Communication system between a portable unit and a communication terminal

• US 6,747,916 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ETA SA Fabriques d'Ebauches
• Original Assignee: ETA SA Fabriques d'Ebauches
• Inventors: Meister, Pierre-André, Fleury, Emmanuel, Blondeau, Fabien, Barras, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US10/031,617
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/11, 368/46, 368/47, 368/250, 368/251, 368/255, 310/311, 310/321
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0215 for generating pulses, e.g. bursts of oscillations, envelopes
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/55 Piezoelectric transducer
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 11/08 using piezoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 1/60 with intermediate conversion to frequency of pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

The present invention concerns a communication system between a portable unit, such as a watch, and a communication terminal (2) such as a personal computer or PC, characterized in that the communication terminal (2) includes at least means for transmitting an acoustic signal carrying, and in that the portable unit (1) includes at least processing means for processing data, and receiving and conversion means for picking up said acoustic signal and converting said acoustic signal into data intended to be processed by said processing means.

Claims

1. A communication system between a portable unit and a communication terminal, the communication terminal including at least means for transmitting an acoustic signal carrying data, and the portable unit including at least processing means for processing data, and receiving and conversion means including an electro-acoustic transducer for picking up said acoustic signal and converting said acoustic signal into data intended to be processed by said processing means, wherein the receiving means of the portable unit include an amplifier for the electric signal generated by the electro-acoustic transducer and a demodulator connected to the signal amplifier and intended for demodulating the acoustic signal received by the transducer and to transmit the demodulated signal to an input of a microcontroller which constitutes the processing means of said portable unit, the data carried by the acoustic signal transmitted by the communication terminal demodulated by the demodulator and processed by the microcontroller being stored in a memory associated with said microcontroller, the portable unit further including conversion and transmission means for converting data supplied by said processing means of said portable unit into an acoustic signal carrying data and for transmitting an acoustic signal, the communication terminal further including processing means for processing data and receiving and conversion means for receiving said acoustic signal transmitted by the portable unit and for converting said acoustic signal into data intended to be processed by said processing means of said communication terminal wherein the portable unit includes an alarm device, the receiving and conversion means of the portable unit and the conversion and transmission means of the portable unit including a same electro-acoustic transducer used as a sound generator in said device of the portable unit.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the conversion means of the portable unit include a modulation circuit which, via a drive circuit, activates the electro-acoustic transducer, the processing means of the portable unit which include a microcontroller controlling the modulation circuit using data originating from a memory associated with said microcontroller.

3. A communication system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving and conversion means of the portable unit include a sound generator circuit provided with a piezoelectric vibrator forming receiving means for the acoustic signal.

4. A communication system according to claim 3, wherein the receiving and conversion means of the portable unit further include comparison means for comparing the voltage generated by the piezoelectric vibrator when the acoustic signal is received with a reference voltage, these comparison means generating an electric signal representative of the data carried by said acoustic signal.