U.S. patent number RE35,650 [Application Number 08/490,955] was granted by the patent office on 1997-11-04 for spread spectrum communications system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pitway Corporation. Invention is credited to Lee F. Crowley, Andrzej Partyka.
United States Patent |
RE35,650 |
Partyka , et al. |
November 4, 1997 |
Spread spectrum communications system
Abstract
A spread spectrum communication system for direct sequence
transmission of digital information having a modulation format
which is particularly suitable for indoor communication within
residential, office and industrial structures. The modulation
format combines BPSK or MSK spreading with FM carrier modulation by
data bits and a carrier frequency shift whose magnitude is related
to both a chip rate and a spreading sequence length. The carrier,
chip clock and data clock are all synchronous and the sequence
length is an integral submultiple of the bit length. The system
reduces the frequency error between the transmitter chip clock and
the receiver chip clock to permit the elimination of a code phase
tracking loop in the receiver to reduce the receiver complexity.
The receiver has an extended dynamic range which makes possible the
reception of very strong signal without an automatic gain control
loop (AGC) as well as reducing the time needed for code phase
acquisition. The transmission system is highly resistant to CW
jamming and short distance multipath effects.
Inventors: |
Partyka; Andrzej (Bediminster,
NJ), Crowley; Lee F. (Farmingville, NY) |
Assignee: |
Pitway Corporation (Syosset,
NY)
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Family
ID: |
24357536 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/490,955 |
Filed: |
June 15, 1995 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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589323 |
Sep 27, 1990 |
5121407 |
Jun 9, 1992 |
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Reissue of: |
894073 |
Jun 5, 1992 |
05241562 |
Aug 31, 1993 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
375/141; 375/344;
380/34 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04B
1/707 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04B
1/707 (20060101); H04L 027/30 () |
Field of
Search: |
;375/200-210,271,337
;380/34,46 ;370/18,91 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0131458 |
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Jan 1985 |
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EP |
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0199410 |
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Oct 1986 |
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EP |
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2450727 |
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Nov 1979 |
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DD |
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Other References
J Fischer et al, "Wide-Band Packet Radio for Muiltipath
Environments"; IEEE Trans. on Comms.; vol. 36, No. 5; May 1988; pp.
564-576. .
A. Saleh et al, "A Statistical Model for Indoor Multipath
Propagation"; IEEE Journ. on Selected Areas in Comms.; vol. SAC-5,
No. 2; Feb. 1987; pp. 128-137. .
S. Patsiokas et al, "Propagation of Radio Signals Inside Buildings
At 150, 450, and 850 MHz"; IEEE, 1986. .
R. Murray et al, "815 MHz Radio Attenuation Measured Within a
Commercial Building"; IEEE, 1986, pp. 209-212. .
S. Alexander, "Characterizing Building for Propagation at 900 MHZ";
Electronics Letters; Sep. 29, 1983; vol. 19, No. 2; p. 860. .
D. Devasirvatham, "A Comparison of Time Delay Spread and Signal
Level Measurements within Two Dissimilar Office Buildings"; IEEE
Trans. on Antis and Prop.; vol. AP-35; No. 3; Mar. 1987; pp.
319-324. .
S. Alexander, "Radio Propagation Within Buildings at 900 MHz";
Electronics Letters; Oct. 14, 1982; vol. 18, No. 21; pp. 913-914.
.
Jee Journal of Electronic Engineering, vol. 25, No. 25, Jul. 1988,
Tokyo JP "Weak Signal Transceiver Uses Asynchronous Spread Spectrum
Communication Method", pp. 102-104..
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Primary Examiner: Gregory; Bernarr E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ladas & Parry
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of copending application(s) Ser. No.
07/589,323 filed on Sep. 27, 1990 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,407
issued Jun. 9, 1992).
Claims
We claim:
1. A method of transmitting digital data, comprising the steps
of:
a) generating a radio frequency carrier;
b) modulating the frequency of said carrier by data bits assembled
in data packets of predetermined format;
c) spreading said carrier during a transmission time, which a
predetermined PN sequence having a period Ts related to a bit time
Tb
where
N being an integer >1 Ts is a pseudo noise (PN) sequence
period;
whereby a spread carrier spectrum comprising many spectral
components separated by 1/Ts is obtained, the amplitudes of said
components being reduced by said spreading function, said
components and the modulated imposed upon said component being
separable from other components by a narrow band filter having a
bandwidth less than 1/(2*Ts).
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps
of:
d) receiving the transmitted data; and
e) multiplying said transmitted spread carrier in a receiver by a
locally generated predetermined PN sequence, for collapsing the
bandwidth of the received spread carrier when the local PN sequence
phase in agreement with the sequence phase imposed on the received
spread carrier thereby spreading any jamming signals which are
received along with the desired transmitted signal into many
components separated by 1/Ts intervals and reduced in amplitude by
the spreading function.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein step c) generates
spectral components of the spread carrier that are separated by a
frequency interval greater than 1/Ts.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a chip clock producing
a signal at a frequency of .[.1/Ts.]. .Iadd.1/Tc .Iaddend.and the
carrier frequency are synchronously derived from one frequency
source.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the data frequency is
synchronously derived from said one frequency source.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined data
packet format comprises a preamble period during which said carrier
frequency is equal to a nominal frequency and a data period during
which the carrier frequency is modulated by said data bits.
7. A transmitter for transmitting digital data comprising:
a) carrier frequency generator means for generating a carrier
frequency signal;
b) modulator means for modulating said carrier by data bits;
c) pseudo random sequence generator means for generating a
predetermined PN sequence;
d) carrier spread means for spreading power of said carrier
frequency by said pseudo noise sequence, said spread carrier
generating spectral components separated by a frequency interval
greater than 1/Ts where Ts is a pseudo noise (PN) sequence
period.
8. The transmitter according to claim 7 wherein Ts is related to
the bit time Tb where
N being an integer>1.
9. The transmitter according to claim 7 further including a phase
lock loop means for deriving said first carrier frequency from a
crystal reference oscillator.
10. The transmitter according to claim 7 wherein said transmitter
further includes means for deriving chip frequency of .[.1/Ts.].
.Iadd.1/Tc .Iaddend.and said carrier frequency from a single
reference frequency source.
11. The transmitter according to claim 7 wherein said transmitter
further includes means for deriving chip frequency of .[.1/Ts.].
.Iadd.1/Tc.Iaddend., said first carrier frequency and a data clock
frequency from a single reference frequency source.
12. The transmitter according to claim 7 wherein said transmitter
further includes means for generating said formated data packet for
modulating said carrier frequency, said data packet comprising a
preamble period during which the carrier frequency is equal to a
nominal value and data period during which the carrier frequency is
deviated according to the corresponding data bit values.
