Conductive RF communications for high reliability applications

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a system for processing data comprising a plurality of processing nodes, each processing node comprising at least one processor, at least one radio frequency (RF) chain, and at least one link for conductive RF communication between the processing nodes using a wireless communication protocol.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS)

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 944,134, filed Sep. 13, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety into this specification as if fully set forth below, and incorporated by reference for all applicable purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] Field of Disclosure Aspects of the present disclosure relate to communications, and more particularly to techniques for conducting radio frequency (RF) communications over conductive media.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0003] Communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing available network resources. Examples of such multiple-access networks include code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.

[0004]

[0004] To address the problem of increasing bandwidth requirements for wireless communication systems, various schemes have been developed to enable multiple user terminals to communicate with a single access point by sharing channel resources while achieving high data throughput. Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology represents one such approach that has emerged as a popular technology for communication systems. MIMO technology has been adopted in several wireless communication standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. IEEE 802.11 refers to a set of air interface standards for wireless local area networks (WLANs) developed by the IEEE 802.11 committee for short-range communications (such as tens of meters to hundreds of meters). Summary of the Invention

[0005] One aspect provides a system for processing data, the system including a plurality of processing nodes, each processing node including at least one processor, at least one radio frequency (RF) chain, and at least a first link for conductive RF communication between the processing nodes using a wireless communication protocol.

[0006]

[0006] Other aspects provide an apparatus operable, configured, or otherwise adapted to perform any one or more of the aforementioned methods and / or methods described elsewhere herein; a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions (e.g., processor-executable instructions) that, when executed by a processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the aforementioned methods and methods described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium comprising code for performing the aforementioned methods and methods described elsewhere herein; and / or an apparatus comprising means for performing the aforementioned methods and methods described elsewhere herein. By way of example, the apparatus may comprise a processing system, a device having a processing system, or processing systems that cooperate via one or more networks.

[0007]

[0007] The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth certain features for purposes of illustration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008]

[0008] The accompanying drawings illustrate some features of the various aspects described herein and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. [Figure 1]

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary processing system according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]

[0010] 1 illustrates example components of a device in a wireless communication system. [Figure 3]

[0011] 1 illustrates exemplary components of a device in a communication system capable of radio frequency (RF) communication over a conductive medium, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]

[0012] 1 illustrates an exemplary conductive RF architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0013] 1 shows a timing diagram illustrating an exemplary guard interval. [Figure 6]

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram illustrating a power supply providing power to a processing node, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]

[0015] 1 shows a diagram illustrating how a broken link between processing nodes can be detected according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0016] Indicates the method of communication. [Figure 9]

[0017] 1 illustrates aspects of an exemplary communications device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009]

[0018] Aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus, method, processing system, and computer-readable medium for performing radio frequency (RF) communications over a conductive medium.

[0010]

[0019] Communications systems configured for specific use cases require high-reliability (high-rel) characteristics. Examples of such use cases include communications systems deployed for medical, public safety, industrial robotics, and unmanned infrastructure applications. As another exemplary use case shown in Figure 1, space navigation and avionics may require high reliability to ensure performance and safety for applications such as entry descent and landing functions.

[0011]

[0020] In such applications, redundancy is generally desirable to address various failures that may occur. For example, in a multi-processor deployment, it may be desirable to provide redundancy so that if one processor fails for any reason, another processor can take over. This is particularly important in certain applications, such as during atmospheric entry, descent, and landing operations, where large amounts of video data may be processed. Generally, the more critical the application or mission (e.g., as measured by overall cost, lifespan, or safety), the more desirable it is to incorporate features to ensure that the application or mission can continue after and / or during a failure.

[0012]

[0021] Some approaches to providing communication between processors utilize network-based protocols and interfaces, such as peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) or Ethernet. Unfortunately, in such systems, all communication is routed through an interface device, typically called a hub chip. The hub chip therefore represents a single point of failure, meaning that if that device fails, all communication between processors can fail. In other systems, point-to-point links between nodes can be used to bypass failures. Such systems suffer from scalability issues because the number of links grows nonlinearly with the number of nodes (e.g., three links for three nodes, but six links for four nodes).

[0013]

[0022] In some cases, redundant buses can be used to accommodate certain types of failures. Such failures can include a bus short to ground or power, or a chip failure for some reason. When redundant buses are used, if a failure occurs on one bus, the system can switch to another bus. While some types of buses can tolerate certain types of shorts, such buses typically have low bandwidth and may not be suitable for applications requiring high bandwidth, such as sharing a video feed.

