GB2356073A

GB2356073A - Portable data system

Info

Publication number: GB2356073A
Application number: GB9925898A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher John Vernall; Andrew Vernall; John Sawdon-Smith
Original assignee: Central Research Laboratories Ltd
Current assignee: Central Research Laboratories Ltd
Priority date: 1999-11-03
Filing date: 1999-11-03
Publication date: 2001-05-09
Also published as: JP2003513385A; WO2001033887A1; GB9925898D0; EP1226734A1

Abstract

A radio receiver having a body 10, substantially in the form of eg. a wristwatch, and bearing a liquid crystal display screen 20 and a loudspeaker 28, is operative to receive informational data signals from a radio transmitter and to display images on the screen 20 and provide sounds from the loudspeaker 28. The intensity of sound or display increases in sympathy with the received signal strength. A predetermined or user selectable threshold selects the range of operation. A store button 24 allows the user to store currently received data in a random access memory for later re-display or transfer to another unit. The receiver doubles as a transmitter to provide copies of stored information to another unit such as another receiver or a computer. Multi-channel operation is provided.

Description

2356073 PORTABLE DATA SYSTEM The present invention relates to portable

means for acquisition and use of informational data. The invention particularly relates such means whereby a user is able to acquire data using a receiving device attached to the user's body. The invention particularly relates to means whereby the provision of informational data is locallsed.

One area of provision of information to a non-fixed user is to be found in museums or art galleries where a local transmitter emits a low power signal for receipt by receivers in the vicinity of the transmitter. In this manner, a museum visitor can receive an audible commentary relating to the exhibit being viewed. Another area of use involves a visually impaired user being provided with audible geographical cues when in the vicinity of an appropriately sited transmitter, thus allowing the user to navigate or re-orientate. The present invention seeks to provide a greater richness, utility and flexibility to user-accessible information compared to these applications.

French patent application 004674 of 15th April 1996 shows a portable radio receiver where service data is extracted ftom the radio signal for user selectable display on a screen. Such data is provided in a non- localised manner, being disseminated over a wide area, and requires the active co-operation of the user. The present invention seeks to provide that a user requires no intervention whatsoever to acquire localised information.

French Patent application 0 15064 of 15th December 1992 shows a portable data monitor inclusive of bulky non-volatile memory. The data is nontransferable. The present invention seeks to provide means for acquisition, transfer and long term storage of informational data where no non-volatile memory is required in the receiver, thereby enhancing portability, both of the receiver and of the informational data.

When accessing localised informational data, the user has a problem knowing whether he -2is approaching, departing or proximate to the source. The present invention seeks to overcome these problems.

In the increasingly efficient use of staff in retail premises, there is an ever growing need for more and more information to be provided to a shopper with fewer and fewer staff present. The modem supermarket is a prime example, but many other examples are to be found. Even the layout of a store may be confusing. The present invention seeks to provide means whereby a shopper can be advised and guided in such circumstances.

In modem buildings, with their increasing dimensions, and in elevators or lifts, the individual may need advice as to his present location, the facilities available on a particular floor, and the individual's position on a particular floor. The present invention seeks to provide means whereby navigation in a strange environment is facilitated.

In the workplace, particular areas may have particular restrictions of which the individual must be advised. The advise may change from time to time. For example, a machine may not be functional, or the machine may have been repaired. A new machine may require new instructions the individual must follow. An area restricted because of peculiar hazard, or be off-limits to non permitted personnel. The present invention seeks to provide means whereby such information can readily be disseminated in the locations where it is required.

In the emergency services, firefighters and ambulance staff receive alarms and are required to take instant action. The provision of the necessary data to the staff is time costly and diverting. The present invention seeks to provide means whereby necessary data is delivered to the individual members of staff even as they begin to react.

In the retail and promotion of audio-visual products, it is advantageous for the potential customer to view or hear a sample of the promoted product. The present invention provides means for achieving this end.

According to a first aspect, the present invention consists in a radio message system wherein a radio receiver is operative to receive informational data from a transmitter, in the vicinity of said receiver, for use by a user, said system being characterised by said receiver being operative to present said informationvI data for use by said user dependently upon the received si gnal strength from said transmitter.

According to a second aspect, the present invention consists in a radio receiver for use in a radio message system wherein said radio receiver is operative to receive informational data from a transmitter, in the vicinity of said receiver, for use by a user, said receiver being characterised by being operative to present said informational data for use by said user dependently upon the received signal strength from said transmitter.

According to a third aspect, the present invention consists in a radio transmitter, for use in a message system wherein a radio receiver is operative to receive informational data said transmitter, when said receiver is in the vicinity of said transmitter, said transmitter being characterised for use in a system wherein said receiver is operative to present said informational data for use by said user dependently upon the received signal strength from said transmitter.