13. A receiver for a spread spectrum signal comprising:
a) a wide band receiving means for receiving a spread carrier radio
signal for generating a spread carrier electric signal;
b) means for generating a predetermined PN (pseudo noise)
sequence;
c) multiplying means coupled to said receiving means and said
generating means for multiplying said spread carrier electrical
signal by said predetermined PN sequence, for collapsing a
bandwidth of the received spread carrier when the local PN sequence
phase is in agreement with the sequence phase imposed on the
received spread carrier by a transmitter means, thereby spreading
any jamming signals which are received along with the transmitted
spread signal into many components separated by 1/Ts intervals and
reduced in amplitude by the spreading function;
d) narrow band FM receiver means coupled to an output of said
multiplying means for recovering data and having a bandwidth less
than 1/(2*Ts) where Ts is at period of said PN sequence.
14. The receiver according to claim 13 wherein each of said
receiver means further includes means for deriving a chip frequency
of .[.1/Ts.]. .Iadd.1/Tc .Iaddend.and a carrier frequency from a
single reference frequency source.
15. The receiver according to claim 14 wherein each of said
receiver means further includes means for deriving a chip frequency
of .[.1/Ts.]. .Iadd.1/Tc.Iaddend., a carrier frequency, and a data
clock frequency from a single reference frequency source.
16. The receiver according to claim 14 wherein each of said
receiver means further includes means for automatic frequency
control (AFC) and means for activating said AFC upon
synchronization of a phase of said PN sequence with a phase of the
PN sequence modulating said receiver signal.
17. The receiver according to claim 13 wherein each of said
receiver means further includes signal strength indicator means to
detect power of said received signal.
18. A system for transmitting and receiving digital data,
comprising:
a) means for generating a radio frequency carrier;
b) means for modulating the frequency of said carrier by data bits
assembled in data packets of predetermined format;
c) means for spreading said carrier at said first and said second
frequency, during a transmission time, by a predetermined PN
sequence having a period Ts related to a bit time Tb
where
N being an integer>1 Ts is a PN (pseudo noise) sequence
period;
whereby a spread carrier spectrum comprising many spectral
components separated by 1/Ts is obtained, the amplitudes of said
components being reduced by said spreading function;
d) means for receiving the transmitted data; and
e) means for multiplying said transmitted spread carrier in said
receiver means by a locally generated predetermined PN sequence,
for collapsing the bandwidth of the received spread carrier when
the local PN sequence phase in agreement with the sequence phase
imposed on the received spread carrier;
f) narrow band FM receiver means coupled to an output of said
multiplying means for recovering data and having a bandwidth less
than 1/(2*Ts).
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said means for
spreading said carrier generates spectral components of the spread
carrier that are separated by a frequency interval greater than
1/Ts.
20. The system according to claim 18, wherein a chip clock
producing a signal at a frequency of .[.1/Ts.]. .Iadd.1/Tc
.Iaddend.and the carrier frequency are synchronously derived from
one frequency source.
21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the data frequency is
synchronously derived from said one frequency source.
22. The system according to claim 18, wherein K is greater than a
sequence length for generating a frequency shift substantially
equal to or greater than a .[.chip.]. .Iadd.sequence
.Iaddend.frequency of 1/Ts.
23. The system according to claim 18, wherein said predetermined
data packet format comprises a preamble period during which said
carrier frequency is equal to a nominal frequency and a data period
during which the carrier frequency is modulated by said data bits.
Description
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the
transmission of digital data in a spread spectrum communications
system. In particular, it relates to a spread spectrum
communication system for use in transmitting alarm data within a
building or other structure which can contain sources of
electromagnetic interference and in which there is a potential for
short distance multipath cancellation effects.
Techniques for achieving direct sequence spread spectrum modulation
are well known The most commonly accepted method involves
generating a periodical, relatively high frequency, repetitive
pseudo-noise code (PN code) and effectively mixing the data signal
with this PN code using exclusive OR gates or a balanced mixer. The
resulting signal is characterized by very wide bandwidth and very
low spectral density. The direct sequence spread spectrum
modulation is particularly attractive for data transmission within
a building (compared to narrow band radio frequency carriers) in
that the low spectral density characteristic of such signals
reduces the tendency for interference with other radio sensitive
equipment. Also, spread spectrum techniques have the intrinsic
ability to reduce interference between multiply reflected versions
of the transmitted signal, since reflections which differ in phase
only slightly from the initial signal being decoded result in low
signal correlation and consequent suppression of such signals. In a
similar manner, the same spread spectrum techniques can be used to
suppress other jamming signals which may be present in the medium
and interfere with the received signal.
It is further well known that communications within buildings or
other structures can cause substantial attenuation of the original
signal. Consequently, a receiver for such systems must have a wide
dynamic range in order to be able to acquire weak signals as well
as strong signals, particularly if the communication is to be
performed at random between a plurality of transmitters and
receivers.
Both the jamming and multipath phenomena for direct sequence spread
spectrum techniques have been discussed in papers and textbooks and
patent documents. However, most of these have restricted the scope
of their attention to cases where the signals are introduced
deliberately into the medium and intelligently controlled to cause
the most harm. This results in the objective being to determine the
method most immune to the interference under worst case conditions.
It is has also usually been tacitly assumed that the data mixing
with the PN code and modulating the radio frequency carrier should
result in a modulated waveform which will not permit demodulation
of the data without prior synchronization and correlation to the
same PN code used for the original modulation. This results in some
restriction being placed on the way the data, PN code and carrier
are combined to convey the information, as well as restrictions
being placed on the relationship between the data rate and the
sequence repetition rate.
The multipath delay is usually considered to be relatively long.
That is, the delay between the original data and the delayed
replica is assumed to be much longer than one chip time. The
mechanisms devised to deal with this multipath problem are
different than those needed to suppress so called "selective
fading" caused by electromagnetic field cancellation which occurs
when the original signal and the delayed replica arrive at the
receiver in opposite phase. This occurs in the case where the delay
is approximately (2*k+1)*wv1/2, where k is an integer and wv1 is
the carrier wavelength where both the original and the replica have
approximately the same amplitude. However, it has been suggested in
the scientific literature that short delays are one of the most
important factors to consider for indoor communications.
The above-delineated restrictions are a natural consequence of the
major original applications of spread spectrum communications, that
is, military applications in generally hostile communications
environment in which jammers are intelligent and active and
communication is attempted over distances much larger than building
interiors. Furthermore, in these cases, a major concern is a need
to hide or at least provide a low probability of detection of the
attempted communication by enemy eavesdroppers.