[0014]

[0023] While wireless RF communication systems can address some of the above issues (e.g., no short circuits, higher scalability), in-aircraft communication systems tend to use only wired connections. Furthermore, in some use cases, there may be concerns about RF emissions interfering with sensitive equipment (e.g., radio astronomy equipment). In some cases, there may also be security concerns due to the potential detectability of RF signatures (e.g., devices or aircraft may be detected or identified by their RF signatures).

[0015]

[0024] Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques that can provide high reliability for various use cases such as those described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the techniques can provide reliable links between processing nodes using radio frequency (RF) communications over a conductive medium. The techniques can enable the use of wireless communications protocols, but with the added reliability and benefits of “wired” communications over a conductive medium. The conductive RF communications proposed herein can accommodate heterogeneous nodes (e.g., cameras, sensors, actuators, remote controls, user interface terminals, or communications links for interfacing with the outside world of the system, as shown in FIG. 1 ) while providing collision management through various mechanisms.

[0016]

[0025] Using wired (conductive) RF communication instead of wireless (radiated) RF communication may address issues associated with poor radiated signals (e.g., particularly in metallic aircraft). In some cases, redundant links (buses) for conductive RF communication may have the advantage of not requiring the number of links to scale with the number of nodes. Additionally, conductive RF communication may reduce multipath characteristics, thereby enabling reduced guard intervals and corresponding increased throughput. Conductive RF communication may also enable transmit spectrum mask tightening for increased transmit power, receive channel selectivity, and more aggressive modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for increased efficiency with comparable reliability.

[0017] Introduction to Wireless Communication Networks

[0026] Various aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to encompass all aspects of the present disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently or in combination with any other aspects of the present disclosure. For example, an apparatus can be implemented or a method can be practiced using any number of the aspects described herein. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to encompass such apparatuses or methods practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0018]

[0027] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects.

[0019]

[0028] While particular aspects are described herein, numerous variations and permutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the present disclosure. While certain benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects are described, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to particular benefits, applications, or objectives. Rather, aspects of the present disclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to a variety of wired and wireless technologies, system configurations, networks, and transmission protocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in the figures and the following description of the preferred aspects. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the present disclosure, rather than limiting, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0020]

[0029] The techniques described herein can be used for various broadband wireless communication systems, including communication systems based on orthogonal multiplexing. Examples of such communication systems include spatial division multiple access (SDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems. SDMA systems can utilize sufficiently different directions to simultaneously transmit data belonging to multiple user terminals. TDMA systems allow multiple user terminals to share the same frequency channel by dividing the transmission signal into different time slots, each assigned to a different user terminal. OFDMA systems utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), a modulation technique that partitions the entire system bandwidth into multiple orthogonal subcarriers. These subcarriers may also be referred to as tones, bins, etc. In OFDM, each subcarrier can be independently modulated with data. An SC-FDMA system may utilize Interleaved FDMA (IFDMA) for transmitting on subcarriers distributed across the system bandwidth, Localized FDMA (LFDMA) for transmitting on blocks of adjacent subcarriers, or Enhanced FDMA (EFDMA) for transmitting on multiple blocks of adjacent subcarriers. In general, modulation symbols are sent with OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDMA in the time domain.

[0021]

[0030] The teachings herein may be incorporated into (e.g., implemented within or performed by) various wired or wireless devices (e.g., nodes). In some aspects, a wireless node implemented in accordance with the teachings herein may comprise an access point or an access terminal.

[0022]

[0031] An access point ("AP") may comprise, be implemented as, or be known as a Node B, Radio Network Controller ("RNC"), evolved Node B (eNB), base station controller ("BSC"), base transceiver station ("BTS"), base station ("BS"), transceiver function ("TF"), wireless router, wireless transceiver, basic service set ("BSS"), extended service set ("ESS"), radio base station ("RBS"), or some other terminology.

