Techniques for inductive communication systems

• US 7,215,924 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Aura Communications Technology, Inc. (Radeum, Inc.)
• Inventors: Palermo, Vincent, Marshall, Charles M., White, Timothy E., Voegelin, Stephen A., LaFranchise, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US11/213,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20060073825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/3.06, 455/3.05, 455/63.4, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455410-411, 455524-526, 455418-421, 455507-508, 455/550.1, 4555561-5562, 455/557, 455/561, 455/569.1, 455/575.2, 455/575.7, 455 77- 78, 455/101, 455/108, 4551151-1153, 455/197.1, 455/197.2, 455/62, 455/63.1, 455/67.13, 455/67.14, 455/73, 455/466, 455/554.2, 455/562.1, 455/513, 455/509, 455/110, 455/126, 455/355, 455424-425, 455132-136, 455 87- 88, 455516-520, 379/55.1, 379/56.3, 343745-752, 341/15, 340/870.31, 340/870.32, 370/915, 370/336, 370/468, 370/508, 370/347, 370/458, 381/150, 381/163, 381/71.7
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/02 Diversity systems; Multi-antenna system, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas RAKE receivers H04B1/7115
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/727 Identification code transfer arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/737 Characterised by transmission of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. infrared waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

Contents of one or more received messages can be analyzed to determine whether a transceiver device generating the inductive field has already been programmed with a unique communication code. If not, bidirectional communications can be established to program the transceiver device with a unique communication code over an inductive link. Orientation or position of a transceiver device can be used to initiate a process for programming a communication code. Generally, the communication code can define a unique relationship between two or more transceiver devices.

Claims

1. A method of supporting inductive communications among multiple transceivers, the method comprising:

sharing a wireless bandwidth to sunnort bidirectional communications between pairs selected from at least three transceivers, the at least three transceivers including a base transceiver and at least two remote transceivers with which the base transceiver communicates, the at least two remote transceivers being assigned use of one or more time slots to communicate within a communication cycle;

disposing at least two transducer elements in the base transceiver and at least one transducer element in each of the at least two remote transceivers to support inductive communications between the transceivers at any angular orientation relative to each other within a range of distance;

comparing link qualities of communications between different transmit-receive transducer elements for each remote transceiver communicating with the base transceiver;

selecting transmit-receive pairs of transducer elements to support further communications in respective time slots between the base transceiver and the at least two remote transceivers based on detected link quality;

generating a signal from a selected transducer element of the at least two transducer elements in the base transceiver; and

simultaneously receiving the signal on the at least two remote transceivers to compare link qualities of different transducer element pairs.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a signal from the base transceiver; and

simultaneously receiving the transmitted signal at each of the at least two remote transceivers to determine link quality.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein link qualities are compared by determining which of the at least two transducer elements in the base transceiver receives a strongest signal from a transmitting remote transceiver.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein the strongest signal is determined by comparing amplitudes of a received signal.

5. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a message from the at least one of the remote transceivers to indicate which of the at least two transducer elements in the base transceiver supports a strongest received signal at the remote transceiver.

6. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

allocating at least a portion of the shared wireless bandwidth to receive paging signals from other remote transceivers.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein at least one of the other remote transceivers generating paging signals attempts to initiate an initialization process to establish a communication code for exclusive communications with the base transceiver.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein disposing the at least two transducer elements in the base transceiver includes disposing the at least two transducer elements at unique orientations with respect to each other to support communication with the at least two remote transceivers.

9. A system supporting inductive communications among multiple transceivers, the system comprising:

at least three transceivers sharing a wireless bandwidth that supports bidirectional communications between pairs selected from the at least three transceivers, the at least three transceivers include a base transceiver and at least two remote transceivers with which the base transceiver communicates, the at least two remote transceivers being assigned use of one or more time slots to communicate within a communication cycle;

at least two transducer elements disposed in the base transceiver and at least one transducer element disposed in each of the at least two remote transceivers to support inductive communications between the at least two remote transceivers at any angular orientation relative to each other within a range of distance, a selected transducer element of the at least two transducer elements in the base transceiver being configured to generate a signal to be simultaneously received on the at least two remote transceivers to compare link qualities of different transducer element pairs;

a comparator to compare link qualities of communications between different transmit-receive transducer elements in each remote transceiver communicating with the base transceiver; and

a controller to select which of multiple potential transmit-receive transducer elements is used to support further communications in respective time slots between the base transceiver and the at least two remote transceivers based on detected link quality.

10. A system as in claim 9, wherein a signal is transmitted from the base transceiver and is simultaneously received at each of the at least two remote transceivers to determine link quality.

11. A system as in claim 9, wherein the comparator determines which of the at least two transducer elements in the base transceiver receives a strongest signal from a transmitting remote transceiver.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein the strongest signal is determined by comparing amplitudes of received signals.

13. A system as in claim 9, wherein a message is transmitted from at least one of the remote transceivers to indicate which of the at least two transducer elements supports a strongest received signal at the at least one remote transceiver.

14. A system as in claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the shared wireless bandwidth is allocated for receiving paging signals from the at least two remote transceivers.

15. A system as in claim 14, wherein at least one of the remote transceivers is configured to generate paging signals to attempt to initiate an initialization process to establish a communication code for exclusive communications with the base transceiver.

16. A system as in claim 9, wherein the least two remote transceivers each include at least two transducer elements at unique orientations with respect to each other to support communication with the base transceiver.

17. A system as in claim 9, wherein bi-directional communications between a pair of transceivers is supported by a selected pair of transmit-receive transducers, each transceiver of the pair of transceivers including one transducer of the transmit-receive pair of transducers.