Method and apparatus for enhancing an infrared signal protocol

• US 7,054,361 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Weber, Barry, Rhoads, Steven Charles, Otte, Kurt William
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayard, Emmanuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Lawrence B.
• Application Number:
  US09/585,803
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 375/239, 375/280, 375/282, 375/237, 327/31, 341/50
• US Class Current: 375/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing control signals, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, for generating a signal sequence. The processor encodes the signal sequence into a plurality of symbols using a 5 pulse position modulated (5 PPM) scheme. Advantageously, the last position of each symbol encoded under the 5 PPM scheme is set to a low bit. The symbol sequence represents a signaling protocol having a payload portion and a header portion, wherein the header portion comprises a plurality of fields for defining the payload portion. The payload portion indicates keyboard characters or coordinates for a pointing device.

Claims

1. A signaling apparatus, comprising:

data input means for receiving user input;

a memory having signaling data stored therein;

a processor, coupled to the memory and the data input means, for generating a signal sequence in response to a user input, the signal sequence comprising 5 pulse position modulated (5 PPM) signals, the last position of each said 5 PPM being always set to a low bit;

a modulator, coupled to the processor, for modulating the signal sequence onto a carrier signal;

a transmitter, coupled to the modulator, for transmitting the modulated signal sequence, including the 5 pulse position modulated signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said signal sequence is defined by a signaling protocol having a header portion and a payload portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said header portion comprises a plurality of fields for defining said payload portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said payload portion is a variable bit stream.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data input means comprises a keyboard.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said signal sequence defines a position on a display of an image display device.

7. In a control system having a signal transmitter for encoding and transmitting control signals and a signal receiver for receiving and decoding the control signals, the receiver comprising means for decoding a control signal in response to rising edges of pulses in the control signal, a control signal structure comprising:

a payload portion; and

a header portion, said header portion comprising a plurality of fields for defining said payload portion,

said header and payload portions being represented as a plurality of symbols encoded in accordance with a 5 pulse position modulation (5 PPM) scheme, wherein each of said encoded symbols includes a last position that is always set to a low bit.

8. The data structure of claim 7, wherein said payload portion indicates a keyboard character.

9. The data structure of claim 7, wherein said payload portion indicates coordinates for a pointing device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said header portion comprises a repeat field for selectively transmitting only said header portion.

11. In a control system having a signal transmitter for encoding and transmitting control signals and a signal receiver for receiving and decoding the control signals, the receiver comprising means for decoding a control signal in response to rising edge of pulses in the control signal, a method of providing control signals, comprising:

generating a signal sequence in response to a user input; and

converting said signal sequence into a plurality of symbols in accordance with a 5 pulse position modulated (5 PPM) scheme,

wherein said converting step comprises setting a last position of each said 5 PPM symbol to a low bit.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of defining said symbol sequence by a signaling protocol having a header portion and a payload portion.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of sending bits representing a keyboard character as said payload portion.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of sending bits representing a coordinate for a pointing device as said payload portion.