Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for performing synchronization and DC-offset compensation in FM transmission systems significantly reduce the overhead associated with transmitting a conventional digital preamble at the start of each of a succession of transmitted digital data packets. According to exemplary embodiments, a multi-part digital preamble includes a short, substantially DC-free leading part followed by a code-protected synchronization part which is not necessarily substantially DC-free. The leading part provides for coarse DC offset estimation and synchronization, while the coded synchronization part carries timing and/or other useful information which can be unique for each packet. One or more substantially DC-free trailing parts follow the synchronization part, or are included in the synchronization part itself, and provide for fine tuning of the DC-offset estimate. Since the substantially DC-free leading and trailing parts are extremely short, and since the synchronization part carries useful information, the overhead associated with a preamble according to the invention is significantly reduced as compared to a conventional, entirely DC-free, preamble.
Abstract:
A system comprises a wireless master unit and one or more wireless slave units, each having a unique identifier. When a wireless slave unit is active, it is addressed by one of a limited number of temporary addresses. A PARK mode enables a wireless slave unit to be in an idle state during which its temporary address is deallocated, enabling that address to be assigned to another wireless slave unit. To page a parked slave, a paging beacon packet is broadcast to, and received by, each of the wireless slave units at fixed intervals during a master-to-slave time slot. Each wireless slave unit determines whether the received paging beacon packet includes its unique identifier. If so, the wireless slave unit retrieves a temporary address from the paging beacon packet. The wireless unit transmits a response to the wireless master unit during a subsequent slave-to-master time slot if the received paging beacon packet included the unique identifier belonging to the wireless slave unit. Parked wireless slave units are also assigned a unique response number by the master. The master broadcasts a polling beacon packet during a master-to-slave time slot. If the parked slave unit desires access to the channel, it transmits a response in an N:th slave-to-master time slot following the polling beacon packet where N is a function of the slave's unique response number.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for radio communications which uses frequency and time diversity oriented spread spectrum modulation includes adding an additional link depending on interference characteristics. A plurality of data packets may be communicated from a transmitter to a receiver where a first radio link is established by reserving a series of time slots. The radio link, for example, may be one out of every n time slots, where n>1. A second radio link may further be established on a different one out of every n time slots such that each of the plurality of data packets is transmitted over both the first and second radio links resulting in diversity such that the receiver receives each of the data packets twice. Each radio link uses a frequency hopping channel and for each data packet, transmission over the first link occurs on a different frequency than is used for transmission over the second link. The second link may be established in response to detection by the receiver of reception quality problems associated with the first link. Accordingly, the second link may be terminated in response to detection by the receiver of an absence of reception quality problems associated with the first link.
Abstract:
Transmission power in a frequency-hopping radio system that transmits packets from a sending radio unit to a receiving radio unit, wherein each packet includes an address designating the receiving radio unit, is controlled by measuring received signal strength of packets whose addresses were successfully received in the receiving radio unit, regardless of whether other portions of the respective packets were successfully received. An average signal strength value is generated from the received signal strength measurements. The mathematical difference between the average signal strength value and a target value associated with the receiving radio unit is then determined and used as a basis for deciding whether to send a power control message from the receiving radio unit to the sending radio unit. In order to provide a hysteresis in the power control process, a power control message is sent from the receiving radio unit to the sending radio unit if the mathematical difference is greater than a first decision boundary, or if the mathematical difference is less than a second decision boundary. The power control message may itself include the mathematical difference which, when received by the sending radio unit, is used as a basis for determining a transmission power level adjustment amount. The target value, against which the average signal strength value is compared, may be based on the receiver sensitivity adjusted to account for implementation losses and other inaccuracies.
Abstract:
A system comprises a wireless master unit and one or more wireless slave units, each having a unique identifier. When a wireless slave unit is active, it is addressed by one of a limited number of temporary addresses. A PARK mode enables a wireless slave unit to be in an idle state during which its temporary address is deallocated, enabling that address to be assigned to another wireless slave unit. To page a parked slave, a paging beacon packet is broadcast to, and received by, each of the wireless slave units at fixed intervals during a master-to-slave time slot. Each wireless slave unit determines whether the received paging beacon packet includes its unique identifier. If so, the wireless slave unit retrieves a temporary address from the paging beacon packet. The wireless unit transmits a response to the wireless master unit during a subsequent slave-to-master time slot if the received paging beacon packet included the unique identifier belonging to the wireless slave unit. Parked wireless slave units are also assigned a unique response number by the master. The master broadcasts a polling beacon packet during a master-to-slave time slot. If the parked slave unit desires access to the channel, it transmits a response in an N:th slave-to-master time slot following the polling beacon packet where N is a function of the slave's unique response number.
Abstract:
An uncoordinated frequency hopping cellular system includes a mobile unit and a number of base stations. The mobile unit determines information pertaining to a set of base stations that are within a geographical region defined by a location of the mobile unit, and supplies, to at least one of the base stations in the set, the information pertaining to at least one other base station in the set. The information may include address information corresponding to the set of base stations, and may include clock offset information representing a difference between a clock value associated with at least one of the other base stations in the set. As different mobile units supply information to the base station, the base station accumulates information about other base stations in the system. The base station supplies this accumulated information to mobile units, so that they may readily have information (e.g. address and/or synchronisation information) for more readily establishing communication with base stations that they have not yet encountered.
Abstract:
A short-range radio transmitter of a communication device comprising a short-range radio and a long-range radio is controlled to delay packets which are scheduled to be transmitted at the same time as a long-range transmitter of the long-range radio commences or discontinues to transmit. A frequency synthesizer of the short-range radio is thereby not affected by a change in the power supply voltage which otherwise occurs at these moments due to transmission with high power by the long-range transmitter.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for performing synchronization and DC-offset compensation in FM transmission systems significantly reduce the overhead associated with transmitting a conventional digital preamble at the start of each of a succession of transmitted digital data packets. According to exemplary embodiments, a multi-part digital preamble includes a short, substantially DC-free leading part followed by a code-protected synchronization part which is not necessarily substantially DC-free. The leading part provides for coarse DC offset estimation and synchronization, while the coded synchronization part carries timing and/or other useful information which can be unique for each packet. One or more substantially DC-free trailing parts follow the synchronization part, or are included in the synchronization part itself, and provide for fine tuning of the DC-offset estimate. Since the substantially DC-free leading and trailing parts are extremely short, and since the synchronization part carries useful information, the overhead associated with a preamble according to the invention is significantly reduced as compared to a conventional, entirely DC-free, preamble.