초록 ▼

A system which can provide short-range wireless data communication between a base station and a portable low-power module. Each portable module has an identification field by which it can be addressed separately. The identification field (which is 64 bits long in the presently preferred embodiment)

A system which can provide short-range wireless data communication between a base station and a portable low-power module. Each portable module has an identification field by which it can be addressed separately. The identification field (which is 64 bits long in the presently preferred embodiment) can be parallel polled: By commanding all modules within range to respond, the base station can see the 64-bit identification fields combined in what is almost a “wired-OR”fashion. That is, if any one of the portable modules within range is pulsing (reporting a “1”bit) in a given time window, the base station will see a pulse; the base station will see the absence of a pulse only if all of the modules within range are reporting a “0”bit (not pulsing). This can be used, for example, to implement combinatorial logic functions on all (or some subfields of) the 64-bit identification field.

대표청구항 ▼

A wireless communication system, comprising: at least one base station, and a set of remote modules; wherein said base station includes a first RF transmitter capable of operation at a first frequency, and a second RF receiver capable of operation at a second frequency; and wherein each of said remo

A wireless communication system, comprising: at least one base station, and a set of remote modules; wherein said base station includes a first RF transmitter capable of operation at a first frequency, and a second RF receiver capable of operation at a second frequency; and wherein each of said remote modules includes a first RF receiver capable of operation at said first frequency, and a second RF transmitter capable of operation at said second frequency; and said first transmitter and said second receiver of said base station, and said second transmitter and said first receiver of said remote module, are connected so that said base station and said remote module can carry on data communications on said first and second frequencies, but only while in mutual proximity; wherein said base station can broadcast a polling command, over said first frequency, to ascertain what remote modules are in proximity at a given moment; whereupon, if a respective one of said modules happens to be in proximity to said base station and respective module will receive said poling command through said respective first receiver, and will respond to said polling command, throuyh said respective second transmitter thereof, with a response which includes an identification field; and wherein at least a portion of said identification field contains bit positions which are individually, and not combinatorially or numerically, assigned to correspond to respective subsets of said set of remote modules; and wherein said base station contains logic to decode response to said polling command, and to determine the presence of multiple ones of said subsets of said modules, if ones of said subsets simultaneously respond to said polling command.