Low power fast impulse radio synchronization

• US 7,756,230 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2005
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sandlinks Systems Ltd.
• Inventors: Kaplan, Gideon, Raphaeli, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu; Shuwang
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, KENNETH T
• Application Number:
  US11/568,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20090103671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,885 Days
• Field of Search: 375/354, 375/365, 375/364, 375/366
• US Class Current: 375/354
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7183 Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0079 Receiver details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/04 Speed or phase control by synchronisation signals H04L7/0075 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for synchronizing on a pulsed waveform sequence including pulsed waveforms. An impulse radio receiver is provided including a radio frequency (RF) front end connected to a demodulator, and the demodulator is connected to a processing unit. Power is provided to at least a portion of an RF component such as the RF front end and/or the demodulator, during time windows sufficient for testing an hypothesis regarding timing of the pulsed waveforms. The powering is controlled by the processing unit. Preferably, testing the hypothesis includes accumulating a signal of the pulsed waveforms, correlating with the pulsed waveforms, or accumulating the correlation result of the pulsed waveforms. Preferably, others functions of the receiver are powered or enabled subsequent to the testing. Preferably, the impulse radio receiver is an ultra-wide band receiver.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing on a pulsed waveform sequence including at least one pulsed waveform, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an impulse radio receiver including a radio frequency (RF) front end, said RF front end operatively connected to a demodulator, said demodulator operatively connected to a processing unit; and

(b) powering at least a portion of at least one RF component selected from a group consisting of said RF front end and said demodulator, solely during at least one time window sufficient for testing at least one hypothesis regarding timing of the at least one pulsed waveform;

wherein said powering is controlled by said processing unit; and

(c) scanning for and thereby acquiring the pulsed waveform sequence by said processing unit, wherein said acquiring is achieved with a non-negligible probability of a false alarm;

wherein said plurality of hypotheses are tested in parallel, whereby performance of said processing unit is maintained despite the non-negligible probability of a false alarm.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) testing said at least one hypothesis wherein said testing includes accumulating at least one signal of the at least one pulsed waveform.

3. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the step of

(d) testing said at least one hypothesis wherein said testing includes correlating with the at least one pulsed waveform.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) testing said at least one hypothesis wherein said testing includes;

(i) correlating with the at least one pulsed waveform, thereby obtaining a correlation result;

(ii) accumulating said correlation result of the at least one pulsed waveform.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) powering at least one other function of said receiver subsequent to said testing.

6. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said impulse radio receiver is an ultra-wide band receiver.

7. The method, according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pulsed waveform includes a series of pulses modulated by a binary sequence.

8. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said at least one hypothesis includes a plurality of hypotheses, and wherein said powering allows testing a plurality of hypotheses in parallel regarding timing of the pulsed waveform sequence.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pulsed waveform sequence includes a plurality of pulsed waveforms, wherein a time interval between consecutive said pulsed waveforms is uniform.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said scanning is performed every T1 seconds, wherein T1 is not an integral multiple of a time interval between consecutive said pulsed waveforms.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of

(d) storing state variables pertaining to the receiver;

(e) said powering down at least a portion of at least one component of the receiver;

(f) powering up and restoring said at least one component of the receiver;

whereby upon reading said state variables, said powering up and restoring is expedited.

12. The method, according to claim 11, wherein said restoring includes restoring an oscillator frequency.