The various aspects of the and preferred embodiments of the invention also provide that the receiver can comprise a screen for display of informational data, that the intensity of display of informational data can be an increasing function of the received signal strength, that the receiver can display informational data if and only if the received signal strength is greater than a predetermined limit, that the informational data can include audio data which the receiver can -4provide as an audio output to a user, that the receiver is attachable to the body of a user, that at least the display can be mounted on the wrist of a user, that the receiver can be selectably operated to store informational data currently displayed., and that the receiver can be selectably operated to transfer stored informational data to another unit, which can be another, like receiver Or a computer.

The present invention is further described, by way of an example, by the following description, taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the receiver of the present invention as an example of the manner in which the physical realisation can be achieved.

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of the receiver of figure 1, together with an associated transmitter.

Figure 3 is a block diagram -of the radio frequency link shown in figure 2.

Figure 4 is a more detailed block diagram of the receiver radio frequency portion of the radio link, shown in figure 3, being part of the receiver shown in figures I and 2, illustrating how the receiver can download stored data to another unit.

and Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating how a simplified radio frequency portion from that shown in figure 4 can be used to download stored information into a computer.

Attention is drawn to Figure 1, showing physical realization of the basic receiving unit of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The unit comprises a body 10, constructed much after the style of a wrist watch, and housing the radio receiver (later described) and controls. The body 10 is held on a user's wrist by a strap 12. A liquid crystal display (LCD) screen mount 14 is mounted on the body 10 to rotate about an axis 16 as indicated by bidirectional rotary arrow 18. A liquid crystal display (LCD) -5screen 20 is held within the mount 14. The mount 14 can be adjusted about its axis 16 for convenience of viewing of the screen 20 by a user. - The body 10 further comprises a display 22, much after the style used in contemporary wrist watches., which can be used, to secondary purpose, as the display for a normal watch function, or to display frequencies (channels) being used by the receiver.

A store button 24 permits the receiver to store information, currently shown upon the screen 20, for later retrieval or later viewing. Control buttons 26, similar to those found on a co ntemporary wrist watch, control the activity of the receiver unit in a manner later to be describedFinally, a small loudspeaker 28, in the body 10, permits a user to hear received sounds.

The screen 20 can display alphanumeric characters, predetermined graphics, whole images, or any combination thereof. The screen 20 is shown as a liquid crystal display only by way of example, the present invention encompassing the use of any type of display device capable of use in the manner shown. The screen 20 is shown in a mount 14 only for preference, and could equally be provided in, for example, a pair of spectacles. Equally, the screen 20 could be monochrome of colour. The physical form of the receiver unit is only by way of example, and the present invention encompasses other manners of construction. For example, the loudspeaker 28 might be incorporated in the screen mount 14, the body 10 placed elsewhere on the user's being, the control buttons 24 26 placed on the screen mount 14, and so on.

Attention is next drawn to figure 2 showing the overall system, by way of a block diagram.

The system is divided into a transmitter 30 and a receiver 32, as indicated by broken line 34. The receiver 32 corresponds to the apparatus shown and described with reference to Figure 1.

The transmitter 30 comprises a display generator 36 which creates the image to be shown on the screen 20 of the receiver 32 and any sounds to be emitted by the loudspeaker 28. The -6output of the display generator 36, in the form of encoded signals for use by the receiver 32, is passed to the receiver 32 by a radio frequency link 38, whose more detailed description is given hereafter.

In the receiver 32, the radio frequency link 38 sends its signal to a receiver controller 40, which could be in the form of a pre-proarammed microprocessor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or in any other form, capable of performing the functions ascribed to the receiver controller 40. The receiver controller 40 decodes the encoded signals, received from the radio frequency link 38.

The control buttons 24 26 govern the mode of activity of the receiver controller 40 according to the wishes of the user. The receiver controller 40 has access to a Random Access Memory (RAM) 42 wherein currently displayed images may be stored, and wherefrom stored images may be retrieved. The receiver controller 40 sends command, control and data signals to a driver 44 which drives both the screen 20 and the loudspeaker 28.

Attention is drawn to Figure 3, showing, in more detail, a block diagram of the radio frequency link 38 of Figure 2.

A power module 46 accepts the encoded signals from the display generator 36 and modulates them onto a radio frequency carrier. The radio frequency carrier is boosted in power and provided to a transmission antenna 48. The transmission antenna 48 can be of any suitable form. For example, the transmission antenna 48 can be a local induction antenna ( a loop), a short wire, a directional structure, a resonant structure (for more efficiency), and so on according to the application and the wish of the designer.