[0023]

[0032] An access terminal ("AT") may comprise, be implemented as, or be known as a subscriber station, subscriber unit, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, user terminal (UT), user agent, user device, user equipment (UE), user station, or some other terminology. In some implementations, an access terminal may comprise a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol ("SIP") phone, wireless local loop ("WLL") station, personal digital assistant ("PDA"), handheld device with wireless connectivity, station ("STA"), or some other suitable processing device connected to a wireless modem. Accordingly, one or more aspects taught herein may be incorporated into a phone (such as a cellular phone or smartphone), a computer (such as a laptop), a tablet, a portable communication device, a portable computing device (such as a personal data assistant), an entertainment device (such as a music or video device, or satellite radio), a global positioning system (GPS) device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. In some aspects, the node is a wireless node. Such a wireless node may, for example, provide connectivity for or to a network (eg, a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communications link.

[0024] Exemplary Wireless Communication System

[0033] 2 illustrates a block diagram of an AP 110 and two wireless STAs 120m and 120x in a MIMO / MLO system, such as system 100, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the AP 110 and / or the wireless STAs 120m and 120x may implement various techniques to ensure that non-AP MLDs can receive group-addressed frames. For example, the AP 110 and / or the wireless STAs 120m and 120x may include respective association managers as described herein with respect to FIG.

[0025]

[0034] AP110 is N ap The wireless STA 120m is equipped with N antennas 224a to 224t. sta,m Equipped with 252ma~252mu antennas, the Wireless STA120x supports N sta,x The AP 110 includes antennas 252xa through 252xu. The AP 110 is a transmitting entity in the DL and a receiving entity in the UL. Each wireless STA 120 is a transmitting entity in the UL and a receiving entity in the DL. As used herein, a "transmitting entity" is an independently operating apparatus or device capable of transmitting data over a wireless channel, and a "receiving entity" is an independently operating apparatus or device capable of receiving data over a wireless channel. The term communication generally refers to transmission, reception, or both. In the following description, the subscript "DL" refers to downlink, the subscript "UL" refers to uplink, and the subscript "DL" refers to uplink. UL N wireless STAs are selected for simultaneous transmission on the uplink, DL N wireless STAs are selected for simultaneous transmission on the downlink, UL is N DL may or may not be equal to N UL and N DLmay be a static value or may vary for each scheduling interval. Beam-steering or some other spatial processing technique may be used at the access point and the wireless station.

[0026]

[0035] On the UL, for each wireless STA 120 selected for UL transmission, a transmit (TX) data processor 288 receives traffic data from a data source 286 and control data from controller 280. TX data processor 288 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and modulates) the traffic data for the wireless station based on a coding and modulation scheme associated with a rate selected for the wireless STA and provides a data symbol stream. A TX spatial processor 290 performs spatial processing on the data symbol stream and provides Ns ta,m N antennas sta,m Each transceiver (TMTR) 254 receives and processes (e.g., converts to analog, amplifies, filters, and frequency upconverts) a respective transmit symbol stream to generate an uplink signal. sta,m The transceivers 254 are sta,m N for transmission from antennas 252 sta,m UL signals to the AP 110.

[0027]

[0036] N UL Wireless STAs may be scheduled for simultaneous transmission on the uplink, each performing spatial processing on its data symbol stream and transmitting its set of transmit symbol streams on the UL to AP 110.

[0028]

[0037] In AP110, N ap The antennas 224a through 224ap transmit all N ULUL signals from N wireless STAs. Each antenna 224 provides a received signal to a respective transceiver (RCVR) 222. Each transceiver 222 performs processing complementary to that performed by transceiver 254 and provides a received symbol stream. A receive (RX) spatial processor 240 processes N ap N transceivers 222 ap performs receiver spatial processing on the N received symbol streams; UL RX data processor 242 provides recovered UL data symbol streams. Receiver spatial processing is performed in accordance with channel correlation matrix inversion (CCMI), minimum mean square error (MMSE), soft interference cancellation (SIC), or some other technique. Each recovered UL data symbol stream is an estimate of the data symbol stream transmitted by a respective wireless station. RX data processor 242 processes (e.g., demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes) each recovered uplink data symbol stream in accordance with the rate used for that stream to obtain decoded data. The decoded data for each wireless STA may be provided to a data sink 244 for storage and / or to controller 230 for further processing.

