DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING DATA IN A RADIO FREQUENCY TRANSMISSION

Abstract

According to one aspect, an embodiment radio frequency receiver device comprises an input interface configured to receive a radio frequency signal of a given type and convert same into an electric signal, a detector configured to detect at least one voltage level in the electric signal, a pulse generator configured to generate at least one pulse train representative of the voltage levels detected, and a processing unit configured to determine the type of the radio frequency signal from the at least one pulse train.

Claims

1. A method for receiving data in a radio frequency transmission, the method comprising: receiving a radio frequency signal of a given type; converting the radio frequency signal into an electric signal; detecting, at least once, at least one voltage level in the electric signal; generating at least one pulse train representative of each detection; and determining the type of the radio frequency signal from the at least one pulse train.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency signal includes a header representative of the type of the radio frequency signal, and the generating comprises generating at least one pulse train associated with the header of the radio frequency signal received.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the type of the radio frequency signal comprises implementing an artificial neural network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the artificial neural network comprises a succession of layers including: an input layer for retrieving the generated pulse trains; at least one hidden convolutional and/or propagation layer for generating corrected pulse trains comprising pulses representative of the type of the radio frequency signal; and an output layer for transmitting the corrected pulse trains.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a nature of the radio frequency signal is identified based on the corrected pulse trains.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the at least one voltage level of the electric signal comprises comparing the electric signal with at least one threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after determining the type of the radio frequency signal, sampling then processing the electric signal in accordance with the determined type of the radio frequency signal.

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising decoding the radio frequency signal from the corrected pulse trains, as a function of the determined type of the radio frequency signal.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency signal is selected from among a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal, or a Long Term Evolution (LTE) signal.

10. A radio frequency receiver device comprising: an input interface configured to: receive a radio frequency signal of a given type; and convert the radio frequency signal into an electric signal; a detector configured to detect at least one voltage level in the electric signal; a pulse generator configured to generate at least one pulse train representative of the voltage levels detected; and a processing unit configured to determine the type of the radio frequency signal from the at least one pulse train.

11. The receiver device according to claim 10, wherein the input interface is configured to receive the radio frequency signal including a header representative of the type of the radio frequency signal, the pulse generator being configured to generate at least one pulse train associated with the header of the radio frequency signal received.

12. The receiver device according to claim 10, wherein the processing unit is configured to implement an artificial neural network (NN) to determine the type of the radio frequency signal.

13. The receiver device according to claim 12, wherein the artificial neural network comprises a succession of layers including an input layer for retrieving the generated pulse trains, at least one hidden convolutional and/or propagation layer for generating corrected pulse trains comprising pulses representative of the type of the radio frequency signal and an output layer for transmitting the corrected pulse trains.

14. The receiver device according to claim 13, further comprising a decoder configured to identify the type of the radio frequency signal from the pulses of the corrected pulse trains.

15. The receiver device according to claim 10, wherein the detector comprises at least one comparator configured to detect the at least one voltage level of the electric signal by comparing the electric signal with at least one threshold.

16. The receiver device according to claim 10, further comprising a signal processor, configured to, after a nature of the radio frequency signal has been determined, sample and then process the electric signal in accordance with the determined type of the radio frequency signal.

17. The receiver device according to claim 14, wherein the decoder is configured to decode the radio frequency signal from the corrected pulse trains, as a function of the determined type of the radio frequency signal.

18. The receiver device according to claim 10, wherein the radio frequency signal is selected from among a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth signal and an LTE signal.

19. An object comprising: a radio frequency receiver device comprising: an input interface configured to: receive a radio frequency signal of a given type; and convert the radio frequency signal into an electric signal; a detector configured to detect at least one voltage level in the electric signal; a pulse generator configured to generate at least one pulse train representative of the voltage levels detected; and a processing unit configured to determine the type of the radio frequency signal from the at least one pulse train.

20. The object according to claim 19, wherein the object is coupled to the Internet, and is configured to receive data from a remote server or appliance via the radio frequency signal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon examining the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments and methods of implementing the invention, and from the accompanying drawings in which:

[0051] FIG. 1 illustrates a receiver device that can be used as a software-defined radio;

[0052] FIG. 2 illustrates a pulse generation device;

[0053] FIG. 3 illustrates a neural network correcting pulse trains;

[0054] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment receiving method;

[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment receiver device;

[0056] FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment receiving method; and

[0057] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment object comprising a receiver device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0058] FIG. 1 shows a receiver device DIS1 according to one embodiment of the invention, which can be used as a software-defined radio.

[0059] The receiver device DIS1 comprises an antenna ANT configured to receive a radio frequency signal and convert this signal into an electric signal SE.

[0060] The radio frequency signal is of a given type. The type of the radiofrequency signal can be conformant to a standard or a protocol. For example, the radio frequency signal can be a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or LTE (Long Term Evolution) signal.

[0061] The radio frequency signal is of a given type and carries a header representative of the type of the radio frequency signal. The radio frequency signal also carries useful information, i.e. data that can be used by the receiver device.

[0062] The type of the radio frequency signal and the useful information of the radio frequency signal are represented in the form of symbols.

[0063] The radio frequency signal received can comprise noise and errors introduced during the transmission of the radio frequency signal.

[0064] The receiver device further comprises a wide-band low-noise amplifier AMP connected to the antenna. The amplifier AMP is configured to receive, at the input, the electric signal SE generated by the antenna ANT and to amplify this electric signal SE. The resulting amplified signal SA is output from the amplifier AMP.

[0065] The receiver device comprises a pulse generation device IGD shown in more detail in FIG. 2.

[0066] The pulse generation device IGD comprises a plurality of comparators CP0, CP1, CP2, CP3 connected to the output of the amplifier AMP. Each comparator CP0, CP1, CP2, CP3 respectively receives, at the input, the amplified signal SA and a comparison signal SC0, SC1, SC2, SC3 each defining a threshold voltage. Each comparator CP0, CP1, CP2, CP3 is thus associated with a given threshold voltage.

[0067] The comparators CP0, CP1, CP2, CP3 are thus configured to detect when the threshold voltages are exceeded. These exceedances are respectively signalled by signals SD0, SD1, SD2 and SD3 at the output of the comparators CP0, CP1, CP2 and CP3.

[0068] In particular, the pulse generation device IGD preferably comprises a first comparator CP0 used to detect when a threshold voltage of 0 volts has been exceeded.

[0069] The pulse generation device IGD further comprises a series of comparators CP1, CP2, CP3 for detecting when other threshold voltages have been exceeded. In the embodiment shown, the pulse generation device IGD comprises three comparators. Nonetheless, a different number of comparators can be provided as a function of a desired detection resolution.

[0070] The pulse generation device IGD further comprises a time-to-digital converter TDC. Preferably, the time-to-digital converter TDC receives, at the input, the output from the comparator CP0. The time-to-digital converter TDC is thus configured to measure a time between two detection sequences, with a detection sequence ending when no exceedance has been detected for a time that is greater than the transmission time of a symbol.

[0071] The pulse generation device IGD further comprises a pulse generator IG. The pulse generator IG comprises a plurality of inputs configured to receive the detection signals from the comparators CP1, CP2, CP3.

[0072] The pulse generator IG is further configured to output a pulse as soon as a voltage threshold is detected by a comparator CP1, CP2, CP3 to have been exceeded. Thus, the pulse generator comprises a plurality of outputs O1, O2, O3, each output O1, O2, O3 being associated with a detection respectively connected to the comparator CP1, CP2, CP3.

[0073] The pulse generator IG can thus generate a plurality of pulse trains TI1, TI2, TI3 when a plurality of voltage threshold exceedances has been detected by a plurality of comparators CP1, CP2 and CP3 during receipt of the radio frequency signal.

[0074] Some of the pulses in these pulse trains TI1, TI2, TI3 can be representative of symbols comprised in the radio frequency signal received.

[0075] Other pulses can result from noise comprised in the radio frequency signal received or from errors introduced into the radio frequency signal during the transmission thereof.

[0076] The pulse generator IG can in particular be formed by an AND type logic gate with a delay on one of the inputs thereof.

[0077] The receiver device DIS1 further comprises a processing unit UT configured to implement an artificial neural network NN.

[0078] The processing unit UT can be a microprocessor for example.

[0079] This artificial neural network NN is stored as a computer program in a memory of the processing unit.

[0080] The neural network NN receives, at the input, the pulse trains TI1, TI2 and TI3 generated by the pulse generator IG.

[0081] In particular, the artificial neural network is trained beforehand to recognise pulses representative of symbols in the pulse trains that it receives so as to generate corrected pulse trains in which the pulses resulting from noise or transmission errors are eliminated.

[0082] The pulses of the corrected pulse trains are thus representative of the symbols contained in the radio frequency signal.

[0083] In particular, the neural network represented allows the corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2 and TICS to be generated.

[0084] The neural network thus outputs corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2 and TIC3.

[0085] In particular, the neural network NN comprises a succession of neuron layers.

[0086] Each layer receives, at the input, data to which weights are applied and outputs output data after processing by neuron activation functions of the layer. This output data is transmitted to the next layer in the neural network.

