Multi-channel decoder architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9992124-B2
Application number	US-201514879262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 9, 2015
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

An example method of receiving a data packet includes receiving a data packet at a channel receiver of at least one channel receiver each associated with a channel, providing the data packet to a data packet identification block that corresponds to the channel receiver, validating the data packet at the data packet identification block, and providing the validated data packet to an available decoder block of at least one decoder block capable of performing one or more decoding functions, where a quantity of the decoder blocks is less than a quantity of the data packet identification blocks and optimized according to one or more goals. If no decoder block is available and the validated data packet is a higher priority data packet, a decoder block processing a lower priority data packet may be forced to stop processing the lower priority data packet and process the higher priority data packet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radio receiver configured to receive data packets, comprising:
a channelizer bank of at least one channel receiver each associated with a channel configured to receive an incoming data packet; and
a decoder bank comprising:
a data packet identification bank comprising at least two data packet identification blocks, or comprising at least one data packet identification block with at least one data packet identification block comprising two or more sub-identification blocks, each data packet identification block associated with a corresponding channel to validate an incoming data packet received on the corresponding channel; and
a decoder block bank comprising at least one decoder block, each decoder block capable of performing one or more decoding functions, and a quantity of the decoder blocks being less than a quantity of the data packet identification blocks and optimized toward one or more goals,
wherein a data packet validated by any one of the at least one data packet identification blocks is to be provided to an available one of the at least one decoder blocks for further decoding.

2. The radio receiver of claim 1 , wherein the data packet identification bank comprises at least one data packet identification block having two or more sub-identification blocks, and each sub-identification block is configured to count separately in the quantity of data packet identification blocks for optimization purposes.

3. The radio receiver of claim 2 , wherein the channelizer bank includes a single channel receiver, and wherein the data packet identification bank comprises a single data packet identification block having two or more sub-identification blocks.

4. The radio receiver of claim 1 , wherein if no decoder block is available to perform one or more decoding functions and the validated data packet is a higher priority data packet than one or more data packets being processed in the decoder block bank, a decoder block processing a lower priority data packet is forced to stop processing the lower priority data packet and process the higher priority data packet.

5. The radio receiver of claim 4 , wherein the validated data packet is identified as at least one of:
a higher priority data packet due to having been received on a higher priority channel, or
a higher priority data packet based on priority data found in its preamble when validated at the data packet identification bank.

6. The radio receiver of claim 1 , wherein the quantity of decoder blocks is based on one or more parameters depending on the one or more goals.

7. The radio receiver of claim 6 , wherein the one or more goals includes one or more of minimizing data packet loss, using less parts, using lower cost parts, or consuming less power.

8. The radio receiver of claim 6 , wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of: number of endpoint devices, number of channels, transmission packet length, bubble-up rate, or time dithering value.

9. The radio receiver of claim 6 , wherein the quantity of decoder blocks is predetermined by a previously conducted simulation using one or more of the parameters.

10. A method of receiving data packets, the method comprising:
receiving a data packet at a channel receiver of at least one channel receiver each associated with a channel;
providing the data packet to a data packet identification block that corresponds to the channel receiver, the data packet identification block being one of at least two data packet identification blocks in a data packet identification bank, or being one of at least one data packet identification block in the data packet identification bank with at least one data packet identification block comprising two or more sub-identification blocks;
validating the data packet at the data packet identification block; and
providing the validated data packet to an available decoder block of at least one decoder block capable of performing one or more decoding functions, wherein a quantity of the decoder blocks is less than a quantity of the data packet identification blocks and optimized according to one or more goals.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one data packet identification block includes two or more sub-identification blocks, and each sub-identification block is configured to count separately in the quantity of data packet identification blocks for optimization purposes.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one channel receiver includes a single channel receiver, and wherein the data packet identification block bank includes a single data packet identification block having two or more sub-identification blocks.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
processing the validated data packet at the available decoder block, making the available decoder block unavailable to other validated data packets;
upon completion of processing of the validated data packet, releasing the validated data packet as a decoded data packet; and
releasing the unavailable decoder block, making it available to other validated data packets.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein validating the data packet includes determining whether the data packet is a higher priority data packet than one or more data packets being processed by a decoder block, and wherein the method further comprises:
if no decoder block is available to perform one or more decoding functions and the validated data packet is a higher priority data packet than one or more data packets being processed by a decoder block, forcing a decoder block processing a lower priority data packet to stop processing the lower priority data packet and process the higher priority data packet.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the quantity of the decoder blocks is based on one or more parameters, the one or more parameters including one or more of: number of endpoint devices, number of channels, transmission packet length, bubble-up rate, or time dithering value.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the quantity of decoder blocks is predetermined by a previously conducted simulation using one or more of the parameters.

17. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer program logic stored thereon, the computer program logic including instructions to cause a processor to direct a radio receiver to:
receive a data packet at a channel receiver of at least one channel receiver each associated with a channel;
provide the data packet to a data packet identification block that corresponds to the channel receiver, the data packet identification block being one of at least two data packet identification blocks in a data packet identification bank, or being one of at least one data packet identification block in the data packet identification bank with at least one data packet identification block comprising two or more sub-identification blocks;
validate the data packet at the data packet identification block; and
provide, for further decoding, the validated data packet to an available decoder block of at least one decoder block capable of performing one or more decoding functions, wherein a quantity of the decoder blocks is less than a quantity of the data packet identification blocks and optimized according to one or more goals.

18. The at least one computer readable medium of claim 17 , wherein at least one data packet identification block includes two or more sub-identification blocks, and each sub-identification block is configured to count separately in the quantity of data packet identification blocks for optim

Assignees

• Itron Inc

Inventors

• Seely Danny Ray
• Mcnamee Michael David

Classifications

• H04W52/0258

  controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day · CPC title

• H04L47/2483 Primary

  involving identification of individual flows · CPC title

• H04B1/06

  Receivers · CPC title

• H04W52/0229 Primary

  where the received signal is a wanted signal · CPC title

• H04L47/245

  using preemption · CPC title