Data receiving device and data receiving method

Abstract

A data receiving method according to an embodiment may include determining a wake-up signal transmitted through an auxiliary path, where the step of determining the wake-up signal includes amplifying a voltage of the wake-up signal, comparing the amplified voltage of the wake-up signal with a first reference voltage, and determining a wake-up signal transmitted through the auxiliary path. If the voltage of the amplified wake-up signal is greater than the first reference voltage, demodulating the wake-up signal in a preset mode, and checking the mode of the demodulated wake-up signal; demodulating the data signal transmitted through the main path and comparing a voltage of the demodulated data signal with a second reference voltage; and decoding the data signal if the voltage of the data signal is greater than the second reference voltage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments relate to a data receiving apparatus and a data receiving method. More specifically, embodiments relate to a data receiving apparatus and method for determining a wake-up signal of a received signal and determining whether to decode a data signal through a radio frequency (RF) receiving module. Background Art

[0002] An RF receiver receives and demodulates data. The RF receiver may receive a wake-up signal together with a data signal. The receiver is activated according to the wake-up signal. Due to the operation of components of the demodulator, significant power consumption problems occur. Since the RF receiver may receive noise signals together, there is a technical problem that it is more difficult to detect the wake-up signal. Therefore, an efficient on / off scheme for determining whether to activate the RF receiver is needed in a receiving apparatus. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Technical Problem

[0004] Embodiments provide a demodulator, a receiving apparatus, and a receiving method capable of effectively determining a wake-up signal and effectively reducing power consumption of a receiving apparatus.

[0005] Technical Solution

[0006] A data receiving method according to an embodiment may include: determining a wake-up signal transmitted through an auxiliary path by amplifying a voltage of the wake-up signal, comparing the amplified voltage of the wake-up signal with a first reference voltage, and when the amplified voltage of the wake-up signal is greater than the first reference voltage, demodulating the wake-up signal using a preset scheme and checking a pattern of the demodulated wake-up signal; demodulating a data signal transmitted through a main path and comparing a voltage of the demodulated data signal with a second reference voltage; and decoding the demodulated data signal when the voltage of the demodulated data signal is greater than the second reference voltage.

[0007] Technical Effects

[0008] Embodiments provide a demodulator, a receiving apparatus, and a receiving method capable of effectively determining a wake-up signal and effectively reducing power consumption of a receiving apparatus.

[0009] Embodiments may achieve efficient data reception through a wireless network.

[0010] Embodiments may efficiently process both a data signal and a wake-up signal in terms of power consumption.

[0011] Embodiments may provide a method for enabling blocks of a receiving apparatus for each condition to reduce unnecessary power consumption with low complexity. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments, and the embodiments are shown in conjunction with the description related thereto. To better understand the various embodiments described below, reference should be made to the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, which include parts corresponding to the same reference numerals.

[0013] Figure 1 The structure of a data receiving device according to an embodiment is shown.

[0014] Figure 2 A data receiving method according to an embodiment is shown. Detailed Embodiments

[0015] Preferred embodiments of the embodiments will be described in detail below, and examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings is not only to present embodiments that can be implemented according to the embodiments, but also to describe the preferred embodiments of the embodiments. The following detailed description includes specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments can be implemented without these specific details.

[0016] Most of the terms used in the embodiments are selected from general terms widely used in the relevant field, but some terms are arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and the meanings of these terms will be described in detail in the following description as needed. Therefore, the embodiments should be understood based on the intended meaning of the terms rather than their simple names or literal meanings.

[0017] In the case of an RF receiver, since a large number of devices use the 2.4 GHz band, there is a problem that the baseband digital part must be frequently awakened. The baseband digital part of the RF receiver generates a power consumption that accounts for 30% of the total power consumption of the receiver, and thus the frequent wake-up operation can reduce the power efficiency of the receiver. The embodiments provide an efficient low-power receiving device that solves this technical problem.

