CA2368440A1 - Cordless telephone - Google Patents

Cordless telephone Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2368440A1
CA2368440A1 CA002368440A CA2368440A CA2368440A1 CA 2368440 A1 CA2368440 A1 CA 2368440A1 CA 002368440 A CA002368440 A CA 002368440A CA 2368440 A CA2368440 A CA 2368440A CA 2368440 A1 CA2368440 A1 CA 2368440A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
clock
fixed
interrogation
mobile part
time
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002368440A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Albert Buckers
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Siemens AG
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of CA2368440A1 publication Critical patent/CA2368440A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04MTELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M1/00Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
    • H04M1/72Mobile telephones; Cordless telephones, i.e. devices for establishing wireless links to base stations without route selection
    • H04M1/725Cordless telephones
    • H04M1/72502Cordless telephones with one base station connected to a single line
    • GPHYSICS
    • G04HOROLOGY
    • G04RRADIO-CONTROLLED TIME-PIECES
    • G04R20/00Setting the time according to the time information carried or implied by the radio signal
    • G04R20/26Setting the time according to the time information carried or implied by the radio signal the radio signal being a near-field communication signal

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)
  • Telephone Set Structure (AREA)

Abstract

A cordless telephone with clock function which has a fixed part with mains power supply and a fixed-part time generator or clock generator and a mobile part with internal power supply and a mobile part time generator or clock generator, the mobile part having interrogation means for carrying out a clock time interrogation at the fixed part or conversely after an interruption of the respective internal power supply.

Description

Description Cordless telephone The invention relates to a cordless telephone with a clock function.
Cordless telephones have been used since the 70s -initially in the United States and are now in widespread use. whereas, initially, the elimination of a line connection to the telephone socket represented the single most important functional feature in its use, new functional features and specific applications have been developed in the meantime. Thus, cordless telephones having a number of mobile parts have been offered for some time in which a voice connection between the individual mobile parts is also possible, the cordless telephone, at the same time, taking over the function of a house telephone. Modern cordless telephones are also equipped with the so-called CLIP
(calling line identification presentation) function of the indication of the directory number or name of a caller on the display of the mobile part.
Cordless telephones with clock function are also known in which the clock time or date and clock time can be indicated on the display of the mobile part and possibly the fixed part. This represents a useful additional function especially when the mobile part is used outdoors, for example in the garden or in the playground. The combination with the CLIP function in a cordless telephone with answering machine for storing the clock time of a call together with the name and directory number of the caller is also useful.

- la -According to the prior art, the mobile part does not need to have its own time base but the fixed part can display the clock time generated here directly on the display of the mobile part.
- 2 -The disadvantageous factor in known cordless telephones with clock functions is that when the supply voltage is interrupted, for example in the case of disturbances in the power system or complete depletion of the battery or a change of battery (in the mobile part), the clock function fails. To prevent this, it is also known to back up the clock function by means of a separate power source (button cell or appropriate battery) or by means of a capacitor. These solutions, too, have disadvantages. Thus, the storage capacity of a capacitor used for this purpose may be insufficient for securing the clock function in the case of relatively long interruptions of the power supply. Both the provision of a capacitor and of an auxiliary power source represent an additional expenditure on components which results in an increase in costs.
The invention is, therefore, based on the object of specifying an improved cordless telephone with clock function, in which the availability of this function is secured with very high probability and which manages without significant additional constructional and cost expenditure.
This object is achieved by a cordless telephone having the features of claim 1 and 2, respectively.
The invention includes the fundamental technical teaching of securing the clock function via the connection between fixed part and mobile part by appropriately utilizing oscillator elements existing as clock generator in the fixed part and the mobile part, and the associated processing capacity.
Particularly high reliability for ensuring the clock function is created in an embodiment in which the - 2a -backup is bidirectional, i.e. resynchronization of the clock function is not only possible via the connection to the fixed part in the case of a power interruption at the mobile part but
- 3 -in the case of a power interruption of the fixed part, resynchronization of the clock function established there is also possible via the connection to the mobile part.
The interrogation means provided for implementing the resynchronization function are preferably constructed in such a manner that they are automatically activated after the end of the interruption of a power supply. In principle, the provision of a manual actuating element is also possible - in any case in the mobile part in which an interruption of the power supply is, as a rule, performed by the user himself, for example by changing the batteries, or is at least noticed.
The effectiveness of the invention essentially depends on the interrogation or resynchronization means essentially being implemented as software on the basis of the existing hardware processing capacity and the existing transmitting and receiving facilities.
Using a radio clock module in the fixed part increases the availability of the clock function even further and simplifies the construction at the fixed part but, naturally, is associated with increased cost expenditure. The solution will be appropriate, therefore, if the use of the radio clock module is being considered for reasons of precision of the time information.
Furthermore, advantages and suitabilities of the invention are obtained from the subclaims and the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the figures, in which:

