RF sniffer module and method with a self-test circuit
First Claim
1. A sniffer circuit for detecting idle communication channels of a cellular network system, the circuit comprising:
- a switch selector for monitoring a particular channel, the switch selector receiving input signals from the cellular system;
a down converter coupled to the switch selector, the down converter converting the signal output from the switch selector to an intermediate frequency;
a signal strength circuit coupled to the down converter, the signal strength circuit converting the output of the down converter to a voltage proportional to energy of the output; and
a comparator circuit coupled to the signal strength circuit, the comparator circuit comparing the output of the signal strength circuit with a threshold value and outputting a detection signal if the voltage output of the signal strength circuit is greater than the threshold of the comparator circuit thus indicating that the particular channel being monitored is not idle;
a self-test circuit coupled to the input of the down converter through a switch to provide a signal for testing the operation of the sniffer circuit; and
a second sniffer circuit for detecting the presence of diagnostic signals, the second circuit comprising;
a second down converter receiving diagnostic signals from the cellular system as an input signal and converting the input signal to an intermediate frequency,a second signal strength circuit coupled to the down converter, the signal strength circuit converting the output of the down converter to a voltage proportional to the energy of the output; and
a second comparator circuit coupled to the signal strength circuit, the comparator circuit comparing the output of the signal strength circuit with a threshold value and outputting a detection signal if the voltage output of the signal strength circuit is greater than the threshold of the comparator circuit thus indicating the presence of a diagnostic signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A RF sniffer module and method for detecting the availability of cellular communication channels for data transmission. The module monitors the channels used in a cellular communication network to determine when a particular channel is idle, meaning it is not being currently used for communication. The module communicates the status of the channel to an overlay system. Thus, the overlay system is informed that a particular channel is idle and thus can be used for data transmission or that the channel is not available and thus the overlay system can not use that channel without interfering with the operation of the cellular communication network.
69 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A sniffer circuit for detecting idle communication channels of a cellular network system, the circuit comprising:
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a switch selector for monitoring a particular channel, the switch selector receiving input signals from the cellular system; a down converter coupled to the switch selector, the down converter converting the signal output from the switch selector to an intermediate frequency; a signal strength circuit coupled to the down converter, the signal strength circuit converting the output of the down converter to a voltage proportional to energy of the output; and a comparator circuit coupled to the signal strength circuit, the comparator circuit comparing the output of the signal strength circuit with a threshold value and outputting a detection signal if the voltage output of the signal strength circuit is greater than the threshold of the comparator circuit thus indicating that the particular channel being monitored is not idle; a self-test circuit coupled to the input of the down converter through a switch to provide a signal for testing the operation of the sniffer circuit; and a second sniffer circuit for detecting the presence of diagnostic signals, the second circuit comprising; a second down converter receiving diagnostic signals from the cellular system as an input signal and converting the input signal to an intermediate frequency, a second signal strength circuit coupled to the down converter, the signal strength circuit converting the output of the down converter to a voltage proportional to the energy of the output; and a second comparator circuit coupled to the signal strength circuit, the comparator circuit comparing the output of the signal strength circuit with a threshold value and outputting a detection signal if the voltage output of the signal strength circuit is greater than the threshold of the comparator circuit thus indicating the presence of a diagnostic signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A voice and diagnostic signal detection circuit comprising:
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a first sniffer circuit for detecting voice signals on a communication channel of a cellular network circuit, the first sniffer circuit having a self test circuit for testing the operation of the first sniffer circuit; and a second sniffer circuit for detecting diagnostic signals on a communication channel of a cellular network circuit, the second sniffer circuit having a self test circuit for testing the operation of the second sniffer circuit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification