Radio link and method for operating it

• US 20020196748A1
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BM Wireless Limited & Company KG
• Original Assignee: BM Wireless Limited & Company KG
• Inventors: De Mier, Eduardo
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/003 Address allocation methods and details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/242 by comparing a transmitted test signal with a locally generated replica

Abstract

A radio link with transmitters and a receiver transmits data packets of a data stream at a regular time interval. To receive the data packets, the data stream is sampled for the presence of data packets in a locked mode. In addition, times for an expected reception of one data packet each are predetermined. In a transmission mode, one data packet each is sampled at regular time intervals, it being determined from a comparison of a test coding with the content of the data packet whether an error-free data packet is present.

Claims

6. In a radiolink having a transmitter, transmitting a datastream including data packets having content and duplicates of the data packets, and a receiver;

said receiver comprising;

a receiving unit for receiving the data packets;

a receiver control unit connected to the receiving unit, processing received data packets, and outputting the received data packets;

said receiver control unit determining a test code for each data packet, determining whether an error free or an errored received data packet is present by comparing each test code with the content of the data packet, and rejecting errored data packets on receipt;

said receiver control unit determining expected times for each data packet to be received; and

said receiver control unit evaluating successive data packets by using a temporal spacing between the two data packets;

the receiving unit being designed such that duplicates of the data packets can be received, and that the receiver control unit is designed such that the duplicates can be processed and output;

said receiver control unit being determines one test code each of a duplicate, said receiver control unit determining from comparing the test code with the content of the duplicate whether an error free duplicate is present, and said receiver control unit rejecting an errored duplicate on reception,

the receiver further being designed such that it determines an offsetting rule for a time offset between data packets and duplicates from at least one item of offset information extracted from the data packets and/or their duplicates, and selectively evaluates the duplicates by using the offsetting rule.

1. In a radiolink for transmitting a datastream including data packets and having a receiver and a transmitter, said transmitter comprising:

an input unit for inputting the data packets, the data packets each having content;

a transmitter control unit receiving the data packets from said input unit, inserting into each of the data packets a respective predetermined code resulting from the respective content of each of the data packets, generating respective duplicates of each of the data packets, and adding an item of type information to at least one member of each pair of data packet and respective duplicate, and adding offsetting information in at least one member of each pair of data packet and respective duplicate; and

a transmitting unit activated by said transmitter control unit and emitting at least one of the data packets and respective duplicates regularly in series, varying a temporal offset between each of the data packets and its respective duplicate in accordance with a predetermined offsetting rule, generating a counter reading by counting the code in each data packet as the data packets are being emitted, and generating the offsetting information by using the counter reading.

2. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said code is inaudible.

3. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein said transmitter control unit provides at least one member of each pair of data packet and duplicate with an item of identification.

4. The transmitter according to claim 3, wherein said item of identification includes information selected from the group consisting of a type of data packet, a significance of the data packet, and at least a portion of an unambiguous item of information.

5. The transmitter according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmitter control unit switches said transmitting unit between a switched-on state and a state of reduced energy consumption, holds said transmitting unit in the switched-on state while data packets or duplicates are transmitted, and holds said transmitting unit the state of reduced energy consumption while no data packets or duplicates are transmitted.

7. The receiver as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the offset information is generated from a prescribed enumeration, specifically by using a counter reading of the counting of received data packets.

8. The receiver as claimed in one of claim 6, characterized in that the receiving unit can be switched over by the receiver control unit between a switched on state and a state of reduced energy consumption, the receiver holding the receiving unit in the switched on state at instants at which the reception of a data packet and/or a duplicate is to be expected, and holding it in the state of reduced energy consumption at instants at which no reception is to be expected.

9. The receiver as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the receiver is designed such that the receiving unit is switched off selectively by the receiver control unit for a prescribed time.

10. The receiver according to claim 6, characterized in that the receiver is designed such that it decodes from one data packet each or from one duplicate each an item of identity information assigned to the transmitter of the data packet or of the duplicate, and determines the temporal spacing between two data packets with the aid of corresponding items of identity information.

11. Receiver according to claim 6, characterized in that the receiver is configured such that in order to determine the instants for an input, to be expected, of a data packet, it repeatedly selectively evaluates in a search mode a signal output by the receiving unit to the receiver control unit.

12. The receiver according to claim 11, characterized in that the receiver is designed such that it calculates instants for an input, to be expected, of one data packet each, specifically doing so from an initial instant when a first data packet is input, and from a predetermined intervening time that is reconstructed from the content or the temporal position of the first data packet or from the intervening time, extracted from the first data packet, between two successive data packets.

