Method, terminal and headset for wireless full-duplex voice communication with auto-sync without base or sync-master

• US 9,479,278 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bodysens Co.
• Original Assignee: Bodysens Co.
• Inventors: Coulon, Denis, Bayart, Laurent, Chaix, Julien, Marin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): MEW, KEVIN D
• Application Number:
  US14/386,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20150043568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0691 Synchronisation in a TDM node
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/10 Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones H04R1/28 takes precedence; stereophonic headphones H04R5/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/109 Arrangements to adapt hands free headphones for use on both ears
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A communication terminal having a digital communication circuit and an automatic synchronizer. The digital communication circuit utilizes time division multiplexing in a single radio channel, selectable in a frequency band. The terminal implements a wireless communication in a conference and hands-free mode on an autonomous network between at least two wearers of similar terminals. The automatic synchronizer synchronizes to the signal of other terminal in the group to synchronize its internal time reference. This ensures the continuity of communication between each terminal in the group within a range of each other, even when the communication is lost with other terminals in the group. No particular terminal is required to maintain the synchronization in the group.

Claims

1. A communication terminal, comprising:

a digital communication circuit utilizes a time division multiplexing on a single radio channel, selectable in a given frequency band, the communication terminal implements a wireless communication in conference and hands-free mode on an autonomous network between at least two wearers of similar communication terminals, the digital communication circuit is configured so that each frame transmitted contains both an order number of the communication terminal in a group and an ordered chaining data of the order numbers of the communication terminals synchronized with each other for the group comprising more than three communication terminals;

an automatic synchronizer synchronizes to a signal of any of other communication terminals in the group of terminals, synchronizes an internal time reference, thus a periodic cycle time, to a time reference common for all terminals of the group, the synchronization being based on the order number of a transmitting terminal present in a frame, and calculates a transmission time slot in the periodic cycle time of the time division multiplexing in accordance with the order number; and

wherein the automatic synchronizer conducts re-synchronizations by resetting its internal clock to that of a receiving terminal of the group from which it has received a frame, when the group is composed of more than three communication terminals, the automatic synchronizer implements resynchronization in accordance with the order number of the transmitting terminal and the ordered chaining data of order numbers of the terminals synchronized with each other.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the digital communication circuit is configured so that each frame transmitted comprises an identifier of the group to which the communication terminal belongs.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the digital communication circuit is configured so that the ordered chaining data of order numbers of terminals mutually synchronized, which is sent in each frame, is ordered on a plurality of levels.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the automatic synchronizer resynchronizes its internal clock with that of the receiving terminal of the group from which it has received a synchronization or data frame by implementing a priority based on a sequence of numbers in frames received from other terminals having the order number of the transmitting terminal.

5. The communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the automatic synchronizer resynchronizes its internal clock to that of an active terminal in the group by implementing a priority of synchronization on the active terminal of the group having a highest priority level in the group.

6. The communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein the automatic synchronizer, failing to receive frames from the active terminal with the highest priority level in the group, synchronizes to a nearest active terminal having a next highest priority level in the group.

7. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the digital communication circuit is configured to transmit and receive, by time division multiplexing, the digital data on a selected unique radio channel according to the periodic cycle time common to all terminals of the group and based on an unique order number in the group of terminals;

wherein transmission of the digital data depends on the unique order number in the group; and

wherein reception taking place during rest of the periodic cycle time, the periodic cycle time being based on the time reference common to all terminals in the group set during synchronization of the terminals.

8. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the digital communication circuit is configured to, when the communication terminal is starting, listen to the autonomous network to detect a possible transmission of a synchronization or data frame from a communication terminal of another group and to automatically change the channel to a free channel to initiate communication with the communication terminals in its own group.

9. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the digital communication circuit is configured to, when the communication terminal is starting, listen to the autonomous network to detect a possible transmission of a synchronization or data frame emitted by another communication terminal in the same group.

10. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the automatic synchronizer is configured to synchronize with a first synchronization or data signal emitted by another communication terminal in same group;

and wherein the automatic synchronizer is configured, upon non-receipt of the first synchronization or data signal from another communication terminal, to emit a synchronization signal at time intervals in accordance with its order number to other communication terminals in the same group to initiate a communication.

11. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the digital communication circuit is configured to detect an absence of signals transmitted by a counterpart terminal in its group and is configured to, upon detection of the absence of signals, enter into a communication mode comprising alternating:

network listen phases to detect a possible emission of a synchronization or data signal emitted by another communication terminal in same group; and

communication initialization phases to initiate a communication by transmitting a synchronization signal addressed to other communication terminals in the group.

12. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the digital communication circuit continues to transmit its data and synchronization frames during a time allocated for the re-synchronization.

13. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a sensor or an internal device that ensures triggering of alerts or transmission of messages to other communication terminals in the group by the digital communication circuit.

14. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope to detect shocks or immobility of a wearer of the communication terminal and its orientation in a vertical plane.

15. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a temperature sensor, a gas sensor or a potentially dangerous atmosphere sensor that communicates a sensor information to a wearer of the communication terminal and to other communication terminals.

16. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor of a geographical position of the communication terminal.

17. The communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a processing circuit that determines whether a sound is, or not, to be represented by a signal transmitted by the digital communication circuit, the digital communication circuit being configured to, when no sound is represented, transmit a frame having a smaller size than a frame representative of the sound and information relating to this absence of sound.

18. The communication terminal according to claim 17, wherein the digital communication circuit is configured to, in case of no sound to represent, transmit only one frame meaning this absence for a plurality of communication cycles.

19. An audio headset comprising a communication terminal comprising:

a digital communication circuit utilizes a time division multiplexing on a single radio channel, selectable in a given frequency band, the communication terminal implements a wireless communication in conference and hands-free mode on an autonomous network between at least two wearers of similar communication terminals, the digital communication circuit is configured so that each frame transmitted contains both an order number of the communication terminal in a group and an ordered chaining data of the order numbers of the communication terminals synchronized with each other for the group comprising more than three communication terminals;

an automatic synchronizer synchronizes to a signal of any of other communication terminals in the group of terminals, synchronizes an internal time reference, thus a periodic cycle time, to a time reference common for all terminals of the group, the synchronization being based on the order number of a transmitting terminal present in a frame, and calculates a transmission time slot in the periodic cycle time of the time division multiplexing in accordance with the order number; and

wherein the automatic synchronizer conducts re-synchronizations by resetting its internal clock to that of a receiving terminal of the group from which it has received a frame, when the group is composed of more than three communication terminals, the automatic synchronizer implements resynchronization in accordance with the order number of the transmitting terminal and the ordered chaining data of order numbers of the terminals synchronized with each other.

20. The audio headset according to claim 19, further comprising a noise cancellation protection device of an active type that emits opposite noise waves with an electro-acoustic transducer which emits sound messages received through the digital communication circuit.