Only recently has the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
permitted the utilization of spread spectrum communications
techniques for commercial applications. The FCC has now permitted
such operations in three separate frequency bands. Thus, there is a
need for a spread spectrum communications system which addresses
the needs of commercial applications and which are not restricted
by the needs of military applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the general object of the present invention to provide an
improved method and apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum
signals.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and
apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals which has
jamming rejection substantially better than expected for a given
spreading sequence length.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and
apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals in which short
distance multipath cancellation of the type encountered in
residential and office buildings is eliminated or substantially
reduced.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method
and apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals in which
there is a reduction of the frequency error between the transmitter
chip clock and the receiver chip clock which permits the
elimination of a code phase tracking loop in the receiver, which in
turn substantially reduces receiver complexity.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method
and apparatus for transmission of spread spectrum signals in which
there is an extension of the dynamic range of the receiver which
makes possible the reception of very strong signals without an
automatic gain control loop (AGC) while at the same time reducing
the time needed for code phase acquisition.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and
apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals that provide the
receiver with immunity from interference from CW signals generated
by personal computer crystal oscillators or the like.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and
apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals in which data,
chip clock and carrier are synchronous.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method
and apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals in which the
bit period length (Tb) is N (where N is an integer greater than 1)
times longer than the pseudo noise (PN) sequence period (Ts) which
results in a modified spectrum of the spread signal and
consequently the spectrum of the jammer being spread by the
receiver's despreading mixture.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method
and apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals in which the
transmitter center frequency is frequency modulated at a data rate
with a low deviation and in addition is frequency shifted at a
lower rate by a large increment relative to the chip rate and
sequence length and in which the same data packet consisting of a
preamble and data is repeated after each frequency shift.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method
and apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals in which the
data packet consists of a preamble and data following the preamble,
the preamble being longer than the data and comprising a period in
which the carrier is not modulated and the data comprising a period
in which data bits modulate the carrier center frequency.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a
method and apparatus for transmitting spread spectrum signals in
which the modulated carrier is then spread to the desired
transmission bandwidth by applying a PN code sequence to a balanced
mixer or other device to obtain BPSK spreading.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a receiver for
receiving a spread spectrum signal in which the resultant IF
spectral components of a CW jamming waveform present in the RF
section of the receiver are separated in frequency by an amount
larger than the bandwidth occupied by the desired despread
signal.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a
method and apparatus for transmitting a spread spectrum signal in
which a single CW jammer can produce at most only one spectral
component of the spread jammer present in the passband of the
narrow band FM receiver following the despreading mixer.
These and other objects, advantages and features are achieved by a
method of transmitting digital data. A high frequency carrier is
generated at a carrier frequency. The frequency of said carrier is
modulated by data bits assembled in data packets of predetermined
format. Modulating the frequency of said second carrier frequency
by data bits assembled in data packets of said predetermined
format. The carrier is spread during a transmission time, by a
predetermined PN sequence having a period Ts related to a bit time
Tb, where Tb=N * Ts, N being an integer>1. This generates a
spread carrier spectrum comprising many spectral components
separated by 1/Ts in which the amplitudes of said components are
reduced by the spreading function. Components and the modulation
imposed upon them are separable from other components by a narrow
band filter having a bandwidth less than 1/(2*Ts).
Another aspect of the invention includes a transmitter for
transmitting digital data. A carrier frequency generator means
generates a carrier frequency signal. A pseudo random sequence
generator means generates a predetermined PN sequence. A carrier
spread means spreads power of carrier frequency by said pseudo
noise sequence where the spread carrier generates spectral
components separated by a frequency interval greater than 1/Ts
where Ts is a pseudo noise (PN) sequence period.
A further aspect of the invention includes a receiver for a spread
spectrum signal. A means for receiving a spread carrier radio
signal generates a spread carrier electrical signal. A means
generates a predetermined pseudo noise sequence (PN
sequence)combined with a local oscillator signal. A multiplying
means coupled to said receiving means and to said generating means
multiplies said spread carrier electrical signal by said
predetermined PN sequence for collapsing the bandwidth of the
received spread carrier when the local PN sequence phase is in
agreement with the sequence phase imposed on the received spread
carrier by a transmitter means. This spreads any jamming signals
which are received along with the transmitted spread signal into
many components separated by 1/Ts intervals and reduces their
amplitude by the spreading function. A narrow band FM receiver
means having a bandwidth less than 1/(2*Ts) coupled to an output of
said multiplying means recovers data.
A still further aspect of the invention includes a system for
transmitting and receiving digital data. A means generates a high
frequency carrier. A means modulates the frequency of said carrier
by data bits assembled in data packets of predetermined format. A
means spreads said carrier during a transmission time, by a
predetermined PN sequence having a period Ts related to a bit time
Tb where Tb=N * Ts, N being an integer>1 and Ts being a pseudo
noise (PN) sequence period. This generates a spread carrier
spectrum comprising many spectral components separated by 1/Ts. The
amplitudes of the components are reduced by the spreading function.
A means receives the transmitted data. A means multiplies said
transmitted spread carrier in a receiver by a locally generated
predetermined PN sequence and a local oscillator frequency for
collapsing the bandwidth of the received spread carrier when the
local PN sequence phase is in agreement with the sequence phase
imposed on the received spread carrier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmitter in accordance with
the present invention;
FIGS. 2a-2e are timing diagrams for signals generated within the
transmitter of FIG. 1, FIG. 2a illustrates the power control
signal, FIG. 2b illustrates the data signal, FIG. 2c illustrates
the divider control signal, FIG. 2d illustrates the crystal
oscillator frequency and FIG. 2e illustrates the carrier
frequency;
FIGS. 3a-3d are timing diagrams for the data and pseudo-noise (PN)
sequence signals of the transmitter of FIG. 1, FIG. 3a illustrates
the PN sequences, FIG. 3b illustrates the clock pulses from the PN
sequence generator, FIG. 3c illustrates the data clock and FIG. 3d
illustrates the data bits;
FIGS. 4a-4d illustrate the spectral envelopes and close-in spectra
signals transmitted by the transmitter of FIG. 1, FIG. 4a
illustrates the transmitted envelope at time T1, FIG. 4b
illustrates the transmitted envelope at time T2, FIG. 4c
illustrates the close-in spectra at time T1 and FIG. 4d illustrates
the close-in spectra at time T2;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a receiver for the signals
transmitted by the transmitter of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 6a-6c are timing diagrams for signals generated within the
receiver of FIG. 5; FIG. 6a illustrates the frequency shift signal,
FIG. 6b illustrates the frequency of the reference oscillator and
FIG. 6c illustrates the frequency of the local oscillator;
FIGS. 7a-7f illustrate the spectra of the received signals of the
receiver of FIG. 5, FIG. 7a illustrates the spectrum of the signal
received at the antenna at time T1, FIG. 7b illustrates the
spectrum of the signal received at the antenna at time T2, FIG. 7c
illustrates the envelope of the spread jamming signal at time T1,
FIG. 7d illustrates the envelope of the spread jamming signal at
time T2, FIG. 7e illustrates the close-in spectrum of FIG. 7c and
FIG. 7f illustrates the close-in spectrum of FIG. 7d;
FIGS. 8a-8e illustrate the short multipath effect in the spread
spectrum system, FIG. 8a illustrates a PN sequence, FIG. 8b
illustrates a spread carrier, FIG. 8c illustrates a delayed spread
carrier, FIG. 8d illustrates the despread sum of the carriers of
FIG. 8b and 8c, and FIG. 8e illustrates the spectrum of the signal
of FIG 8d;
FIGS. 9a-9d show an illustrative example of a system designed to
comply with the FCC modulation mask, FIG. 9a illustrates the
spectrum at time T1, FIG. 9b illustrates the spectrum at time T2,
FIG. 9c represents the close-in spectra of FIG. 9a, and FIG. 9d
represents the close-in spectra of FIG. 9b.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A communication system according to the present invention is
composed of a transmitter and a receiver. Referring to FIG. 1, the
transmitter is generally shown as 100. The high frequency carrier
signal is generated in the transmitter 100 by a voltage controlled
oscillator (VCO) 110. The voltage controlled oscillator 110 is part
of a phase lock loop (PLL) 113 which also comprises divider 122,
phase detector 120, loop filter 118 and reference oscillator 124.