[0018] Figure 1 A data receiving device according to an embodiment is shown.

[0019] The RF receiving module 100 receives a modulated carrier signal from a transmitter through an antenna. The received signal includes a data signal and a wake-up signal. The data signal may be data including audio and / or video. The wake-up signal refers to a signal for activating the receiving device. Based on whether the first enabling condition, the second enabling condition, and the third enabling condition of the wake-up signal are satisfied, the receiving device can be activated to decode the data signal. A filter connected to the RF receiving module 100 can filter the signal by selecting a specific bandwidth.

[0020] The signals received by the RF receiving module 100 include data signals and / or wake-up signals. Based on the wake-up signal, the receiving device determines whether to receive, demodulate, and decode the data signal. Due to network characteristics, the wake-up signal may include noise, and if the process of demodulating and decoding the data signal is activated whenever the receiving device erroneously detects the wake-up signal, the power usage efficiency of the receiving device is reduced. Accordingly, embodiments provide a method for accurately determining the wake-up signal and determining whether to decode the data signal.

[0021] If it is determined that the signal received by the RF receiving module 100 includes a wake-up signal, the demodulator 101 may demodulate the data signal received by the RF receiving module 100. The path of the signal sent to the demodulator 101 is referred to as the main path 200. Although Figure 1 not shown in the figure, the functional blocks of the demodulator 101 may include, for example, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a channel selection filter, and a variable gain amplifier (VGA). The demodulator 101 may amplify the received signal through the LNA to distinguish the noise signal and the data signal included in the received signal. The demodulator 101 may reduce the noise included in the RF received signal and amplify the data signal through the amplifier. The demodulator 101 may filter a specific channel of the received signal through the channel selection filter. The demodulator 101 may select and filter a specific channel included in the amplified data signal and amplify it. The demodulator 101 may amplify the received signal based on a gain value through the VGA. However, the blocks and operations that may be included in the demodulator 101 are not limited to the above blocks and operations, and may include all blocks for demodulating the RF received signal based on an analog scheme.

[0022] The components 302 of the receiving device connected to the auxiliary path 201 include a continuous RF amplifier 302-1, a power detector and a comparator 302-2, and a demodulator and an inspector 302-3. The auxiliary path 201 refers to the signal processing path of the continuous RF amplifier 302-1, the power detector and the comparator 302-2, and the demodulator and the inspector 302-3. The continuous RF amplifier 302-1 may amplify the signal received by the RF receiving module 100. The continuous RF amplifier 302-1 is activated according to a duty cycle. The duty cycle refers to the time periods indicating activation (on) and deactivation (off). During the activation period of the duty cycle, the continuous RF amplifier 302-1 may amplify the signal sent through the auxiliary path 201. During the deactivation period of the duty cycle, the signal transmission through the auxiliary path 201 is deactivated. The duty cycle is generated by the digital block 301.

[0023] The power detector and comparator 302-2 can compare the voltage of the signal amplified by the continuous RF amplifier 302-1 with a reference voltage. Additionally, if necessary, if the power of the signal is lower than the power of the surrounding noise signal, the signal power can be amplified based on the gain value. The value of the reference voltage can be set according to the performance of the receiving device and the network environment. The demodulator and checker 302-3 analyzes the pattern of the signal that has passed through the power detector and comparator 302-2. To analyze the signal pattern, the demodulator and checker 302-3 can use a digital scheme to modulate the signal. The modulation scheme according to the embodiment can be, for example, OOK. Here, OOK refers to on-off keying (OOK). Specifically, it is a modulation scheme that represents digital data based on the presence or absence of a carrier. It is the simplest scheme among amplitude shift keying modulation schemes. The OOK modulation is merely an example, and the modulation schemes that can be used for the data pattern can also include all digital modulation schemes other than OOK. When the data pattern checked by the demodulator and checker 302-3 is determined to be a wake-up signal, the signal determined to be the wake-up signal can be sent to the demodulator 101 of the main path 200.

