JP2001523063A - Method and apparatus for transmitting wireless data - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A method for wirelessly transmitting data between one computer and one or more other computers with the aid of a DAB system or an equivalent system for wirelessly transmitting digital data, This is a wireless data transmission method in which a transmitting computer is connected to a DAB transmitter and a receiving computer is connected to each DAB receiver. A feature of the present invention is that information output intermittently from a transmitting computer (1) is stored in a memory (8) of a first application circuit (7) between the transmitting computer (1) and the DAB transmitter (3). ), Information is output from the memory (8) to the DAB transmitter (3) substantially continuously under the control of an externally supplied oscillator (9) of the first application circuit, The received information is received by the DAB receiver (4) and supplied to the memory (12) of the second application circuit (11) under the control of the internal supply oscillator (13) of the second application circuit (11). , The two externally and internally supplied oscillators (9, 13) operate at the same or substantially the same frequency as one another, and the receiving computer (2) operates in the memory (12) of the second application circuit (11). ) Intermittently retrieve information from Lies in the fact was Unishi. The invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the method.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting wireless data. In particular, the invention relates to data transmission by digital broadcast transmission.

(Background Art) The present invention relates to an international standard DAB (Digital Audio Broadcas).
t: one or more other computers, with the assistance of one wireless transmitter and one or more receivers, so that data can be transmitted by applications using devices manufactured in accordance with Digital Sound Broadcasting. The present invention mainly relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting data to a computer.

The international standard DAB is prETS 300 401 Radio Broadcasting Systems; Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) To Mobile, Portable and Fixed Receivers,
February, 1997 (prETS 300 401 radio Broadcas
Ting Systems; Digital Audio Broadcas
ting (DAB) to mobile, portable and fi
xed receivers, February, 1997). However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned standards, and can equally well be applied to digital wireless transmission according to some other standard.

[0004] Frequencies are currently assigned to national DAB transmissions throughout Europe. The frequency space mainly used is the TV channel of the VHF band 111. Each DAB channel can transmit roughly 2.304 Mbit / s. This corresponds to, for example, five or six high-quality stereo programs.

[0005] The modulation and signal processing techniques selected according to the DAB standard are COFDM (Co
dedo Orthogonal Frequency Division Mu
ltplex: Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), whereby all transmitters in a network spanning the area can transmit the same signal at the same frequency without causing interference problems due to mutual channel interference.

According to the DAB standard, a bit stream of a DAB signal is transmitted in a frame having a general duration of 96 ms. Each frame has three channels,
That is, the data from the main service channel MSC, the rapid information channel FIC, and the synchronization channel are combined.

[0007] The main service channel MSC may include both an ISO / MPEG audio signal, which is service information in a packet mode or a stream mode, and a general data transmission. The so-called multiplex controller determines how the various information elements should be combined. This control information is stored separately in the quick information channel FI
Sent by C. The mutual division between the information elements can be dynamically controlled according to requirements. The information channel FIC also discloses how the data of the main service channel should be interpreted at each instant.

[0008] The entire main service channel MSC provides a net bit rate of 1.2 Mbit / s to 1.5 Mbit / s which can in principle be used for data transmission. The DAB standard is primarily intended to allow transmission of six to seven high quality stereo radio programs on each DAB channel of about 2 Mhz, but digitizes the distribution of content on DAB channels called ensembles. And can be dynamically allocated and used for purposes other than transmitting compressed audio channels. The DAB standard also has limited transmission requirements, in the simplest case in the form of packet-switched data volume, or maximum data rates up to 2 Mbit / s when the entire ensemble is processed for data transmission in stream mode. , Provide space for data transmission on most or a small portion of the DSB channel.

According to the above, a DSB system should be able to transmit digital data from one computer to one or more computers at speeds up to 1.5 Mbit / s. However, one important problem in this regard is that computers with a standardized PCI bus are generally designed to process the PCI bus in bursts, so that the DAB data is more or less continuous. It is not designed to receive streams.

The present invention solves this problem and enables data transfer between computers with the aid of a DAB system. Currently, many computers are connected to a cable or tell network for the exchange of information between different computers. When several computers are to receive certain information from one computer, this latter computer must be connected to each of the other computers in the order in which they are ordered. This is both time consuming and costly.

With the assistance of the present invention, the cost of transmitting information propagated by broadcast waves is greatly reduced, and information can reach multiple receivers simultaneously. One use case is in sending price information from wholesalers in their daily transactions to all retailers belonging to the wholesalers. By using broadcast-bound information transmission, all price information can be sent to all retail outlets at the same time and very quickly. Another obvious use is in the distribution of news and advertisements, namely newspapers.