The output of VCO 110 is coupled to the input of a divider 122 via
lines 111 and 119. The output of the divider is coupled to phase
detector 120 via line 121. The output of reference oscillator 124
is coupled via line 123 to second input of phase detector 120. The
output of the phase detector is coupled through loop filter 118 to
the control input of VCO 110. A crystal 126 is coupled to reference
oscillator 124 for stabilizing the output thereof. A varactor diode
128 is coupled to reference oscillator 124 via line 142.
The circuitry above described in connection with phase lock loop
113 is well known to those skilled in the art and not need be
described in detail. The operation of the circuitry to produce a
narrow band FM modulated carrier is also well known and need not be
discussed in detail here. The carrier signal produced by the phase
lock loop 113 is shown in FIG. 2e and will be described below in
connection with that figure.
In one embodiment the phase detector 120 may be a 2 input exclusive
OR gate having lines 121 and 123 coupled to the inputs and an
output coupled through loop filter 118 to the control input Of VCO
110. Divider 122 may be a dual modulus prescaler integrated circuit
such as a Fujitsu MB501. Such dual modulus prescalers provide two
selectable divide-by-ratios and are commonly utilized as part of
the divider in a PLL circuit in order to preserve the channel
spacing. Typically the dual modulus pescaler precedes fully
programmable divider circuits to produce a divider capable of
operating at VHF and UHF frequencies. The divider 122 of the
present invention can comprise only the dual modulus prescaler to
provide a considerable cost saving.
The output of the phase lock loop on line 111 is coupled to
multiplier 112 which receives a pseudo noise sequence (PN sequence)
signal on line 147 from PN sequence generator 132. Multiplier 112
serves as a spread spectrum modulator for modulating the narrow
band FM modulated carrier generated by PLL 113 to produce a spread
spectrum signal on line 117. The spread spectrum signal on line 117
supplies the input of radio frequency amplifier 114 which generates
an amplified signal. The amplified signal is transmitted to the
receiver shown in FIG. 5 via antenna 116. The antenna 116 is
coupled to the output of the radio frequency amplifier 114 via line
115. The clock utilized to generate the PN sequence is derived from
the reference oscillator 124 via divider 131. Divider 131 is
coupled to reference oscillator 124 by line 148 and divides the
frequency of the frequency oscillator by a predetermined number P.
The output of divider 131 is coupled to the PN sequence generator
132 via line 137. Data is applied to control unit 134 on a
plurality of lines illustrated as lines 144 and 145. Each of the
lines 144, 145 is utilized for a different type of input. For
example, in a burglar alarm system for a home, input 145 might
represent an alarm condition from an external sensor (not shown).
Such external sensor may be a normally open or normally closed
switch or an electronic detector applying a voltage on line 145 to
indicate an alarm condition. These sensors are well known in the
alarm art. Therefore, further discussion is omitted. Line 144 might
be utilized to indicate tampering with the transmitter 100. A well
known technique is to enclose a normally closed tamper switch in
the transmitter housing. Opening the housing opens the switch
contacts to activate the transmitter to transmit a tamper signal.
Alternately, it is known to use a normally open switch as a tamper
switch within the transmitter housing which is closed by opening
the housing to transmit a tamper signal. Other possible input
signals to the control circuit 134 includes a low battery indicator
which would be internal to the transmitter and indicate that the
battery for the transmitter requires replacement. A signal would be
transmitted to a central unit to advise the operator to replace the
battery. The control unit 134 converts the input data into packets
according to a predetermined format, which is then output on line
139 in synchronism with a data clock. Data packets in the
predetermined format are stored in the control unit 134 for each
possible message type. The receipt of one of the possible input
signals triggers the control unit 134 to generate the appropriate
data packet. The data clock is generated by PN sequence generator
132 via divider 133. The input of divider 133 is coupled to the
output of PN sequence generator via line 149. The output of divider
133 is coupled to the data clock input of control unit 134 via line
135. In a preferred embodiment, the PN sequence generator produces
a cyclic signal which is a pseudo noise sequence (PN sequence) of
period Ts which is supplied to mixer 112 via line 147. In addition,
it produces clock pulses on line 135 at the beginning of each
sequence. The data clock signal is produced by dividing the clock
pulses by a modulo N counter 133 which is then coupled to control
unit 134 via line 135. This results in N sequences being generated
during one bit and the bits being synchronous with the sequence
period. In a preferred embodiment, N is equal to 4 so that 4
sequences are produced during one bit. The data clock and its
relationship to the clock pulses and the PN sequence period are
shown in FIG. 3 and discussed below. The data packets on line 139
are shaped by data shaping filter 136 to reduce sharp transitions
in the digital bit stream which are unsuitable for modulating a
carrier. The signal at the output of filter 136 is shown in FIGS.
2b and discussed below in connection with that figure. The output
of filter 136 is then applied via line 140 to the input of
summation amplifier 130. A divider control signal 138 is generated
by control unit 134 on line 138 which controls the operation of
divider 122 to divide by a number M or by M+1. This signal is also
applied to the second input of summation amplifier 130. The output
of summation amplifier on line 141 is the signal Umod which is
applied to the varactor diode 128 in order to modulate the narrow
band FM carrier generated by PLL 113 in a known manner.
Control unit 134 also generates a power control signal on line 146.
In one state, the power control signal disconnects the power from
most of the transmitter circuitry to conserve power and to assure
that the carrier is transmitted only during two predetermined time
periods T1 and T2. This reduces the potential for interference when
a plurality of transmitters are used in a system. Accordingly, the
power control signal is applied to a means (not shown), such as an
electronic switch, in order to control the application of power to
the transmitter circuitry.