[0024] As described above, when the receiving device determines the wake-up signal based on the auxiliary path 201 and the demodulator 101 demodulates the data signal, the power detector and comparator 303-1 can compare the voltage of the demodulated signal with a reference voltage. If the voltage of the demodulated signal is lower than the reference voltage, it indicates that the voltage of the demodulated signal does not need to be decoded. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 102 that does not receive an enable signal for activating its operation from the power detector and comparator 303-1 does not convert the demodulated signal into a digital signal and does not decode the demodulated signal, thereby reducing power consumption. If the voltage of the demodulated signal is higher than the reference voltage, it indicates that the voltage of the demodulated signal needs to be decoded. The power detector and comparator 303-1 sends an enable signal for activating the operation of the ADC 102 to the ADC 102 and activates the operation of the third enable block 303. Therefore, the power detector and comparator 303-1 finally checks whether to activate after data demodulation and before decoding.

[0025] In the third enabling block 303, when the voltage of the demodulated signal is higher than the reference voltage, the analog-to-digital converter ADC102 is activated. The reference voltage can be an optimal setting value for improving the power consumption efficiency of the system. The reference voltage can be changed according to the data reception environment. The power detector and comparator 303-1 can be referred to as a calculator or a controller. When the voltage of the demodulated signal is higher than the reference voltage, the power detector and comparator 303-1 can send an enabling signal for activating the operation of the ADC102 of the third enabling block 303 to the ADC 102. When the ADC 102 receives the enabling signal for activating the operation of the ADC 102 of the third enabling block 303 from the power detector and comparator 303-1, the ADC 102 can receive the demodulated signal from the power detector and comparator 303-1. The enabling signal can be received through the same path as the demodulated signal or through a separate independent path.

[0026] The ADC 102 of the receiving device can convert the analog signal into a digital signal and can process the received signal through the baseband controller.

[0027] The data receiving device and the data receiving method according to the embodiment can receive a signal based on, for example, Bluetooth. In addition, although the technology based on the Bluetooth standard is used, the embodiment is not limited to the Bluetooth standard. In this specification, for convenience, Bluetooth is described as an example of the data protocol, but this is only an example and can be equivalently interpreted as a device / method / data for RF reception.

[0028] The data receiving device and the data receiving method according to the embodiment can determine the wake-up signal based on the activation conditions for each of the three steps and can demodulate the data signal of the received signal. These three steps can be functionally classified into a first enabling block 301, a second enabling block 302, and a third enabling block 303.

[0029] The first enabling operation corresponds to the processing procedure on the auxiliary path of the data receiving device and the data receiving method according to the embodiment.

[0030] The digital block 301-1 of the first enabling block 301 can generate a duty cycle and activate the operation of the second enabling block 302 at regular intervals. Therefore, according to the embodiment, the auxiliary path can be activated (turned on) or deactivated (turned off) based on the duty cycle.

[0031] The digital block 301-1 sends an enabling signal (on or off) of the duty cycle to the continuous RF amplifier 302-1, the power detector and comparator 302-2, and / or the demodulator and checker 302-3. When the signal of the duty cycle of the digital block 301-1 is activated (on), the operations of the continuous RF amplifier 302-1, the power detector and comparator 302-2, and the demodulator and checker 302-3 are activated, and when the signal of the duty cycle of the digital block 301-1 is deactivated (off), the operations of the continuous RF amplifier 302-1, the power detector and comparator 302-2, and the demodulator and checker 302-3 are deactivated.

[0032] The states of the data receiving device and the data receiving method include a normal state and a standby state.

[0033] In the normal state, all blocks of the main path for receiving data (e.g., data of the Bluetooth standard specification) are enabled. The digital block 301-1 for turning on / off the auxiliary path is turned off (function off).

