication control means generates a first control signal having first periodic pulses which are not randomly extinguished, and a second control signal having second periodic pulses, some of said second periodic pulses being randomly extinguished based on said random numbers generated by said random number generating means.

3. A base station of a digital communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first and-second periodic pulses of said first and second control signals have equal periods.

4. A base station of a digital communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communication control means generates a first control signal having first periodic pulses, some of which are randomly extinguished to form a first random sequence, and a second control signal having second periodic pulses, some of which are extinguished to form a second random sequence.

5. A base station of a digital communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first and second periodic pulses of said first and second control signals have equal periods.

6. A base station of a digital communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said digital communication system uses one of a TDMA and a TDD signal format.

7. A base station of a digital communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said digital communication system uses one of a TDMA and a TDD signal formal.

8. A digital cordless telephone system comprising:

at least two base stations; and

one or more terminal stations for receiving a digital signal, wherein communication between said at least two base stations and said one or more terminal stations uses respective control signals each having periodic pulses; and

each of said at least two base stations having a random number generator, whereby some of said periodic pulses from each of said at least two base stations are randomly extinguished based on random numbers generated respectively from said random number generator, whereby periodic pulses from said at least two base stations will not occur simultaneously when said periodic pulses are respectively randomly extinguished.

9. A communication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said control signal includes a first control signal having first periodic pulses which are not randomly extinguished and a second control signal having second periodic pulses which are randomly extinguished based on said random numbers.

10. A communication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said control signal includes a first control signal having first periodic pulses which are randomly extinguished to form a first random sequence and a second control signal having second periodic pulses which are randomly extinguished to form a second random sequence.

11. A communication system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said communication system uses one of a TDMA and a TDD signal format.

12. A method for sending a control signal to any of a plurality of terminals from a base station of a digital cordless telephone system that includes at least one other base station, comprising the steps of:

generating a control signal having periodic pulses;

generating random numbers;

randomly extinguishing some of said periodic pulses based on the generated random numbers, whereby periodic pulses from said base station will not simultaneously occur with periodic pulses from said at least one other base station when said periodic pulses are randomly extinguished; and

transmitting to any of said plurality of terminals an RF signal modulated by at least said control signal generated in said control signal generating step.