- 3a -Figure 1 shows a functional block diagram of the components of an embodiment of a cordless telephone which are essential for carrying out the invention, and
- 4 -Figure 2 shows a functional block diagram of an embodiment of the fixed part which is modified compared with figure 1.
Figure 1 shows in a highly diagrammatic sectional representation the functional components of a cordless telephone 1 which are essential for the explanation of the invention, which telephone comprises a fixed part lA and a mobile part 1B (or a number of mobile parts of the same structure). The fixed part lA has a mains power supply 3 via a mains connection 3a which feeds all components of the fixed part, indicated by a boldly drawn arrow to the right. A fixed part controller 5 with working memory (RAM) 5a and program memory (ROM) 5b associated in the usual manner controls (apart from its remaining functions which are not related to the invention and will not, therefore, be explained here) the backup of the clock function by the fixed part.
The fixed part has a radio clock receiver 7 followed by a radio time processing stage 9, the output of which is connected to a transmitter 13 of the mobile part via a clock time transmitting switch 11 driven by the controller 5. The output of a fixed part receiving stage 15 is connected to (among other things) the controller 5.
The mobile part 1B has a battery power supply 17 which supplies the entire mobile part with power which is again symbolized by a boldly drawn arrow. The battery power supply 17 is associated with a voltage sensor 19 followed by a threshold discriminator 21 for detecting voltage interruptions or an inadmissible drop in the operating voltage. The output of the threshold discriminator 21 is connected to the input of a flip flop 23, the output of which is connected to a clock time interrogation generator 25 and which can be - 4a -in the form of a monostable flip flop or else a bistable flip flop depending on the actual construction of the interrogation generator. The output of the
- 5 -interrogation generator 25 is connected to a mobile part transmitting stage 27.
The mobile part, too, has a controller (mobile part controller) 29 with associated working memory 29a and program memory 29b. The input of the controller is connected to an input keypad 31 of the mobile part via which a clock time indication, for example, can be called up. The mobile part 1B has a crystal base 33 as internal clock generator which is followed in the usual manner by divider and counter stages for obtaining a time indication, which are combined in a time generating stage 35 in the figure. The output of the time generating stage 35 is connected to a display 39 of the mobile part via a clock time display switch 37 driven by the mobile part controller 29. The output of a mobile part receiving stage 41 is connected to the mobile part controller 29. The mobile part controller 29, in turn, is connected to a control input of the time generating stage 35 via a time synchronization stage 43.
The operation of the arrangement shown is as follows:
in the fixed part lA, a highly accurate real time is permanently provided by the radio clock receiver 7 and the radio time processing stage 9, which real time can be optionally displayed there (which is not part of the invention) and/or can be used for control purposes.
Should the mains power supply fail at any time, automatic resynchronization of the real-time generation is performed in a manner known from radio clocks after the supply has been restored, so that the radio time is available again in the fixed part a short time after the end of the interruption.
In the mobile part 1B, a real time which is independent of the fixed part and is also less accurate is - 5a -obtained from the clock signals of the crystal base 33 by means of the time generating stage 35 and is displayed on the display 39 by the mobile part controller 29 via the clock time display switch 37 with
- 6 -the appropriate key input by the user of the control.
When the batteries are exhausted or are changed, the operating voltage provided by the battery power supply 17 drops below a permissible minimum value which is detected via the voltage sensor 19 and the threshold discriminator 21 and leads to the generation of an activation pulse for the clock time interrogation generator 25 by the flip flop 23 as soon as the operating voltage detected rises above the permissible minimum value again (after the batteries have been charged up, for example, or changed). The clock time interrogation generator then outputs a predetermined interrogation sequence to the mobile part transmitting stage 27 and, at the same time, activates the mobile part controller 29 for processing a response signal of the fixed part 1A which is to be received then via the mobile part receiving stage 41.
This response signal is generated there in that the interrogation signal transmitted by the mobile part transmitting stage 27 via the air interface (symbolized by a zig-zag arrow) is received by the fixed part receiving stage 15, processed in the fixed part controller 5 on the basis of a program stored in the program memory 5b and then the clock time transmitting switch 11 of the fixed part is closed. The time signal present at the output of the radio time processing stage 9 is then transferred to the fixed part transmitting stage 13 and transmitted by the latter to the mobile part receiving stage 41. From the output of the latter, it reaches the mobile part controller 29 which, on the basis of a program stored in the program memory 29b, drives the time synchronization stage 43 which, in turn, adjusts the time generating stage 35 to the radio time transmitted from the fixed part. In this manner, a correct clock time which can be optionally displayed is provided in the mobile part lb virtually - 6a -immediately after the end of the interruption of the power supply in the mobile part lb. In this arrangement, the receiving connection for clock time synchronization only exists for a very short time in a power-saving manner.

