System for data transfer, for example for cycles such as competition bicycles

• US 6,625,523 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Campagnolo S.R.L.
• Original Assignee: Campagnolo S.R.L.
• Inventors: Campagnolo, Valentino, Guderzo, Gianfranco
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/803,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/36, 709/208, 340/870.13, 340/870.14, 340/432
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/06 successively, i.e. using time division
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/04 Arrangements for synchronous operation

Abstract

A system for data transmission on board a vehicle, such as a cycle, includes a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals, and a main unit designed to receive the sensing signals coming from the set of peripheral modules. The peripheral modules are configured to transmit the sensing signals in a selective way and in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by the main unit according to a general criterion of measurement of transmission times and power consumption.

Claims

1. A system for data transmission on board a cycle, the system comprising:

a set of peripheral modules associated with respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals when said sensors detect a predetermined condition, and

a main unit that outputs a synchronization signal and receives said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

wherein said peripheral modules selectively transmit said sensing signals within a frame work of respective transmission time slots determined by said synchronization signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said synchronization signal is a periodic signal and said time slots are identified according to a respective delay signal starting from said synchronization signal.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein, said main unit and said peripheral modules comprise respective transceiver modules for wireless transmission of said signals.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said transceiver modules are configured for radio-frequency transmission.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said transceiver modules preferably use frequencies from 902 to 928 MHz and from 2400 to 2483.5 MHz, and frequency bands from 433 MHz to 434.8 MHz, from 868 to 870 MHz, and from 2400 to 2483.5 MHz.

6. The system according to claim 3 wherein, said transceiver modules operate with FSK-type modulation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said main unit is configured for picking up said sensing signals and for sending them selectively to a processing unit of a higher hierarchical level.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein transmission from said main unit to said processing unit of a higher hierarchical level takes place in the context of selectively pre-determined time slots.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the time slots used for data transmission from said main unit to said processing unit of higher hierarchical level are divorced in time from the time slots used for transmission from said peripheral modules to said main unit.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said main unit is configured for transmission to said processing unit of a higher hierarchical level on a physical channel.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral modules are configured, at least in part, in such a way as to detect the condition of absence of a useful sensing signal to be transmitted, and as to be at least in part switchable into a state of low power absorption upon occurrence of said condition of absence of a useful signal.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral modules comprise, at least in part, a respective module for pre-processing the sensing signal received from the corresponding associated sensor.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral modules carry associated thereto, at least in part, respective power-supply sources, each of which preferably has, associated thereto, a circuit for monitoring the state of said power-supply source.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said peripheral modules are configured for associating, to said sensing signal of the respective sensor sent to said main unit, a further signal indicating the state of the respective power-supply source.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein said main unit is configured for transmitting, to said peripheral modules, a verification signal indicating the outcome of the previous communication to the main unit itself.

16. The system of claim 15, comprising at least one peripheral module which can be associated to a respective sensor for generating a sensing signal represented by a counting value, and in that said at least one peripheral module is capable of detecting, starting from the verification signal received from said main unit, failure of transmission of a previous counting value and of carrying out the subsequent transmission of a counting-detection signal as a cumulative value of the value transmitted in the previous transmission and not received, and of the amount of the counting accumulated starting from said previous transmission.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said main unit is configured for detecting a persistence of transmission events having negative outcome coming from one of said peripheral modules and for consequently varying the respective network address.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said main unit is identified by a respective network address, and in that said main unit is configured for selectively communicating variations in said network address to said peripheral modules.

19. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

and wherein said main unit is configured for generating a respective synchronization signal of a periodic type, and wherein said time slots are identified according to a respective delay signal starting from said synchronizing signal.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said main unit is configured in such a way that it can selectively go, at least in part, into a state of reduced power absorption in the absence of useful information to be received from said peripheral modules, and wherein said main unit is configured for transmitting said synchronization signal also in said state of reduced power absorption.

21. A system for data transmission on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

and wherein said main unit and said peripheral modules comprise respective transceiver modules for wireless transmission of said signals.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein said transceiver modules are configured for radio-frequency transmission.

23. The system according to claim 21 wherein said transceiver modules operate with FSK-type modulation.

24. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules;

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

wherein said main unit is configured for picking up said sensing signals and for sending them selectively to said processing unit of a higher hierarchical level,

and wherein transmission from said main unit to said unit of a higher hierarchical level takes place in the context of selectively pre-determined time slots.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the time slots used for data transmission from said main unit to said unit of higher hierarchical level are divorced in time from the time slots used for transmission from said peripheral modules to said main unit.

26. The system according to claim 24 wherein said main unit is configured for transmission to said unit of a higher hierarchical level on a physical channel.

27. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by a said main unit,

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured, at least in part, in such a way as to detect the condition of absence of a useful sensing signal to be transmitted, and as to be at least in part switchable into a state of low power absorption upon occurrence of said condition of absence of a useful signal.

28. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

and wherein said main unit is configured in such a way that it can selectively go, at least in part, into a state of reduced power absorption in the absence of useful information to be received from said peripheral modules.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein said main unit is configured in such a way as to inhibit its own receiving function at intervals corresponding to the time slots assigned for transmission to peripheral sensors which currently do not have any sensing signal to transmit to the main unit itself.

30. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

and wherein said peripheral modules comprise, at least in part, a respective module for pre-processing the sensing signal from the corresponding associated sensor.

31. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

and wherein said peripheral modules carry associated thereto, at least in part, respective power-supply sources, each of which preferably has associated thereto, a circuit for monitoring the state of said power-supply source.

32. The system according to claim 31 wherein said peripheral modules are configured for associating, to said sensing signal of the respective sensor sent to said main unit, a further signal indicating the state of the respective power-supply source.

33. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

and wherein said main unit is configured for transmitting, to said peripheral modules, a verification signal indicating the outcome of the previous communication to the main unit itself.

34. The system according to claim 33 comprising at least one peripheral module which can be associated to a respective sensor for generating the sensing signal represented by a counting value, and in that said at least on peripheral module is capable of detecting, starting from the verification signal received from said main unit, failure of transmission of a previous counting value and of carrying out the subsequent transmission of a counting-detection signal as a cumulative value of the value transmitted in the previous transmission and not received, and of the amount of the counting accumulated starting from said previous transmission.

35. The system according to claim 33, wherein said main unit is configured for detecting a persistence of transmission events having negative outcome coming from one of said peripheral modules and for consequently varying the respective network address.

36. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals; and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules,

and wherein said peripheral modules are configured to transmit said sensing signals in a selective way, in the framework of respective transmission time slots determined by said main unit,

and wherein said main unit is identified by a respective network address, and in that said main unit is configured for selectively communicating variations in said network address to said peripheral modules.

37. A system for data transmission, on board a vehicle, comprising:

a set of peripheral modules which can be associated to respective sensors for generating respective sensing signals, said signals having only data representative of a sensed condition and not data representative of the identity of the particular peripheral module generating the sensing signal, said modules only generating a sensing signal when said sensors detect a condition exceeding a preprogrammed limit condition, and

a main unit designed to receive said sensing signals coming from said set of peripheral modules, including means for determining the identity of the particular peripheral module generating the sensing signal.

38. The system of claim 37, said identity determining means comprising synchronization signal generating means on said main unit and synchronization means on each of said peripheral modules, each of said modules only generating a sensing signal during an assigned time slot relative to the synchronization signal.

39. The system of claim 38, said synchronization signal means generating a periodic signal and wherein said time slots are identified according to a respective delay signal starting from said synchronization signal.