13. The receiver as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the receiver is designed such that it calculates instants for an input, to be expected, of one data packet each from an intervening time between two data packets, specifically from an initial instant when a first data packet is input and from a repeat instant when a further data packet is input.

16. A combined transceiving module as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the transmitter and the receiver are connected to one another in an actuatable fashion in order to avoid collisions of data packets and/or their duplicates.

17. The combined transceiving module as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that the receiver of the transceiving module is designed such that, upon sampling of a data packet transmitted by a further transmitter, it temporarily suppresses the transmitter of the transceiving module, or prompts it to emit data packets of altered temporal spacing.

19. The method for emitting a data stream as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that at least one transmitter is used for the execution, one data packet each emitted by the transmitter, or its duplicate being provided with an item of identity information assigned to the transmitter.

20. A method for receiving a data stream, generated as claimed in claim 18, and having data packets, in the case of a radiolink with at least one transmitter and with at least one receiver, the method having a search mode and a transmission mode, the search mode having the following steps:

sampling the data stream for the presence of data packets, predetermining instants for an input, to be expected, of one data packet each,

and the transmission mode having the following steps;

selectively evaluating one data packet each, it being determined from a comparison of the test code with the content of the data packet whether an error-free or an errored received data packet is present,

the search mode further having the following steps;

sampling the data stream for the presence of duplicates belonging to the data packets,

determining an offsetting rule for a time offset between data packets and duplicates from at least one item of offset information extracted from the data packets and/or their duplicates,

and, for the case in which an errored data packet is present, the transmission mode having the step of selective evaluation of a duplicate belonging to the data packet.

21. The method for receiving a data stream as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that the offset information is generated from a prescribed enumeration, more specifically by using a counter reading of the counting of the received data packets.

22. The method for receiving a data stream according to claim 20, characterized in that there is decoded from at least one data packet an item of identity information assigned to the transmitter of the data packet, the temporal spacing between two data packets with corresponding items of identity information being determined.

24. The method for receiving a data stream according to claim 20, characterized in that in the search mode the step of determining the instant for an input, to be expected, of a data packet is provided, in the case of which a signal output by the receiving unit to the receiver control unit is repeatedly selectively evaluated.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that instants for an input, to be expected, of one data packet each are calculated from an initial instant at which the input of a first data packet is recorded, and from a predetermined intervening time that is reconstructed from the content or the temporal position of the first data packet or from the intervening time, extracted from the first data packet, between two data packets.

26. The method as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that instants for an input, to be expected, of one data packet each are calculated from an intervening time between two data packets, the intervening time being determined from an initial instant at which the input of a first data packet is recorded, and from a repeat instant at which the input of a further data packet is recorded.

14. A radiolink having at least one transmitter, and having at least one receiver.

15. A combined transceiving module for a radiolink, the transceiving module having a transmitter, and a receiver.

18. A method for emitting a data stream, having data packets, for a radiolink with at least one transmitter and with at least one receiver for transmitting a data stream comprising data packets, the method exhibiting the regularly repeated execution of the following steps:

providing a data packet to be transmitted,

inserting a predetermined test code, resulting from the content of the respective data packet, into the respective data packet,

emitting the data packet,

generating a duplicate of the data packet, and inserting in each case an item of type information into the data packet and/or into the duplicate,

predetermining an item of offset information for a time offset between data packet and duplicate, and inserting the item of offset information into at least one data packet and/or into at least one duplicate, and

emitting at least one duplicate, the emission of the duplicate with reference to the data packet being performed with a time offset in accordance with the offset information, and the time offset between the respective data packet and its duplicate being yielded from the offset information in accordance with a predetermined offsetting rule, the item of offset information being generated from a prescribed enumeration, specifically by using a counter reading of the counting of the transmitted data packets.

22-1. The method for receiving a data stream according to claim 20, characterized in that there is decoded from at least one data packet or from at least one duplicate an item of identity information assigned to the transmitter of the data packet, an offsetting rule for a time offset between data packets and duplicates being determined from at least one item of offset information extracted from data packets and/or their duplicates.

27. A method for operating a radiolink that has the steps of a method for emitting a data stream having data packets and duplicates of the data packets, and a method for receiving a data stream.

28. A bicycle computer with at least one transmitter, and with a receiver, the transmitter being connected to a sensor for measuring wheel revolutions, to a sensor for measuring the crank revolutions and/or to a sensor for measuring the tractive resistance, and the receiver having a display for displaying the value transmitted by the sensor.

29. A fitness computer with at least one transmitter, and with a receiver, the transmitter being connected to a sensor for measuring the heartbeat and/or the stepping frequency of a user, and the receiver having a display for displaying the value transmitted by the sensor.