METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPULSE RADIO WAKEUP

• US 20100216523A1
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Leenaerts, Dominicus Martinues Wilhelmus, Drago, Salvatore, Breems, Lucien Johannes, Sebastiano, Fabio
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Communication networks are implemented using a variety of devices and methods. In a particular embodiment for use in a communication network having RF-communication devices that communicate using a RF protocol, an RF-communication device is implemented with an RF transceiver (110) to communicate over the network using the RF protocol and being controllable in a reduced power-consumption mode in which the RF transceiver does not communicate over the network. The device also includes an RF receiver (104, 106) including an envelope detector (104) and a pulse generator circuit (106). The envelope detector circuit (104) providing an envelope-based signal to a pulse generator circuit (106) that, in response to the envelope-based signal and after generating a number of pulses that exceeds a predetermined number of pulses, prompts the RF transceiver (110) to transition out of the reduced power-consumption mode.

Claims

1. A RF-communication device comprising:

a RF transceiver to communicate over a communication network using a RF protocol and being controllable in a reduced power-consumption mode in which the RF transceiver does not communicate over the network; and

a RF receiver including an envelope detector and a pulse generator circuit, the envelope detector circuit providing an envelope-based signal to a pulse generator circuit that, in response to the envelope-based signal and after generating a number of pulses that exceeds a predetermined number of pulses, prompts the RF transceiver to transition out of the reduced power-consumption mode.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the RF transceiver and the RF receiver use the same antenna.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the pulse generator circuit determines if a pulse is valid pulse by monitoring the duration of the pulse.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the pulse generator circuit includes a pulse counter that counts the generated pulses.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the RF receiver includes a timing circuit to record pulse timings of the generated pulses and to compare the recorded pulse timings to predetermined pulse timing for the RF-communication device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the predetermined pulse timing identifies the RF device and is one of a periodic repetition of a pulse, a pseudorandom time-hopping sequence and a deterministic time-hopping sequence.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the RF protocol, used by the RF transceiver is an impulse radio protocol.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the pulse generator circuit generates pulses by comparing the envelope-based signal to a threshold voltage.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the threshold voltage is a function of a maximum distance between communicating devices in the communications network.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is self-powered and includes a sensor that does not include monitoring of the communication network.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein both the transceiver and receiver are located on the same integrated-circuit die.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the transceiver and receiver do not use an oscillator that is external to the integrated-circuit die.

4. The device of claim I, wherein the envelope detector is a diode envelope detector.

14. A RF-communication device having a RF transceiver to communicate over communication network using a RF protocol and being controllable in a reduced power-consumption mode in which the RF transceiver does not communicate over the network and an RF receiver, the reduced power consumption mode for one of the RF communication devices comprising:

generating an envelope-based signal from an RF signal received by the RF receiver;

detecting a valid RF impulse signal, in response to the envelope-based signal; and

in response to detecting a valid RF impulse signal, prompting the RF transceiver to transition out of the reduced power-consumption mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of detecting a valid RF impulse signal includes a comparison of the envelope-based signal to a threshold voltage and minimum pulse duration.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of detecting a valid RF impulse signal includes a comparison of the envelope-based signal to a minimum pulse duration and to a threshold voltage that is determined as a function of a maximum allowable distance between communicating devices.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of detecting a valid RF impulse signal includes compare timings of received pulses to predetermined pulse timings for the RF-communication device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined pulse timings are one of a periodic repetition of a pulse, a pseudorandom time-hopping sequence and a deterministic time-hopping sequence.

19. (canceled)