EP1005729A1

EP1005729A1 - Devices enabling radiotelephones to manage filtering and interference

Info

Publication number: EP1005729A1
Application number: EP98935078A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Raoul Girod
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-07-01
Filing date: 1998-07-01
Publication date: 2000-06-07
Also published as: FR2765753B1; WO1999001958A1; US6584319B1; FR2765753A1; AU8445498A

Abstract

The invention concerns devices and methods designed to enable radiotelephones to react appropriately in zones of filtering or interference by generating a filtered model for its operation or by direct connections, to manage the filtering and priority cases.

Description

Devices allowing radiotelephones to manage filtering or interference.

The present invention defines devices and procedures to be included in radiotelephones and their environment to enable them to respond properly to interference and filtering.

Radiotelephones, more and more widespread, have the disadvantage of creating noise pollution.

Current solutions, such as the use of vibrators, only partially solve the problem since they imply a voluntary act on the part of the users and are ineffective in the event of oversights or ill will. To limit these nuisances, filtering and neutralization devices for portable radiotelephones will be installed in places to be protected: cinemas, trains, ... Some of these filtering devices are described by patents FR 97 07000, FR 97 10105 and PCT FR 98/01109 and designated by the term "jammer".

In the text below, we will use the terms filtering and scrambling, whether they are voluntary or accidental, or resulting from gray areas. FIG. 1 shows a local jamming / filtering system F which prevents the radiotelephone R from establishing a link with the transmitter S, and in particular from ringing, by means of an electromagnetic emission B which interferes with the normal link A or transmits signals (B, D) which modify the behavior of R or S. (see the patents above). The present invention is represented by an addition of connections and software instructions in the radiotelephone R (see fig 2) to allow it to react correctly to interference, in particular, by warning the user of the existence of interference. : by a message without ringing tone when it is in the filtered zone and with ringing tone when it leaves the filtered zone and that it received a call during the filtering period or that the transmitting station S received a message or a call during this same period. The device R, made inaccessible by jamming / filtering must, thanks to the present invention, detect a call or detect jamming and warn the user without circumventing the jamming, except in certain specific cases described below.

The present invention also describes the associated means C which allow a controlled radio link to the radiotelephones present in a filtered area.

(see relay connection in figure 2).

This invention also allows the radiotelephone to dialogue with a jammer to provide detection functions, change of operating mode, to mitigate the drawbacks of the interference for itself or those outside the volume.

The description of the functionalities and means of the present invention is as follows: 1- in the filtered zone: see FIG. 3:

R, in the filtered zone, receives B and recognizes the filtering messages thanks to its characteristics: frequencies and / or contents of the filtering messages.

The changeover to a "filtered" mode of the radiotelephone takes place after a certain delay after the reception of the first filtering message.

This delay (a few seconds) avoids the immediate switchover of a radiotelephone which has passed quickly into a filtered zone, especially if it was at the limit of the filtered zone and the interference emissions exceeded the strict limit of the volume to be protected.

R, when it switches to a "filtered" mode, displays a message on its screen: "FILTERED ZONE".

This silent alert warns an attentive user and can encourage them to leave the filtered area if they wish (with optional flashing light signal). 2- at the exit of the filtered zone: figure 4 Periodically, R, in filtered mode, tests the reception of the signals after a time delay. If it detects a filtering message, it remains in "filtered" mode otherwise it switches to normal mode and tests the existence of messages or calls received since its switch to "filtered" mode.

If the test is positive, it warns the user after a certain delay (a few seconds or tens of seconds). This is the case of permanent interference. This time delay has 2 goals: to avoid an unblocking following the passage in a shadow zone for the interference waves, and to avoid an accumulation of rings at the exit of a scrambled zone.

For this, if it receives the indication of a message received and stored in S's messaging system (possibly with the number of the caller):

- it normally displays on its screen the message received sign (functionality existing prior to the present invention). The behaviors defined in the present invention are as follows:

MINIMUM BEHAVIOR: delayed ringing The radiotelephone rings (or vibrates) to warn the user of the existence of a call during the filtered period. The ringing therefore takes place, in the present invention, shifted in time after leaving the filtered zone. This particular offset ringing has the advantage of mitigating the drawbacks of filtering and avoids frequent consultation of the screen by the user. ADDITIONAL OPTIONS: 1- priority callers: see figure 5

The present invention provides for the storage in memory of priority caller numbers or codes: gendarmeries, for example. If the filtered call corresponds to one of these numbers, the device, in the filtered area, will emit a specific signal (brief and discreet ringing or vibrations) which will prompt the user to leave the filtered area, possibly keeping in touch with the appellant thanks to a waiting message and with display on the screen. This option is facilitated with jamming devices F which establish a dialogue with the radiotelephone R or the station S at the time of the jamming. The numbers in memory will be of 2 types:

- pre-registered or contained in the S or F transmitters

- entered by the user in a limited number: (children for example). In this case, the warning signal will be even more discreet, to keep priority on filtering the area and reducing noise pollution.