The physical form of the transmitter 30 can take various styles. In the simplest form, the display generator 36 is a pr-programmed, locally or battery-powered small box, comprising a constantly re-cycling memory whose contents are continuously and repetitively provided for -7transmission. A more sophisticated forrn can modulate more than one radio frequency carrier, each carrier bearing separate information. The memory or memories can be pre-programmed from a computer, can be provided with data on a tape, disc or ROM (read-only-memory, or in any way whereby the informational data can enter for transmission. Where non-repetitive or up datable data is required, the transmitter 30 can be directly connected to a data source, such as a computer or telephone link, and in this manner a plurality of transmitters 30 can be run from one source, each transmitter 30 optionally having more than one channel. In this way, for example, current stock levels of an item can be relayed to a potential customer, The broken line 34 indicates a spatial separation between the transmission antenna 48 and a receiver antenna 50. The receiver antenna 50 receives the modulated radio frequency carrier from the transmission antenna 48 and provides it to a receiver radio module 52, part of whose function is to amplify the signal from the receiver antenna 50 (if necessary), to demodulate the signal from the receiver antenna 50, and pass the demodulated signal to the receiver controller 40.

The receiver antenna 50 is, for preference, integral with the apparatus of Figure 1, and can comprise a printed circuit structure within the body 10 or the mount 14, or a dedicated loop, dipole or monopole, Equally, the receiver antenna 50 can be made to extend into the strap 12. The present invention is not limited by the style of the receiver antenna 50, and simply requires that the receiver antenna 50 exists and functions as described.

Figure 4 shows a detailed block diagram of the receiver radio module 52 of figure 3. An amplifier-demodulator 54, as earlier described, provides, to the receiver controller 40, a demodulated version of the modulated signal received from the receiver antenna 50. A modulator-transmitter 56 can be selected to receive encoded signals from the receiver controller 40, modulate them onto a radio frequency carrier, boost the power of the now modulated radio -8frequency carrier, and provided the boosted signal to the receiver antenna 50 for transmission. The transmission can be to another receiver 32, placed in the vicinity of the first receiver 32, or to a computer 58, shown in Figure 5, where a receiver antenna 50 and an amplifier- demodulator 54 are simply provided as input to a port.

The amplifier-demodulator 54 can vary in its preferred embodiment dependently upon the type of service required of the system (Figure 2). Where transmitter 30 power is adequate, and ranges short, the amplifierdemodulator can comprises simple TRF (Tuned Radio Frequency) circuitry and a simple demodulator. Where signals are weak, either because transmitter 30 power is low or ranges are large, the amplifier- demodulator 54 can comprise anything up to the full complement of a sophisticated radio receiver. Equally, by use of the control buttons 26, the user, in those situations where more than one channel of informational data is provided, can tune the amplifier-demodulator 54 to select the desired channel. This latter feature could be of use, for example, where more than one level of information is present, or where a menu on a first channel points to selectable options on others.

The mode of operation of the invention will now be described.

A user, wearing the apparatus shown in Figure 1, and with the receiver 32 switched on, will move about in his or her environment. A transmitter 30 is placed by the provider of informational data in the vicinity of the place, goods or object about which informational data is to be provided. It is intended, for the sake of this example, that the spatial separation (34) over which the receiver 32 will receive and decode the signals from the transmitter 30 is of the order of a few metres. The invention is not restricted to this range, and encompasses higher power embodiments for use in applications where higher range is required, such as warning of toxic hazard areas, battlefield information, and so on. However, for this example, a simple tourist or retail situation is described.

As the user approaches the transmitter 30, the receiver 32 decodes the signal and the image and sounds, generated by the display generator 36, begin to appear on the screen 20 and to be heard from the loudspeaker 28, once a predetermined signal strength has been exceeded. The receiver 30 responds to the received signal strength from the transmitter 30 by inhibiting any data presentation until the signal is strong enough for reliable decoding, or according to a higher level set by the user via the control buttons 26, and, thereafter, presenting the data, either by sound or intensity of image on the screen, in sympathy with the received signal strength. In this manner, by selecting the predetermined signal strength, the user can negotiate an environment where a plurality of proximate receivers are situated, only one transmitter at a time being decoded. Equally, because the intensity of data provision depends upon received signal strength, the user can know whether he or she is approaching or departing from the transmitter 30 and the goods, place or object about which the informational data is provided. As the user departs, the display 20 intensity and the sound strength simply fade away until they disappear completely. The receiver 32 thus acts as a constantly self- updating mentor for the user, and can be used to locate objects, good or places of interest.

If, at any time, the user decides that informational data is worth keeping, the user simply depresses the store button 24. The receiver controller 40 responds by placing the currently provided data into the random access memory 42 for later retrieval. The user can, thereafter, by using the control buttons 26, re-display and re-hear the data, or can transfer the data to another unit 3, 58.