[0029]

[0038] On the DL, at AP 110, TX data processor 210 determines N scheduled for downlink transmission. DLTX data processor 210 receives traffic data for N wireless stations from data source 208, control data from controller 230, and possibly other data from scheduler 234. Various types of data may be sent on different transport channels. TX data processor 210 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and modulates) the traffic data for each wireless station based on the rate selected for that wireless station. TX data processor 210 processes (e.g., encodes, interleaves, and modulates) the traffic data for N wireless stations based on the rate selected for that wireless station. DL The DL data symbol streams are DL The TX spatial processor 220 provides N DL performing spatial processing (such as precoding or beamforming, as described in this disclosure) on the DL data symbol streams; ap N transmit symbol streams ap Each transceiver 222 receives and processes a respective transmit symbol stream to generate a DL signal. ap The transceivers 222 are ap N for transmission from antennas 224 ap provides DL signals to wireless STAs.

[0030]

[0039] In each wireless STA 120, N sta,m The antennas 252 are connected to the access point 110 via N ap Each transceiver 254 processes the received signal from an associated antenna 252 and provides a received symbol stream. The RX spatial processor 260 receives N DL signals. sta,m N transceivers 254 sta,m The RX data processor 270 performs receiver spatial processing on the received symbol streams and provides a recovered DL data symbol stream to the wireless station. The receiver spatial processing is performed in accordance with CCMI, MMSE, or some other technique. The RX data processor 270 processes (e.g., demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes) the recovered DL data symbol stream to obtain decoded data for the wireless station.

[0031]

[0040] In each wireless STA 120, a channel estimator 278 estimates the DL channel response and provides a DL channel estimate, which may include a channel gain estimate, an SNR estimate, a noise variance, etc. Similarly, a channel estimator 228 estimates the UL channel response and provides a UL channel estimate. The controller 280 for each wireless STA typically calculates the downlink channel response matrix H for that wireless station. dn,m The controller 230 derives a spatial filter matrix for the wireless station based on the effective UL channel response matrix H up,eff The controller 230 and 280 also control the operation of various processing units in the AP 110 and the wireless STA 120, respectively.

[0032] Exemplary Wired RF Communication System

[0041] 3, aspects of the present disclosure can provide a reliable link between processing nodes 302 using radio frequency (RF) communication over conductive paths 324. The present techniques can enable the use of wireless communication protocols, but with the added reliability and advantages of “wired” communication over a conductive medium.

[0033]

[0042] As shown in Figure 3, the present techniques may also enable the use of components that are the same or similar to those described above with reference to Figure 2, but with certain modifications. For example, in Figure 3, the conductive path 324 may replace the antenna, and a channel estimator and spatial (transmit and receive) processor may not be required for conductive RF communication.

[0034]

[0043] Processing node 302 may be an example of the processing nodes (1, 2, ..., N) shown in Figure 1. For illustrative purposes, three processing nodes (302a, 302b, and 302c) are shown in Figure 3, but any number of processing nodes (including redundant nodes) may communicate using conductive RF communications, depending on the use case and / or particular implementation.

[0035] Aspects Related to Conductive RF Communication

[0044] Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques that may provide high reliability for a variety of use cases, such as processing for spacecraft launch and / or landing operations. The techniques may provide a reliable link between processing nodes using conductive RF communications. As described above, conductive RF communications may enable the use of wireless communication protocols, but with the added reliability and benefits of "wired" communications over a conductive medium.

[0036]

[0045] Processing nodes may provide redundancy, for example, allowing one processing node to take over if another processing node fails or goes offline for some reason (e.g., a bus short, a thermal issue, or failure due to performing a reboot). Conductive RF paths may also be designed to tolerate various types of shorts, and multiple buses may provide redundant paths (some RF signal energy can "jump" over small breaks in the wires / conductive paths). The conductive RF communication proposed herein can accommodate heterogeneous nodes while providing collision management via various mechanisms.

[0037]

[0046] Using conductive RF communication instead of radiated RF communication may address problems associated with poor radiated signals. In some cases, conductive RF communication can reduce multipath characteristics, which may allow for a reduced guard interval and a corresponding increase in throughput. Conductive RF communication may also allow for a tighter transmit spectrum mask for increased transmit power, receive channel selectivity, and rate adaptation for increased reliability and efficiency.

[0038]

[0047] 4 illustrates an example of a system utilizing conductive RF communication between processing nodes 402. Each processing node may include at least one processor and at least one radio frequency (RF) chain. Each processing node may be implemented as a system on a chip (SoC). Each processing node may essentially operate as a processing subsystem and may perform independent processing (different processing from other nodes) and / or redundant processing (e.g., the same or similar processing as other nodes). In some cases, a central controller 408 may be included that acts as a host (e.g., may configure and / or manage communications between the processing nodes).

