Method and apparatus for monitoring the maximum distance between two objects

• US 8,063,789 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mission Control Design GmbH
• Original Assignee: Mission Control Design GmbH
• Inventors: Kaufmann, Hannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US12/298,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20100219967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/686.6
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0222 Message structure or message content, e.g. message protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/023 Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/025 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses absence of reply signal after an elapsed time
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/24 with feedback of measurements to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/228 using past power values or information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for monitoring the maximum distance between two objects, in particular between a child and its guardian, with the aid of two transceivers, the first of which periodically transmits status messages of a particular transmission power to the second, wherein an alarm is triggered in the second transceiver if the reception of the status messages decrease, and wherein a statement of the transmission power is concomitantly transmitted in each status message, are distinguished by the fact that the transmission power to be used for the next status message is determined by comparing the reception power with the transmission power stated in a status message and is transmitted back to the first transceiver in a confirmation message.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the maximum distance between two objects comprising the steps of:

a first transceiver periodically transmitting status messages of a defined transmission power to a second transceiver;

triggering an alarm in the second transceiver when reception of the status messages diminishes, and wherein data on the transmission power is also transmitted in each status message;

comparing reception power with the transmission power specified in the status message; and

determining and transmitting a transmission power to be used for the next status message back to the first transceiver in a confirmation message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission power determined for the next status message is also used for transmission of the confirmation message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the comparing step a difference is determined from the specified transmission power and the measured reception power and is compared with a threshold, and when the difference falls below the threshold, the transmission power to be used for the next status message is reduced to a minimum value while if the difference exceeds the threshold, the transmission power is increased to a maximum value wherein, in the latter case, if the specified transmission power already has the maximum value the alarm is triggered.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transceivers enter into an energy-saving sleep mode during pauses in the periodic message exchange, from which the second transceiver awakes before the first transceiver.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the status message and the confirmation message each contain at least one unique identifier that is assigned in an initialization step of the first and second two transceivers, whereupon each transceiver processes only status and confirmation messages of the other transceiver.

6. Device for monitoring the maximum distance between two objects comprising:

first and second transceivers wherein the first transceiver periodically transmits status messages of a defined transmission power to the second transceiver;

wherein the second transceiver outputs an alarm when reception of the status messages decreases; and

wherein the first transceiver also transmits data on the transmission power that is used in each status message; and

further wherein the second transceiver is constructed to determine a transmission power to be used for the next status message from a comparison of the reception power with the transmission power specified in a status message, and transmits the transmission power back to the first transceiver in a confirmation message.

7. Device according to claim 6, wherein the second transceiver is constructed to transmit the confirmation message with the transmission power determined for the next status message.

8. Device according to claim 6, wherein the second transceiver determines the difference between the specified transmission power and the measured reception power for each status message and compares the difference with a threshold such that if the difference falls below the threshold, the transmission power to be used for the next status message is reduced to a minimum value and if the difference exceeds the threshold, the transmission power is increased to a maximum value and, in the latter case, triggers an alarm if the specified transmission power already has the maximum value.

9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the second transceiver has a display device to display the difference of the specified transmission power and the measured reception power.

10. Device according to claim 6, wherein the first and/or the second transceiver is each equipped with an emergency call button that transmits an emergency call message to the other transceiver.

11. Device according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second transceiver includes at least one of an acoustic alarm device and a vibrational alarm device.

12. Device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second transceivers are constructed in the form of armbands.