Method of transmitting information between two units each provided with means for sending and/or receiving signals

• US 7,295,526 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Guanter, Jean-Charles, Bernasconi, Ermanno, Xu, Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Blanche
• Application Number:
  US10/391,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20030179778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2007/045 Fill bit or bits, idle words
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/041 using special codes as synchronising signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/10 Arrangements for initial synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The method is one of wireless transmission of information between two units consisting primarily of a portable object, such as a personalized watch (1), and a computer station (20). Each unit includes signal transmitting and/or receiving means (2, 24, 26) switched alternately to a transmitting mode and into a receiving mode. Information is transmitted by transmitting a plurality of information frames alternately between the two units. Each information frame comprises a synchronization field, which includes a particular number of synchronization bytes, an information packet and filler bytes. On receiving a frame, the receiving unit counts the synchronization bytes. The receiving unit transmits, in a heading of the information packet, a synchronization indication which is a function of the number of synchronization bytes received. The synchronization indication is used to correct the size of the synchronization field of the next frame received by the receiving unit. These synchronization field size correction operations are effected in a similar manner in both units.

Claims

1. A method of wireless transmission of information between at least two units consisting of two computer stations or two personalised portable objects or a personalised portable object and a computer station, the portable object and the station each having signal transmitting and/or receiving means for bi-directional transmission of information frames modulated onto a carrier selected from a plurality of available transmission carriers, the transmitting and/or receiving means being switched alternately, when they are activated, to a signal transmitting mode and a signal receiving mode, the portable object including a data management unit connected to the transmitting and/or receiving means to manage received or transmitted information frames and a memory for storing data which is connected to the data management unit, which method includes the following steps:

transmitting from one unit to the other unit an information frame modulated onto the selected carrier and including a synchronisation field, which consists of a particular number of bytes of identical value, and an information packet;

counting bytes in the synchronisation field of the received frame, and

comparing the number of bytes counted with a particular threshold number to transmit an indication for correcting the number of bytes in the synchronisation field of the next frame to be received.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein it includes the steps of:

transmitting from the first unit, when switched to the transmitting mode, to the second unit a first information frame modulated onto the selected carrier and including a synchronisation field, which includes a first number of bytes of identical value in succession, and an information packet;

counting in the second unit, when switched to the receiving mode, synchronisation bytes received in the first frame;

comparing in the first unit the counted number of synchronisation bytes in the first frame with a particular threshold number;

transmitting from the second unit, when switched to the transmitting mode, to the first unit a second information frame modulated onto the selected carrier and including a synchronisation field, which includes a second number of bytes of identical value in succession, and an information packet including a heading which includes a synchronisation correction indication depending on the comparison of the counted number of synchronisation bytes in the first frame with the particular threshold number, and

correcting in the first unit, when switched to the receiving mode, the first number of synchronisation bytes by adding or subtracting at least one synchronisation byte as a function of the correction indication received in the second frame in order to transmit a third information frame including a synchronisation field including a third number of bytes of identical value in succession, the third number of bytes being different from the first number of bytes.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the information packet in the first frame transmitted by the first unit includes, in a heading of the packet of the first frame, another synchronisation correction indication depending on the comparison of a counted number of synchronisation bytes in a preceding received frame, which was transmitted by the second unit, with another particular threshold number, in order to correct the second number of synchronisation bytes by adding or subtracting at least one synchronisation byte as a function of the correction indication transmitted in the first frame.

4. A method according to claim 1, for which the first unit is a computer station and the second unit is a personalised watch, wherein, in a first interrogation phase conducted between the computer station and the personalised watch located in a coverage area of said station, the computer station transmits on the selected carrier a basic synchronisation signal preceding a first information frame, the basic synchronisation signal occupying a particular time period longer than each information frame synchronisation field, and wherein the personalised watch is switched to a transmission mode afler a particular time following the start of a first transmission of the basic synchronisation signal from the computer station in order to search for a carrier selected by the computer station from a plurality of available carriers and to lock onto said selected carrier when the watch is able to count a plurality of identical bytes of the basic synchronisation signal.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the heading of the information packet in the first frame transmitted by the computer station includes an identification number of the watch to be interrogated and wherein the personalised watch transmits a second information frame to the computer station only when it has recognised its identification number afler locking onto the selected carrier.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the computer station transmits the basic synchronisation signal and the first information frame repeatedly until the personalised watch searched for responds to the computer station.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the heading of each of several information packets includes a code indicative of the type of information transmitted to the portable object, such as the watch, or to the computer station, the codes transmitted in each packet concerning reading data from a non-volatile memory of the watch, writing data in said memory, requesting an identification number of the watch, messages concerning reception or non-reception of the information transmitted, information on the size of the data transmitted, and information on the end of the transmission of information.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computer station increases or reduces the byte size of the information in each packet as a function of a number of transmission errors counted by a transmission error counter of the computer station greater than a permitted programmed number of errors.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein the computer station transmits a generic number in the heading of the information packet of the first information frame to enable any portable object, such as an unidentified personalised watch, in a coverage area of the computer station to respond by transmitting its personal identification number, and wherein the computer station stores an identification number of the personalised watch that has responded.