[0034] In the standby state, the following operations are performed: 1) The digital block 301-1 turns on or off the receiver block of the auxiliary path according to the duty cycle. 2) The wake-up signal that has passed through the band selection filter is amplified by the continuous RF amplifier 302-1 based on the gain value that compensates for the free space path loss (FSPL). 3) When the amplified signal is detected, the power detector and comparator 302-2 compare the voltage of the signal with the reference voltage, and the signal is sent to the demodulator and checker 302-3 only when the voltage is higher than the reference voltage. 4) The demodulator and checker 302-3 demodulates the wake-up signal modulated by the on-off keying (OOK) scheme. In addition, the demodulator and checker 302-3 identifies the mode of the wake-up data of the wake-up signal only at the committed data rate. The advantage of the OOK scheme is that it is easy to implement as a method for identifying the data pattern. 5) When the wake-up data is identified by the demodulator and checker 302-3, the demodulator and checker 302-3 sends an enabling signal for activating the operation of the main path 200 to the demodulator 101. 6) The main path 200 is a data path that connects the RF receiving module 100 to the demodulator 101 including an LNA, a VGA, etc. When the operation of the demodulator 101 is activated by the demodulator and checker 302-3, the demodulator 101 demodulates the received signal. 7) When the above process 6) is completed and no data (such as Bluetooth standard data) is received, unnecessary power consumption may occur if the ADC and the baseband controller remain active. The power detector and comparator 303-1 compare the voltage of the demodulated signal with the reference voltage, and if the voltage of the demodulated signal is higher than the reference voltage, an enabling signal is sent to the ADC 102. Then, the ADC 102 converts the demodulated signal into a digital signal. The baseband controller decodes the digitally converted signal. 8) The above processes 1) to 7) should be operated during the wake-up interval of the duty cycle, and if the time is exceeded, all blocks except the auxiliary path are deactivated. 9) When normal Bluetooth data is received, the next process is executed according to the standard procedure.

[0035] The operation of the second enabling block 302 is performed only when the enabling condition in the first enabling block 301 is satisfied. The enabling condition in the first enabling block 301 refers to the case where the signal of the duty cycle indicates activation (turn on).

[0036] When the first enabling block 301 activates the auxiliary path, it is determined whether to demodulate the RF received signal based on the second enabling block 302, that is, whether demodulation is enabled (turned on).

[0037] When the activation condition of the first enabling block 301 is satisfied, the second enabling block 302 can receive and process the wake-up signal. However, since the wake-up signal can be mixed with the surrounding noise signals, the second enabling block 302 can perform operations for detecting the wake-up signal.

[0038] The continuous RF amplifier 302-1 of the second enabling block 302 can amplify the wake-up signal to a specific level or higher. To accurately detect the wake-up signal, the wake-up signal is amplified relative to the noise. The continuous RF amplifier 302-1 can be abbreviated as the amplifier.

[0039] When there is a wake-up data pattern in the signal received by the OOK scheme, the demodulator and checker 302-3 of the data receiving device according to the embodiment sends an enabling signal for activating the operation of the main path 200 to the demodulator 101. Thereafter, the demodulator 101 of the main path 200 receives data (e.g., data according to the Bluetooth standard) and performs wake-up and synchronization.

[0040] The power detector and comparator 302-2 and the demodulator and checker 302-3 can each be referred to as a calculator or a controller.

[0041] As described above, each path according to the embodiment includes a different demodulator. The main path 200 is a data path connected to the demodulator for demodulating the Bluetooth-based data signal. The Bluetooth standard is used as an example and is applicable to all data received based on RF. The auxiliary path 201 is a data path connected to the demodulator (OOK demodulator) for demodulating the wake-up signal. The demodulator and checker 302-3 can include an OOK demodulator. Here, the term "OOK" refers to on-off keying. The reason for using OOK to describe the embodiment is that OOK has the advantage of simple structure, which allows for easy implementation. In addition to the OOK demodulator, demodulators for processing the wake-up signal can also be used in various ways. Figure 1 The entire RF receiving system in is divided into blocks, and each block is enabled or sends relevant signals only when specific conditions (enabling conditions) for the block are met. In the standby state, the blocks are activated in stages, and if the conditions are not met, the corresponding blocks are turned off according to the duty cycle, thereby achieving the effect of reducing current consumption.

