Vehicle media distribution system using optical transmitters

• US 9,487,295 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Phitek Systems Limited (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Phitek Systems Limited (Amphenol Corporation)
• Inventors: Sim, William James, Greig, Nigel, Beck, Robert David, Nicklin, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US13/296,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20120178359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,820 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00151 Permanently mounted seat back monitors
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00154 Loudspeakers mounted in the seat back
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols

Abstract

A wireless media distribution system for a passenger vehicle including a media server and a plurality of transmitters adapted to wirelessly transmit media signals representative of media delivered from the media server. Each transmitter is adapted to direct a media signal to a selected passenger location or a group of passenger locations.

Claims

1. A wireless media distribution system for a passenger vehicle having a plurality of passenger locations, the system comprising:

a media server;

a plurality of optical transmitters adapted to wirelessly transmit media signals representative of media delivered from the media server;

a plurality of channels used by the optical transmitters to wirelessly transmit said media signals; and

a plurality of discrete coverage zones, each discrete coverage zone including one or more adjacent passenger locations;

wherein each optical transmitter is adapted to direct a media signal to a selected passenger location or a group of passenger locations; and

wherein the allocation of the passenger locations to the discrete coverage zones enables identical channels to be reused in adjacent discrete coverage zones.

2. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each transmitter transmits a media signal to a group of passenger locations using a plurality of channels.

3. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the channels are time division multiplexed.

4. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 3 comprising a central processor for the plurality of transmitters.

5. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the media signal is directed by shaping the signal.

6. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the media signal is shaped using a lens.

7. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of transmitters direct a media signal to a single passenger location.

8. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmitted media signal comprises an infrared signal.

9. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the media signal is adapted for reception by a media player device associated with a passenger located in the passenger location.

10. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the media player device comprises a headset or earphone.

11. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the headset or earphone includes a plurality of receivers for receiving the media signal.

12. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmitter is integral or co-located with a visual display unit.

13. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmitter comprises a light or back-light of a visual display unit.

14. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 including a media player device comprising a plurality of optical signal receivers for receiving a media signal from the media distribution system, and a processor for processing the received signal.

15. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 14 wherein the media player device comprises a headset.

16. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 14 comprising a dock for supporting a media player device when not in use.

17. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one discrete coverage zone has a plurality of optical transmitters adapted to wirelessly transmit a common media signal.

18. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a coverage zone is sized to allow a media player device to be moved in the zone and still maintain communication with a transmitter for that zone.

19. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the coverage zone is approximately as wide as an aircraft seat.

20. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical transmitters reuse a channel in adjacent coverage zones.

21. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least two adjacent coverage zones slightly overlap.

22. A method of wireless media distribution for a wireless media distribution system in a passenger vehicle, the system comprising a media server, a plurality of optical transmitters, a plurality of passenger locations and at least one media player device, the method comprising:

associating one or more of a plurality of optical transmitters with one or more of a plurality of discrete coverage zones, each discrete coverage zone including a passenger location;

adapting the optical transmitters to transmit substantially only to the associated discrete coverage zone,

wirelessly transmitting media signals from the optical transmitters to the associated discrete coverage zones, the media signals representative of media delivered from the media server;

wherein a media player device in a first discrete coverage zone will receive a media signal transmitted to the first discrete coverage zone and, if moved to an adjacent second discrete coverage zone, will receive a media signal transmitted to the second discrete coverage zone.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein at least one of the optical transmitters has a plurality of channels, wherein at least one channel is multiplexed so as to provide different media signals to a plurality of passenger locations in a discrete coverage zone.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 further comprising associating the media player device with the discrete coverage zone by assigning the media player device one or more of the plurality of channels.

25. A wireless media distribution system for a passenger vehicle having a plurality of passenger locations, the system comprising:

a media server;

a plurality of optical transmitters adapted to wirelessly transmit media signals representative of media delivered from the media server;

a plurality of channels used by the optical transmitters to wirelessly transmit said media signals; and

a plurality of discrete coverage zones, each discrete coverage zone including one or more adjacent passenger locations and associated with at least one of the optical transmitters, each optical transmitter adapted to direct a media signal to the associated discrete coverage zone;

wherein the discrete coverage zones enable identical channels to be reused in adjacent discrete coverage zones.

26. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein each transmitter transmits a media signal to a group of passenger locations using a plurality of channels.

27. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein a plurality of transmitters direct a media signal to a single passenger location.

28. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein at least one media player device includes a plurality of receivers for receiving the media signal.

29. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein the transmitter is integral or co-located with a visual display unit.

30. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein the transmitter comprises a light or back-light of a visual display unit.

31. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein at least one discrete coverage zone has a plurality of optical transmitters adapted to wirelessly transmit a common media signal.

32. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein the allocation of the passenger locations to the discrete coverage zones enables identical channels to be reused in adjacent discrete coverage zones.

33. A wireless media distribution system as claimed in claim 25 wherein at least adjacent two coverage zones slightly overlap.