Method and apparatus for communicating data over a telephone line using an acoustic modem

• US 6,584,182 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Information Technologies Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Information Technologies Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Brodnick, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/682,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20030039343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.06, 379/93.37, 379/442, 379/443, 379/444, 379/52, 379/106.02
• US Class Current: 379/93.37
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for the communication of data over telephone lines. A handset orientation tolerant bi-directional acoustic modem according to the invention includes a first transducer operable as a receiving unit under a first condition and as a transmitting unit under a second condition, a second transducer operable as a transmitting unit under the first condition and as a receiving unit under the second condition, and a controller capable of determining the presence of one of the first and the second condition. The presence of the first condition or second condition depends on how the microphone and the speaker of a telephone handset are aligned with respect to the two transducers. The acoustic modem determines the alignment by listening for a detectable dial tone, and then under the first or the second condition, the acoustic modem automatically transmits data to a central site for analysis.

Claims

1. An acoustic modem comprising:

a first transducer operable as a receiving unit under a first condition and as a transmitting unit under a second condition;

a second transducer operable as a transmitting unit under the first condition and as a receiving unit under the second condition; and

a controller capable of selectively determining the presence of a one of the first condition and the second condition.

2. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first transducer is a piezo film transducer.

3. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the second transducer is a piezo film transducer.

4. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller selectively determines the presence of the first condition when a dial tone is detected only by the first transducer.

5. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller selectively determines the presence of the second condition when a dial tone is detected only by the second transducer.

6. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller selectively determines the presence of the first condition when a dial tone is detected by the first transducer and the second transducer, and a loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer is greater than a loudness of the dial tone detected by the second transducer.

7. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller selectively determines the presence of the second condition when a dial tone is detected by the first transducer and the second transducer, and a loudness of the dial tone detected by the second transducer is greater than a loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer.

8. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the acoustic modem is coupled to a data source and a converter.

9. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 8 wherein the data source is an event recorder and the data is biomedical data obtained from a patient.

10. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 8 wherein the converter receives, amplifies, conditions, and encodes the data from the data source.

11. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller includes a drive selector.

12. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 11 wherein the drive selector electrically couples an output of the controller to the second transducer during the first condition and the first transducer during the second condition.

13. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 1 wherein the controller includes an input selector.

14. An acoustic modem as set forth in claim 13 wherein the input selector electrically couples an input of the controller to the first transducer during the first condition and the second transducer during the second condition.

15. A method of detecting an orientation of a telephone handset with respect to a first transducer and a second transducer of an acoustic modem, the method comprising:

sampling the first transducer for a detectable dial tone;

sampling the second transducer for a detectable dial tone;

determining if a dial tone was detected;

ceasing the sampling of the first transducer and the second transducer when a dial tone is detected;

using the first transducer as a receiving unit and the second transducer as a transmitting unit when a dial tone is detected in the first transducer; and

using the second transducer as a receiving unit and the first transducer as a transmitting unit when a dial tone is correctly detected in the second transducer.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the step of ceasing the sampling only occurs after the first transducer and the second transducer have been sampled an equal number of times.

17. A method as set forth in claim 16, and further comprising:

recording a loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer;

recording a loudness of the dial tone detected by the second transducer; and

comparing the loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer with the loudness of the dial tone detected by the second transducer when a dial tone is detected by both the first transducer and the second transducer.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17, and further comprising:

using the first transducer as a receiving unit and the second transducer as a transmitting unit when the loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer is greater than the loudness of the dial tone detected by the second transducer; and

using the second transducer as a receiving unit and the first transducer as a transmitting unit when the loudness of the dial tone detected by second transducer is greater than the loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer.

19. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein a controller cycles between sampling the first transducer for a first duration and sampling the second transducer for a second duration.

20. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the controller cycles back and forth between sampling the first transducer and the second transducer until a dial tone is detected.

21. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the controller ends the cycling back and forth after the second transducer has been sampled the same number of times as the first transducer.

22. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the first duration is equal to the second duration.

23. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the first duration is half a second.

24. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein the second duration is half a second.

25. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the first transducer is a piezo film transducer.

26. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the second transducer is a piezo film transducer.

27. A method of communicating data over a telephone line from a data source located at a remote location to a receiving station located at a central site, the telephone line including a first end at the remote location coupled to a telephone having a microphone and a speaker, and a second end coupled to the receiving station at the central site, the method comprising:

orientating the microphone and the speaker of the telephone over two transducers of an acoustic modem at the remote location;

determining the orientation of the microphone and the speaker of the telephone with respect to the two transducers;

utilizing a first transducer of the two transducers of the acoustic modem as a receiving unit under a first condition and as a transmitting unit under a second condition based on the step of determining the orientation;

utilizing a second transducer of the two transducers of the acoustic modem as a receiving unit under a second condition and as a transmitting unit under a first condition based on the step of determining the orientation; and

communicating the data over the telephone line using the acoustic modem.

28. A method as set forth in claim 27, and further comprising auto-dialing the receiving station of the central site by transmitting dialing tones through the transmitting unit.

29. A method as set forth in claim 27, and further comprising determining when the receiving station of the central site is online and ready to receive a transmission of data over the telephone line.

30. A method as set forth in claim 27, and further comprising receiving an acknowledgement from the receiving station of a proper transmission of data.

31. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein the step of communicating the data over the telephone line using the acoustic modem includes transmitting the data in packets with sequence numbers.

32. A method as set forth in claim 31, and further comprising retransmitting portions of the data.

33. A method as set forth in claim 32 wherein the portion of the data that is retransmitted are the packets that do not receive an acknowledgement from the receiving station of proper transmission.

34. A method as set forth in claim 27, and further comprising converting the data from an electrical signal into an acoustic signal.

35. A method as set forth in claim 34, and further comprising transmitting the acoustic signal from the transmitting unit of the acoustic modem to the microphone of the telephone.

36. A method as set forth in claim 35 wherein the transmitting unit is disposed within an acoustic range of, or adjacent to, the microphone of the telephone such that the transmitting unit inputs acoustic signals into the microphone of the telephone.

37. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein the step of determining the orientation of the microphone and the speaker of the telephone with respect to the two transducers includes detecting a dial tone by at least one of the two transducers.

38. A method as set forth in claim 37 wherein the first condition exists, and the first transducer is thereby utilized as a receiving unit and the second transducer as a transmitting unit, when a dial tone is detected only by the first transducer.

39. A method as set forth in claim 37 wherein the second condition exists, and the first transducer is thereby utilized as a transmitting unit and the second transducer as a receiving unit, when a dial tone is detected only by the second transducer.

40. A method as set forth in claim 37 wherein the first condition exists, and the first transducer is thereby utilized as a receiving unit and the second transducer as a transmitting unit, when a dial tone is detected by the first transducer and the second transducer, and a loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer is greater than a loudness of the dial tone detected by the second transducer.

41. A method as set forth in claim 37 wherein the second condition exists, and the first transducer is thereby utilized as a transmitting unit and the second transducer as a receiving unit, when a dial tone is detected by the first transducer and the second transducer, and a loudness of the dial tone detected by the second transducer is greater than a loudness of the dial tone detected by the first transducer.

42. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein the first transducer is a piezo film transducer.

43. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein the second transducer is a piezo film transducer.

44. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein the step of communicating the data over the telephone line using the acoustic modem includes transmitting data from the remote location to the central site and receiving data at the remote location from the central site.

45. A method as set forth in claim 44 wherein transmission has a transmit bit rate and the receiving has a receive bit rate.

46. A method as set forth in claim 45 wherein the transmit bit rate is faster than the receive bit rate.