Microprocessor decoder frequency hopping spread spectrum communications receiver

• US 7,020,178 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• 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., Hemminger, Rodney C., Mason, Robert T. Jr., Brian, Brent R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean B.
• Application Number:
  US10/183,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20040001532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 375/132, 375/134, 375/136, 375/137, 375/370, 375/376, 370/431, 455/161.1, 455/161.2, 455/161.3, 455/455, 455/464, 714/704, 714/715
• US Class Current: 375/136
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7156 Arrangements for sequence synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/71563 Acquisition

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 sends a preamble that allows the receiving device to detect the signal and lock to it to receive the data. When receiving, the receiver first scans all channels and sorts them based on a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and then attempts to lock to the channel with the strongest RSSI value by first sampling the received signal to verify the preamble, then synchronizing to the bit edges of the received signal, then detecting the start of a Start Frame Delimiter (SFD), decoding bits to verify a valid SFD and then sampling data bits to receive the data.

Claims

1. In a frequency hopping spread spectrum receiver, a method of validating a transmitted signal, comprising:

scanning a predetermined list of channels comprising all channels on which a signal is transmitted;

checking a received signal strength indicator signal for each scanned channel;

detecting a carrier signal on a selected channel selected in accordance with said received signal strength indicator;

locking to said selected channel;

starting a timer;

recording samples on said selected channel for a predetermined period of time to obtain a predetermined number of samples; and

counting correlation errors between said predetermined number of samples and preamble patterns to determined a number of correlation errors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said received signal strength indicator signal further comprises:

converting said received signal strength indicator signal to a digital value representative of said received signal strength indicator signal; and

storing said digital value in a received signal strength indicator list.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting said carrier signal further comprises:

searching a list of stored digital values representative of the received signal strength indicator signal for each scanned channel;

determining the largest non-zero value in said list of stored digital values;

setting said selected channel to a first channel in accordance with said largest non-zero value; and

testing a PLL lock indicator until a lock is established.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if said number of correlation errors is within a predetermined tolerance; and

determining a time offset based on said counting correlation errors between said predetermined number of samples and said preamble patterns.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined period of time is 2 bit times and wherein said predetermined number of samples is 32.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said counting correlation errors between said predetermined number of samples and said preamble patterns comprises:

dividing said predetermined number of samples into two sets;

performing an exclusive OR operation on said two sets with said preamble patterns;

determining a number of ones as a result of the exclusive OR operation, said number of ones being indicative of a number of errors; and

determining the number of rotations needed to achieve the preamble pattern with the fewest errors, said rotations being generated by rotating 0xF00F.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

resampling said signal on said selected channel for said predetermined period of time to obtain a predetermined number of second samples; and

correlating said predetermined number of second samples with said predetermined number of samples to determine a second number of correlation errors.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting said timer to a down edge of bits within said samples; and

determining if a number of correlation errors is within a predetermined tolerance.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said recorded samples to obtain sampling each half bit of each bit received by the receiver;

voting the total number of samples to determine if each bit is a one or a zero; and

comparing the bits with a predetermined start frame delimiter pattern.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein each bit is Manchester Encoded.

11. 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 microcontroller converts said received signal strength indicator signal to a digital value representative of said received signal strength indicator signal and stores said digital value in a received signal strength indicator list,

wherein said microcontroller sets said receiver to a channel in accordance with a largest digital value in said received signal strength indicator list and tests said PLL lock signal until a lock is established, and

wherein said microcontroller samples a signal on said channel for a predetermined period of time to obtain a predetermined number of samples and correlates said predetermined number of samples with preamble patterns to determine a number of correlation errors.

12. The receiver as recited in claim 11, wherein said microcontroller resamples said signal on said channel for said predetermined period of time to obtain a predetermined number of second samples and correlates said predetermined number of second samples with said predetermined number of samples to determine a second number of correlation errors.

13. The receiver as recited in claim 12, wherein said microcontroller determines if said number of correlation errors is within a predetermined tolerance;

and determines a time offset based on said correlating of said predetermined number of second samples with said preamble patterns.

14. The receiver as recited in claim 11, wherein said microcontroller samples said channel for a start frame delimiter by sampling each half bit of each bit received by the receiver and voting the total number of samples to determine if each bit is a one or a zero, and then comparing the bits with a predetermined start frame delimiter pattern.

15. A method of synchronizing a frequency hopping spread spectrum receiver with a transmitter, comprising:

searching a predetermined list of channels comprising all channels on which a signal is transmitted for a channel having a valid preamble by;

receiving a received signal strength indicator signal for each channel searched

converting said received signal strength indicator signal to a digital value representative of said received signal strength indicator signal and

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

locking on to a first channel in accordance with said digital value;

starting a timer for a predetermined period of time;

sampling a signal on said first channel for ((a)) said predetermined period of time as measured by said timer to obtain a predetermined number of samples; and

correlating said predetermined number of samples with preamble patterns to determine a number of correlation errors.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining the largest non-zero value in said received signal strength indicator list;

setting said receiver to said first channel in accordance with said largest non-zero value; and

testing a PLL lock indicator until a lock is established.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

determining if said number of correlation errors is within a predetermined tolerance; and

determining a time offset based on said correlating of said predetermined number of samples with said preamble patterns.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising refining bit timing in order to determine center of a bit comprises:

adjusting said timer to a down edge of bits within said samples; and

determining if a number of correlation errors is within a predetermined tolerance.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said sampling for said predetermined period of time on said channel comprises:

sampling each half bit of each bit received by the receiver;

voting the total number of samples to determine if each bit is a one or a zero; and

comparing the bits with a predetermined start frame delimiter pattern.