Identifying devices with transpositional modulation

• US 9,883,375 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2017
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TM IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: TM IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Gerdes, Richard C., Hodges, Daniel L., McIntosh, Quinn Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): KASSA, ZEWDU A
• Application Number:
  US15/655,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20170325085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 194 Days
• Field of Search: 375259, 375295, 375316, 375219
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0012 arrangements for identifying the type of modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for transmitting, by a first device, a transmission signal that includes a carrier signal modulated with a TM signal. Receiving a response signal from a second device in response to the transmission signal. Determining, whether the response signal includes the TM signal.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

controlling a transmitter of a first device to transmit a transmission signal that includes a carrier signal modulated with a TM signal, wherein the TM signal is a carrier modulated signal that conveys information by altering a harmonic of the carrier signal and not directly altering an amplitude, a phase, or a frequency of the carrier signal;

receiving, from the receiver, a response signal from a second device in response to the transmission signal; and

determining, by the first device, whether the response signal includes the TM signal.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the second device is a TM capable device based on determining that the response signal includes the TM signal.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein determining whether the response signal includes transpositional modulation comprises mixing the response signal with a second harmonic of a carrier signal of the response signal to produce a mixed signal.

4. The medium of claim 3, wherein determining whether the response signal includes transpositional modulation comprises comparing the mixed signal to a third harmonic of the carrier signal of the response signal.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the transmission signal includes the carrier signal modulated with the TM signal and a non-TM modulation signal.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein determining whether the response signal includes transpositional modulation comprises performing a separation and extraction (SEPEX) process on the response signal to separate the transpositional modulation from other signals.

7. The medium of claim 1, wherein the transmission signal includes the carrier signal modulated with a first TM signal, and wherein determining whether the response includes transpositional modulation comprises determining whether the response signal includes a second, different TM signal.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise demodulating the second TM signal to retrieve information about the second device.

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the information includes information identifying the second device.

10. The medium of claim 8, wherein the information includes information identifying characteristics of the second device.

11. The medium of claim 1, wherein the transmission signal is a RADAR signal.

12. The medium of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise conducting communications with the second device using TM signals.

13. The medium of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise conducting communications with the second device using a combination of TM signals and non-TM signals.

14. A method for identifying transpositional modulation (TM) capable devices, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission signal from a first device, the transmission signal including a carrier signal modulated with a first transpositional modulation (TM) signal, wherein the TM signal is a carrier modulated signal that conveys information by altering a harmonic of the carrier signal and not directly altering an amplitude, a phase, or a frequency of the carrier signal;

identifying the first TM signal within the transmission signal; and

controlling a transmitter of a second device to send, to the first device, a response signal that includes data encoded within a second TM signal.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the response signal includes a non-TM modulation signal.

16. The medium of claim 14, wherein identifying the first TM signal within the transmission signal comprises performing a separation and extraction (SEPEX) process on the transmission signal to separate the transpositional modulation from other signals.

17. The medium of claim 14, wherein the data encoded within the second TM signal includes information about the communication device.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the information includes information identifying characteristics of the second device.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the second device is installed on a vehicle, and wherein the information includes information about the vehicle.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the information includes data from a data recorder installed on the vehicle.

21. The medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise conducting communications with the first device using TM signals.

22. The medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise conducting communications with the first device using a combination of TM signals and non-TM signals.