Methods and apparatuses for reception of frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio transmissions

• US 8,842,712 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grid Insight Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gregory C. Hancock
• Inventors: Hancock, Gregory C.
• Primary Examiner(s): FILE, ERIN M
• Application Number:
  US13/425,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20120243576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 375/136
• US Class Current: 375/136
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7156 Arrangements for sequence synchronisation

Abstract

A frequency-agile radio receiver controlled by a radio controller hops through a plurality of radio frequencies where discrete frequency-hopping spread spectrum digital transmissions may exist, where the transmitter'"'"'s hopping sequence is not known, and where it is not necessary to receive every transmission of interest. The controller accumulates counters of the number of transmissions of interest it receives at each of a plurality of frequencies. It then creates a new frequency-hopping sequence consisting primarily of those frequencies whose received transmission counts exceed a certain threshold. The controller continues to tune the receiver in a hopping pattern, allocating more of the receiver'"'"'s time to those frequencies where more transmissions have been received in the past. Doing so improves the likelihood that transmissions of interest will be received in the future.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry; and

a radio receiver communicably coupled to the processing circuitry;

wherein the radio receiver is configured to;

tune to a frequency within a plurality of frequencies, and

provide indications of signals received on the frequency to processing circuitry;

and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to;

control the radio receiver to scan a plurality of radio frequencies to receive transmissions of interest,

determine a count value for each of the scanned frequencies based on a number of transmissions of interest received on each scanned frequency within the plurality of frequencies,

determine a frequency-hopping pattern based on the count value for each scanned frequency within the plurality of frequencies, and

control the radio receiver to scan select radio frequencies based on the frequency-hopping pattern.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the frequency-hopping pattern such that a time spent scanning a given frequency included within the select radio frequencies is related to the number of transmissions of interest received on the given frequency.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the frequency-hopping pattern such that a time spent scanning a given frequency included within the select radio frequencies is increased as the count value for the given frequency increases.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry configured to determine the frequency-hopping pattern includes being configured to determine the frequency-hopping pattern such that a given frequency is included in the frequency-hopping pattern in response to the count value for the given frequency exceeding a threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry configured to determine the frequency-hopping pattern includes being configured to determine the frequency-hopping pattern such that a given frequency is included in the frequency-hopping pattern in response to the count value for the given frequency being greater than a threshold percentage of the maximum count value for any scanned frequency.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio receiver is configured to receive a frequency-hopping spread spectrum signal that employs a frequency-hopping transmitting pattern that is unknown to the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of frequencies in a step-wise pattern across a section of radio frequency spectrum.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio receiver is a single-channel radio receiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control the single-channel radio receiver to scan the plurality of frequencies using an interlaced step-wise, random, or pseudo-random pattern across a section of radio frequency spectrum.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry configured to determine the count value for each of the scanned frequencies based on the number of transmissions of interest received on each scanned frequency within the plurality of frequencies includes being configured to determine each count value relative to a respective amount of time spent scanning the given frequency.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to modify the frequency-hopping pattern based on counts of transmissions of interest received on the select radio frequencies using the frequency-hopping pattern.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry configured to control the radio receiver includes being configured to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies to receive the transmissions of interest, wherein the transmissions of interest include indications of utility metering information.

13. A method comprising:

controlling, via processing circuitry, a radio receiver to scan a plurality of radio frequencies to receive transmissions of interest;

determining a count value for each of the scanned frequencies based on a number of transmissions of interest received on each scanned frequency within the plurality of frequencies;

determining a frequency-hopping pattern based on the count value for each scanned frequency within the plurality of frequencies; and

