Method for transmitting data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10820070-B2
Application number	US-201816234907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Data are transmitted by radio between a terminal and a data collector. The data collector is intermittently or constantly in receive mode. The terminal attempts, from an idle phase, to set up a communication with the data collector in order to send all or some of the data to the data collector and/or to receive them from the data collector. Alternatively, the data collector attempts to set up a communication with the terminal in order to send all or some of the data to the terminal and/or to receive them from the terminal. The setup of the communication is followed by the terminal sending a message to the data collector and the data collector, after receiving the message, continuing, interrupting and/or terminating the transmission of the data during communication on a basis of the content of the message.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of transmitting data between a terminal and a data collector by radio, the method comprising:
operating the data collector intermittently or constantly in receive mode;
setting up with the terminal, from an idle phase, a communication with the data collector in order to send all or some of the data to the data collector and/or to receive data from the data collector; or
setting up with the data collector, a communication with the terminal in order to send all or some of the data to the terminal and/or to receive the data from the terminal; and
following the setting up of the communication, sending a message from the terminal to the data collector, and upon receiving the message by the data collector, the data collector selectively continuing, interrupting or terminating the transmission of the data during the communication based on a content of the message;
wherein the data are transmitted as data packets that each include multiple data blocks and/or data sub-blocks;
wherein the data are transmitted on a plurality of frequency channels using a frequency hopping method in which the data, data packets, data blocks and/or data sub-blocks are transmitted on multiple frequency channels;
wherein the message includes start/stop information in order to notify the data collector that the transmission of data is to continue, to interrupt and/or terminate; and
wherein the terminal is a consumption meter or a sensor.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sending out with the terminal a radio call at intervals of time from the idle phase and thereafter changing to receive mode for a prescribed time period to set up the communication with the data collector, and/or sending out with the data collector a radio call to set up the communication with the terminal, the terminal changing to receive mode at intervals of time from the idle phase in order to receive the radio call.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises, after the data collector has received the radio call of the terminal, sending the data and/or a confirmation signal for transmitting the data from the data collector to the terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises, when the data collector has received the radio call of the terminal, aborting with the data collector transmission of the data and/or sending from the data collector to the terminal a confirmation signal for aborting transmission of the data.

5. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sending the message at stipulated intervals of time.

6. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sending the message in each case before and/or after one or more data packets, data blocks, data sub-blocks and/or pilot sequences.

7. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises rating a transmission quality of the frequency channels by checking for hidden nodes, and interrupting or aborting the data transmission if hidden nodes are ascertained via the reception channel.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises generating the message on a basis of a transmission quality of a respective frequency channel.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the message comprises ACK/NACK information in order to notify the data collector and/or the terminal of which data blocks and/or data sub-blocks have been transmitted successfully.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises repeatedly transmitting from the data collector or the terminal send unsuccessfully transmitted data repeatedly until the data have been transmitted successfully.

11. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises providing a synchronization sequence for synchronizing a timing and/or a frequency of the terminal.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data blocks or the data sub-blocks or a stipulable number of data blocks or data sub-blocks have an associated pilot sequence.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal sends the message on a first frequency channel and thereafter is ready to receive on a second frequency channel in order to receive a possible transmission of the data by the data collector on the second frequency channel.

14. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises transmitting the data in a bidirectional data transmission.

15. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises transmitting the data in a narrowband transmission.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is a consumption meter selected from the group consisting of a water meter, a heat quantity meter, a gas meter and an electricity meter.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is one of a plurality of terminals and/or the data collector is one of a plurality of data collectors.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a data rate in an uplink is higher in comparison with a data rate in a downlink by at least a factor of 3.

19. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises selectively varying a data rate within a data block and/or within a data sub-block.

20. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises providing at least one transmission pause between respective dispatches of the data blocks and/or data sub-blocks, and proportioning a duration of the transmission pause to have a length that is at least as long as the respective data block and/or data sub-block.

21. The method according to claim 20 , which comprises, after receiving the message, slowing down or speeding up the transmission of the data with the data collector by selectively increasing or decreasing the duration of the transmission pause and/or by selectively decreasing or increasing a data rate.

22. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises following aborting and/or interrupting the data transmission with a stipulated period of time before fresh transmission and/or continuation of the transmission is effected.

23. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sending the message from the terminal in order to provide notification that the communication between the data collector and terminal is poor, damaged or less than optimum.

24. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises sending the message from the terminal in order to provide notification of the status of a power supply of the terminal.

25. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises rating the transmission quality of a respective frequency channel on a basis of a signal power and/or an average signal power and/or variation in the signal power on the respective frequency channel.

26. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises providing a synchronization sequence for synchronizing a timing and/or a frequency of the terminal; wherein the data blocks or the data sub-blocks or a stipulable number of data blocks or data sub-blocks have an associated pilot sequence that is part of the synchronization sequence.

27. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises transmitting the data in a narrowband transmission, wherein a reception bandwidth of a respective receiver is smaller than a value selected from the group consisting of 25 kHz, 20 kHz, 5 kHz, 3 kHz, and 2 kHz.

Assignees

• Diehl Metering Systems Gmbh

Inventors

• Petkov Hristo
• Lautenbacher Thomas
• Kauppert Thomas
• Mzyk Raphael

Classifications

• G01D4/004

  Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location · CPC title

• H04Q2209/826

  where the data is sent periodically · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title

• H04Q2209/60

  for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter · CPC title

• H04Q2209/883

  where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode · CPC title