Wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications

• US 7,002,470 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MIMO Research, LLC
• Original Assignee: George J. Miao
• Inventors: Miao, George J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John
• Application Number:
  US10/837,809
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.22, 340/539.1, 340/552, 340/815.4, 342/463, 342/464
• US Class Current: 340/539.22
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71635 Transmitter aspects H04B1/7174 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71637 Receiver aspects H04B1/7183 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0618 Space-time coding

Abstract

This invention presents a wireless UWB-based space-time networks communication that is used to utilize a larger number of sensor nodes in commercial, potentially hostile, and militarily sensitive environments. The sensor networks communications contain N wireless UWB-based space-time sensor nodes, M sensor node forward stations and a sensor basestation. Each of wireless UWB-based space-time sensor nodes is to support data collection with a multimode sensing, signal processing and analysis, and transmission fashion by using an UWB pulse modulation with a multiple antenna. The sensor node forward stations have a dual-mode transmitting function based MIMO space-time and UWB approaches along with a spread spectrum technology. The sensor basestation also uses a space-time approach with MIMO sensor-antenna architecture. Thus, the wireless UWB-based sensor networks communications simultaneously exploit temporal and spatial diversity for sensor networks communications, thereby converting spatially distributed UWB-based sensor nodes into efficient, robust, reliable, and secure wireless sensor communications.

Claims

1. A wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks:

communications comprising;

N UWB transceiver-based sensor nodes;

M UWB and MIMO transceiver-based sensor node forward stations, where M is less than N;

a MIMO-based space-time sensor basestation transceiver with a multiple antenna;

said MIMO-based space-time sensor basestation transceiver with a multiple antenna coupled to a sensor network interface; and

said sensor network interface coupled to a sensor network.

2. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 1 wherein each of the N UWB transceiver-based sensor nodes includes a multimode sensor, an A/D converter, a signal processing, computing and control unit, an UWB-based space-time transceiver, a memory, a power unit, and a solar cell receiver.

3. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 2 wherein said multimode sensor is used to sensor any forms of input signals including electronic, optical, chemical, nuclear fusion, gas or liquid.

4. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 2 wherein the UWB-based space-time transceiver further comprises a convolution encoder coupled to an interleaver, a spreader, a sensor node ID code coupled to a pseudorandom sequence encryptor, and said spreader coupled to a space-time encoder followed by an UWB modulation and transmitter.

5. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 4 wherein the space-time encoder further includes a chip delay unit, two downsamplings, two space-time memory channels, two spreaders, and an orthogonal sequence generator.

6. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 5 wherein said orthogonal sequence generator produces all digital sequences with orthogonal each other.

7. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 4 wherein the UWB modulation and transmitter has two parallel branches connected with a digital pulse generator coupled to Q digital shaped pulses, where Q is an integer, each of said two parallel branches further includes an UWB pulse modulator coupled to a D/A converter that is connected with a reconstruct analog filter followed by a power amplifier (PA).

8. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 7 wherein each of said Q digital shaped pulses contains a unique shaped digital monocycle pulse that can meet any spectrum restrictions in the frequency-domain.

9. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 1 wherein each of the M UWB and MIMO transceiver-based sensor node forward stations comprises a UWB pulse receiver coupled to a space-time Rake receiver and a MIMO-channel estimator, said space-time Rake receiver coupled to a deinterleaver followed by a convolution decoder, and a pseudorandom sequence decryptor that is connected with a sensor node ID code bank coupled to said space-time Rake receiver.

10. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 9 wherein the UWB pulse receiver further includes two branches;

and each of said two branches comprising a LNA coupled to an anti-aliasing filter followed by an A/D converter.

11. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 9 wherein the space-time Rake receiver further includes two Rake receivers, two despreaders, two upsamplings, a chip delay, a sum, a pseudorandom despreader, a template pulse generator, Q digital standard pulses, and an orthogonal sequence generator.

12. The wireless UWB-based space-time sensor networks communications of claim 11 wherein said two Rake receivers, which are connected with said template pulse generator followed by said N digital standard pulses, coupled to said two despreaders that are connected with said orthogonal sequence generator coupled to said two upsamplings;

and one of said two upsamplings followed by said chip delay, and said chip delay and one of said two upsamplings coupled to said sum that is connected to said pseudorandom despreader.

13. A wireless sensor node comprising:

a multimode sensor;

an A/D converter;

a signal processing, computing and control unit;

an UWB-based space-time transceiver;

a memory;

a power unit;

a solar cell receiver; and

a multiple antenna array.

14. The wireless sensor node of claim 13 wherein said UWB-based space-time transceiver further includes a convolution encoder coupled to a block interleaver followed by a spreader, a sensor node ID code coupled to a pseudorandom sequence encryptor coupled to said spreader, and said spreader coupled to a space-time encoder that is connected with an UWB pulse modulation and transmitter.

15. The wireless sensor node of claim 14 wherein said UWB pulse modulation and transmitter further comprises two UWB pulse modulators coupled to two D/A converters, and said two D/A converters coupled to two reconstruct analog filters cascaded with two PA, and a digital pulse generator having Q digital shaped pulses coupled to said two UWB pulse modulators.

16. The wireless sensor node of claim 15 wherein each of said two UWB pulse modulators use one of modulations including PPM, time-hopping PPM, biphase BPM, HM, OOK, and chaotic PPM.

17. The wireless sensor node of claim 15 wherein each of said Q digital shaped pulses contains a unique and shaped digital monocycle pulse, wherein said unique and shaped digital monocycle pulse can meet any spectrum requirement in the frequency-domain.

18. The wireless sensor node of claim 13 wherein said UWB-based space-time transceiver transmits and receives a sequence of shaped monocycle pulses.

19. An article comprising a medium for storing programmable instructions that cause a processor-based system to:

start a clustering approach for wireless UWB-based space-time sensor nodes;

select each of sensor node forward stations as a cluster central-head; and

classify said wireless UWB-based space-time sensor nodes into each of cluster groups.

20. The article of claim 19 further storing programmable instructions that cause a processor-based system to select the wireless UWB-based space-time sensor nodes into said each of cluster groups based on signal strength.

21. The article of claim 19 further storing programmable instructions that cause a processor-based system to allow said each of sensor node forward stations broadcasts to all of the wireless UWB-based space-time sensor nodes within said each of cluster groups.

22. The article of claim 19 further storing programmable instructions that cause a processor-based system to allow said each of the wireless UWB-based space-time sensor nodes to send a response signal, sensor ID code, and sensing data to said each of sensor node forward stations within said each of cluster groups.

23. The article of claim 19 further storing programmable instructions that cause a processor-based system to start transmitting data from said each of sensor node forward stations within said each of cluster groups to a sensor basestation.