If the receiver does not need to be fixed, but can be mobile, it offers another important advantage. One example in this regard is in rescue services and police services for specific interests. Information about rescue, emergency, or police services
Can be sent to transfer units ie ambulance and police cars. The transmission of this information facilitates the coordination of rescue operations and police officers on a comprehensive scale, thanks to all interested parties receiving updates at the same time. However, the invention is not limited to any particular application and can be used in any situation where information is to be transmitted between computers.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0013] The present invention therefore provides a method for transmitting data between one computer and one or more other computers with the aid of a DAB system or equivalent system for wireless transmission of digital data. Wireless transmission method, wherein the transmitting computer is a DA
In a method for wirelessly transmitting data connected to a B transmitter and a receiving computer connected to each DAB receiver, information intermittently output from the transmitting computer is transmitted between the transmitting computer and the DAB transmitter. Intermediately stored in a memory of a first application circuit during which information is output substantially continuously from the memory to the DAB transmitter under the control of an externally supplied oscillator of the first application circuit; Information is received by the DAB receiver and supplied to the memory of the second application circuit under the control of the internal supply oscillator of the second application circuit, wherein the two external and internal supply oscillators have the same or substantially the same frequency as each other. Operating at the same frequency, and wherein the receiving computer intermittently retrieves information from a memory of the second application circuit. It relates to a radio transmission method of data.

The invention also relates to a device having the main features as defined in claim 5. The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof and the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a transmitting side and a receiving side.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Data transmission between a computer 1 and one or more other computers 2 with the aid of a DAB system or equivalent for wireless transmission of digital data Is shown for wireless transmission. A system corresponding to such a DAB system may be a system for digital TV transmission. The transmitting computer 1 is connected to a known DAB transmitter 3 having a transmitting antenna 5. The receiving computers 2 are connected to respective known DAB receivers 4 having a receiving antenna 6.

The configuration of the present invention has a first application circuit 7 between the transmitting computer 1 and the DAB transmitter 3. The application circuit 7 intermediately stores information intermittently output from the transmission computer 1 to a memory 8 belonging to the application circuit. The memory 8 may be a RAM or a FIFO memory. The application circuit 7 also extracts information from the memory 8 and supplies the information to the DAB transmitter 3 substantially continuously under the control of the externally supplied oscillator 9 of the application circuit 7. An externally supplied oscillator 9 controls the external supply of information from the memory 8 to the DAB transmitter 3 via any suitable known type of externally supplied circuit 10.

The second application circuit 11 is provided between each DAB receiver 4 and the receiving computer 2. The second application circuit 11 stores the DAB in the storage device 12 of the second application circuit 11 under the control of the internal supply oscillator 13 of the second application circuit 11.
The information received by the receiver 4 is provided. Internal supply oscillator 13
Controls the internal supply of information from the DAB receiver 4 to the storage device 12 via an internal supply circuit 14 of any suitable known type. The storage device 12 may be a RAM or a FIFO memory.

The externally-supplied oscillator 9 and the internally-supplied oscillator 13 are designed to operate at the same frequency or substantially the same frequency according to the DAB standard. The receiving computer 2 intermittently extracts information from the memory 12 of the second application circuit 11.

In one preferred embodiment, the internal supply oscillator 13 of the second application circuit fixes the frequency of the internal supply oscillator 13 to a reference included in the received signal, thereby enabling the internal supply oscillator 13 of the first application circuit to operate. Synchronized with the externally supplied oscillator 9. This is D
A microprocessor 15 which detects the signal received by the AB receiver and decodes a predetermined part of the received signal which constitutes the above-mentioned criterion, and which thereby serves to activate the externally supplied oscillator 13, comprises a second microprocessor 15. This can be achieved by providing the application circuit 11.

In one preferred embodiment, microprocessor 15 is adapted to determine the portion of the received signal that includes data from the Fast Information Channel (FIC) of the DAB system. The microprocessor 15 also stores received data in the memory 12 of the application circuit.

In one embodiment, microprocessor 15 includes a standard PC 2 in memory 1
2 has software that organizes and stores received information in the memory 12 in a form that allows information to be extracted from the memory 2. Alternatively, this software can be installed on a personal computer PC. In one highly preferred embodiment, the micropressor 15 of the second application circuit 11 is associated with the receiving computer 2 and is capable of identifying information including identification of address information and possibly also authorization.

Thus, one or more of all computers connected to DAB receiver 4 can be addressed. This allows, for example, convenience goods wholesalers or distributors to send information about the prices of goods found at retailers across the country when the prices of the goods differ at different times in different parts of the country. Price information can be sent to retailers in different locations in the country.

Detecting authorization is accomplished by the microprocessor 15 simply programming the microprocessor 12 to provide the received information to the memory 12 if the received information includes an authorization code. The above authorization can be provided, for example, by providing a smart card connected to the microprocessor 15 and read by a card reader 16 having the above authorization code to a subscriber with a DAB receiver. In this regard, the microprocessor 15 compares the authorization code received by the DAB receiver with the authorization code entered by the smart card. For example, this embodiment can be used when the transmitted information includes various types of news. Only those subscribers who have paid the reservation fee and have obtained a smart card with a valid authorization code can receive this transmission.