The operation of transmitter 100 will now be described in
connection with FIGS. 2a through 2d. The control unit 134 is
responsive to an input signal on lines 144 or 145 to produce a
power control signal on line 146. The power control signal
determines whether the transmitter is in the ON or OFF state. The
signal 202 shown in FIG. 2a has ON periods T1 and T2 at which time
the transmitter is in the ON state. Between the ON states T1 and T2
is a short duration OFF state Tg during which time the transmitter
is off. After the transmission during period T2, the transmitter is
again rendered in the OFF state until the next transmission is to
occur. This signal 202 is applied to the electronic switch
described above to apply power to the remaining portions of the
transmitter during the ON periods. It should be noted that the
signals shown in FIGS. 2b-2e are undefined when the transmitter is
in the OFF state following T2 or preceding T1.
The time Tg between periods T1 and T2 can be set to zero or in a
preferred embodiment it can be a randomly assigned value, which is
much larger than T1 or T2. This reduces the probability of losing a
packet of data caused by the simultaneous transmission of more than
one transmitter, which may occur in an alarm system where a
plurality of transmitters are utilized and such transmitters
transmit at random.
The preferred format of the data signal is shown in FIG. 2b. The
data signal consists of a CW period during which time the signal is
set to its nominal value and a data period during which the signal
varies according to the data bits of the message. The data bits are
preceded by preamble bits and followed by cyclic redundancy check
(CRC) bits for message validation. Notice that the edges of the
data bit transitions on signal 204 are rounded as shown at 206 and
208 by the data filter 136 in order to be more appropriate for
modulating the transmitter without creating many harmonic
frequencies. The generation of these harmonics would be detrimental
in a system where many transmitters are utilized.
The frequency of the reference oscillator 124 during the CW period
is the nominal frequency Fr. During the data period, the frequency
of the oscillator is deviated in accordance with the data bits to
plus and minus a frequency frdev as shown for signal 212 at 214 and
216 in FIG. 2d. After the data packet has been transmitted a first
time, the control unit 134 generates a divider control signal 210
on line 138. This signal is coupled to divider 122 by line 143. The
signal 210 is utilized to change the divisor of divider 122 from M
to M+1. In addition, the signal is coupled via line 138 to the
second input of summation amplifier 130 where it is summed along
with the output of data shaping filter 136 on line 140. The
addition of the signal 210 in amplifier 130 changes the operating
point of varactor diode 128. As shown in FIG. 2d, the frequency of
reference oscillator 124 on line 123 is altered by the divider
control signal 210 on line 138 to shift the nominal reference
frequency by df as shown at 212. Changing the divisor of the
divider 122 and changing the operating point of the varactor diode
to change the frequency of the reference oscillator 124 combine to
produce a carrier frequency which is shown in FIG. 2e. As can be
seen from FIG. 2e, the data for the first data packet has a carrier
frequency of MFr whereas the data for the second data packet has a
frequency of (M+1) (Fr+df) or Fr+(M+1)*df higher than the frequency
of the carrier for the first data packet. As stated previously, the
transmission of the data twice on two separate frequencies
differing by odd multiples of N/2*Ts causes no CW jamming signal
spectral components being present in the receiver pass band to
corrupt the message on at least one of the two frequencies to
guarantee that the message will be properly received. This requires
that the loop bandwidth of the PLL is wide enough to accommodate
the frequency shifts of the reference oscillator resulting from
modulation by the Umod signal.
FIG. 3 illustrates the timing between the clock pulses on line 137,
the data clock pulses on line 135 and the data bits on line 139 and
the PN sequences. FIG. 3a shows a series of identical PN sequences
302, 304, 306, 308, 310 and 312. As shown, the period of each PN
sequence is designated Ts. FIG. 3b shows the PN generation clock
pulses on line 137 and FIG. 3c shows the data clock pulses on line
135. The clock pulses on line 135 are the clock pulses on line 137
divided by N in divider 133. As illustrated, N equal 4. FIG. 3d
illustrates the data bits on line 139.
As illustrated, there are multiple PN sequences per data bit. Those
skilled in the art recognize that a single PN sequence or other
multiple may be utilized.
The signal 218 is applied to mixer 112 in FIG. 1 where it is spread
by means of the PN sequence generated by PN sequence generator 132.
The output of mixer 112 is the spread spectrum signal on line 117
which is amplified by RF amplifier 114 and then coupled to antenna
116 by line 115.
Referring to FIG. 4, the resulting spectrum of the modulated and
spread signal, which is time dependent, is shown for appropriately
chosen df and M. The power envelope for the spectrum of the first
data packet (T1) is shown in FIG. 4a. The envelope shows the
typical (sin x/x).sup.2 reduction in peak power from first lobe 410
to second lobe 412 to third lobe 416. The power envelope for the
spectrum of the second data packet (T2) is shown in FIG. 4b. The
envelope also shows the typical (sin x/x).sup.2 reduction in peak
power from first lobe 424 to second lobe 422 to third lobe 420. The
close-in spectra of the modulated signal for the first data period
T1 is shown in FIG. 4c and the close-in spectra for the second data
packet during time T2 is shown in FIG. 4d. The lines 426 indicate a
specific point in the spectra shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b that are
expanded in FIGS. 4c and 4d, respectively.
In FIG. 4c the spectral lines resulting from the spreading of the
carrier at time T1 by a PN sequence having a period Ts and being FM
modulated by the data signal are shown as 430, 432, 434, 436, 438
and 440. In FIG. 4d the spectral lines resulting from the spreading
of the carrier at time T2 by a PN sequence having the period Ts and
being FM modulated by the data signal are shown as 460, 462, 464,
466, 468 and 470. Comparing FIGS. 4c and 4d it can be seen that the
spectral lines are disjoint, that is, they are offset one from the
other by (M+1)df. The M+1 factor is the result of changing the
divisor of divider 122 (FIG. 1). The df factor is the result of
changing the operating point of the varactor diode 128 by applying
the divider control signal on line 138 to the second input of
summation amplifier 130 (FIG. 1).
This frequency, offset by one-half the spectral line frequency
interval, in the example shown, helps in rejecting interfering
signals. Offsets of other than one-half the spectral line frequency
interval can be chosen. Assuming a CW interference signal, the
interference signal will be subjected to the same PN sequence in
the receiver as the desired signal and will thus be converted into
a spread spectrum signal. One of the spectral lines produced by
this created spread spectrum signal might be within the receiver
passband and interfere with the reception of the desired signal. By
choosing df appropriately, the total spectrum is shifted so that
the spectral line placement during time T2 is approximately
centered between the lines of the spectrum occupied during time T1.
This guarantees interference free reception during time T1 or T2.
This is further explained below in connection with FIGS. 7 and
9.
It should be noted that, for the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the
divider 131 has a ratio P equal to 2, and therefore Fr is equal to
2*Fc, where Fc is the chip rate of PN sequence generator. As is
well known to those skilled in the art, in spread spectrum systems,
each bit time is subdivided into a plurality of "chips" which
determine the bandwidth of the communications channel. The greater
the number of "chips" per bit, the greater the bandwidth utilized
but the greater the amplitude of the interfering signal has to be
to be effective, That is, the amount of immunity from jamming is
proportional to the sequence length and the ratio between the chip
time (1/chip rate) and the bit time (Tb).
