An infrared communication system includes a plurality of infrared transceivers for receiving and transmitting infrared signals through the free air in which each transceiver includes: an omnidirectional infrared receiver for receiving infrared signals; an omnidirectional infrared transmitter for transmitting infrared signals; and a controller which determines the direction of arrival and the quality of the signals received by the infrared receiver, and controls the respective infrared transmitter in accordance therewith.

Infra-red communication system

A method and apparatus is provided of locating a portable remote station transceiving a diffuse infrared communicated signal within an enclosed area containing a plurality of stationary infrared transceivers interconnected with a central controller. The method includes the steps of detecting a particular transmission of the diffuse infrared communicated signal from the portable remote station within the enclosed area by the plurality of stationary transceivers and measuring a parametric value of the particular signal received by each stationary transceiver of the plurality of stationary transceivers. The method further includes the step of locating the portable remote station based upon differences in the parametric value measured at each stationary transceivers.

Method and apparatus for locating a transmitter of a diffuse infrared signal within an enclosed area

The present invention relates to an active reflector (10) for use in indoor wireless data communication systems comprising receiving means (11) for receiving signals from a first mobile terminal (13) and transmitting means (12) for transmitting the received signals to a second mobile terminal (14) in an omni-directional way, so that a direct communication with high data rates between mobile terminals in an indoor environment is enabled, whereby the active reflector is adapted to be mounted above the mobile terminals in the indoor environment to ensure essentially a line of sight connection between the active reflector and each mobile terminal. No cost-intensive baseband processing and/or broadband cabling infrastructure is necessary, so that a simple and cost-effective indoor communication is enabled.

Indoor wireless system using active reflector

A wireless diffuse infrared local area network communication system (10) is provided for enclosed areas. The communication system includes a controller (12) and a substantially omnidirectional infrared transceiver (16a) disposed on an inside wall of the enclosed area (11) operatively interconnected with the controller. The system further includes a remote station (14) and means, operatively connected to the remote station, for transceiving a communicated signal with the substantially omnidirectional infrared transceiver.

Wireless diffuse infrared lan system

Methods and systems are provided for performing protocol conversions in an environment including a work machine having one or more modules coupled to one or more data links. Such methods and systems may leverage one or more gateways to perform tunneling, translating, and bridging operations. Tunneling processes may include receiving a message from a source module in a first protocol, encapsulating the message within transmission units of a second protocol, and transmitting the encapsulated message via the second protocol. Translating processes may include receiving, by the gateway, a message in a first data link protocol including a parameter identifier. The gateway may match the parameter identifier with a parameter identifier included in a translation table and scale associated parameter data using a scale factor corresponding to a second data link protocol. The gateway may then provide the scaled parameter data to a module using the second data link protocol.

Systems and methods for performing protocol conversions in a machine

This invention removes the requirement of cable interconnections to local area network (LAN) nodes with wireless optical relay stations suitable for high data rates. Relay sections are equipped with IR transmitters, receivers and narrow beam optics. Manual beam alignment during the LAN installation is aided by a visible light beam of equal beam width and direction. Rotational freedom of the optical antenna systems provide precise aiming. Structure couplers extend, by low-power RF coupling through nonmetallic wall and ceilings, the wireless data transmission from a single room to rooms and building floors. Shielding and wall gaskets of the structure couplers eliminate RF radiation penetration and leakage, and therefore prevent eavesdropping and jamming.

Wireless indoor data relay system

This invention removes the requirement of cable interconnection for local area networks (LANs) by wireless relay stations suitable for very high data rates by operation at high carrier frequencies where signal reflection and absorbtion by walls is total or requires undesirable high omnidirectional RF power transmissions. The LAN can be deployed without special installation requirements when operated with indoor transponders (U.S.Pat.4,975,926). In the preferred embodiment relay stations communicate with IR light beams, and wall and ceiling propagation blockage is overcome by low power RF structure couplers.

Guenther Knapp

Papers

Wireless indoor data relay system

Wireless indoor data relay system