Receiver and method for the reception of a node by a receiver in a wireless network

• US 8,705,670 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ferchland, Tilo, Jaehne, Rolf, Poegel, Frank, Sachse, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khanh C
• Application Number:
  US13/182,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20120039424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 375/316, 375/324, 375/340, 375/150, 375342-343, 375/355
• US Class Current: 375/343
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7073 Synchronisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/042 Detectors therefor, e.g. correlators, state machines digital correlators in general G06F17/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal; synchronizing the received RF signal with a preamble to determine a time base; determining a first energy value of the received RF signal by averaging received signal strength indication (RSSI) values of the received RF signal over a first period of time; determining a second energy value of the received RF signal over a second period of time; determining a difference value between the first energy value and the second energy value; comparing the difference value with a predetermined energy threshold value; determining a quality value of the received RF signal; comparing the quality value of the received RF signal with a predetermined quality threshold value; and, if the difference value exceeds the predetermined energy threshold value or the quality value is below the predetermined quality threshold value, then erasing the time base.

Claims

1. A method comprising, at a receiver:

receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal via an antenna;

synchronizing the received RF signal with a preamble to determine a time base providing a temporal reference for detecting data in the received RF signal;

determining a first energy value of the received RF signal by averaging received signal strength indication (RSSI) values of the received RF signal over a first period of time;

determining a second energy value of the received RF signal by averaging RSSI values of the received RF signal over a second period of time;

determining a difference value between the first energy value and the second energy value;

comparing the difference value with a predetermined energy threshold value;

determining a quality value of the received RF signal by correlating binary chips in the received RF signal with binary chips of a pseudonoise (PN) sequence;

comparing the quality value of the received RF signal with a predetermined quality threshold value; and

if the difference value exceeds the predetermined energy threshold value or the quality value is below the predetermined quality threshold value, then erasing the time base.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving another RF signal via the antenna; and

synchronizing the other received RF signal with another preamble to determine another time base providing a temporal reference for detecting data in the other received RF signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the difference value is determined by subtracting the first energy value from the second energy value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy threshold value is determined by using previous values for the first and second energy values of the received RF signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality threshold value is determined using previous values for the quality value of the received RF signal.

6. A device comprising:

an antenna; and

a receiver coupled to the antenna, the receiver being configured to;

receive a radio frequency (RF) signal via the antenna;

synchronize the received RF signal with a preamble to determine a time base providing a temporal reference for detecting data in the received RF signal;

determine a first energy value of the received RF signal by averaging received signal strength indication (RSSI) values of the received RF signal over a first period of time;

determine a second energy value of the received RF signal by averaging RSSI values of the received RF signal over a second period of time;

determine a difference value between the first energy value and the second energy value;

compare the difference value with a predetermined energy threshold value;

determine a quality value of the received RF signal by correlating binary chips in the received RF signal with binary chips of a pseudonoise (PN) sequence;

compare the quality value of the received RF signal with a predetermined quality threshold value; and

if the difference value exceeds the predetermined energy threshold value or the quality value is below the predetermined quality threshold value, then erase the time base.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the receiver is further configured to:

receive another RF signal via the antenna; and

synchronize the other received RF signal with another preamble to determine another time base providing a temporal reference for detecting data in the other received RF signal.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the difference value is determined by subtracting the first energy value from the second energy value.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the energy threshold value is determined by using previous values for the first and second energy values of the received RF signal.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the quality threshold value is determined using previous values for the quality value of the received RF signal.

11. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic that is configured when executed to:

synchronize a radio frequency (RF) signal received via an antenaa with a preamble to determine a time base providing a temporal reference for detecting data in the received RF signal;

determine a first energy value of the received RF signal by averaging received signal strength indication (RSSI) values of the received RF signal over a first period of time;

determine a second energy value of the received RF signal by averaging RSSI values of the received RF signal over a second period of time;

determine a difference value between the first energy value and the second energy value;

compare the difference value with a predetermined energy threshold value;

determine a quality value of the received RF signal by correlating binary chips in the received RF signal with binary chips of a pseudonoise (PN) sequence;

compare the quality value of the received RF signal with a predetermined quality threshold value; and

if the difference value exceeds the predetermined energy threshold value or the quality value is below the predetermined quality threshold value, then erase the time base.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the logic is further configured to:

receive another RF signal via the antenna; and

synchronize the other received RF signal with another preamble to determine another time base providing a temporal reference for detecting data in the other received RF signal.

13. The media of claim 11, wherein the difference value is determined by subtracting the first energy value from the second energy value.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein the energy threshold value is determined by using previous values for the first and second energy values of the received RF signal.

15. The media of claim 11, wherein the quality threshold value is determined using previous values for the quality value of the received RF signal.