Low-cost radio frequency (RF) link for point-to-point data transfer

• US 6,754,259 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1999
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ritter, Mark B., Haymes, Charles L., Gaucher, Brian Paul, Oprysko, Modest M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): ODOM, CURTIS B
• Application Number:
  US09/438,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 375/219, 375/222, 375/259, 370/447, 348/734, 709/227, 359/163, 340/825.72, 455/557, 455/420, 700/83, 345/168, 398/41
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An apparatus for data transfer using radio frequency (RF) energy, includes a first software application that sources and links the data transfer, a second software application for controlling a communications hardware for the data transfer, a hardware device for formatting the data and gaining access to a media, and a physical layer interface hardware, coupled to selectively receive a signal representing the data from the hardware device and to provide an output to the hardware device, for sending and receiving a radio frequency communication. The second software application for controlling the communications hardware uses a target data transmission media of infrared light.

Claims

1. An apparatus for data transfer using radio frequency (RF) energy, said apparatus comprising:

a first software application that sources and links said data transfer;

a second software application for controlling a communications hardware for said data transfer;

a hardware device for formatting said data and gaining access to a media; and

a physical layer interface hardware, coupled to selectively receive a signal representing said data from said hardware device and to provide an output to said hardware device, for sending and receiving a radio frequency communication;

a circuit, coupled between said hardware device and said physical layer interface hardware, for translating signals representing said data, from said hardware device, and for producing an output,

wherein said second software application for controlling said communications hardware uses a target data transmission media of infrared light,

wherein said circuit comprises a hardware conversion circuit for translating signals between said hardware device and said physical layer interface hardware, said signals comprising electrical signals, and

wherein said hardware conversion circuit comprises a pulse stretcher for expanding said signals to fill an entire data bit time for said data transfer.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hardware device for formatting the data and gaining access to the media uses the target data transmission media of infrared light.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said second software application for controlling communications hardware comprises a device driver.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said hardware device for formatting the data and gaining access to the media comprises a media access controller.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said physical layer interface hardware utilizes a target data transmission media of radio frequency electromagnetic waves.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said physical layer interface is selectively coupled to a plurality of users in communication via a wireless radio frequency network.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said physical layer interface selectively couples together two users in communication for point-to point data transfer via a wireless radio frequency network.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first software application that sources and links said data transfer and said second software application for controlling communications hardware use data transferable exclusively via an infrared light media in free space.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hardware device for formatting said data, said physical layer interface hardware for sending and receiving said radio frequency communication, and said hardware conversion circuit for translating said electrical signals use data transferable via an infrared light medium in free space and a radio frequency electromagnetic waves medium.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said medium of radio frequency electromagnetic waves comprises at least one of amplitude modulation (AM) waves, frequency modulation (FM), “

X”

-phase shift keying (“

X”

PSK), and M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM).

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said infrared light media in free space includes IrDA.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said physical layer interface hardware and said hardware device are coupled directly together.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises a voltage level translator for adjusting a voltage of said signals.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises a data chopper for compressing said signal filling a whole data bit time.

13. An apparatus for wireless data transfer, said apparatus comprising:

an infrared transceiver for transferring data;

a radio frequency transceiver for communicating a signal with said infrared transceiver; and

a conversion circuit for connecting said infrared transceiver and said radio frequency transceiver, transceiver,

wherein said conversion circuit comprises;

a pulse stretcher for expanding said signal to fill an entire data bit time for said wireless data transfer;

a voltage level translator for adjusting a voltage of said signal; and

a data chopper for compressing said signal filling a whole data bit time.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said conversion circuit receives a first signal from said infrared transceiver and outputs said first signal to said radio frequency transceiver, and

wherein said conversion circuit receives a second signal from said radio frequency transceiver and outputs said second signal to said infrared transceiver.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said radio frequency transceiver comprises a physical layer interface for receiving said first signal.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said radio frequency transceiver transmits said first signal in a wireless manner.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said radio frequency transceiver receives said second signal over a wireless medium.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said radio frequency transceiver sends a first signal and receives a second signal using a digital modulation protocol.

19. A system for data transfer using radio frequency (RF) energy, said system comprising:

a first computing device having a first RF transceiver in a first infrared (IR) modem;

a second computing device having a second RF transceiver in a second IR modem; and

a conversion circuit for translating signals between said first RF transceiver and said first IR modem,

wherein said conversion circuit comprises a pulse stretcher for expanding said signals to fill an entire data bit time for said wireless data transfer,

wherein said first RF transceiver transmits an RF data signal from said first IR modem to said second RF transceiver, and

wherein said second IR modem receives said RF data signal.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein said conversion circuit comprises a hardware conversion circuit, in said first IR modem.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises a voltage level translator for adjusting a voltage of said signals.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises a data chopper for compressing said signal filling a whole data bit time.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein said conversion circuit receives a first signal from said first IR modem and outputs said first signal to said first RF transceiver, and

wherein said conversion circuit receives a second signal from said first RF transceiver and outputs said second signal to said first IR modem.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein said first RF transceiver comprises a physical layer interface for receiving said first signal.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein said first RF transceiver transmits said first signal in a wireless manner.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein said first RF transceiver receives said second signal over a wireless medium.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein said first RF transceiver sends a first signal and receives a second signal using a digital modulation protocol.

38. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein said conversion circuit translates signals between said second RF transceiver and said second IR modem.

21. A system for data transfer using radio frequency (RF) energy, said system comprising:

a first computing device having a first RF transceiver in a first infrared (IR) modem;

a second computing device having a second RF transceiver in a second IR modem; and

a hardware device for encoding/decoding said RF signals in each of said first and second IR modems,

wherein said first RF transceiver transmits an RF data signal from said first IR modem to said second RF transceiver, and

wherein said second IR modem receives said RF data signal,

wherein said hardware device comprises a conversion circuit for translating signals between said first RF transceiver and said first IR modem, and

wherein said conversion circuit comprises a pulse stretcher for expanding said signals to fill an entire data bit time for said wireless data transfer.

31. The apparatus as claim 21, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises a voltage level translator for adjusting a voltage of said signals.

32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein said conversion circuit further comprises a data chopper for compressing said signal filling a whole data bit time.

33. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein said conversion circuit receives a first signal from said first IR modem and outputs said first signal to said first RF transceiver, and

wherein said conversion circuit receives a second signal from said first RF transceiver and outputs said second signal to said first IR modem.

34. The apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein said first RF transceiver comprises a physical layer interface for receiving said first signal.

35. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein said first RF transceiver transmits said first signal in a wireless manner.

36. The apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein said first RF transceiver receives said second signal over a wireless medium.

37. The apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein said first RF transceiver sends a first signal and receives a second signal using a digital modulation protocol.

39. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein said conversion circuit translates signals between said second RF transceiver and said second IR modem.