[0042] The embodiment can receive the wake-up data identified in the wake-up signal from the auxiliary path to the main path. Based on the wake-up data that has passed through the second enabling block 302, the demodulator 101 of the main path can be activated and can demodulate the data signal included in the RF received signal.

[0043] The data receiving device and the data receiving method according to the embodiment can perform the operation of the third enabling block 303 before converting the demodulated data signal from analog to digital and performing baseband decoding.

[0044] Figure 2 Shows a data receiving method according to an embodiment.

[0045] The data receiving method according to the embodiment can include the following steps.

[0046] The data receiving method may include step S200 of determining a wake-up signal transmitted through an auxiliary path. In step S200 of determining the wake-up signal transmitted through the auxiliary path, the wake-up signal may be determined by amplifying the voltage of the wake-up signal, comparing the voltage of the amplified wake-up signal with a first reference voltage, demodulating the wake-up signal using a preset scheme when the voltage of the amplified wake-up signal is greater than the first reference voltage, and checking the pattern of the demodulated wake-up signal. By amplifying the voltage of the wake-up signal, a signal with a sensitivity greater than or equal to a specific level can be accurately determined.

[0047] According to an embodiment, the first reference voltage may be a value of a main reference voltage for determining whether the received signal is a wake-up signal based on the voltage value, and may be set according to the RF reception environment and / or system settings.

[0048] Step S200 of determining the wake-up signal transmitted through the auxiliary path may be activated based on cycle information indicating whether it is activated. When the cycle information is on, step S200 is activated, and when the cycle information is off, step S200 is deactivated.

[0049] When, according to an embodiment, the data pattern of the wake-up signal is extracted based on a preset scheme and the wake-up signal is determined based on the extracted data pattern, the operation of demodulating the data signal transmitted through the main path may be activated. In order to determine whether the received signal is a wake-up signal, a demodulation scheme capable of simply extracting the data pattern of the signal may be applied. For example, the preset demodulation scheme may include an on / off keying (OOK) scheme and / or a demodulation scheme representing the data pattern.

[0050] The data receiving method may further include step S201 of demodulating the data signal transmitted through the main path and comparing the voltage of the demodulated data signal. In step S201, the data signal transmitted through the main path may be demodulated, and the voltage of the demodulated data signal may be compared with a second reference voltage. Here, when the voltage of the data signal is greater than the second reference voltage, the step of decoding the data signal may be further performed.

[0051] According to an embodiment, the second reference voltage may be a value of a reference voltage for secondary determination of whether to decode the data signal (even if whether the received signal is a wake-up signal is first determined), and may be set according to the RF reception environment and / or system settings.

[0052] The data receiving method may perform demodulation of the data signal through the main path and demodulation of the wake-up signal through the auxiliary path by using both the main path and the auxiliary path for the received signal, so as to effectively reduce the power consumption of the data receiving device.

[0053] The data signal and the wake-up signal are processed through different paths. The wake-up signal is checked at least twice to see if it is enabled. Depending on the intervals of the steps involved, they can be referred to as first-step enabled, second-step enabled, and third-step enabled. The terms "first" and "second" can be used in various ways according to functions or blocks.

[0054] According to an embodiment, power consumption can be reduced by controlling whether to activate the operation of the auxiliary path.

[0055] According to an embodiment, in the case of a fixed wireless network with a constant power of the wake-up signal, the free space path loss (FSPL) can be considered to determine the gain value of the amplifier, so that signals with power greater than or less than a specific reference value can be filtered. By separating the baseband digital parts of the demodulated wake-up signal and the data signal and enabling each operation according to conditions, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced.