Thus, the information to be transmitted is stored intermediately in the memory 8 of the first application circuit 7. The information to be transmitted is transmitted through the DAB system in a more or less continuous manner, whereas the information is transmitted intermittently from the transmitting computer 1 as described above. Therefore, this information is output from the memory 8 to the DAB transmitter under control of the externally supplied oscillator 9 substantially continuously. The transmission information is thus received in a substantially continuous manner by the DAB receiver and supplied to the memory 12 of the second application circuit 11 under the control of the internal supply oscillator 13. The receiving computer is then adapted to intermittently retrieve information from the memory 12 of the second application circuit 11.

The present invention is thus not configured to input and output data substantially continuously, but instead to a general personal computer PC configured to input and output information in bursts. Information can be transmitted between a standard computer such as a high speed and more or less continuous form via a DAB system or any equivalent system for wireless transmission of data.

Accordingly, the present invention solves the problems mentioned in the introduction to this specification. The first and second application circuits 7 and 11 have been described previously. These circuits may be physically separate units, or may include electronic cards that can be mounted on a PC or some other computer. Naturally, the invention is not only applicable to personal computers, but can also be applied to all types of computers.

Of course, the application circuit may be configured in various different ways to achieve the functions described above. The fact that the design of the configuration of this application circuit can vary variously means that
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, since modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the following claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless data transmission apparatus according to the present invention.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GE, GH, GM, GW, HU, ID, IL, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR , KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZW [Continued from summary] 2) Information is intermittently extracted. The invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the method.

Claims (8)

[Claims] A method for wirelessly transmitting data between one computer and one or more other computers with the aid of a DAB system or a system for wirelessly transmitting digital data equivalent thereto, comprising: Computer is DAB
In a method for wirelessly transmitting data connected to a transmitter and a receiving computer connected to each DAB receiver, information output intermittently from the transmitting computer (1) is transmitted to the transmitting computer (1) by the transmitting computer (1). Intermediately stored in the memory (8) of the first application circuit (7) between the DAB transmitter (3) and the information under the control of an externally supplied oscillator (9) of the first application circuit. It is output almost continuously from the memory (8) to the DAB transmitter (3), and the transmitted information is transmitted to the DAB receiver (4).
And supplied to the memory (12) of the second application circuit (11) under the control of the internal supply oscillator (13) of the second application circuit (11), and the two external and internal supply oscillators ( 9, 13) operate at the same or substantially the same frequency as each other, and the receiving computer (2) intermittently retrieves information from the memory (12) of the second application circuit (11). A method for wirelessly transmitting data. 2. The internal supply oscillator (13) of the second application circuit (11).
Is synchronized with the externally supplied oscillator (9) of the first application circuit (7) by fixing the frequency of the second internally supplied oscillator to the reference contained in the received signal. Item 7. A method for wirelessly transmitting data according to Item 1. 3. The second application circuit (11) determines a portion of a received signal including data from a rapid information channel (FIC) of the DAB system, and a memory (11) of the second application circuit (11). 3. The method of wirelessly transmitting data according to claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor configured to store the received data in the device. 4. The microprocessor (15) of the second application circuit (11).
4. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that it identifies information relating to the receiving computer (2) and also including address information and possibly also authorization. 5. A device for wirelessly transmitting data between one computer and one or more other computers with the aid of a DAB system or any other system for wireless digital transmission of data, the transmitting computer comprising: Is DAB
In a wireless data transmission device connected to a transmitter and a receiving computer connected to each DAB receiver, a transmitting computer (1) and the DAB are connected.
A first application circuit (7) is provided between the first application circuit (7) and the transmitter (3).
Intermediately stores information intermittently sent from the transmitting computer (1) in a memory (8) belonging to the first application circuit (7). Under the control of an oscillator (9), information is output almost continuously from said memory (8) to said DAB transmitter (3), between the DAB receiver (4) and the receiving computer (2) respectively. A second application circuit (11) for transmitting information received by the DAB receiver (4) to an internal supply oscillator (11) of the second application circuit (11); 13) to supply to the memory (12) of the second application circuit (11) under the control of the two externally and internally supplied oscillators (9,
13) operate at the same or substantially the same frequency as each other, and the receiving computer (2) intermittently retrieves information from the memory (12) of the second application circuit (11). A wireless data transmission device characterized by the above-mentioned. 6. The internally supplied oscillator (13) of the second application circuit (11).
Is synchronized with the externally supplied oscillator (9) of the first application circuit (7) by fixing the frequency of the second internally supplied oscillator (13) to a reference included in the received signal. The wireless data transmission apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: 7. The second application circuit (11) determines a portion of a received signal including data from a rapid information channel (FIC) of the DAB system and stores the data in a memory (11) of the second application circuit (11). 7. The wireless data transmission apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a microprocessor configured to store the received data in the wireless communication apparatus. 8. The microprocessor (15) of the second application circuit (11).
Device for wirelessly transmitting data according to claim 7, characterized in that it identifies information relating to the receiving computer (2) and including address information and possibly also authorization.