Device and method for radio programming wireless terminal devices

• US 9,380,117 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Povolny, Robert, Tijink, Jasja
• Primary Examiner(s): AKKI, MUNEAR T
• Application Number:
  US13/091,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20110260836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.23, 340/5.22, 340/5.1, 340/5.71, 340/10.1, 340/10.8, 455/420, 455/41.2, 381/355, 367/21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and device for radio programming wireless terminal devices, which have a unique radio identification and an optical or acoustic signal device, with a transceiver for radio communication with the terminal devices and a control device connected to the transceiver. The control device is configured for radio programming the terminal devices with a predetermined radio identification via the radio transceiver. The control device is connected with at least one optical or acoustic signal detector and is configured for transmitting a request for emission of an optical or acoustic signal to a terminal device with a predetermined radio identification via the transceiver. The terminal device is radio programmed, only when the signal detector detects an optical or acoustic signal.

Claims

1. A device for radio programming wireless terminal devices each having a unique radio identification and an optical signal device or an acoustic signal device, comprising:

a transceiver for radio communication with the terminal devices;

an optical signal detector and an acoustic signal detector; and

a control device coupled to the transceiver and to the optical and acoustic signal detectors;

wherein said control device

acquires information from a terminal device and determines whether said terminal device includes an optical signal device for transmitting an optical signal or an acoustic signal device for transmitting an acoustic signal;

transmits a request to said terminal device for emission of a corresponding optical or acoustic signal that said terminal device is capable of transmitting based on whether said terminal device includes an optical signal device or an acoustic signal device;

receives the corresponding optical or acoustic signal from said terminal device and detects whether the received signal is an optical signal or an acoustic signal; and

radio programs said terminal device when the optical or acoustic signal detector detects said received optical or acoustic signal.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said optical and acoustic signal detectors are located in a receiving arrangement for a terminal device protected against ambient light.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said optical and acoustic signal detectors are located in a receiving arrangement for a terminal device protected against ambient noise.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the receiving arrangement is an internal space of the device, towards which both the transceiver and the optical signal detector are directed.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein the receiving arrangement is an internal space of the device, towards which both the transceiver and the acoustic signal detector are directed.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the optical or the acoustic signal detector detects the signal form or frequency of the optical or acoustic signal.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to transmit a request for emission of an optical signal and an acoustic signal to a terminal device with a predetermined radio identification via the transceiver and then radio program said terminal device only when the signal detectors detect an optical signal and an acoustic signal.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said radio identification is a unique device identification, or a MAC address of the terminal device.

9. A method for radio programming wireless terminal devices each having a unique radio identification and capable of emitting an optical or acoustic signal via an optical signal device or an acoustic signal device, by a radio programming station, the method comprising:

acquiring information from a terminal device and determining whether said terminal device with a predetermined radio identification includes an optical signal device for transmitting an optical signal or an acoustic signal device for transmitting an acoustic signal;

transmitting by the radio programming station a request for emission of a corresponding optical or acoustic signal that said terminal device is capable of transmitting based on whether said terminal device includes an optical signal device or an acoustic signal device; and

radio programming said terminal device when the radio programming station detects said received optical or acoustic signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising inserting the terminal device to be radio programmed into a receiving arrangement of the radio programming station protected against ambient light.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising inserting the terminal device to be radio programmed into a receiving arrangement of the radio programming station protected against ambient noise.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein an internal space of the radio programming station is used as said receiving arrangement, in which the radio programming takes place.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein an internal space of the radio programming station is used as said receiving arrangement, in which the radio programming takes place.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising evaluating one or more of a signal form and a frequency of the optical or acoustic signal, and radio programming the terminal device only when said evaluated one or more of a signal form and a frequency correspond to predetermined criteria.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising transmitting by the radio programming station a request for emission of an optical and an acoustic signal to the terminal device with a predetermined radio identification;

and radio programming the terminal device only when the terminal device receives said at least an optical signal and an acoustic signal.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the radio programming station radio scans the radio identifications of all reachable terminal devices and performs said acquiring information, said transmitting the request, and said radio programming for each one of the scanned reachable terminal devices.

17. A device for radio programming wireless terminal devices each having a unique radio identification, an optical signal device and an acoustic signal device, comprising:

a transceiver for radio communication with the terminal devices;

an optical signal detector and an acoustic signal detector; and

a control device coupled to the transceiver and to the optical and acoustic signal detectors;

wherein said control device

transmits a request for emission of an optical signal and an acoustic signal to a terminal device with a predetermined radio identification via the transceiver;

receives the corresponding optical and acoustic signals from said terminal device; and

then radio programs said terminal device only when the optical and acoustic signal detectors detect said received optical and an acoustic signals.