[0056] The embodiments have been described from the perspective of methods and / or apparatuses, and the descriptions of methods and apparatuses can be applied complementarily.

[0057] In this document, the symbols " / " and "," are interpreted as "and / or". For example, "A / B" is interpreted as "A and / or B", and "A,B" is interpreted as "A and / or B". Additionally, "A / B / C" means "at least one of A, B, and / or C", and "A, B, C" also means "at least one of A, B, and / or C". Furthermore, in this document, "or" is interpreted as "and / or". For example, "A or B" can represent: 1) only "A", 2) only "B", or 3) "A and B". In other words, "or" in this document can represent "additionally or alternatively".

[0058] Terms such as first, second, etc. can be used to describe various components in the embodiments. However, the various components according to the embodiments should not be construed as being limited by such terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, the first user input signal can be called the second user input signal. Similarly, the second user input signal can be called the first user input signal. The use of such terms should be construed as not departing from the scope of the various embodiments. The first user input signal and the second user input signal are both user input signals, but they do not refer to the same user input signal unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context.

[0059] Modes of practicing the present invention

[0060] As described above, the relevant content has been described in the previous subtitle (Detailed Description).

[0061] Industrial applicability

[0062] As described above, the embodiments can be applied, in whole or in part, to a data receiving device, a data receiving method, and a system.

[0063] Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the embodiments within the scope of the embodiments.

[0064] The embodiments can include changes and / or modifications, and such changes and / or modifications do not depart from the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A data receiving method, the data receiving method comprising the following steps: By amplifying the voltage of the wake-up signal, comparing the amplified voltage of the wake-up signal with a first reference voltage, and when the amplified voltage of the wake-up signal is greater than the first reference voltage, demodulating the wake-up signal using a preset scheme and checking the mode of the demodulated wake-up signal to determine the wake-up signal sent through the auxiliary path; Demodulating the data signal sent through the main path and comparing the voltage of the demodulated data signal with a second reference voltage; And When the voltage of the demodulated data signal is greater than the second reference voltage, decoding the demodulated data signal.

2. The data receiving method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining the wake-up signal sent through the auxiliary path based on cycle information indicating whether activation; 3. The data receiving method according to claim 1, wherein Extracting the data pattern of the wake-up signal based on the preset scheme, and When the wake-up signal is determined based on the extracted data pattern, activating the demodulation of the data signal sent through the main path.

4. The data receiving method according to claim 1, wherein, Demodulating the data signal based on the main path and demodulating the wake-up signal based on the auxiliary path.

5. The data receiving method according to claim 3, wherein, The preset scheme includes an on-off keying (OOK) scheme.

6. A data receiving device, the data receiving device comprising: A determiner configured to amplify the voltage of a wake-up signal sent through an auxiliary path, compare the amplified voltage of the wake-up signal with a first reference voltage, and when the amplified voltage of the wake-up signal is greater than the first reference voltage, demodulate the wake-up signal using a preset scheme and check the mode of the demodulated wake-up signal, thereby determining the wake-up signal; A demodulator configured to demodulate a data signal sent through a main path; A comparator configured to compare the voltage of the demodulated data signal with a second reference voltage; And A decoder configured to decode the demodulated data signal when the voltage of the demodulated data signal is greater than the second reference voltage.

7. The data receiving device according to claim 6, wherein, Determining the wake-up signal sent through the auxiliary path based on cycle information indicating whether activation; 8. The data receiving device according to claim 6, wherein, Extracting the data pattern of the wake-up signal based on the preset scheme, and When the wake-up signal is determined based on the extracted data pattern, activating the demodulation of the data signal sent through the main path.

9. The data receiving device according to claim 6, wherein, Demodulating the data signal based on the main path and demodulating the wake-up signal based on the auxiliary path.

10. The data receiving device according to claim 8, wherein, The preset scheme includes an on-off keying (OOK) scheme.

Images