Method and system for synchronizing geographically distributed RF sensors using a pair of RF triggering devices

• US 20070178842A1
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keysight Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ii, Mutsuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,460,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.110
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers

Abstract

RF sensors acquire and store RF data in memory. One RF sensor generates a trigger signal when the RF sensor detects a feature of interest in its acquired RF data. The detecting RF sensor wirelessly transmits the trigger signal to the non-detecting RF sensor. The non-detecting RF sensor reads the appropriate RF data from its memory in response to receipt of the trigger signal. The non-detecting RF sensor accesses the appropriate RF data using a time of day when the trigger signal is received and a predetermined time offset.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing two geographically distributed RF sensors using a pair of triggering devices, the method comprising:

acquiring and storing RF data;

detecting a feature of interest in the acquired RF data;

generating a trigger signal;

wirelessly transmitting the trigger signal;

wirelessly receiving the trigger signal; and

reading stored RF data based on a time offset associated with a time difference between generating the trigger signal and receiving the trigger signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modulating the trigger signal prior to wireless transmission; and

de-modulating the trigger signal prior to reading stored RF data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

generating a trigger signal comprises generating a trigger out signal;

wirelessly transmitting the trigger signal comprises wirelessly transmitting the trigger out signal; and

wirelessly receiving the trigger signal comprises wirelessly receiving the trigger out signal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating a trigger input signal in response to wirelessly receiving the trigger out signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the trigger input signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein reading stored RF data based on a time offset associated with a time difference between generating the trigger signal and receiving the trigger signal comprises reading stored RF data based on a time offset associated with a time difference between generating the trigger out signal and receiving the trigger input signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including a first code with the trigger signal prior to wirelessly transmitting the trigger signal; and

determining whether the first code matches a second code after wirelessly receiving the trigger signal and first code.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the time offset prior to acquiring the RF data.

9. An RF sensor, comprising:

an RF receiver section operable to receive a trigger signal;

a clock; and

an instrument section comprising a first memory operable to store acquired RF data and a processor operable to read RF data from the first memory using a predetermined time offset and a time of day generated by the clock.

10. The RF sensor of claim 9, further comprising an RF transmitter section.

11. The RF sensor of claim 9, further comprising an antenna operable to receive RF data.

12. The RF sensor of claim 9, wherein the predetermined time offset is stored in a second memory.

13. A system, comprising:

a first RF sensor operable to detect a feature of interest in acquired RF data and responsively generate and wirelessly transmit a trigger signal; and

a second RF sensor operable to wirelessly receive the trigger signal and responsively read RF data from a memory using a predetermined time offset and a time of day generated by a clock.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first RF sensor comprises:

an instrument section operable to detect the feature of interest and responsively generate the trigger signal; and

an RF transmitter section operable to wirelessly transmit the trigger signal.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second RF sensor comprises:

an RF receiver section operable to wirelessly receive the trigger signal; and

an instrument section operable to read RF data from the memory using a predetermined time offset and a time of day generated by the clock.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the RF transmitter section in the first RF sensor is also operable to generate a first code and wirelessly transmit the first code with the trigger signal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the RF receiver section in the second RF sensor is also operable to generate a second code and determine whether the first code matches the second code.