Wirefree intercom having error free transmission system and process

• US 7,869,823 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Inventors: Nassimi, Shary
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Safaipour; Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US11/381,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20070254591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.3, 455/74.1, 455/550.1, 455/63.1, 455/436, 379/159
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/04 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability

Abstract

A wireless intercom having a microcontroller that is programmed to place the intercom into a power saving sleep mode unless actively receiving or transmitting signals. The microcontroller of the intercom is interconnected to a transceiver for sending and receiving digital data packets, and to a codec for converting the digital packets to analog sound signals, and vice versa. The intercom receives digital transmission of data over a first channel and then corrects any errors in the digital data using a retransmission of the digital data over a second channel that is sufficiently spaced apart from the first channel to avoid the possibility of interference affecting both the first and second channels.

Claims

1. A digital communication device, comprising:

a digital transceiver;

a microcontroller interconnected to said transceiver, wherein said microcontroller is programmed to

receive a first transmission including digital data over a primary channel;

receive a second transmission of said digital data over a secondary channel, the second transmission comprising a transmission of the digital data in the first transmission;

review said first transmission for errors in said digital data;

switch to the secondary channel if said first transmission includes errors in said digital data; and

correct said errors in said digital data of said first transmission by extracting missing or damaged packets from the first transmission and replacing the missing or damaged packets using digital data extracted from said second transmission.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said microcontroller is further programmed to switch back to said primary channel after correcting said errors in said digital data of said first transmission using said data in said second transmission.

3. The device of claim 2, further including a database interconnected to said microcontroller and having at least one predetermined channel set.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein each channel set includes a first channel and a second channel.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said microcontroller selects said primary channel and said secondary channel by looking up said channel set in said database.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said first channel of said channel set is selected by said microcontroller to be said primary channel and said second channel of said channel set is selected by said microcontroller to be said secondary channel.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said first channel and said second channel are spaced apart by eight megahertz or more.

8. A method of improving the quality of transmissions in a digital communication device including a digital transceiver and a microcontroller interconnected to said digital transceiver, said method comprising:

selecting a primary channel for receiving a first transmission including digital data;

receiving said first transmission including said digital data;

checking said first transmission for errors in said digital data;

switching to a secondary channel if said digital data includes any errors;

receiving a second transmission of said digital data on said secondary channel, the second transmission comprising a transmission of the digital data in the first transmission; and

correcting said digital data in said first transmission by extracting missing or damaged packets from the first transmission and replacing the missing or damaged packets with digital data extracted from said second transmission.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of switching back to said primary channel after correcting said digital data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selecting a primary channel for receiving a first transmission including digital data comprises the steps of:

retrieving a channel set including a first channel and a second channel from a database interconnected to said microcontroller; and

setting said first channel as said primary channel and said second channel as said secondary channel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first channel and the second channel are spaced apart by a predetermined distance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined distance is at least eight megahertz.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of retrieving a channel set including a first channel and a second channel from a database interconnected to said microcontroller further comprises the steps generating a random number and then selecting said channel set from a list of said channels sets using said random number.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said list of channel sets includes a plurality of first and second channels spaced apart by three megahertz increments.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of retrieving a channel set including a first channel and a second channel from a database interconnected to said microcontroller comprises the step of selecting said channel set from a list of said channel sets according to a predetermined pattern.

16. A digital communication system, comprising:

a first intercom including a first microcontroller interconnected to a first digital transceiver;

a second intercom including a second microcontroller interconnected to a second digital transceiver;

wherein said first and second microcontrollers are programmed to select a primary channel for exchanging transmissions including digital data, to cause first transmissions of said digital data over said primary channel, check said transmissions for errors, to cause second transmissions including said digital data over a secondary channel, and to correct said errors in said digital data received over said primary channel by extracting missing or damaged packets from the digital data received over said primary channel and replacing the missing or damaged packets using digital data extracted from said second transmissions over said secondary channel.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a first database interconnected to said first microcontroller and including a first lookup table and a second database interconnected to said second microcontroller and including a second lookup table.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said first and second microcontrollers are programmed to select said primary and secondary channels using said first and second lookup tables.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a first codec interconnected to said first microcontroller and a second codec interconnected to said second microcontroller.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a first speaker interconnected to said first codec and a second speaker interconnected to said second codec.