Referring to FIG. 5, a receiver 500 designed to take advantage of
the spectral characteristics of the above-described transmitted
signal is shown. The receiver comprises an antenna 548 coupled to a
RF amplifier 550 by line 502. The output of RF amplifier 550 is
coupled via line 504 to a mixer 552 the output of which is coupled
via line 506 to a narrow band FM receiver 554. Narrow band FM
receiver comprises a band pass filter 553 receiving the output of
mixer 552 via line 506. The output of band pass filter 553 is
coupled via line 555 to a first limiter 557. The output of the
first limiter 557 is coupled via line 559 to a second band pass
filter 564 the output of which is coupled via line 565 to a second
limiter 567. The output of the first and second limiters are also
coupled via line 563 and 575, respectively, to a receiver signal
strength indicator amplifier 569. The output of the second limiter
on line 571 is coupled to a frequency discriminator 573. The output
of the frequency discriminator on line 528 is coupled to amplifier
582 the output of which is coupled via line 530 to integrate and
dump filter 576. The output of receiver signal strength indicator
amplifier 569 is coupled via line 532 to amplifier 580. The output
of amplifier 580 on line 534 is coupled to integrate and dump
filter 578. The outputs of integrate and dump filters 576 and 578
are coupled via lines 536 and 538 to A/D converters 574 and 572,
respectively. The outputs of A/D converters 574 and 572 are coupled
respectively by lines 540 and 542 to microprocessor 570.
Microprocessor 570 generates a signal on line 543 to activate the
automatic frequency control (AFC) by closing switch 569 to connect
line 526 to line 522. Line 522 is an input to summation amplifier
568. The microprocessor also produces a frequency shift signal on
line 524 which is a second input to summation amplifier 568. The
output of summation amplifier 568 on line 520 is applied to
varactor diode 566 in order to control the frequency of reference
oscillator 562. The nominal frequency of reference oscillator 562
is controlled by crystal 564. The reference oscillator outputs a
frequency of Fr or Fr+df on lines 545 and 578. Line 545 is an input
to local oscillator synthesizer 558 and line 578 is an input to
divider 561. Divider 561 divides the frequency of the reference
oscillator by a value P, which is identical to that utilized in the
transmitter. The output of divider 561 on line 516 is the PN
sequence generator clock which is input into the receiver PN
sequence generator 560. Receiver PN sequence generator 560 also has
an input on line 546 which are signals generated by microprocessor
570 to control the phase of the PN sequence generator. The local
oscillator synthesizer 558 is coupled via line 512 to the
microprocessor 570 to receive synthesizer control signals. The
output of the local oscillator synthesizer at a frequency Flo is
applied via line 510 to the input of multiplier (mixer) 556. A
second input to multiplier 556 is the output of the receiver PN
sequence generator 560 on line 514. The output of multiplier 556 is
a spread local oscillator signal on line 508 which is applied as an
input to mixer 552. Microprocessor 570 is coupled via interface
lines 544 to displays and controls for the system (not shown).
The operation of the receiver will now be described in connection
with FIG. 5. The signal received from the antenna 548 is coupled
via line 502 to RF amplifier 550 in which it is amplified and
applied to mixer 552 via line 504. This signal is multiplied by the
spread local oscillator signal containing the locally generated PN
sequence in multiplier 552. The PN sequence utilized is identical
to the one utilized by the transmitter to spread the signal before
transmission. When the phase of the PN sequence generated by the
receiver PN sequence generator 560 is aligned with a phase of the
sequence which is modulating the received signal, the received
signal collapses to a narrow band FM modulated signal
(reconstituted carrier centered at the IF frequency) which can be
amplified and demodulated by the narrow band FM receiver 554. The
phase of the PN sequence is controlled by the phase control signals
generated by microprocessor 570 and applied to the receiver PN
sequence generator 560 via line 546. The microprocessor adjusts the
phase of the receiver PN sequence generator 560 to obtain the
maximum carrier power at the output of the limiting amplifiers of
the narrow band FM receiver 554.
In a preferred embodiment of the receiver, the microprocessor 570
first scans all possible code phases and determines the
corresponding carrier powers. The carrier power is determined
through the receiver signal strength indicator which produces a
signal indicative of the carrier power. This signal is coupled via
line 532 to amplifier 580. The signal is amplified and applied to
integrate and dump filter 578, the output of which is converted by
the A/D converter 572 into a digital signal which is applied via
line 542 to an input of microprocessor 570.
The receiver utilizes a sliding correlator as is well known in the
art. It is assumed that the first sequence is being transmitted.
The power of the incoming waveform is determined for one sequence
and this value is stored in the microprocessor 570. The
microprocessor then changes the phase of the generated PN sequence
by one chip and repeats the process. This is repeated for all
possible sequence phases (equal to the number of chips per
sequence). The microprocessor then chooses the phase corresponding
to the strongest carrier power. Optionally, the microprocessor can
move the phase .+-.1/2 chip to maximize the output for the exact
phase.
The microprocessor 570 determines the optimum value of the PN
generator phase in accordance with a the above described algorithm
and then sets the phase of the PN generator via a signal on line
546. At this time, the microprocessor generates a signal on line
543 which closes switch 569 to activate the AFC circuit. The AFC
circuit adjusts the frequency of the reference oscillator 562 to
obtain a despread signal whose nominal frequency is ideally the IF
frequency Fif on line 506. That is, once the PN sequence generators
in the receiver and transmitter are in phase, the carrier frequency
produced at the output of mixer 552 may not be exactly aligned with
the IF frequency of the narrow band FM receiver. The AFC circuit is
utilized to align the receiver frequency with the transmitted
frequency so that the resultant frequency at the mixer output is
the chosen IF frequency, in a known manner. The AFC circuit is
disabled until the microprocessor recognizes a valid signal.
The frequency of the local oscillator synthesizer 558 and the PN
sequence generator clock on line 516 are both derived from the same
reference frequency oscillator 562, having a nominal frequency of
Fr. Therefore, the clock frequency of the receiver PN sequence
generator 560 approaches the clock frequency of the transmitter PN
sequence generator 132 at the end of AFC acquisition process when
the signal on line 506 approaches the nominal value Fif. If the
transmission time T1 or T2 is appropriately chosen to be short
enough, the drift of the receiver and transmitter will be small.
This eliminates the need for tracking circuitry to insure that the
phase of the receiver PN sequence generator is maintained with
respect to the phase of the received signal for the duration of the
transmission time, which substantially reduces the complexity of
the receiver without significant impact on the receiver's
performance.
