Dual channel dual speed FM subcarrier paging system

• US 6,067,445 A
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Communication Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Park, Daniel J., Gray, Kenneth G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOBUTKA, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US08/660,146
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 455/38.1, 455/38.2, 455/446, 455/45, 455/466, 455/456, 455/561, 455/403, 455/422, 455/313, 455/334, 455/450-452, 370/465, 370/468, 370/328, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/026 using digital address codes

Abstract

The effective transmission range of a wireless paging system is varied by changing the transmission data rate. The transmission data rate is lowered in regions with sparse transmitter coverage to increase the effective transmission range of the transmitter. The dual transmission data rates are transmitted either on separate subcarriers on the same FM channel, on the same subcarrier of different FM channels or alternatively on different subcarriers of different FM channels. In a region with dense transmission coverage, the receiver decodes transmission messages at the faster transmission data rate. In regions with sparce transmission coverage, the receiver decodes messages at the slower transmission data rate.

Claims

1. A wireless paging system that transmits digital messages on an FM baseband, comprising:

a transmitter circuit having at least one of a first and a second transmission data rate, the second transmission data rate being slower than the first data rate; and

a pager receiver that receives messages at both the first and second transmission data rate and selectively decodes the messages at one of said first transmission data rate and said second transmission data rate according to a given transmission coverage in a geographical region,

wherein the transmitter circuit includes a first transmitter channel for transmitting a first subcarrier containing the message at one of said first and second transmission data rates and a second transmission channel for generating a second subcarrier containing the message at one of said first and second transmission data rates.

2. A radio paging system according to claim 1 including summing means coupled to the first and second transmission channels for combining the first subcarrier and the second subcarrier on the same FM baseband.

3. A radio paging system according to claim 1 including a control circuit coupled to both the first and second transmitter channel, the control circuit selectively transmitting the messages at one of said first and second transmission data rates on both the first and second subcarrier.

4. A radio paging system according to claim 1 wherein the first subcarrier is centered at 66.5 kilohertz and the second subcarrier is centered at 85.5 kilohertz.

5. A radio paging system according to claim 1 wherein the receiver comprises a first filter for isolating messages on the first subcarrier and a second filter for isolating messages on the second subcarrier.

6. A radio paging system according to claim 5 wherein the receiver further includes a first demodulator coupled to the first filter and a second demodulator coupled to the second filter.

7. A radio paging system according to claim 6 wherein the receiver further includes a high frequency oscillator and low frequency oscillator each coupled to the first and second demodulator.

8. A radio paging system according to claim 1 wherein the receiver includes the following:

a demodulator;

a high frequency oscillator circuit;

a low frequency oscillator circuit; and

a control circuit coupled to the demodulator for selectively coupling one of said high frequency oscillator circuit and said low frequency oscillator circuit to the demodulator according to the transmission data rate.

9. A radio paging system according to claim 8 including a filter circuit coupled to the demodulator for separating multiple subcarrier frequencies from the FM baseband.

10. A method for varying an effective transmission range for transmitters in a wireless communication system, comprising:

transmitting messages at a first transmission data rate;

transmitting the same messages at a second transmission data rate slower than the first transmission data rate;

receiving messages at both the first and second transmission data rate;

decoding messages at one of said first transmission data rate and said second transmission data rate to selectively vary the effective range over which the messages can be received from the transmitter, and

including transmitting messages at the first transmission data rate on a first subcarrier on a given broadcast channel and transmitting messages at the second transmission data rate on a second subcarrier on the same broadcast channel.

11. A method according to claim 10 including transmitting messages at the first and second transmission data rate at a single subcarrier frequency from different transmitters.

12. A wireless communication system with variable transmission range, comprising

multiple transmitters having at least one of a first and second transmission bit rate;

and

a receiver including means for selectively decoding messages from the multiple transmitters at both the first transmission bit rate and the second transmission bit rate according to transmission coverage in a given region,

wherein the receiver comprises the following;

a first filter for extracting messages at a first subcarrier frequency;

a second filter for extracting messages at a second subcarrier frequency;

a first demodulator coupled to the first filter; and

a second demodulator coupled to the second filter,

the first and second demodulators selectively demodulating the first and second subcarrier at one of said first and said second transmission bit rate.