Patent · US Active

Automatic timing synchronization for wireless radio networks

US8040870B1 · kind B1 · utility

4Cited by
1References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 12, 2008
Grant dateOct 18, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 16, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L7/0008
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Radios synchronize their timing mechanisms using a timing signal that those radios propagate from one radio to another. Radios that are close to each other transmit only during times that none of the other nearby radios is trying to receive. In one scheme, a “master” radio initiates communication while another “slave” radio responds in a pre-determined manner. The master generates and propagates an inverted timing signal to the slave, which propagates approximately the same inverted timing signal to other radios in the slave's cluster. Each radio can be in one of three different modes: “source,” “auto,” and “recipient” modes. A “source” radio generates a timing signal independently. A “recipient” radio uses a received timing signal and forwards it to other radios. An “auto” radio behaves as a “recipient” radio while a timing signal is detectable, but behaves as a “source” radio if the timing signal is lost.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.