Concealment of environmental influences on the transmitting parameters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12166583-B2
Application number	US-201916691135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2019
Priority date	Nov 23, 2018
Publication date	Dec 10, 2024
Grant date	Dec 10, 2024

Abstract

The innovation relates to technologies by which the signal characteristics and, hence, environmental conditions of a transmitter can be concealed. In one aspect, a data transmitter comprises a transmitter and a changer, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a signal, wherein at least one signal parameter of the signal depends on at least one environmental parameter in an environment of the data transmitter, wherein the changer is configured to change the at least one signal parameter of the signal or a parameter on which the at least one signal parameter of the signal depends, in order to conceal the at least one environmental parameter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A data transmitter, comprising:
a clock generator configured to provide a clock signal;
a transmitter configured to transmit a transmit signal, wherein the transmitter is configured to generate the transmit signal using the clock signal, and wherein at least one environmental parameter of an environment of the data transmitter that is acting on the clock generator influences the clock signal provided by the clock generator and therewith also at least one signal parameter of the transmit signal, such that the at least one signal parameter depends on the at least one environmental parameter,
a changer device configured to change the at least one signal parameter, wherein the changer device is configured to additionally change the at least one signal parameter of the transmit signal,
wherein the changer device is configured to provide the at least one signal parameter with an offset to change the at least one signal parameter.

2. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one signal parameter is at least two signal parameters,
wherein the changer device is configured to provide the at least two signal parameters with an offset each to change the at least two signal parameters.

3. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the offset is a constant offset and/or a time-varying offset.

4. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the offset is a random or pseudo-random offset.

5. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the offset comprises two offset components changing differently over time.

6. Data transmitter according to claim 5 ,
wherein the offset comprises two offset components,
wherein a first offset component of the two offset components is based on a time-varying function,
and wherein a second offset component of the two offset components is based on a random or pseudo-random process.

7. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the offset comprises two offset components,
wherein a first offset component of the two offset components is a constant offset component, and wherein a second offset component of the two offset components is a time-varying offset component.

8. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data transmitter is configured to derive the offset from an immanent parameter of a communication system of the data transmitter or a message to be transmitted with the transmit signal.

9. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data transmitter is configured to transmit encrypted information on the offset with the transmit signal or a further transmit signal.

10. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data transmitter is configured to derive the offset from a cryptographic key or pair of keys known to the data transmitter and a data receiver.

11. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data transmitter is configured to provide the signal parameter with a correction factor depending on the environmental parameter in the environment of the data transmitter to acquire a corrected signal parameter,
wherein the changer device is configured to change the corrected signal parameter.

12. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal parameter is a modulation index or a change of the same,
wherein the offset is a modulation index offset.

13. Data transmitter according to claim 12 ,
wherein the modulation index offset is average-free across an averaging length.

14. Data transmitter according to claim 12 ,
wherein the modulation index offset is adapted in dependence on an accumulated modulation index offset depending on a bit sequence to be transmitted.

15. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal parameter is a symbol rate or a change of the same,
wherein the offset is a symbol rate offset.

16. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal parameter is a transmitting time or a change of the same,
wherein the offset is a time offset.

17. Data transmitter according to claim 16 ,
wherein an intermission between two subsequent emissions of the transmit signal is less than an estimation accuracy in symbol durations divided by a double maximum quartz tolerance.

18. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal parameter is a carrier frequency or a change of the same,
wherein the offset is a frequency offset.

19. Data transmitter according to claim 18 ,
wherein the changer device is configured to provide the carrier frequency with a random frequency offset.

20. Data transmitter according to claim 18 ,
wherein the changer device is configured to select the frequency offset in dependence on a maximum possible offset of a clock generator of the data transmitter and a receiver-side search range.

21. Data transmitter according to claim 18 ,
wherein the data transmitter is configured to provide the carrier frequency with a correction factor depending on the environmental parameter in the environment of the data transmitter in order to correct an influence of the environmental parameter on the carrier frequency,
wherein the changer device is configured to select the frequency offset in dependence on a receiver-side search range and the correction factor.

22. Data transmitter according to claim 18 ,
wherein the data transmitter is configured to transmit the transmit signal based on frequency hopping using a plurality of carrier frequencies,
wherein the changer device is configured to provide at least two of the plurality of carrier frequencies with different frequency offsets.

23. Data transmitter according to claim 22 ,
wherein the frequency offsets are smaller than a receiver-side tolerance width of a detection.

24. Data transmitter according to claim 23 ,
wherein the tolerance width is less than ¼ of the symbol rate.

25. Data transmitter according to claim 18 ,
wherein at least one of the frequency offsets lies between discrete regulation points of a PLL raster of a clock generator of the data transmitter or multiples thereof.

26. Data transmitter according to claim 18 ,
wherein the transmit signal comprises encrypted information on the different frequency offsets.

27. Data transmitter according to claim 18 ,
wherein the data transmitter is configured to determine the different frequency offsets based on an immanent parameter of a communication system of the data transmitter or based on a part of the message to be transmitted with the signal.

28. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal parameter is a phase or a change of the same,
wherein the offset is a phase offset.

29. Data transmitter according to claim 28 ,
wherein the changer device is configured to provide at least two symbols of the transmit signal with different phase offsets.

30. Data transmitter according to claim 28 ,
wherein the phase offsets are selected so that they converge towards zero across an averaging length.

31. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal parameter is a transmitting power or a change of the same,
wherein the offset is a transmitting power offset.

32. Data transmitter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the environmental parameter is
a temperature,
a humidity,
an atmospheric pressure,
an e

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung
• Diehl Metering Gmbh

Inventors

• Kilian Gerd
• Bernhard Josef
• Kauppert Thomas
• Petkov Hristo
• Wechsler Johannes
• Kneissl Jakob
• Mzyk Raphael
• Gottschalk Klaus
• Soller Dominik
• Schlicht Michael

Classifications

• H04W12/03

  Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption · CPC title

• H04L27/2082

  for offset or staggered quadrature phase shift keying · CPC title

• H04L7/0331

  with a digital phase-locked loop [PLL] processing binary samples, e.g. add/subtract logic for correction of receiver clock (H04L7/0337 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/0475

  with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion (H04B1/0483 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L1/009 Primary

  arrangements specific to transmitters · CPC title