System and devices using a preamble-based DSS communication link and spectrum-impact-smoothed channel sets implementing channel resynchronization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10251193-B2
Application number	US-201715612021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2017
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed herein are wireless devices operable at intermediate wireless at ranges of thousands of meters, utilizing packets that include a preamble and a data payload. Devices may be such things as keypads, door latches, occupancy monitors, sprinkler controllers and other devices needing a communications link. A digital spread-spectrum frequency hopping rotation is used, wherein packet transmissions rotate through frequency sequences. A spectrum-impact-smoothed channel set is fashioned using sequences that each specify a unique preamble frequency relative to the other sequences and channels. The set is traversed as packets are transmitted, thereby distributing the focused radio-frequency emission impact of packets having long preambles over time. Observance of a long- and short-period timer permits channel resynchronization between devices. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A pair of wireless communications devices operational at intermediate ranges, said devices utilizing a set of discrete radio frequencies upon which are organized a set of spectrum-impact-smoothed (SIS) channels each having a distinct digital spread spectrum frequency sequence, each SIS channel specifying a unique frequency to be used in the transmission of a packet preamble relative to all of the other SIS channels within the set, a first one of said devices being a source of streamed data and the second one being a receiver of streamed data, each of said devices comprising:
a transceiver functional for wireless communication using the frequency sequence of the spectrum-impact-smoothed channels;
and an electronic circuit implementing a state machine immutable to power-transient events;
wherein said state machine of each device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the functions of:
(a) configuring said transceiver of the particular device to transmit or receive a packet on a channel having distinct communication parameters,
(b) synchronizing with the other of said wireless devices on a first communications channel in the set of SIS channels, said synchronizing initiating a sequence of SIS channels beginning with the first communications channel,
(c) exchanging a packet with the other of said wireless devices using the first communications channel,
(d) repeatedly determining a next SIS channel to be used in the course of exchanging a packet with the other of said devices, said determining selecting a channel as directed or otherwise not yet used in the course of the sequence of SIS channels beginning with a first communications channel,
(e) repeatedly exchanging a packet with the other of said wireless devices using a determined next SIS channel;
wherein said state machine of said first device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the functions of:
(f) transmitting a packet to said second device containing an SIS channel directive from a current to a successive channel,
(g) after the transmission of a packet containing an SIS channel directive to a successive channel, receiving an acknowledgment from said second device, and
(h) after the receipt of an acknowledgment following the transmission of a packet containing an SIS channel directive to a successive channel, setting a current channel to the successive channel acknowledged by the second device; and
wherein said state machine of said second device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the functions of:
(i) receiving a packet from said first device containing an SIS channel directive to a successive channel, and
(j) after the reception of a packet containing an SIS channel directive to a successive channel, transmitting an acknowledgment to said first device, and
(k) after the reception of a packet containing an SIS channel directive to a successive channel, setting a current channel to the successive channel acknowledged by the first device.

2. The pair of devices as recited in claim 1 , wherein said state machine of said first device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the function of:
(l) on expiration of a short timeout period beginning with the transmission of a packet containing an SIS directive, reverting a current SIS channel to a previously used channel.

3. The pair of devices as recited in claim 2 , wherein said state machine of said first device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the functions of:
(m) transmitting a packet to said second device containing a directive to change a short timeout period, and
(n) following the transmission of a packet containing a directive to change a short timeout period, using the directed short timeout period for reversion to a previously used channel.

4. The pair of devices as recited in claim 2 , wherein said state machine of said second device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the functions of:
(m) receiving and interpreting a packet to said second device containing a directive to change a short timeout period, and
(n) following the reception of a packet containing a directive to change a short timeout period, using the directed short timeout period for reversion to a previously used channel.

5. The pair of devices as recited in claim 1 , wherein said state machine of said second device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the function of:
(l) on expiration of a short timeout period beginning with the reception of a packet containing an SIS directive, reverting a current SIS channel to a previously used channel.

6. The pair of devices as recited in claim 1 , wherein both of said devices function as a stream-transmitter and a stream-receiver in a bi-directional streaming link, and further wherein each device directs a current SIS channel for the stream originating from that device.

7. A wireless communications device operational at intermediate ranges, said device utilizing a set of discrete radio frequencies upon which are organized a set of spectrum-impact-smoothed (SIS) channels each having a distinct digital spread spectrum frequency sequence, each SIS channel specifying a unique frequency to be used in the transmission of a packet preamble relative to all of the other frequency sequences of the SIS channels within the set, said device comprising:
a transceiver functional for wireless communication using the frequency sequence of the spectrum-impact-smoothed channels with another wireless device; and
an electronic circuit implementing a state machine immutable to power-transient events;
wherein said state machine of said device is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the functions of:
(a) configuring said transceiver to transmit or receive a packet on a channel having distinct communication parameters,
(b) synchronizing with a stream-receiving device on a first communications channel in the set of SIS channels, said synchronizing initiating a sequence of SIS channels beginning with the first communications channel,
(c) exchanging a packet with the stream-receiving device synchronized on a first communications channel in a sequence of SIS channels,
(d) repeatedly determining a next SIS channel to be used in the course of exchanging a packet with another synchronized device, said determining selecting a channel not yet used in the course of the sequence of SIS channels beginning with a first communications channel,
(e) repeatedly exchanging a packet with the stream-receiving device using a determined next SIS channel,
(f) transmitting a packet to the stream-receiving device containing an SIS channel directive from a current to a successive channel,
(g) after the transmission of a packet containing an SIS channel directive to a successive channel, receiving an acknowledgment from the stream-receiving device, and
(h) after the receipt of an acknowledgment following the transmission of a packet containing an SIS channel directive to a successive channel, setting a current channel to the successive channel.

8. The device recited in claim 7 , wherein said state machine is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the function of:
(i) on expiration of a short timeout period beginning with the transmission of a packet containing an SIS directive, reverting a current SIS channel to a previously used channel.

9. The device recited in claim 8 , wherein said state machine is configured to sequence through a set of states to implement the functions of:
(j) transmitting a packet to the stream-receiving device containing a directive to change a short timeout period, a

Assignees

• Hall David R
• Boswell Craig
• Robinson Everett D
• Fox Joe
• Hall Labs Llc

Inventors

• Hall David R
• Boswell Craig
• Robinson Everett D
• Fox Joe

Classifications

• H04W72/23 Primary

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04W72/1289

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W72/14 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/70

  Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] · CPC title

• H04W28/18

  Negotiating wireless communication parameters · CPC title