[0039]

[0048] As shown, in some cases, a direct current (DC) blocking circuit 404 may be coupled to one or more of the links. The DC blocking circuit can help address shorted wires (or damaged chips) and can prevent failures (e.g., failures in the silicon / device). In some cases, a balanced-unbalanced (balun) circuit 406 may be coupled to one or more of the links. A balun circuit generally refers to a (two-port) component that can be placed between a source and a load when a differentially balanced RF functional block connects to a single-ended ground-referenced functional block.

[0040]

[0049] In the illustrated example, there are two links (e.g., buses) for conductive RF communication between processing nodes. In some cases, the RF communication may be performed using a wireless communication protocol. In some cases, the RF chain includes devices, such as 802.11 (WiFi) compliant devices, that have components for transmitting and receiving over two channels. In some cases, each link may be implemented as a coaxial cable and / or twisted pair, which may reduce wiring between processing nodes.

[0041]

[0050] In some cases, the links may support different frequency bands. For example, a link may support two frequencies: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (and / or 6 GHz in some devices), which may provide some flexibility. For example, if a device (e.g., one of the processing nodes or an external device) begins transmitting on 2.4 GHz, causing noise on the bus, one or more of the processing nodes may recognize this and switch to 5 GHz to avoid the noise. Furthermore, if one of the links is disconnected, the device may switch to the other link.

[0042]

[0051] In some cases, at least one of the processing nodes may be configured to transmit redundant packets over multiple links. In such cases, the redundant packets may include a marker to identify them as redundant. In this way, the processing node can automatically introduce redundancy and reliability in transmission by sending the same data stream. For example, if one processing node is exchanging video content with another processing node or a central controller, some video content may be transmitted over the 2.4 GHz band, identical duplicate packets may be transmitted over the 5 GHz band, and the redundant packets may be aggregated. In some cases, the processing node may mark redundant packets with a cookie. Based on the cookie, the receiver may drop one of the redundant packets (e.g., the later or earlier one) and use the other.

[0043]

[0052] As mentioned above, non-radiated RF channels benefit from the absence of multipath and scattering. In practice, this translates to a reduced number of taps in the channel impulse response (CIR), resulting in a fairly static and deterministic channel response. Therefore, the time-varying CIR that a typical non-line-of-sight (NLOS) channel exhibits in radiated RF transmissions may not be present, resulting in a very tight, almost time-invariant CIR, with possibly only a few taps representing crosstalk in the coax / twisted pair.

[0044]

[0053] Recognizing this reduced multipath may allow for a reduced guard interval (GI) (e.g., smaller than the GI associated with radiated RF communications) and a corresponding increase in throughput. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, typical radiated RF communications may result in a relatively long GI (e.g., GI 2), while the reduced multipath of conductive RF communications may allow for a reduced GI 502 (or no GI). By not having to consider long GIs in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, operating at short GIs can effectively increase performance throughput (e.g., by 10% or more), thereby increasing the amount of information in every OFDM symbol.

[0045]

[0054] Reduced multipath can also enable a tightening of the transmit spectral mask for increased transmit power, which can lead to higher reliability. In other words, with reduced multipath and less inter-symbol interference (ISI) introduced per OFDM, the transmit (Tx) finite impulse response (FIR) taps can be adjusted to narrow the spectral mask of the outgoing transmission, thereby increasing the allowable Tx power on the link. Reduced multipath can also result in better Rx channel selectivity. In other words, since there is no multipath in the channel itself, the receive (Rx) FIR taps on the receiver can be adjusted to increase the filter response of the incoming signal without worrying about the group delay of additional taps intruding into adjacent symbols, which causes ISI. This increases signal reliability on the Rx side. In some cases, the number of taps in the transmit and receive FIR filters is adapted to have more taps based on the channel dispersion length calculated from the guard interval of the OFDM symbol.

[0046]

[0055] Conductive RF communications may also enable improved, more aggressive rate adaptation schemes without loss of reliability. For example, recognizing that the channel is virtually collision-free and multipath-free may allow processing nodes to operate with aggressive modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) to achieve higher rates without having to rapidly reduce the rate due to any unexpected events of packet drop (or negative acknowledgment). Receivers may operate within a narrower window that recovers faster to the peak MCS rate, as opposed to the default MCS0-MCS15 window. In other words, conductive RF communications between processing nodes may include a smaller subset of (higher-order / higher-valued) MCS rates to improve throughput and latency in a conductive channel environment.