In order to accommodate the signals at both transmitter
frequencies, the frequency of the local oscillator synthesizer 558
is switched periodically between two frequencies F101 which is
equal to Ft.times.1-Fif and a frequency F102 which is equal to a
frequency Ft.times.2-Fif where Ft.times.1 is equal M*Fr and
Ft.times.2 is equal to (M+1)* (Fr+df). The term df is the
transmitter increment of the reference oscillator 124 in the
transmitter. The processor obtains this value in two steps. First,
the processor changes the nominal value of the reference oscillator
562 by applying a frequency shift signal on line 524 input to
summation amplifier 568. This changes the voltage on the varactor
diode 566 by an amount needed to change the frequency from Fr to
Fr+df. Second the microprocessor 570 controls the frequency of the
synthesizer 558 via the synthesizer control signal on line 512 to
obtain the proper value for FlO. The rate of the switching of the
transmission periods T1 and T2 are chosen so that the PN code
acquisition can be obtained on both frequencies under the worst
timing conditions. The sliding correlator requires enough time to
examine each chip phase for each possible chip sequence. This
requires a time equal to the square of the number of chips times
the chip time. For example, if we utilized 32 chips per sequence,
the minimum time required would be (32).sup.2 Tc. In a preferred
configuration, the CW period during time T1 and time T2 should be
approximately .[.6*L*Tb*Dc.]. .Iadd.6*Ls*Tb*Dc .Iaddend.where
.[.L.]. .Iadd.Ls .Iaddend.is the sequence length, Tb is the bit
time and Dc is a designer choice constant which is usually 1 or 2.
The receiver dwell time Td on one frequency has in the preferred
embodiment a time of .[.2*L*Tb*Dc.]. .Iadd.2*Ls*Tb*Dc.Iaddend.. The
receiver frequency shift signal, the frequency of the reference
oscillator and the frequency of the local oscillator are shown in
FIG. 6. FIG. 6a represents the frequency shift signal generated by
microprocessor 570 and input to summation amplifier 568 via line
524. The time Td is the receiver dwell time in the search mode,
which has been described above. During time T' the reference
oscillator output shown in FIG. 6b is at a frequency Fr. During a
time T" the frequency of the reference oscillator is at a frequency
Fr+df. The frequency of the local oscillator synthesizer is shown
in FIG. 6c. During the time T' it is at frequency of Ft.times.1-Fif
and during the period T" it is at a frequency Ft.times.2-Fif.
Upon PN code acquisition the signal on line 506 (FIG. 5) consists
of the despread, narrow band FM modulated signal and potentially a
spread jamming signal whose spectral components are spaced by 1/Ts,
where Ts is the spreading sequence period. The exact placement of
the spectral components of the spread jamming signal with respect
to the desired signal is determined by the jamming frequency prior
to spreading.
FIGS. 7a and 7b show the spectrum of the signal received at the
receiver antenna during time T1 and T2 with a jamming signal
present in the spectrum. The signal 702 in FIG. 7a is the signal
transmitted during time T1. The signal 704 is the jammer at a power
level of P.sub.j and a frequency of F.sub.j. The typical (sin
x/x).sup.2 envelope produced by modulating rectangular pulses is
shown by the attenuation between lobes 702, 706 and 708. The (sin
x/x).sup.2 characteristic causes lobe 706 to be 13 dB lower than
the desired signal lobe 702. Lobe 708 is lower than lobe 706 in
accordance with the (sin x/x).sup.2 rolloff. In FIG. 7b, 710
represents the signal transmitted during time T2. Reference numeral
712 represents the jammer at a frequency F.sub.j ' and a power
P.sub.j '. Reference numerals 714 and 716 represent the (sin
x/x).sup.2 envelope. Similarly to FIG. 7a, lobe 714 is 13 dB lower
than lobe 710 and lobe 716 is lower than lobe 714 in accordance
with the (sin x/x).sup.2 rolloff. FIGS. 7c and 7d illustrate the
envelope of the spread jamming signal after conversion at the
output of mixer 552 (FIG. 5) during time T1 and T2. As is well
known to those skilled in the art, when a CW signal is passed
through a mixer of a spread spectrum receiver, it is acted on
similarly to the signal passing through multiplier 112 of the
transmitter (FIG. 1). That is, the signal is spread by the PN
sequence. This produces the spectrum shown in FIGS. 7c-7f. In FIG.
7c, reference numeral 720 represents the jammer envelope after the
mixer 552 during the time T'. Reference numeral 722 represents the
peak power of the jammer signal in db as P.sub.j '-10LogL and 724
represents the power P.sub.j. In FIG. 7d, 730 represents the jammer
envelope after the mixer 552 during the time T". Reference numeral
732 represents the power P.sub.j " and reference numeral 734 is the
power P.sub.j -10LogL.
FIGS. 7e and 7f show the close-in spectrum of the spread jamming
signal at the output of mixer 552 (FIG. 5) during time T1 and T2 at
points 724 (P.sub.j ') and 732 (P.sub.j ") and also the
relationship of the jamming signal component to the despread
desired signal and the receiver IF bandwidth. The spectrum shown in
FIGS. 7e and 7f is an expansion of the points in FIGS. 7c and 7d
along line 728. In FIG. 7e, 740 represents the despread received
signal and 742 represents the bandwidth of the IF band pass filter.
Reference numeral 744 represents the jammer at power P.sub.j ' 746
and 748 represent the close spectrum jammer components during time
T'. In FIG. 7f, reference numeral 750 represents the despread
received signal. Reference numeral 752 represents the bandwidth of
the IF band pass filter. Reference numeral 754 represents the
jammer signal at a power P.sub.j " and reference numeral 756 and
758 represent the close-in spectrum of the jammer components during
time T".
The jamming signal envelope, during the time T1, is centered around
the frequency F.sub.j -Flo' where Flo' is the local oscillator
frequency during time T1, which is above the Fif by approximately
F.sub.j -Ftx1, where F.sub.j is the jammer frequency and Ftx1 is
the center frequency of the signal transmitted at time T1.
Similarly, the jamming signal envelope during the time T2 is
centered around F.sub.j -Flo" where Flo" is the local oscillator
frequency at time T2, which is below Fif by approximately
Ft.times.2-F.sub.j, where Ft.times.2 is the center frequency of the
signal transmitted at time T2. This is due to the frequency
conversion in the mixer 552 based on changing the frequency of the
local oscillator. Because of the (sin x/x).sup.2 shape of the
envelope, the power level at P.sub.j " (which is in the second
lobe) is approximately 10 dB lower than the power level at P.sub.j
', where P.sub.j ' and P.sub.j " are the jamming signal spectral
component power level translated to the IF frequency during times
T1 and T2, respectively.