_ 7 _ Figure 2 shows an implementation of the fixed part which is modified compared with the embodiment shown in figure 1. Components corresponding to one another in both figures are also designated by the same reference numbers and will not be explained again in the text which follows. The most significant difference consists in replacing the radio clock receiver by an inexpensive crystal time base 7' which, however, is not self-resynchronizable. In this embodiment of the fixed part lA', a voltage discriminator 45 must be provided at the output of the power supply 3 and a time synchronization stage 47 which is connected to a control input of the modified time processing stage (crystal time processing stage) 9' must be provided in this embodiment of the fixed part lA' in a similar manner to the mobile part according to figure 1.
The output of the voltage discriminator 45 is connected to a flip flop 49 which, in a similar manner to the flip flop 23 of the mobile part from figure 1, outputs a trigger pulse as soon as the operating voltage rises again after an inadmissible drop in the operating voltage of the mains power supply 3. This trigger pulse activates a clock time interrogation generator 51 at the fixed part which outputs a preprogrammed interrogation signal sequence to the fixed part transmitting stage 13. Analogously to the sequence of resynchronization of the mobile part clock time, described above in connection with figure l, this interrogation is received in the receiving part of the partner station (in this case of the mobile part), processed in its controller 29 and answered with the output of a clock time information item via its transmitter 27. This information is received in the fixed part receiver 15 and supplied via the controller 5 to the time synchronization stage 47 which uses it for - 7a -resynchronizing the crystal time processing stage 9' At the mobile part, this function requires the provision of a connection between the output of the time generating stage 35 and the input of the mobile part transmitting stage 27 according to figure 1 which is enabled via the controller 29 when an interrogation signal _ g _ is received via the receiving stage 41. Since the configuration of the mobile part only differs from that shown in figure 1 in this aspect, the mobile part has not been pictorially represented again in figure 2.