[0047]

[0056] 6, in some cases, at least one of the processing nodes may be configured to obtain operating power from one of the conductive links using circuitry 600. In such cases, the processing node may include at least one element, such as an inductor 602 or a ferrite bead, to prevent RF energy from flowing into the power supply circuit.

[0048]

[0057] In some cases, one or more of the processing nodes may be configured to detect faults that indicate a break to the network graph of connected processing nodes. For example, if one processing node has a break (or a damaged balun or a break in the conductive link), that processing node may continue to transmit, eventually radiating into the environment because the conductive link (coax / pair) may act as an antenna. One approach to detecting such faults is based on an RF energy measurement perspective.

[0049]

[0058] Another approach for detecting such faults may be based on changes in the values ​​of metrics between a processing node and other processing nodes, where each processing node may maintain a set of values ​​of the metrics between itself and other processing nodes, and the metrics are sometimes called cross-metrics.

[0050]

[0059] For example, with reference to FIG. 7, each processing node may (create and) maintain values ​​of metrics from its perspective, which represent rows in matrix 700. In the illustrated example, processing node 1 maintains N−1 metric values ​​(M12, M13, ..., M1N) for metrics between that processing node and all other processing nodes in a directional sense. Each entry may be a unique value measured from the perspective of a particular node. For example, M12 represents the value of the metric seen (measured / observed) from processing node 1 to processing node 2, and M21 is the same metric seen from processing node 2 to processing node 1. Each processing node may measure its metric and obtain its row elements (M11, M2, ..., M1N) for processing node i.

[0051]

[0060] Examples of metrics include, but are not limited to, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal to noise ratio (SNR), packet error rate (PER), and distance based on round trip time (RTT) measurements.

[0052]

[0061] If a given processing node i determines that all of its M_i_j (for j=1, N, j!=i) are impaired (e.g., the threshold amount has changed or is outside the expected range), node i determines that it is faulty and can take action to take itself offline (shut itself down) to avoid potentially disrupting other processing nodes.

[0053]

[0062] As an example, if the metric is RSSI, then if all metrics RSSI_i_j for all j are less than a threshold, this may indicate that processing node i is receiving only some highly attenuated signal, which indicates a dropped connection. Similarly, if the metric is distance, then if all distance metrics i_j for all j are outside a threshold (e.g., based on previous link characterization), this may indicate a dropped connection, causing a change in the RTT measurement.

[0054] Exemplary Operation of the Second Multilink Device

[0063] 8 shows an example of a method 800 for processing data in a system. In some examples, the system is the processing system of FIG.

[0055]

[0064] Method 800 begins at step 805, where at least one link is established with one or more processing nodes for conductive RF communication using a wireless communication protocol. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by establishing circuitry and / or establishing code described with reference to FIG.

[0056]

[0065] In some aspects, method 800 further includes communicating with one or more processing nodes over at least one link using a wireless communication protocol. In some cases, the operations of this step may refer to or be performed by the communicating circuitry and / or code described with reference to FIG.

[0057]

[0066] In one aspect, method 800, or any aspect related thereto, may be performed by an apparatus such as communications device 900 of Figure 9 that includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform method 800. Communications device 800 is described in further detail below.

[0058]

[0067] It should be noted that FIG. 8 is merely one example of a method, and that other methods including fewer steps, additional steps, or alternative steps are possible without contradicting this disclosure.

[0059] Example Communication Device

[0068] 9 illustrates aspects of an exemplary communications device 900. In some aspects, the communications device 900 is a system such as the processing system described above in connection with FIG.

[0060]

[0069] Communications device 900 includes a processing system 960 coupled to a transceiver 965 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 965 is configured to transmit and receive signals for communications device 900, such as various signals described herein. The transceiver 965 may be an example of an aspect of transceiver 222 and / or transceiver 254 described with reference to FIG. 2. Processing system 960 may be configured to perform processing functions for communications device 900, including processing signals received by and / or to be transmitted by communications device 900.

[0061]

[0070] The processing system 960 includes one or more processors 910. In various aspects, the one or more processors 910 may represent RX data processor 270, TX data processor 288, TX spatial processor 290, or controller 280 of processing node 202b shown in FIG. 2. In various aspects, the one or more processors 910 may represent one or more of RX data processor 242, TX data processor 210, TX spatial processor 220, or controller 230 of processing node 202a shown in FIG. 2. The one or more processors 910 are coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory 935 via a bus 960. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 935 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 910, cause the one or more processors 910 to perform method 800 described in connection with FIG. 8, or any aspects related thereto. It should be noted that reference to a processor performing a function of the communications device 900 may include one or more processors 910 performing that function of the communications device 900 .