The user can transfer the data to another unit 32 58 by use of the control buttons 26. The receiver 32 is simply placed near to another unit 32 58, and the modulator-transmitter 52 activated and fed with a data signal, encoded by the receiver controller 40, representative of informational data stored in the random access memory 42. The another unit 32 58 simply _10decodes and displays the data being sent by the receiver 32, and can store that data if so desired.

The exact method of encoding and transmission of informational data is, for preference, using RS232 at around 12 Kilobits per second, frequency modulation, and a frequency or range of frequencies in one of the nonlicensed low power bands, such as 49 NIHZ or 1.6 N1HZ. This allows for narrow bandwidth, good signal-to-noise ratio, freedom from interfering sig a s, and _-n I ease of protocol handling. It is to be appreciated that the present invention is not limited thereby, and can encompass any signalling protocol, form of modulation, data transfer rate, bandwidth and frequency allocation.

Claims

1. A radio message system wherein a radio receiver is operative to receive informational data from a transmitter, in the vicinity of said receiver, for use by a user, said system being characterised by said receiver being operative to present said informational data for use by said user dependently upon the received signal strength from said transmitter.

2.- A system, according to claim 1, wherein said receiver comprises a screen for display of informational data, and wherein the intensity of display of informational data is an increasing function of said received signal strength.

3. A system, according to claim 1, wherein said receiver comprises a screen for display of informational data, and wherein said receiver displays informational data if and only if said received signal strength is greater than a predetermined limit.

4. A system, according to claim 2, wherein said receiver displays informational data if and only if said received signal strength is above a predetermined limit.

5. A system, according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4 wherein said informational data includes audio data, and wherein said receiver is operative to provide an audio output to a user.

6. A system, according to claim 1, claim 2. claim 3, claim 4 or claim 5 wherein said receiver is attachable to the body of a user.

7. A system, according to claim 6, wherein said receiver comprises at least said display for mounting on the wrist of a user.

8. A system, according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6 or claim 7 wherein said receiver is selectably operable to store informational data currently displayed.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein said receiver is selectably operable to transfer stored informational data to another unit.

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10. A system, according to claim 9, wherein said another unit is another, like receiver.

11. A system, according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein said another unit is a computer.

12. A radio receiver for use in a radio message system wherein said radio receiver is operative to receive informational data from a transmitter, in the vicinity of said receiver, for use by a user, said receiver being characterised by being operative to present said informational data for use by said user dependently upon the received signal strength from said transmitter.

13. A receiver, according to claim 12, comprising a screen for display of informational data, and wherein the intensity of display of informational data is an increasing function of said received signal strength.

14. A receiver, according to claim 12, comprising a screen for display of informational data, and operative to display informational data if and only if said received signal strength is greater than a predetermined limit.

15. A receiver, according to claim 13, operative to display informational data if and only if said received signal strength is above a predetermined limit.

16. A receiver, according to claim 12, claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15 wherein said informational data includes audio data, and wherein said receiver is operative to provide an audio output to a user.

17. A receiver, according to claim 12, claim 13. claim 14, claim 15 or claim 16, attachable to the body of a user.

18. A receiver, according to claim 6, wherein at least said display is mountable on the wrist of a user.

19. A receiver, according to claim 12, claim 13, claim 14, claim 15, claim 16, claim 17 or claim 18, selectably operable to store infon-national data currently displayed.

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20. A receiver, according to claim 19, selectably operable to transfer stored informational data to another unit.

21. A receiver, according to claim 20, for use where said another unit is another, like receiver.

22. A receiver, according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein said another unit is a computer.

23. A radio transmitter, for use in a message system wherein a radio receiver is operative to receive informational data said transmitter, when said receiver is in the vicinity of said transmitter, for use by a user: said transmitter being characterised for use in a system wherein said receiver is operative to present said informational data for use by said user dependently upon the received signal strength from said transmitter.

24. A transmitter, according to claim 23, for use in a system wherein said receiver comprises a screen for display of informational data, and wherein the intensity of display of informational data is an increasing function of said received signal strength.

25. A transmitter, according to claim 23, for use in a system wherein said receiver comprises a screen for display of informational data, and wherein said receiver displays informational data if and only if said received signal strength is greater than a predetermined limit.

26. A transmitter, according to claim 24, for use in a system wherein said receiver displays infon-national data if and only if said received signal strength is above a predetermined limit.

27. A transmitter, according to claim 23, claim 24, claim 25 or claim 26, operative to provide audio data in said informational data, for use in a system wherein said receiver is operative to provide an audio output to a user.

28. A system, substantially as described with reference to the appended drawings.

29. A receiver, substantially as described with reference to the appended drawings.

30. A transmitter, substantially as described with reference to the appended drawings.

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