[0087] The weights are data, more particularly parameters, of neurons that can be configured to obtain good output data.

[0088] The weights are adjusted during a learning phase that is generally a supervised learning phase, in particular by executing the neural network with already classified pulse trains from a reference database as input data.

[0089] For example, as shown in FIG. 3 by way of illustration, the first layer CI is an input layer comprising a neuron I1 receiving the pulse train TI1, a neuron I2 receiving the pulse train TI2 and a neuron I3 receiving the pulse train TI3.

[0090] The last layer CO is an output layer comprising a neuron O1 transmitting the corrected pulse train TIC1, a neuron I2 transmitting the corrected pulse train TIC2 and a neuron I3 transmitting the corrected pulse train TIC3.

[0091] The neural network NN further comprises one or more hidden layers CH between the input layer CI and the output layer CO. In FIG. 3, only one hidden layer CH is shown. This layer CH comprises neurons H1, H2 and H3 receiving, at the input, the outputs from the neurons I1, I2 and I3 of the input layer CI. The neurons O1, O2, O3 of the output layer CO thus receive, at the input, the outputs from these neurons H1, H2 and H3.

[0092] The hidden layers can be convolutional and/or propagation layers. These layers are configured to identify the pulses representative of symbols in the generated pulse trains.

[0093] The times measured by the time-to-digital converter between two detection sequences of the comparator CP0 are used to define time windows during which the pulse trains are to be analysed by the neural network NN.

[0094] The receiver device DIS1 comprises a decoder DEC that can be implemented by the processing unit UT.

[0095] The decoder DEC is configured to identify the symbols in the corrected pulse trains that it receives.

[0096] In particular, the decoder DEC is configured to recognise the type of the radio frequency signal comprised in the header of the signal based on the identified symbols.

[0097] The decoder DEC is further configured to translate the identified symbols of the corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2, TICS transmitted by the neural network NN into a binary data stream DAT representative of the information contained in the radio frequency signal, as a function of the identified type of the radio frequency signal.

[0098] The receiver device DIS1 is thus configured to implement a receiving method as shown in FIG. 4.

[0099] The receiving method comprises a receiving step 40 wherein the antenna ANT receives a radio frequency signal and converts same into an electric signal SE.

[0100] The receiving method then comprises an amplification step 41 wherein the amplifier AMP amplifies the electric signal SE produced by the antenna ANT. The amplified signal SA obtained is then transmitted to the comparators CP0, CP1, CP2 and CP3.

[0101] Thus, the method comprises a step 42 of detecting exceedances wherein the comparators CP0, CP1, CP2 and CP3 compare the amplified signal with the different threshold voltages. When the amplified signal exceeds a threshold voltage, the comparator CP0, CP1, CP2 and CP3 associated with this threshold voltage emits a detection signal.

[0102] The method further comprises a step 43 of generating a pulse train by way of the pulse generator IG. Each pulse represents a detection of a threshold voltage being exceeded.

[0103] The pulse generator IG thus allows each detection of a threshold voltage being exceeded to be translated into a pulse.

[0104] The method then comprises a step 44 of generating the corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2, TIC3.

[0105] In this step, the processing unit executes the neural network NN in such a way that the corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2, TIC3 are generated from the generated pulse trains TI1, TI2, TI3.

[0106] The corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2 and TIC3 are then transmitted to the decoder.

[0107] The method then comprises a decoding step 45 implemented by the decoder DEC. In this decoding step, the decoder DEC firstly identifies the symbols in the corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2 and TIC3.

[0108] The decoder DEC then determines the type of the radio frequency signal based on an identified symbol originating from the header of the radio frequency signal.

[0109] The decoder DEC then translates the identified symbols associated with the useful information into a binary data stream DAT representative of the useful information of the radio frequency signal, as a function of the determined type of the radio frequency signal.

[0110] Determining the type of the radio frequency signal in particular makes it possible to determine whether or not the radio frequency signal must be processed.

[0111] Thus, the generation of a pulse train based on a detection of voltage level exceedances allows the useful information to be extracted from the radio frequency signal without sampling the radio frequency signal.

[0112] Such a method thus makes it possible to reduce the power consumed in order to extract the useful information from a radio frequency signal.

[0113] Such a method further reduces the number of samples to be analysed by analysing only a small number of pulses. Such a method further avoids restrictive conditions regarding the bandwidth of the radio frequency signal received.

[0114] FIG. 5 shows a receiver device DIS2 according to another embodiment of the invention, which can also be used as a software-defined radio.

[0115] In this case, the receiver device DIS2 also comprises an antenna ANT, a low-noise amplifier AMP, a pulse generation device IGD and a processing unit UT as described hereinabove.