In both cases, conversation remains impossible in the filtered area, unless special soundproof areas have been fitted. 2- non-scrambled cages: see FIGS. 6 and 8. According to the present invention, Faraday cages are envisaged inside a filtered volume, to escape the scrambling. They have an external antenna for capturing communications with transfer in the cage to allow normal connections (relays). The technology for the construction of these relays is known although not currently used in the case of interference.

An electrical connection with the radiotelephone is also possible to ensure a normal connection. In the latter case, the "cage" is no longer necessarily electromagnetically isolated. See figure 8. Connecting the radiotelephone to this socket, disconnects the radiotelephone antenna, and establishes direct contact with the circuits which operate normally. Some radiotelephones already have connection sockets used for vehicle antennas. The present invention envisages using them to avoid jamming, and this in a controlled manner and in well defined places (cabins, passenger seats, etc.). These connections or links can be installed in places or buildings where the radio links are bad, impossible or dangerous. 3- privileged subscriptions: see figure 7: Exceptions to call filtering and blocking may exist for certain numbers and / or professions (doctors ...) These exceptions cannot be decided by the user but obtained at the time of the subscription. Certain types of "privileged" subscriptions may be purchased with specific authorizations. The information in memory, different from the current case, gives the possibility of emitting a particular code and / or by the possibility of emitting a particular ring even in the filtered area and this with 4 operating levels: answer possible or not, call possible or not.

A variant of the assembly of the invention described above uses the possibilities of the transmitting stations. The software associated with the transmitting stations can incorporate part of the logic functions described above.

The transmitting station detects a scrambling code via the identified jammer or radiotelephone. In this case, it takes over for the management of filtered radiotelephones with procedures equivalent to those described above in the present invention.

In a complete configuration, the functionalities and software distributed between the 4 materials: transmitters, receivers, jammers, cages + relays ensure the coordination of the dialogs between these 4 materials according to the logic of diagrams 3, 4, 5 and 7.

The original combination of these means, known or unknown, allows a minimum of radiotelephone functions to reduce the rigidity of the interference.

The variants of the present invention will be chosen according to the types of interference used (volumetric, detection at passages, permanent, intermittent, etc.) in accordance with the constraints of the operators. The use of a radiotelephone in "filtered" mode may be voluntary, outside a filtered area, by users who do not want to be disturbed but only warned. In this case, the return to normal mode is possible and triggered by the user.

The "filtered" mode is therefore intermediate between the operating mode and the off mode, with 2 cases: voluntary or imposed. The present invention is therefore complementary to that of jammers and allows more flexible management of the filtering of radiotelephones in areas where their noise pollution is not desired.

This filtering management will allow operators and manufacturers of radiotelephones to ultimately offer additional services to their customers.

Claims

1- Devices associated or incorporated into radiotelephones which are in an area protected by a CARACTERISES jammer in that they connect, disconnect or program the behavior of the radiotelephone, (fig.l) 2- Device according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED in that that the radiotelephone has a filtered mode of operation, intermediate between normal mode and off mode, this mode being imposed by filtering or voluntary. (fig. 3)

3- Device according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED in that it displays on the screen a message indicating that the radiotelephone is in a filtered zone. (fig. 3)

4- Device according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED in that it displays on the screen a message and / or emits a flashing signal indicating that a call takes place in the filtered area. (fig. 3)

5- Device according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED in that it emits an audible signal at the output of the filtered zone if a message or a call has taken place in the filtered zone, (fig.5) 6- Device according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED in that it emits, even in a filtered area, an audible signal for priority calls (fig. 7)

7- Device according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED in that it relays a radio link between the outside and the inside of the scrambled or filtered volume. (Fig.2 and 6)

8- Device according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED in that it establishes a connection by electric cables between an antenna external to the filtered or scrambled volume and a connection socket of the radiotelephone, with interruption of the radio reception of the antenna of the radiotelephone. (fig. 8)

9- Device according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED in that it is incorporated into a radiotelephone and establishes radio connections, even if a blocking signal has been received, when the transmission codes correspond to those contained in the memories of the mobile or the transmitter.

(fig. 5)

10- Device according to any one of the preceding claims CHARACTERIZED in that it distributes the functions provided by software between the transmitters and the receivers,