Receiver and transmitter receiver system

• US 9,450,628 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Hammerschmidt, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Vernal
• Application Number:
  US14/248,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20140219394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 340/12.22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1607 Supply circuits converters H02M; filters therefor H02M1/14; voltage stabilisers G05F1/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/02 Details ; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines systems for transmitting signals via power distribution lines H04B3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/028 Arrangements specific to the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0292 Arrangements specific to the receiver end

Abstract

A receiver for receiving messages from a transmitter includes a controller and a driver stage for providing a supply voltage to the transmitter based on a control signal. The controller is configured to provide the control signal to compensate for changes of the supply voltage caused by a modulation of the current consumption of the transmitter, such that the supply voltage remains in a predefined range. Furthermore, the controller is configured to evaluate a series of succeeding values of the control signal to derive a message generated by the transmitter by modulating its current consumption.

Claims

1. A receiver for receiving messages from a transmitter, the receiver comprising:

a controller; and

a driver stage for providing a supply voltage to the transmitter based on a control signal;

wherein the controller is further configured to measure the supply voltage and to evaluate a series of succeeding values of the control signal to derive at least one message generated by the transmitter by modulating its current consumption.

2. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide the control signal to compensate changes of the supply voltage caused by the modulation of the current consumption of the transmitter, such that the supply voltage remains in a predefined range when the receiver is ready to receive the at least one message.

3. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured such that different values of the control signal correspond to different values of the supply current of the transmitter;

and

wherein the controller is configured to map the series of succeeding values of the control signal to its corresponding values of the supply current of the transmitter to derive a series of succeeding values of the supply current of the transmitter representing the message generated by the transmitter.

4. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a lookup table or a nonlinear function, the lookup table comprising a plurality of table entry pairs, each table entry pair comprising a value of the control signal and its corresponding value of the supply current;

and wherein the controller is configured to map a value of the control signal to its associated value of the supply current in the lookup table, to derive the message generated by the transmitter.

5. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a model, the model comprising a filter that models a dynamic of the conversion of the control signals into the corresponding current values to derive the message.

6. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to provide the control signal such that during a current modulation cycle of the transmitter the supply voltage varies at maximum by 25%.

7. The receiver according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to interpret a rising or falling slope of the current consumption of the transmitter as an information unit of the at least one message generated by the transmitter.

8. The receiver according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to interpret a decrease or an increase in the current consumption of the transmitter as a falling slope or a rising slope of the current consumption if a difference between a value of the control signal before the decrease or increase of the current consumption and a value of the control signal for compensating the decrease or increase in current consumption is above a given threshold.

9. The receiver according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to interpret a comparatively high current consumption of the transmitter as a first information unit of the at least one message generated by the transmitter and a comparatively low current consumption of the transmitter as a second information unit of the message generated by the transmitter.

10. The receiver according to claim 9, wherein the comparatively high current consumption is at least 50% larger than the comparatively low current consumption.

11. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to interpret different levels of current consumption of the transmitter between a minimum and a maximum current consumption as different information units of the at least one message generated by the transmitter.

12. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a feedback analog-to-digital converter or a comparator configured to obtain a digital representation of the supply voltage provided by the driver stage;

and

wherein the controller is configured to evaluate the digital representation of the supply voltage to adjust the control signal.

13. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to provide the control signal as a digital control signal;

and

wherein the driver stage is configured to evaluate the digital control signal to provide the supply voltage based on the digital control signal.

14. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the driver stage comprises a voltage controlled current source or a current controlled current source configured to provide the supply voltage;

and

wherein the driver stage is configured to derive a control voltage or control current for controlling the voltage or current controlled current source based an the control signal.

15. The receiver according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to provide the control signal as digital control signal;

and

wherein the driver stage comprises a driver digital-to-analog converter configured to derive the control voltage or current for controlling the voltage or current controlled current source based on the digital control signal.

16. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the controller further comprises a digital model of the driver stage configured to estimate a supply current to the transmitter based on the control signal.

17. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the driver stage comprises a first transistor configured to provide the supply voltage at its drain terminal, wherein the driver stage is configured to vary a gate potential of the first transistor based on the control signal, such that the supply voltage is a function of a drain source current of the first transistor.

18. The receiver according to claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to provide, upon a detection of a decrease of the supply voltage caused by an increased current consumption of the transmitter, the control signal for varying the gate potential of the first transistor such that an absolute average value of a drain source current of the first transistor is increased by the driver stage;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to provide, upon a detection of an increase of the supply voltage caused by a decreased current consumption of the transmitter, the control signal for varying the gate potential of the first transistor such that an absolute average value of the drain source current of the first transistor is decreased by the driver stage.

19. The receiver according to claim 18, wherein the driver stage comprises a second transistor of a complementary type than the first transistor;

wherein a drain terminal of the second transistor is coupled to the drain terminal of the first transistor; and

wherein the driver stage is configured to vary the gate potential of the first transistor and a gate potential of the second transistor based an the control signal, such that the supply voltage is a function of drain source currents of the first transistor and the second transistor and a supply current for the transmitter.

20. The receiver according to claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to provide, upon a detection of a decrease of the supply voltage caused by an increased current consumption of the transmitter, the control signal for varying the gate potentials of the first transistor and the second transistor such that an absolute average value of the drain source current of the first transistor is increased and an absolute value of the drain source current of the second transistor is decreased by the driver stage;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to provide, upon a detection of an increase of the supply voltage caused by a decreased current consumption of the transmitter, the control signal for varying the gate potentials of the first transistor and the second transistor such that an absolute average value of the drain source current of the first transistor is decreased and an absolute value of the drain source current of the second transistor is increased by the driver stage.

21. The receiver according to claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to provide a first control signal for varying the gate potential of the first transistor and a second control signal for varying the gate potential of the second transistor.