controlling the radio receiver to scan select radio frequencies based on the frequency-hopping pattern.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the frequency-hopping pattern includes determining the frequency-hopping pattern such that a time spent scanning a given frequency within the plurality of frequencies is related to the number of transmissions of interest received on the given frequency.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the frequency-hopping pattern includes determining the frequency-hopping pattern the frequency-hopping pattern such that a time spent scanning a given frequency is increased as the count value for the given frequency increases.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the frequency-hopping pattern includes determining the frequency-hopping pattern such that a given frequency is included in the frequency-hopping pattern in response to the count value for the given frequency exceeding a threshold.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the frequency-hopping pattern includes determining the frequency-hopping pattern such that a given frequency is included in the frequency-hopping pattern in response to the count value for the given frequency being greater than a threshold percentage of the maximum count value for any scanned frequency.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies includes controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies for the transmissions of interest as part of a frequency-hopping spread spectrum signal that employs a transmitted frequency-hopping pattern that is unknown to an apparatus performing the method.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies includes controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies in a step-wise pattern across a section of radio frequency spectrum.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies includes controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies using an interlaced step-wise, random, or pseudo-random pattern across a section of radio frequency spectrum.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the count value for each of the scanned frequencies includes determining each count value relative to a respective amount of time spent scanning the given frequency.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising modifying the frequency-hopping pattern based on counts of transmissions of interest received on the select radio frequencies using the frequency-hopping pattern.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the radio receiver includes controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies to receive the transmissions of interest, wherein the transmissions of interest include indications of utility metering information.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the radio receiver is a single-channel radio receiver and wherein controlling the radio receiver to scan a plurality of radio frequencies to receive transmissions of interest includes controlling the single-channel radio receiver.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium having program code stored thereon, the program code being configured to, upon execution, cause an apparatus at least to:

control a radio receiver to scan a plurality of radio frequencies to receive transmissions of interest;

determine a count value for each of the scanned frequencies based on a number of transmissions of interest received on each scanned frequency within the plurality of frequencies;

determine a frequency-hopping pattern based on the count value for each scanned frequency within the plurality of frequencies; and

control the radio receiver to scan select radio frequencies based on the frequency-hopping pattern.

26. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern includes being configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern such that a time spent scanning a given frequency within the plurality of frequencies is related to the number of transmissions of interest received on the given frequency.

27. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern includes being configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern the frequency-hopping pattern such that a time spent scanning a given frequency is increased as the count value for the given frequency increases.

28. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern includes being configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern such that a given frequency is included in the frequency-hopping pattern in response to the count value for the given frequency exceeding a threshold.

29. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern includes being configured to cause the apparatus to determine the frequency-hopping pattern such that a given frequency is included in the frequency-hopping pattern in response to the count value for the given frequency being greater than a threshold percentage of the maximum count value for any scanned frequency.

30. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies includes being configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies for the transmissions of interest as part of a frequency-hopping spread spectrum signal that employs a transmitted frequency-hopping pattern that is unknown to the apparatus.

31. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies includes controlling the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies in a step-wise pattern across a section of radio frequency spectrum.

32. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies includes being configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies using an interlaced step-wise, random, or pseudo-random pattern across a section of radio frequency spectrum.

33. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to determine the count value for each of the scanned frequencies includes being configured to determine each count value relative to a respective amount of time spent scanning the given frequency.

34. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code is further configured to cause the apparatus to modify the frequency-hopping pattern based on counts of transmissions of interest received on the select radio frequencies using the frequency-hopping pattern.

35. The medium of claim 25, wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver includes being configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver to scan the plurality of radio frequencies to receive the transmissions of interest, wherein the transmissions of interest include indications of utility metering information.

36. The medium of claim 25, wherein the radio receiver is a single-channel radio receiver and wherein the program code configured to cause the apparatus to control the radio receiver to scan a plurality of radio frequencies to receive transmissions of interest includes being configured to cause the apparatus to control the single-channel radio receiver.

37. A method comprising:

identifying a set of predefined frequencies to be repeatedly scanned; and

controlling, via processing circuitry, a radio receiver to repeatedly scan each frequency within the set of predefined frequencies to receive transmissions of interest that include indications of utility meter readings.