Method and apparatus for applying codes having pre-defined properties

• US 7,711,026 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Time Domain Corporation (Humatics Corporation)
• Inventors: Richards, James L., Fullerton, Larry W., Roberts, Mark D., Cowie, Ivan A., Pendergrass, Marcus H.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSE, YOUNG TOI
• Application Number:
  US11/902,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20080075153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 375/130, 375/138, 375/140, 375/141, 375/146, 375/147, 375/238, 375/260, 370/206, 370/208, 370/337, 370/338, 370/347, 708250-252, 708/422, 708/423, 708/426
• US Class Current: 375/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation

Abstract

A method for specifying pulse characteristics applies codes having pre-defined characteristics to a layout. The layout can be sequentially subdivided into at least first and second components that have the same or different sizes. The method applies a first code having first pre-defined properties to the first component and a second code having second pre-defined properties to the second component. The pre-defined properties may relate to the auto-correlation property, the cross-correlation property, and spectral properties, as examples. The codes can be used to specify subcomponents within a frame, and characteristic values (range-based, or discrete) within the subcomponents.

Claims

1. A method of coding signal characteristics of an Ultra Wideband (UWB) signal, comprising the steps of:

specifying the signal characteristics in accordance with a layout subdivided into at least a first component and a second component;

applying a first code having first pre-defined properties in relation to said first component; and

applying a second code having second pre-defined properties in relation to said second component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first component and said second component are any one of:

a same size;

or a different size, in relation to one another.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said layout is sequentially subdivided into at least the first component and the second component.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first component is subdivided into first subcomponents and said second component is subdivided into second subcomponents, wherein said first subcomponents and said second subcomponents are any one of:

a same size;

or a different size, in relation to one another.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said first pre-defined properties relate to one of an auto-correlation property of the UWB signal, a cross-correlation property of the UWB signal, and a spectral property of the UWB signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said second pre-defined properties relate to one of a different auto-correlation property of the UWB signal, a different cross-correlation property of the UWB signal, said spectral property of the UWB signal, and a different spectral property of the UWB signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first code specifies a partition within a value range layout, wherein said second code specifies a range value within said partition.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said partition is any one of:

a frame;

a subcomponent of a frame;

or any smaller component of a subcomponent of a frame.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said second code specifies one of a discrete value within said partition or said range value within said partition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first code specifying the signal characteristics is repeated until an event occurs, whereupon said second code specifying the signal characteristics is repeated.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said event is acquisition of the UWB signal.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a combination comprising said first code specifying the signal characteristics and said second code specifying the signal characteristics is repeated.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a signal characteristic is either a temporal characteristic or a non-temporal characteristic.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said non-temporal characteristic is one of an UWB signal amplitude, an UWB signal width, an UWB signal polarity, and an UWB signal type.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said UWB signal type indicates whether said UWB signal is one of:

a square wave pulse;

a sawtooth pulse;

a Haar wavelet pulse;

a Gaussian monopulse;

a doublet pulse;

a triplet pulse; and

a set of wavelets.

16. An Ultra Wideband (UWB) radio system comprising:

a UWB Transmitter;

a UWB Receiver; and

said UWB Transmitter and said UWB Receiver employ at least a first code and a second code, wherein said first code and said second code specify signal characteristics of an UWB signal in accordance with a layout subdivided into at least a first component and a second component, said first code having first pre-defined properties is applied to said first component, and said second code having second pre-defined properties is applied to said second component.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said first pre-defined properties relate to one of an auto-correlation property of the UWB signal, a cross-correlation property of the UWB signal, and a spectral property of the UWB signal.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said second pre-defined properties relate to one of a different auto-correlation property of the UWB signal, a different cross-correlation property of the UWB signal, said spectral property of the UWB signal, and a different spectral property of the UWB signal.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said first code specifying the signal characteristics is repeated until an event occurs, whereupon said second code specifying the signal characteristics is repeated.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said event is acquisition of said UWB signal.