Claims (8)

claims
1. A cordless telephone (1) with clock function, having - a fixed part (1A; 1A') with mains power supply (3) and a fixed part real-time generator (7, 9) or a fixed-part clock generator (7') and fixed-part clock processing means (9') for determining a fixed-part clock time, - with at least one mobile part (1B) with internal power supply (17), a mobile part clock generator (33) and mobile part clock processing means (35) for determining a mobile part clock time, wherein - the mobile part (1B) has mobile part interrogation means (25, 27, 29, 41) for carrying out a clock time interrogation at the fixed part (1A).
2. A cordless telephone (1) with clock function, having - a fixed part (1A; 1A') with mains power supply (3) and a fixed part real-time generator (7, 9) or a fixed-part clock generator (7') and fixed-part clock processing means (9') for determining a fixed-part clock time, - with at least one mobile part (1B) with internal power supply (17), a mobile part clock generator (33) and mobile part clock processing means (35) for determining a mobile part clock time, wherein the fixed part (1B) has fixed part interrogation means (51, 13, 5, 15) for carrying out a clock time interrogation at the mobile part (1B).
3. The cordless telephone as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the fixed part (1A; 1A') has -9a-fixed part interrogation means (51, 13, 5, 15) for carrying out a clock time interrogation at the mobile part (1B).
4. The cordless telephone as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the mobile part (1B) has mobile part interrogation means (25, 27, 29, 41) for carrying out a clock time interrogation at the fixed part (1A).
5. The cordless telephone as claimed in claim 1 or 4, characterized in that the mobile part interrogation means (25, 27, 29, 41) have voltage sensor and processing means (19, 21, 23) for detecting the state of the internal power supply (17) and automatic activation of the mobile part interrogation means after an interruption of the internal power supply.
6. The cordless telephone as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the fixed-part interrogation means (51, 13, 5, 15) are associated with voltage sensors and processing means (45, 49) for detecting the state of the mains power supply and automatic activation of the fixed part interrogation means after an interruption of the mains power supply.
7. The cordless telephone as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile part interrogation means (25, 27, 29, 41) and the fixed part interrogation means (51, 13, 5, 15) are followed by synchronization means (43; 47) for resynchronizing internal clock time generating means (35; 9') on the basis of a time information item received during the clock time interrogation.
8. The cordless telephone as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile part interrogation means (25, 27, 29, 41), the fixed part interrogation means (51, 13, 5, 15) and the synchronization means (43; 47) are implemented as software on a conventional hardware base.
CA002368440A 1999-03-26 2000-03-21 Cordless telephone Abandoned CA2368440A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19913885A DE19913885C2 (en) 1999-03-26 1999-03-26 Cordless phone
DE19913885.0 1999-03-26
PCT/DE2000/000876 WO2000059187A1 (en) 1999-03-26 2000-03-21 Cordless telephone

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2368440A1 true CA2368440A1 (en) 2000-10-05

Family

ID=7902605

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002368440A Abandoned CA2368440A1 (en) 1999-03-26 2000-03-21 Cordless telephone

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1163782A1 (en)
CA (1) CA2368440A1 (en)
DE (1) DE19913885C2 (en)
WO (1) WO2000059187A1 (en)

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5964939A (en) * 1982-10-05 1984-04-13 Nec Corp Mobile radio system
JPH06120881A (en) * 1992-10-06 1994-04-28 Fujitsu Ltd Correction method for calendar of cordless telephone system
US5655218A (en) * 1994-07-29 1997-08-05 Motorola, Inc. Radiotelephone communication unit displaying chronological information
JPH08186868A (en) * 1994-12-27 1996-07-16 Casio Comput Co Ltd Portable communication system
GB2297854B (en) * 1995-02-07 1999-04-07 Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd Real time clock
DE19536580A1 (en) * 1995-09-29 1997-04-03 Siemens Ag Telecommunication terminal, e.g. DECT base station
DE19635922A1 (en) * 1996-09-04 1998-03-12 Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd Display of the time on a radio telephone
JPH1093685A (en) * 1996-09-18 1998-04-10 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd Cordless telephone equipment with automatic answering telephone function
EP0924581B1 (en) * 1997-12-15 2003-04-23 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Cordless phone and timer management method

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE19913885A1 (en) 2000-10-05
EP1163782A1 (en) 2001-12-19
DE19913885C2 (en) 2001-02-08
WO2000059187A1 (en) 2000-10-05

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
EEER Examination request
FZDE Discontinued