MULTIPLE PROTOCOL RECEIVER

• US 20130100867A1
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Picard, Gilles
• Granted Patent: US 9,197,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0012 arrangements for identifying the type of modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to methods and apparatus for providing a multi-protocol receiver for use in a radio frequency (RF) network. The receiver is designed to listen for multiple different packet preambles in parallel and, upon detection of a particular preamble, shift to demodulating the data portion of the packet using the single modulation technique associated with the particular preamble. Transmission of packets may be performed using a single radio frequency for all network devices or by frequency hopping techniques but using the same hopping pattern for all network devices. The receiver may be used with general communications networks or more specific applications, such as Smart Grid and AMI networks, and meshed networks of metrology devices.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a packet transmission from sources using different packet transmission protocols, comprising:

listening for a selected portion of multiple types of packet transmissions;

identifying occurrence of a selected portion of one of the multiple types of packet transmissions; and

demodulating the packet transmission based on the identified portion.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the selected portion is a synchronization header of a packet.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the selected portion is a preamble portion of a synchronization header of a packet.

4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising associating a predetermined modulation technique with the identified selected portion of the packet transmission.

5. A method for exchanging information in a network formed from multiple nodes, comprising:

transmitting a packet from a node using one of multiple packet protocols;

listening for a selected portion of the transmitted packet;

identifying occurrence of a selected portion of one of the multiple packet protocols within the transmitted packet; and

demodulating the packet based on the identified portion.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting a packet using a single radio frequency for each of the multiple packet protocols.

7. A method as in claim 6, further comprising listening for the selected portion of the transmitted packet with a narrow bandwidth receiver whose bandwidth is based on the widest bandwidth used by the multiple packet protocols.

8. A method as in claim 5, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting a packet using a frequency hopping system wherein the same frequency hopping pattern is used for each of the multiple packet protocols.

9. A method as in claim 5, wherein the selected portion is the synchronization header of the transmitted packet.

10. A method as in claim 5, wherein the selected portion is a preamble portion of the synchronization header of the transmitted packet.

11. A method as in claim 5, further comprising associating a predetermined modulation technique with the identified selected portion of the packet transmission.

12. A method as in claim 5, wherein at least some of said nodes are associated with metrology devices, and said network comprises a meshed network of metrology devices.

13. A packet receiver, comprising:

a radio frequency front end;

a baseband processor; and

a synchronization header detector,

wherein said synchronization header detector is configured to listen for multiple packet protocols and to identify occurrence of a selected portion of a packet transmitted under one of such multiple packet protocols; and

wherein said baseband processor is configured to process a received packet based on a single modulation technique at a time.

14. A receiver as in claim 13, wherein said radio frequency front end is configured to receive transmissions on a single frequency.

15. A receiver as in claim 13, wherein said radio frequency front end is a frequency hopping receiver.

16. A receiver as in claim 15, wherein said frequency hopping pattern is the same for each of such multiple packet protocols.

17. A receiver as in claim 13, wherein said baseband processor is configured to process with a modulation technique determined based on packet protocol identification performed by said synchronization header detector.

18. A receiver as in claim 13, wherein said baseband processor and said synchronization header detector comprise software running on a processor.

19. A receiver as in claim 13, wherein said synchronization header detector comprises part of said baseband processor.

20. A receiver as in claim 13, combined with a meshed network for metrology devices.