The drawings illustrate that if the despread signal spectrum is
narrow enough so that the receiver bandwidth is less than 1/(2*Ts)
and the frequency difference between Ft.times.1 and Ft.times.2 is
equal to Fr plus approximately 1/(2Ts) then at least one reception,
that is, Ft.times.1 or Ft.times.2, is not corrupted by the jamming
signal interference. This is because a narrow-bandwidth receiver
filter is effectively between the spectral lines of the spectrum
jamming signal. Furthermore, the jamming spectral lines are down by
the spreading factor plus an additional factor related to the
spread jamming signals (sin x/x).sup.2 spectral envelope. This can
be seen in FIGS. 7e and 7f at P.sub.j ' which is in the passband
whereas P.sub.j " is not.
As a result, the frequency shift technique is effective in
suppressing the non-intentional CW jamming signals, such as those
created by computers, terminals, and other devices employing
crystal based or other frequency determining elements as part of
clock timing circuits. Some gain is also obtained in the
suppression of narrow band as well as wide band modulated jamming
signals due to the spreading factor and result in the (sin
x/x).sup.2 envelope of the spread jamming signal caused by the
correlating mixer.
The frequency shift technique described above is also an effective
means of suppressing short delay multipath signals frequently
encountered when a high frequency carrier is used to communicate
inside of buildings. The present invention provides good results
for both long delay and, more importantly, for short delay
multipath effects in a spread spectrum communication system in
which the delays are much shorter than the chip time. Traditional
methods are less effective on this type of multipath delay. FIG. 8
illustrates the short multipath effect on the spread spectrum
signal FIG. 8a represents a PN sequence having a chip time of Tc.
FIG. 8b represents a spread carrier and FIG. 8c represents a
delayed spread carrier. FIG. 8d represents the sum of an original
and a delayed signal assuming that the power of the time-delayed
signal is comparable to the power of the original signal and that
the delay is such that the two signals are in opposite phase at the
receiver antenna. FIG. 8e represents the spectrum of the resultant
signal of FIG. 8d. If the power of the spread carrier and the
delayed spread carrier is each A, then the power of the signal in
FIG. 8d is 2A as shown at 810. In FIG. 8d the bulk of the signal
has been cancelled since the signals only add during chip
transitions and then only for the duration of the time delay
T.sub.Del is shown in 810, 820, 830, 840 and 850. The resultant
power of the signal shown in FIG. 8d is much smaller than the power
of the original signal. If the power that would be available is
P.sub.TOT, then the power available at 830 or 840, for example, is
##EQU1## where T.sub.Del is the delay time between the signals of
FIGS. 8b and 8c. In a practical example for a chip rate of 5
million chips per second and a time delay of 20 nanoseconds, the
power of the signal shown in FIG. 8d is 5 times smaller than the
power of the original signal. In addition, the spectrum of the
resultant signal is much wider, as shown in FIG. 8e and therefore
only a part of the total power of the signal can pass through the
narrow band receiver filters. In the example discussed above, only
one tenth of the energy originally present is available in the
detector. Thus, the total loss of power, considering the
above-described loss of 80% of the original power, is therefore
approximately 50 times or 17 dB is shown at 880. The power at this
lobe is P.sub.TOT '/(T.sub.c /T.sub.Del).
The frequency shift arrangement described above provides for better
suppression of the multipath effect because it introduces frequency
diversity which changes the phase relationships of the original and
time-delayed signals. This reduces or eliminates the cancellation
effect shown in FIG. 8d. For a carrier frequency of approximately 1
GHz, the total loss encountered may be less than 3 dB as opposed to
17 dB in the example above (FIG. 8e).
Another feature of the receiver is related to the reception of
strong signals above the dynamic range of the receiver signal
strength indicator (RSSI). In the case when the signal is very
strong and considerably above the noise level, there may be no need
to despread the signal before detection. According to FIG. 4, if
the spectrum of each component of the spread spectrum signal is
narrow enough (in practice, less than 1/Ts) the data can be
recovered directly from any of the spectral components without
prior despreading. This permits turning off the local PN generator
when a predetermined signal strength level has been exceeded for a
predetermined period of time thus disabling the acquisition
process. Therefore the evaluation of the RSSI signal, which aids
the acquisition, is irrelevant. The signal received is so strong
that peaks of the spectral lines would be received without
despreading. Each spectral lines carries the full modulation; thus
allowing the data to be extracted from a single spectral line. This
known technique has very practical implications since the RSSI
amplifier usually saturates at signal levels which are much smaller
than the maximum signal level at which the limiters and the FM
discriminator can be expected to function properly. The effective
dynamic range of the receiver can be extended in this manner
without the necessity for automatic gain control circuitry. In
addition, the acquisition time can be reduced for all transmitters
which are close enough to the receiver to produce signals at the
receiver antenna which are strong enough to actuate this detection
mechanism. This type of a narrow band signal spectrum associated
with each of the spectral lines can be obtained by using an
appropriately chosen deviation together with a bit time Tb much
greater than the PN sequence period Ts.
The signals generated in a preferred embodiment of the system
according to the present invention are shown in FIG. 9. FIGS. 9A
and 9B show the spectral envelope of the transmitted signal and its
relationship to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
modulation mask for spread spectrum transmission. The modulation
mask allots the frequency band of 902 to 928 MHz and requires that
the signal at the boundaries be approximately 20 dB below the level
of the transmitted frequencies Ft.times.1 and Ft.times.2. In FIG.
9, the following parameters were chosen:
These choices result in component spacing of the spread signal of
111.25 kHz and a df of 111.25/(2*129) or approximately 430 Hz. The
receiver reference oscillator and the transmitter reference
oscillator frequencies are changed from 7.12 (T1) to 7.12043 MHz
(T2) or by approximately 60 ppm. The spectra in FIGS. 9a and 9b
follow the (sin x/x).sup.2 rolloff. The lobe 906 at the 902 MHz
lower boundary 912 is approximately 19.5 db down from the lobe 902
at frequency Ft.times.1=911.36 MH.sub.z during time T1. The lobe
924 at the 928 MHz upper boundary 926 is approximately 20.2 dB down
from the lobe 920 at FxT2=918.44+129*df=918.496 MHz during time T2.
Thus minimal filtering is required at the lower boundary and no
filtering is required at the upper boundary to meet the FCC
modulation mask requirements. This significantly reduces the
complexity and cost of the transmitter. This permits the use of
non-linear Class C or similar amplifiers in the transmitter which
results in reduced power consumption and thus makes the transmitter
more suitable for battery operation.
FIGS. 9c and 9d show the close-in spectra within lines 930. As can
be seen these spectra are separated by 111.25 KHz. Comparing FIG.
9d to 9c, the spectra of FIG. 9d are offset by approximately 1/2
chip=56 KHz. A receiver bandwidth (BW) of 50 kHz fulfills the
requirement that BW is less than 1/(2Ts) and allows for the
reception of the modulated signal at a data rate of 111.25/4
kilobits per second or approximately 27.8 kilobits per second.
While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been
disclosed herewithin, certain changes and modifications will
readily occur to those skilled in the art. All such changes and
modifications can be made without departing from the invention as
defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *