Data receiver and method of identifying an operational state of a data transmitter by monitoring environment parameters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11456808-B2
Application number	US-202016861442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2020
Priority date	Apr 29, 2019
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

A data receiver receives at least one signal from a data transmitter and determines therefrom at least one environment parameter of the data transmitter or of an environment of the data transmitter. The data receiver is configured to identify an operational state of the data transmitter or of a component of the data transmitter by comparing the at least one environment parameter so received or an environment parameter profile determined on the basis of the at least one environment parameter, with an environment parameter reference profile which describes an expected environment parameter or an expected environment parameter profile in the environment of the data transmitter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A data receiver, comprising:
an input configured to receive at least one signal from a data transmitter and to obtain at least one environment parameter of the data transmitter or of an ambient environment of the data transmitter;
the data receiver being configured to identify an operational state of the data transmitter or of a component of the data transmitter on a basis of a comparison between:
the at least one environment parameter or an environment parameter profile determined on a basis of the at least one environment parameter received from the data transmitter; and
an environment parameter reference profile which describes an expected environment parameter or an expected environment parameter profile in the ambient environment of the data transmitter;
the at least one signal containing modulated primary information; and
the data receiver being configured to extract a signal parameter from the modulated primary information to obtain the at least one environment parameter as information additional to the modulated primary information;
the modulated primary information representing at least one of an ID of the data transmitter, a synchronization sequence, payload data or dummy data; and
the signal parameter being selected from at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of:
a receive carrier frequency,
a receive time,
a receive symbol rate,
a receive modulation index,
a Doppler frequency,
a signal-to-noise ratio,
a signal power,
a channel phase,
a channel attenuation,
a channel dispersion,
a polarization rotation, and
a change therein.

2. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the environment parameter profile is further based on at least one previously obtained environment parameter.

3. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one signal or a generation of the at least one signal is dependent on a clock signal of a clock generator of the data transmitter; and
the data receiver is configured to determine a signal parameter of the respective signal and to determine, on a basis of the signal parameter, the respective environment parameter to which a clock generator of the data transmitter or the respective signal is exposed.

4. The data receiver according to claim 3 , wherein:
the data receiver is configured to combine the at least one environment parameter extracted from the modulated primary information and the at least one environment parameter determined on the basis of the signal parameter in order to obtain at least one combined environment parameter; and
the data receiver is configured to identify an operational state of the data transmitter or of a component of the data transmitter on a basis of a comparison between:
the at least one combined environment parameter or an environment parameter profile determined on a basis of the at least one combined environment parameter; and
the environment parameter reference profile which describes the expected environment parameter or the expected environment parameter profile in the environment of the data transmitter.

5. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the environment parameter reference profile is determined in advance.

6. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data receiver is configured to adjust the environment parameter reference profile on a basis of previously obtained environment parameters.

7. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data receiver is configured to generate the environment parameter reference profile on a basis of obtained environment parameters of a different data transmitter or a group of different data transmitters.

8. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data receiver is configured to identify a defective operational state of the data transmitter or of a component of the data transmitter on the basis of the comparison.

9. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data receiver is configured to estimate a service life of a component of the data transmitter on the basis of the comparison.

10. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein:
the data receiver is further configured to determine at least one signal parameter of the at least one signal;
the data receiver is configured to identify an operational state of the data transmitter or of a component of the data transmitter on a basis of a comparison between:
the at least one determined signal parameter or a signal parameter profile determined on the basis of the at least one determined signal parameter; and
a signal parameter reference profile which describes an expected signal parameter or an expected signal parameter profile.

11. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the determined signal parameter profile is further based on at least one previously determined signal parameter.

12. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one signal or a generation of the at least one signal is dependent on a clock signal of a clock generator of the data transmitter;
the data receiver is configured to determine a signal parameter multiple times via the respective signal in order to determine a profile of the signal parameter, and to determine, on the basis of the determined profile of the signal parameter, the environment parameter profile to which the clock generator of the data transmitter or the respective signal is exposed; and
the data receiver is configured to identify an operational state of the data transmitter or of a component of the data transmitter on a basis of a comparison between:
the environment parameter profile; and
the environment parameter reference profile which describes an expected environment parameter profile during the transmission of the respective signal.

13. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the environment parameter reference profile takes into account delays in an impact of environment parameter changes on a clock generator.

14. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data receiver is configured to determine a signal parameter of the respective signal and to determine a component installed on the data transmitter on a basis of the signal parameter thus determined or a change in the signal parameter.

15. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one signal contains information relating to the component installed in the data transmitter in modulated primary information; and
the data receiver is configured to carry out a cross-check with the installed component determined via the signal parameter or a change in the signal parameter on a basis of the information relating to the installed component.

16. The data receiver according to claim 14 , wherein the data receiver is configured to identify a manipulation or incorrect installation of the data transmitter on a basis of the determined installed component.

17. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the environment parameter is at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of:
a temperature,
a relative humidity,
an atmospheric pressure,
an electromagnetic radiation,
a brightness,
a movement,
a vibration, and
a change therein.

18. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data receiver is a data receiver of a wireless communication system.

19. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data receiver is a base station.

20. The data receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the data transmi

Assignees

• Diehl Metering Gmbh

Inventors

• Kilian Gerd
• Bernhard Josef
• Kauppert Thomas
• Petkov Hristo
• Wechsler Johannes
• Kneissl Jakob
• Mzyk Raphael
• Soller Dominik
• Psiuk Rafael

Classifications

• H04Q2209/84

  Measuring functions · CPC title

• H04W4/38

  for collecting sensor information · CPC title

• H04B17/17 Primary

  Detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations (H04B17/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B17/10 Primary

  of transmitters · CPC title

• H04W4/70

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