[0116] The receiver device in FIG. 5 differs from that in FIG. 1 in that the processing unit UT is not used to decode the useful information of the radio frequency signal based on the corrected pulse trains.

[0117] In particular, the useful information is extracted from the radio frequency signal using signal processor MT.

[0118] The signal processor comprises a high-frequency analogue-to-digital converter CAD configured to sample the amplified electric signal SA transmitted by the amplifier AMP. In particular, the signal processor comprises a clock generator CG configured such that it can generate a sampling clock. This sampling clock is used to time the sampling performed by the analogue-to-digital converter.

[0119] The signal processor MT further comprises an amplitude demodulator IQD, in particular a quadrature amplitude demodulator well known to a person skilled in the art, in particular the use thereof in software-defined radios.

[0120] The signal processor MT is configured to extract the useful information from a radio frequency signal of a given type.

[0121] The pulse generation device IGD and the processing unit UT are used to determine the type of the radio frequency signal and then to actuate the signal processor MT if the type of the signal is that for which the signal processor MT is configured.

[0122] In particular, the processing unit UT is configured to implement the neural network NN in order to generate corrected pulse trains from pulse trains generated by the pulse generation device, as described for the receiver device in FIG. 1.

[0123] Moreover, the decoder DEC is configured to identify a symbol, from the header of the signal, representative of an expected type of the radio frequency signal based on the corrected pulse trains, the expected type being one which can be processed by the signal processor MT.

[0124] The decoder DEC is thus configured to activate the signal processor MT when it has identified a symbol representative of the expected type.

[0125] The pulse generation device IGD and the processing unit UT can thus be used as a radio wake-up system to indicate that a radio frequency signal of the expected type has been received.

[0126] Thus, the receiver device DIS2 in FIG. 5 is configured to implement a receiving method as shown in FIG. 6.

[0127] At the beginning of such a method, the clock generator CG is deactivated and thus does not consume power.

[0128] The receiving method comprises a receiving step 6o wherein the antenna ANT receives a radio frequency signal and converts same into an electric signal.

[0129] The receiving method then comprises an amplification step 61 wherein the amplifier AMP amplifies the electric signal SE produced by the antenna. The amplified signal SA obtained is then transmitted to the comparators of the pulse generation device IGD.

[0130] Thus, the method comprises a step 62 of detecting exceedances wherein the comparators compare the amplified signal with the different threshold voltages. When the amplified signal exceeds a threshold voltage, the comparator emits a detection signal.

[0131] The method further comprises a step 63 of generating a pulse train by way of the pulse generator of the pulse generation device IGD. Each pulse represents a detection of a threshold voltage being exceeded.

[0132] The pulse generator thus allows each detection of a threshold voltage being exceeded to be translated into a pulse.

[0133] The method then comprises a step 64 of determining the type of the radio frequency signal from each pulse train generated by the pulse generator.

[0134] The method then comprises a step 44 of generating the corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2, TIC3.

[0135] In this step, the processing unit executes the neural network NN in such a way that the corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2, TIC3 are generated from the generated pulse trains TI1, TI2, TI3.

[0136] The corrected pulse trains TIC1, TIC2 and TIC3 are then transmitted to the decoder.

[0137] The method then comprises a decoding step 45 implemented by the decoder DEC. In this decoding step, the decoder DEC identifies whether pulses in the corrected pulse trains correspond to a symbol representative of the expected type of the radio frequency signal.

[0138] If the decoder DEC identifies a symbol representative of the expected type from the corrected pulse trains, then the processing unit UT emits an activation signal SAC to the processor MT. In particular, the activation signal allows the clock generator CG to be activated.

[0139] Once the clock generator has been activated, the method includes a step 65 of sampling the amplified electric signal SA from the radio frequency signal received by the analogue-to-digital converter ADC. This sampling results in a digital signal SB representative of the radio frequency signal.

[0140] The method then comprises a step 66 of demodulating the digital signal SB by way of the amplitude demodulator IQD in order to be able to extract the useful information carried by the radio frequency signal.

[0141] Once the useful information has been extracted, the clock generator CG is deactivated to reduce the power consumption of the receiver device.

[0142] FIG. 7 shows an object OBJ comprising a receiver device DIS that can be selected from among the receiver device DIS1 shown in FIG. 1 and the receiver device DIS2 shown in FIG. 5.

[0143] Such an object OBJ can in particular be used in the Internet of things. In particular, such an object is thus configured to receive data from a remote server or appliance, for example, via the Internet. Such an object OBJ makes it possible for data to be received via a radio frequency signal while consuming little power.