Automatic gain control in a navigation device

• US 8,346,227 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Karma Automotive LLC (Wanxiang Group Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Airbiquity Incorporated
• Inventors: Quimby, David, Johnson, Ken, Hong, Leon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajibade Akonai, Olumide T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/281,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20120040651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 455/69, 455/73, 455/76, 455/77, 455/41.2, 455/569.1, 455/564.2, 455/563
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

In one example, a Bluetooth enabled navigation device pairs with a mobile phone and then sends a plurality of tuning transmissions, each at a different transmission power gain amount, to a remote server using the mobile phone. These tuning transmissions are encoded using frequency tones that synthesize speech for transmission through the mobile phone and a voice channel of its wireless telecommunications network. The navigation device then tunes transmit power settings according to a received response to the tuning transmissions and uses the tuned transmit power settings for subsequent transmission to the remote server using this particular mobile phone.

Claims

1. A memory device having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting communications to pass through a Bluetooth connection between a navigation device and a mobile phone and a wireless voice channel of a wireless telecommunications network associated with the mobile phone;

inputting a digital bit sequence into a modulator to generate an audio signal that has different frequency tones for different bit values, wherein the frequency tones are selected to pass through the wireless voice channel unobstructed by vocoders operating within the wireless telecommunications network;

using the modulator, generating and sending a first transmission according to a first transmit-side power gain amount;

using the modulator, generating and sending a second transmission according to a second different transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving back a response indicating receive-side power gain amounts for the first and second transmissions;

determining a third transmit-side power gain amount by analyzing the response;

using the modulator, generating and sending a third transmission according to the third transmit-side power gain amount;

discovering a Bluetooth client identifier for the mobile phone; and

generating an entry in a navigation device table to associate the discovered Bluetooth client identifier with the third transmit-side power gain amount.

2. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device table includes a plurality of entries each associating a custom transmit-side power gain amount with a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone.

3. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device comprises a portable personal navigation device.

4. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device comprises an in-vehicle navigation device that is installed in a vehicle.

5. A memory device having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting communications to pass through a Bluetooth connection between a navigation device and a mobile phone and a wireless voice channel of a wireless telecommunications network associated with the mobile phone;

inputting a digital bit sequence into a modulator to generate an audio signal that has different frequency tones for different bit values, wherein the frequency tones are selected to pass through the wireless voice channel unobstructed by vocoders operating within the wireless telecommunications network;

using the modulator, generating and sending a first transmission according to a first transmit-side power gain amount;

using the modulator, generating and sending a second transmission according to a second different transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving back a response indicating receive-side power gain amounts for the first and second transmissions;

determining a third transmit-side power gain amount by analyzing the response;

using the modulator, generating and sending a third transmission according to the third transmit-side power gain amount;

discovering a Bluetooth client identifier for the mobile phone;

identifying the wireless telecommunications network; and

generating an entry in a navigation device table to associate a combination of the discovered Bluetooth client identifier and the wireless telecommunications network identification with the third transmit-side power gain amount.

6. The memory device of claim 5, wherein the navigation device table includes a plurality of entries each associating a custom transmit-side power gain amount with a combination of a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone and a mobile network.

7. A memory device having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

transmitting communications to pass through a Bluetooth connection between a navigation device and a mobile phone and a wireless voice channel of a wireless telecommunications network associated with the mobile phone;

inputting a digital bit sequence into a modulator to generate an audio signal that has different frequency tones for different bit values, wherein the frequency tones are selected to pass through the wireless voice channel unobstructed by vocoders operating within the wireless telecommunications network;

using the modulator, generating and sending a first transmission according to a first transmit-side power gain amount;

using the modulator, generating and sending a second transmission according to a second different transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving back a response indicating receive-side power gain amounts for the first and second transmissions;

determining a third transmit-side power gain amount by analyzing the response;

using the modulator, generating and sending a third transmission according to the third transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving a communication indicating that a receive-side power gain is outside a predetermined range; and

in response to receiving the communication, using the modulator, generating and sending a plurality of transmission according to a plurality of transmit-side power gain amounts to identify a new transmit-side power gain amount for use with the mobile phone.

8. A method, comprising:

transmitting communications to pass through a Bluetooth connection between a navigation device and a mobile phone and a wireless voice channel of a wireless telecommunications network associated with the mobile phone;

inputting a digital bit sequence into a modulator to generate an audio signal that has different frequency tones for different bit values, wherein the frequency tones are selected to pass through the wireless voice channel unobstructed by vocoders operating within the wireless telecommunications network;

using the modulator, generating and sending a first transmission according to a first transmit-side power gain amount;

using the modulator, generating and sending a second transmission according to a second different transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving back a response indicating receive-side power gain amounts for the first and second transmissions;

determining a third transmit-side power gain amount by analyzing the response;

using the modulator, generating and sending a third transmission according to the third transmit-side power gain amount;

identifying a currently available mobile phone in response to a communication request;

comparing a unique identifier for the currently available mobile phone to a table associating mobile phones with the transmit-side power gain amounts;

setting circuitry on the navigation device according to the comparison; and

uploading data via the currently available mobile phone after setting the circuitry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication request is received over a user interface of the navigation device.

10. A method, comprising:

transmitting communications to pass through a Bluetooth connection between a navigation device and a mobile phone and a wireless voice channel of a wireless telecommunications network associated with the mobile phone;

inputting a digital bit sequence into a modulator to generate an audio signal that has different frequency tones for different bit values, wherein the frequency tones are selected to pass through the wireless voice channel unobstructed by vocoders operating within the wireless telecommunications network;

using the modulator, generating and sending a first transmission according to a first transmit-side power gain amount;

using the modulator, generating and sending a second transmission according to a second different transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving back a response indicating receive-side power gain amounts for the first and second transmissions;

determining a third transmit-side power gain amount by analyzing the response;

using the modulator, generating and sending a third transmission according to the third transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving a session initiation request originating from a remote device;

setting a bit in an acknowledgement message to cause a delay in initiating the session; and

sending the acknowledgement message with the set bit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third transmissions are sent after or in conjunction with sending the acknowledgement message and before a delayed session initiation.

12. A method, comprising:

transmitting communications to pass through a Bluetooth connection between a navigation device and a mobile phone and a wireless voice channel of a wireless telecommunications network associated with the mobile phone;

inputting a digital bit sequence into a modulator to generate an audio signal that has different frequency tones for different bit values, wherein the frequency tones are selected to pass through the wireless voice channel unobstructed by vocoders operating within the wireless telecommunications network;

using the modulator, generating and sending a first transmission according to a first transmit-side power gain amount;

using the modulator, generating and sending a second transmission according to a second different transmit-side power gain amount;

receiving back a response indicating receive-side power gain amounts for the first and second transmissions;

determining a third transmit-side power gain amount by analyzing the response;

using the modulator, generating and sending a third transmission according to the third transmit-side power gain amount;

determining a mode of operation of a vocoder of the mobile phone or a vocoder of the wireless telecommunications network;

generating an entry in a navigation device table to associate the third transmit-side power gain amount with the mobile phone; and

in the generated entry, recording the determined mode of operation such that the third transmit-side power gain amount is associated with the determined mode of operation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the navigation device comprises a portable personal navigation device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the navigation device comprises an in-vehicle navigation device that is installed in a vehicle.