Multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communications

• US 7,091,854 B1
• Filed: 04/09/2004
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MIMO Research, LLC
• Original Assignee: George J. Miao
• Inventors: Miao, George J.
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V.
• Application Number:
  US10/822,252
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.26, 340/539.29, 340/521, 340/3.1, 340/506, 340/825.36, 340/870.01, 340/10.33, 340/7.32, 340/531, 340/511, 701/117, 701/29, 701/213, 701/14
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

This invention presents a MIMO wireless sensor networks communication, which is expected to utilize a larger of size sensor nodes in commercial environments, potentially hostile and militarily sensitive environments. Every sensor node of the MIMO sensor networks communication is to support data collection, signal processing and analysis, and transmission fashion. The present invention also develops novel approaches of advanced space-time processing with the MIMO sensor-antenna architecture, spread spectrum, and adaptive communication signal processing that simultaneously exploit temporal and spatial diversity for seamless sensor networks communications, thereby converting spatially distributed sensor nodes into efficient, robust, reliable, and secure wireless sensor networks communications.

Claims

1. A multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system comprising:

N wireless sensor node and transceiver systems, where N is an integer greater than one;

each of the wireless sensor node and transceiver systems coupled to M antennas, where M is an integer greater than one;

said each of the wireless sensor node and transceiver systems further includes a sensor array unit, an analog-to-digital converter unit, a signal processing and data computing unit, a multiple-input multiple-output space-time transceiver, a memory bank, a power unit, and a power generator;

a wireless multiple-input multiple-output space-time sensor basestation system coupled to a sensor network interface that is connected to a sensor network; and

said wireless multiple-input multiple-output space-time sensor basestation system coupled to P antennas, where P is an integer greater than one.

2. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 1 wherein said sensor array unit includes N sensors in parallel, where N is an integer greater than one.

3. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 2 wherein each of the N sensors in parallel is a multifunction sensor device that can be used to sensor different input signals.

4. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 1 wherein said multiple-input multiple-output space-time transceiver further comprises a sensoring data sequence stream, a forward error correction, interleaver and spreading, a space-time encoding, a modulation and radio frequency transmitter, and N antennas, where N is an integer greater than one.

5. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 4 wherein said forward error correction, interleaver and spreading further includes a convolution encoder, an interleaver, a pseudorandom spreader, a sensor node mask code, and a pseudorandom sequence generator.

6. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 4 wherein said space-time encoding further includes a counterclockwise multirate switch unit, K sensor channel memory banks, K spreaders, an orthogonal sequence generator, a dual-mode switch unit, a block sum, and a serial-to-parallel, where K is an integer greater than one.

7. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 6 wherein said counterclockwise multirate switch unit is an interleaver down-sampling operation to produce K parallel sequences of a length of L/K with a chip rate of M Mcps from a single input sequence of a length of L with a chip rate of KM Mcps, where K and L are integers greater than one.

8. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 6 wherein said dual-mode switch unit is used to form either multiple-input multiple-output or single-input multiple-output followed by the block sum and the serial-to-parallel.

9. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 6 wherein said orthogonal sequence generator produces all of the sequences with orthogonal each other.

10. The multiple-input multiple-output wireless sensor networks communication system of claim 6 wherein said each of K spreaders is an exclusive-OR (XOR) operation.

11. A multiple-input multiple-output space-time sensor basestation system comprising:

N antennas coupled to a demodulation and radio frequency receiver, where N is an integer greater than one;

the demodulation and radio frequency receiver coupled to a space-time processor and decoding, and a multiple-input multiple-output channel estimate;

the space-time processor and decoding coupled to a space-time Rake processor and the multiple-input multiple-output channel estimate;

the space-time Rake processor coupled to a deinterleaver and forward error correction decoding;

the multiple-input multiple-output channel estimate is connected to the space-time processor and decoding and the space-time Rake processor; and

a pseudorandom sequence generator coupled to the space-time Rake processor.

12. The multiple-input multiple-output space-time sensor basestation system of claim 11 wherein said space-time processor and decoding further includes a space-time matrix equalizer, K despreaders, K receiver channel memory banks, a clockwise multirate switch unit, and an orthogonal sequence generator, where K is an integer greater than one.

13. The multiple-input multiple-output space-time sensor basestation system of claim 12 wherein said space-time matrix equalizer is a space-time minimum mean square error (MMSE) equalizer.

14. The multiple-input multiple-output space-time sensor basestation system of claim 12 wherein said clockwise multirate switch unit is a deinterleaver up-sampling operation to form a single sequence of a length of L with KM Mcps from K parallel sequences of a length of L/K with M Mcps, where L and K are integers greater than one.

15. A wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system comprising:

a sensor array unit coupled to an analog-to-digital converter unit;

the analog-to-digital converter unit coupled to a signal processing and data computing unit;

the signal processing and data computing unit coupled to a multiple-input multiple-output space-time transceiver that is connected to N antennas, where N is an integer greater than one;

a memory bank coupled to the analog-to-digital converter unit, the signal processing and data computing unit, and the multiple-input multiple-output space-time transceiver;

a power generator coupled to a power unit; and

the power unit coupled to the sensor array unit, the analog-to-digital converter unit, the signal processing and data computing unit, and the multiple-input multiple-output space-time transceiver.

16. The wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system of claim 15 wherein said power generator is one of type powers including sunlight solar cells, low-power DC source, or any combinations.

17. The wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system of claim 15 wherein said power unit has four operation modes including a full operation mode, a sleep mode, a wake-up mode, and a partial operation mode.

18. The wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system of claim 17 wherein said partial operation mode is used to operate anyone of units including the sensor array unit, the analog-to-digital converter unit, the signal processing and data computing unit, the memory bank, the multiple-input multiple-output space-time transceiver, or any combinations.

19. The wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system of claim 15 wherein said the analog-to-digital converter unit includes N analog-to-digital converters in parallel, where N is an integer greater than one.

20. The wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system of claim 19 wherein said N analog-to-digital converters in parallel can be operated in full or in partial.

21. The wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system of claim 15 wherein said sensor array unit contains N parallel sensors, where N is an integer greater than one.

22. The wireless multiple-input multiple-output sensor node and transceiver system of claim 21 wherein said N parallel sensors can be fully or partially operated.