Frequency hopping spread spectrum decoder

• US 6,816,538 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hodges, Eugene W., Shuey, Kenneth C., Mason, Robert T. Jr., Brian, Brent R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US10/183,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20040001531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 455/455, 455/464, 455/62, 455/161, 375/202, 375/133, 375/131, 375/136, 375/130, 375/138, 375/132, 375/137, 370/330
• US Class Current: 375/136
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7156 Arrangements for sequence synchronisation

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a frequency hopping spread spectrum transceiver. The transceiver includes a microcontroller; a transmitter having a voltage controlled oscillator, a direct digital synthesizer, and a power amplifier; and a receiver having an amplifier, a mixer, an IF amplifier, a demodulator, and a data slicer. When transmitting, the transmitter communicates a preamble over a predetermined number of preamble channels, and thereafter communicate groups of data bytes that each comprise a subset of the data message over a predetermined sequence of data channels. When receiving, the receiver investigates the predetermined number of preamble channels to search for the preamble and tests the received bits to insure that the preamble and a start frame delimiter have been properly received to synchronize the receiver with the transmitter.

Claims

1. An asynchronous frequency hopping spread spectrum receiver, comprising:

an integrated circuit transceiver providing a PLL lock signal and a received signal strength indicator signal; and

a microcontroller that receives said PLL lock signal and said received signal strength indicator signal,

wherein said receiver scans a predetermined list of channels and said microcontroller converts said received signal strength indicator signal for each scanned channel to a digital value representative of said received signal strength indicator signal and stores each said digital value in a received signal strength indicator list,

wherein said microcontroller determines a subset of channels to scan for a preamble pattern, said subset of channels being determined from a predetermined number of highest digital values stored in said received signal strength indicator list,

wherein said subset of channels are sampled over a predetermined number bit times, and

wherein a correlation is performed on a sampled subset of channels to determine the presence of said preamble pattern.

2. The receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein said microcontroller rescans said predetermined list of channels a predetermined number of times.

3. The receiver as recited in claim 2, wherein said microcontroller determines said subset of channels from the highest digital values after completing said predetermined number of rescans.

4. The receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein a channel corresponding to a highest digital value contained in said subset of channels is scanned for said preamble pattern.

5. The receiver as recited in claim 4, wherein if said channel corresponding to said highest digital value does not contain said preamble pattern, a next channel corresponding to a next highest value in said subset of channels is scanned for said preamble pattern.

6. The receiver as recited in claim 5, wherein successive channels corresponding to successively next higher digital values are scanned until said preamble pattern is found.

7. A method of scanning for a preamble bit pattern in an asynchronous frequency hopping spread spectrum receiver, comprising:

scanning a predetermined list of channels;

converting a received signal strength indicator signal for each scanned channel to a digital value representative of said received signal strength indicator signal;

storing each said digital value in a received signal strength indicator list;

determining a subset of channels to scan for a preamble pattern, said subset of channels being determined from channels corresponding to a predetermined number of highest digital values stored in said received signal strength indicator list

sampling said subset of channels over a predetermined number bit times; and

correlating said sampled subset of channels to determine the presence of said preamble pattern.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising rescanning said predetermined list of channels a predetermined number of times.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising determining said subset of channels from the highest digital values after completing said predetermined number of rescans.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising scanning a channel corresponding to a highest digital value contained in said subset of channels for said preamble pattern.

11. The receiver as recited in claim 10, further comprising scanning a next channel corresponding to a next highest value in said subset of channels for said preamble pattern if said channel corresponding to said highest digital value does not contain said preamble pattern.

12. The receiver as recited in claim 11, further comprising successive channels corresponding to successively next higher digital values until said preamble pattern is found.

13. A process for scanning for a preamble bit pattern in an asynchronous frequency hopping spread spectrum receiver, comprising:

scanning a predetermined list of channels a plurality of times to determine a subset of channels having higher signal strengths relative to all channels in said predetermined list;

successively scanning each channel within said subset of channels for a preamble bit pattern beginning with a channel having the highest signal strength until said preamble pattern is found;

sampling said subset of channels over a predetermined number bit times; and

correlating said sample subset of channels determine the presence of said preamble pattern.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein said receiver provides a received signal strength indicator that is converted to a digital value to determine said signal strengths.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein said subset of channels includes at least three channels.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein said predetermined list of channels comprises at least 25 channels.