Optical: systems and elements – Deflection using a moving element – Using a periodically moving element
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-10
2003-07-08
Negash, Kinfe-Michael (Department: 2633)
Optical: systems and elements
Deflection using a moving element
Using a periodically moving element
C359S199200, C359S199200, C359S199200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06590682
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to infrared communications systems and, more specifically, to an Improved Infrared Signal Communication System and Method Including Transmission Means Having Automatic Gain Control.
2. Description of Related Art
As technology becomes continually more accessible to the “common man,” the ability to use, store, transfer and otherwise manipulate information has become the focus of most businesses as well as for the individual consumer. Access to the information resources is commonly by some sort of network system, including World Wide Web, “Intranets”, local area networks, wide area networks, as well as corporate databases.
While the conventional method for connecting to one of these information networks has been via cable and wire, as the reliance upon connectivity to information has deepened, the desire to gain such access from mobile or portable devices has strengthened. These portable devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants, hand-held computers, cellular telephones, and even digital cameras are now being connected to each other and to networks via Infrared Data Communications. In fact, it is virtually impossible to purchase a notebook computer today that does not include an Infrared Data Communications assembly resident within it.
One drawback of these portable devices or appliances is their inherent dependency upon portable power sources (i.e. batteries of some sort). As functionality is added to the device, so is demand upon the portable power source, therefore any way of reducing the demand upon the portable power source is extremely desirable. One particular system that can place a significant demand upon the portable power source is the Ir transmission subsystem—
FIGS. 1A-1C
provide pertinent details about this subsystem.
FIGS. 1A
,
1
B and
1
C depict Infrared communications between a pair of conventional Ir-enabled appliances. As shown in
FIG. 1A
, a first Ir-capable appliance
10
is in Ir-communication with a second Ir-capable appliance
12
. Of crucial importance to reliable Ir communications is the requirement that the Ir signal transmissions
14
be strong enough to cross the separation distance
16
between the two appliances
10
and
12
(in addition to any other interference's with transmission and receipt).
FIG. 1B
depicts one-half of the communications loop depicted by FIG.
1
A—in
FIG. 1B
, the first appliance
10
is the transmitting appliance
11
, and the second appliance
12
is the receiving appliance
13
. Under the current IrDA (Infrared Data Association) standards, all Ir signal transmissions
14
must be adequate to cross a separation distance
16
of 1 (one) meter. In order to achieve this range consistently, devices have been designed with a constant, default transmit power setting (P
TX0
) that will insure that the receiving appliance
13
receives a certain minimum receive power (P
RCVMIN
). As mentioned earlier, P
TX0
is of a constant, fixed magnitude that will result in a received power equal to P
RCVMIN
when the separation distance
16
is 1 (one) meter.
While this system design does insure reliable Ir communications at the separation distance
16
specified by the IrDA, it is also very wasteful. Under common usage conditions, once a communications loop has been initialized, the transmitting appliance
11
and receiving appliance
13
are usually placed much closer to one another than one meter for the actual data transfer process. As depicted by
FIG. 1C
, where the separation distance
16
is 0.5 meter, the Ir transmissions “overshoot” the receiving appliance
13
—this is a critical problem for a device class (i.e. portable electronic devices) where power efficiency is of primary importance.
FIG. 2
captures the magnitude of the inefficiency of the prior systems.
FIG. 2
is a graph illuminating the effect of Ir transmit range on transmit power requirements. It should be understood that there is an inverse square relationship between the transmit distance and the power required to make such a transmission. Consequently, where all transmissions are made at the default power P
TX0
, there is significant waste. For example, if P
TX0
is assumed to be 500 mA (i.e. to reach a distance of one meter), then only approximately 25 mA would be required to reliably reach one-half that distance (i.e. 0.5 meter)—this means that the transmissions are 80% overpowered at a 0.5 meter separation distance! What would be beneficial would be an Ir transmission system that adjusts its transmit range (and its P
TX
) to the minimum level for reliable communications (P
TXMIN
) “on the fly”, so that such power waste is minimized.
FIG. 3
gives additional enlightenment regarding this problem; it is a graph illuminating the effect of transmission distance
16
on received signal strength. It can be seen that at one meter, the magnitude of the received power P
RCV
is at a level sufficient to support reliable communications P
RGVMIN
. The problem is that as the separation distance goes to zero, the received power P
RCV
goes up until it virtually equals the default transmit power P
TX0
. In this example, at close distances the receiver signal overpower
20
(i.e. the difference between P
TX
and P
RCVMIN
) is relatively large compared to P
RCVMIN
(the amplitude which would provide completely reliable communications). What is needed is a system and transmission method that automatically reduces the magnitude of the receiver signal overpower
20
to minimum levels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and methods, it is an object of the present invention to provide an Improved Infrared Signal Communication System and Method Including Transmission Means Having Automatic Gain Control. The preferred system and method should adjust signal transmission power in response to incident signal power amplitude. It is an object that the preferred system include a control signal loop within the signal receiving system, and that the signal transmitting system is responsive to this control signal loop. It is a further object that the system include manual, semi-automatic and automatic modes of operation. It is yet another object that the preferred method include at least two Ir-enabled appliances “stepping” each other “down” in transmit power in response to directives issued by the other Ir-enabled appliance.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4777653 (1988-10-01), Bonnerot et al.
patent: 5517608 (1996-05-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5822099 (1998-10-01), Takamatsu
patent: 5887245 (1999-03-01), Lindroth et al.
patent: 0 641 095 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 09069817 (1997-03-01), None
patent: WO 99/53632 (1999-10-01), None
International Search Report for Applicant Calibre, Inc., PCT/US 99/18056, mailed on Nov. 22, 1999 (four pages).
Negash Kinfe-Michael
Parsons Hsue & de Runtz LLP
ZiLOG, Inc.
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