Noise detection for multi-channel and multi-protocol communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12382494-B2
Application number	US-202218073032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2022
Priority date	Dec 1, 2022
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

Techniques for quickly and accurately determining whether a channel is being used for transmission of data using one of a plurality of communications protocols for low power signals using random data of a packet are disclosed. The techniques increase sensitivity and reduce the false alarm rate for a wide range of signal and noise levels. A noise detection technique uses an adaptive window size for fast noise detection that increases the rate of scanning channels during a signal identification period. In a BLE1M detection mode, detection of clusters of zero frequency deviation are used to reduce the false detection rate. Adaptive Zigbee symbol detection improves detection sensitivity beyond −97 dBm. The techniques use a chip-based differential to generate frequency deviation samples for Zigbee detection or data filtering frequency deviation samples generated using sample-based differentials based on an oversampled received signal to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for detecting data transmitted using one of a plurality of communications protocols, the method comprising:
determining whether data transmitted using one of the plurality of communications protocols is absent from a window of frequency deviation samples of a received signal based on a comparison of each frequency deviation sample of the window to a predetermined threshold frequency deviation, the window having an adaptive number of frequency deviation samples.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is N or 2×N, N being a positive integer and the determining comprises:
generating a first count of frequency deviation samples exceeding the predetermined threshold frequency deviation in N samples of the received signal;
determining the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is Nin response to the first count being greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold count; and
determining the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is 2×N in response to the first count being less than the predetermined threshold count.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the first count exceeds the predetermined threshold frequency deviation, the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is determined to be N, and the method further comprises:
switching from receiving the received signal using a first communications channel to receiving the received signal using a second communications channel in response to the data being absent from the window.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the first count is less than the predetermined threshold count, the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is determined to be 2×N, and the determining further comprises:
generating a second count of frequency deviation samples in the window exceeding the predetermined threshold frequency deviation; and
determining the data is present in the window in response to the second count being less than a second predetermined threshold count.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the first count is less than the predetermined threshold count, the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is determined to be 2×N, and the determining further comprises:
generating a second count of frequency deviation samples in the window exceeding the predetermined threshold frequency deviation; and
determining the data is absent from the window in response to the second count being greater than or equal to a second predetermined threshold count.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
filtering the received signal before providing the window, thereby limiting frequency deviation in the window to a first frequency deviation of a first communications protocol of the plurality of communications protocols;
adjusting frequency deviation samples in a second window of frequency deviation samples; and
determining whether the data is present in the second window based on a presence or an absence of a cluster of zero frequency deviation samples in the second window in response to detecting the data in the second window, thereby reducing a false alarm rate of detection of the received signal as having been transmitted using the first communications protocol.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the first communications protocol has a first symbol rate and a second communications protocol of the plurality of communications protocols has a second symbol rate, the second symbol rate being an integer multiple of the first symbol rate.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
identifying the data as being transmitted using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) Offset-Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (OQPSK) in a predetermined frequency range or as being transmitted using Gaussian Frequency-Shift Keying (GFSK) in the predetermined frequency range.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a second window of frequency deviation samples;
correlating a first symbol of the second window with each of a set of possible predetermined chip sequences and providing a maximum correlation value; and
determining whether to use one symbol detection or two symbol detection to detect data in the second window based on an upper threshold value and at least the maximum correlation value for a first chip position of the first symbol in the second window.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:
generating phase samples by oversampling the received signal by a factor of M;
converting the phase samples to the frequency deviation samples based on a difference between an (i+M) th phase sample and an i th phase sample to generate an i th frequency sample, M being an over-sample rate of the received signal; and
clipping frequency deviation samples of the window using a second comparison of a magnitude of each sample of the window to a predetermined threshold and a weighting function.

11. A receiver comprising:
a signal identification circuit comprising:
a noise detection circuit configured to determine whether data transmitted using one of a plurality of communications protocols is absent from a window of frequency deviation samples of a received signal, a determination of absence being based on a comparison of each frequency deviation sample of the window to a predetermined threshold frequency, the window having an adaptive number of frequency deviation samples.

12. The receiver as recited in claim 11 wherein the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is N or 2×N, N being a positive integer and the receiver further comprises:
a counter configured to generate a first count of frequency deviation samples exceeding the predetermined threshold frequency in N frequency deviation samples of the received signal,
wherein the adaptive number is N in response to the first count being greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold count, and
wherein the adaptive number is 2×N in response to the first count being less than the predetermined threshold count.

13. The receiver as recited in claim 12 ,
wherein the first count exceeds the predetermined threshold frequency, the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is determined to be N, and the noise detection circuit determines the data is absent from the window, and
wherein the receiver is configured to switch from using a first channel to receive the received signal to using a second channel to receive the received signal in response to the determination that the data is absent from the window.

14. The receiver as recited in claim 12 wherein the first count of frequency deviation samples is less than the predetermined threshold count, the adaptive number of frequency deviation samples is determined to be 2×N, and the noise detection circuit further comprises:
a second counter configured to generate a second count of frequency deviation samples in the window exceeding the predetermined threshold frequency,
wherein the noise detection circuit is further configured to determine the data is present in the window in response to the second count being less than a second predetermined threshold count.

15. The receiver as recited in claim 12 wherein the first count is less than the predetermined threshold count, the adaptive number is determined to be 2×N, and the noise detection circuit further comprises:
a second counter configured to generate a second count of frequency deviation samples in the window exceeding the predetermined threshold frequency,
wherein the noise detection circuit is further configu

Assignees

• Silicon Lab Inc

Inventors

• Li Qiang
• Zhou Yan

Classifications

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04L69/14

  Multichannel or multilink protocols · CPC title

• H04L1/20

  using signal quality detector · CPC title

• H04W74/0808 Primary

  using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA] · CPC title

• H04L1/0015 Primary

  characterised by the adaptation strategy · CPC title