22. The receiver according to claim 17, wherein the driver stage comprises a current steering DAC for charging and discharging a gate terminal of the first transistor based on the control signal.

23. The receiver according to claim 2, wherein the driver stage comprises a current mirror and a current steering DAC;

wherein the current steering DAC is configured to adjust a first output current from a first input terminal to a first output terminal of the current mirror, based an the control signal;

wherein the current mirror is configured to mirror the first output current, such that a second output current of the current mirror from a second input terminal to a second output terminal of the current mirror follows the first output current of the current mirror; and

wherein a supply current for the transmitter is based an the second output current of the current mirror.

24. The receiver according to claim 23, wherein the current steering DAC comprises a first current steering terminal coupled to the first output terminal of the current mirror, and configured to steer the first output current of the current mirror;

and

wherein the second output current of the current mirror is divided into a first component and a second component;

wherein the current steering DAC comprises a second current steering terminal being coupled to the second output terminal of the current mirror, for steering the supply voltage of the transmitter by sinking the first component of the second output current into the second current steering terminal;

wherein the driver stage is configured to provide the second component of the second output current as the supply current of the transmitter.

25. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein the second output current from the second output terminal of the current steering DAC is scaled by at least an additional current mirror before it is fed to the transmitter.

26. A transmitter receiver system, comprising:

a transmitter configured to generate a message for the receiver by modulating its current consumption; and

a receiver comprising;

a controller; and

a driver stage configured to provide a supply voltage to the transmitter based on a control signal;

wherein the controller is further configured to measure the supply voltage and to evaluate a series of succeeding values of the control signal to derive at least one message generated by the transmitter by modulating its current consumption.

27. The transmitter receiver system according to claim 26, wherein the controller is configured to provide the control signal to compensate for changes of the supply voltage caused by a modulation of the current consumption of the transmitter, such that the supply voltage remains in a predefined range when the transmitter is ready to transmit the at least one message.

28. The transmitter receiver system according to claim 27, further comprising a plurality of transmitters, wherein each transmitter is configured to generate at least one message for the receiver by modulating its current consumption;

wherein the driver stage of the receiver is configured to provide the supply voltage to each of the transmitters; and

wherein each transmitter is configured to generate at least one message by modulating its current consumption during a given time slot allotted to the respective transmitter.

29. The transmitter receiver system according to claim 27, wherein the transmitter is part of a sensor and wherein the at least one message generated by the transmitter comprises sensor data obtained by the sensor.

30. A method for receiving messages from a transmitter, the method comprising:

providing a supply voltage to the transmitter based on a control signal;

measuring the supply voltage; and

evaluating a series of succeeding values of the control signal to derive a message generated by the transmitter by modulating its current consumption.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

providing the control signal to compensate changes of the supply voltage caused by a modulation of the current consumption of the transmitter, such that the supply voltage remains in a predetermined range when receiving the messages.

32. A computer readable digital non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a computer program having a program code for performing, when running on a computer, a method according to claim 31.

33. A receiver for receiving messages from a transmitter, the receiver comprising:

a controller; and

a driver stage configured to provide a supply voltage to the transmitter based on a control signal;

wherein the controller is configured to measure the supply voltage and to provide the control signal to compensate for changes of the supply voltage caused by a modulation of the current consumption of the transmitter, such that the supply voltage remains in a predefined range when the receiver is ready to receive messages;

wherein the controller comprises a comparator configured to obtain a digital representation of the supply voltage provided by the driver stage;

wherein the controller is configured to evaluate the digital representation of the supply voltage to adjust the control signal; and

wherein the controller is configured to evaluate a series of succeeding values of the control signal using a digital model of the driver stage to estimate a supply current of the transmitter to derive a message generated by the transmitter by modulating its current consumption.

34. The receiver according to claim 33, wherein the controller is configured to interpret a rising or falling slope of the current consumption of the transmitter as an information unit of the message generated by the transmitter;

wherein the controller is configured to interpret a decrease or an increase in the current consumption of the transmitter as a falling slope or a rising slope of the current consumption if a difference between a value of the control signal before the decrease or increase of the current consumption and a value of the control signal for compensating the decrease or increase in current consumption is above a given threshold.

35. The receiver according to claim 34, wherein the driver stage comprises a current mirror and a current steering DAC;

wherein the current steering DAC is configured to adjust a first output current from a first input terminal to a first output terminal of the current mirror, based on the control signal.

36. The receiver according to claim 35, wherein the current mirror is configured to mirror the first output current, such that a second output current of the current mirror from a second input terminal to a second output terminal of the current mirror follows the first output current of the current mirror;

wherein a supply current for the transmitter is based on the second output current of the current mirror;

wherein the current steering DAC comprises a first current steering terminal being coupled to the first output terminal of the current mirror, for steering the first output current of the current mirror; and

wherein the second output current of the current mirror is divided into a first component and a second component;

wherein the current steering DAC comprises a second current steering terminal being coupled to the second output terminal of the current mirror, and is configured to steer the supply voltage of the transmitter by sinking the first component of the second output current into the second current steering terminal;

wherein driver stage is configured to provide the second component of the second output current is provided as the supply current of the transmitter;

wherein the controller is configured to provide upon a detection of a decrease of the supply voltage caused by an increased current consumption of the transmitter the control signal, such that the first output current of the current mirror is increased and the first component of the output current of the current mirror sinking into the second current steering terminal of the current steering DAC is decreased; and

wherein the controller is configured to provide, upon a detection of an increase of the supply voltage caused by a decreased current consumption of the transmitter, the control signal, such that the first output current of the current mirror is decreased and the first component of the output current of the current mirror sinking into the second current steering terminal of the current steering DAC is increased.