[0062]

[0071] In the illustrated example, computer-readable medium / memory 935 stores code (e.g., executable instructions), such as code for establishing 940, code for communicating 945, code for obtaining 950, code for selecting 955, and code for detecting 956. Processing of code for establishing 940, code for communicating 945, code for obtaining 950, and code for selecting 955 may cause communications device 900 to perform method 800, or any aspect related thereto, as described in connection with FIG.

[0063]

[0072] The one or more processors 910 include circuitry configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored on a computer-readable medium / memory 935, including circuitry such as a circuit for establishing 915, a circuit for communicating 920, a circuit for obtaining 925, a circuit for selecting 930, and a circuit for detecting 932. Processing by the circuit for establishing 915, the circuit for communicating 920, the circuit for obtaining 925, and the circuit for selecting 930 can cause the communications device 900 to perform the method 800 described in connection with FIG.

[0064]

[0073] Various components of communications device 900 may provide means for performing method 800 described in connection with FIG. 8, or any aspects relating thereto. For example, in some cases, means for transmitting, sending, or outputting for transmission may include transmitter unit 254 of processing node 202b shown in FIG. 2 and / or transceiver 965 of communications device 900 in FIG. 9. In some cases, means for transmitting, sending, or outputting for transmission may include transmitter unit 222 of processing node 202a shown in FIG. 2 and / or transceiver 965 of communications device 900 in FIG. 9. In some aspects, means for receiving or obtaining may include receiver unit 254 of processing node 202c shown in FIG. 2 and / or transceiver 965 of communications device 900 in FIG. 9. In some aspects, means for receiving or obtaining may include receiver unit 222 of processing node 202a shown in FIG. 2 and / or transceiver 965 of communications device 900 in FIG. 9.

[0065] Example clauses

[0074] Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0066]

[0075] Clause 1: A system for processing data, comprising: a plurality of processing nodes, each processing node including at least one processor and at least one radio frequency (RF) chain; and at least one link for conductive RF communication between the processing nodes using a wireless communication protocol.

[0067]

[0076] Clause 2: The system of clause 1, further comprising a direct current (DC) blocking circuit coupled to at least one link.

[0068]

[0077] Clause 3: The system of any one of clauses 1-2, further comprising a balanced-unbalanced (balun) circuit coupled to at least one link.

[0069]

[0078] Clause 4: A system according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein at least one link is constructed from a coaxial cable or a twisted pair wire.

[0070]

[0079] Clause 5: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein one or more of the processing nodes comprises a subsystem including at least one processor and at least one RF chain.

[0071]

[0080] Clause 6: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein at least one RF chain includes a first RF chain and a second RF chain, and at least one link includes a first link for conductive RF communication between processing nodes via the first RF chain and a second link for conductive RF communication between processing nodes via the second RF chain.

[0072]

[0081] Clause 7: The system described in Clause 6, wherein the first RF chain is configured for conductive RF communication between processing nodes in a first frequency band, and the second RF chain is configured for conductive RF communication between processing nodes in either the first frequency band or the second frequency band.

[0073]

[0082] Clause 8: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein at least one RF chain comprises one or more RF communication devices having RF links operable on multiple frequency bands.

[0074]

[0083] Clause 9: The system of clause 8, wherein the processing node is reconfigurable to switch from operating on one of the plurality of frequency bands to operating on another of the plurality of frequency bands.

[0075]

[0084] Clause 10: The system of any one of clauses 6 to 9, wherein at least one of the processing nodes is configured to transmit redundant packets on the first link and the second link.

[0076]

[0085] Clause 11: The system of clause 10, wherein the redundant packets include a marker to identify them as redundant.

[0077]

[0086] Clause 12: The system of any one of clauses 1 to 11, wherein the plurality of processing nodes includes heterogeneous processing nodes.

[0078]

[0087] Clause 13: The system of clause 12, wherein at least one of the heterogeneous processing nodes includes an actuator, a remote control, a sensor, a user interface terminal, or a communications link for interfacing with an external part of the system.

[0079]

[0088] Clause 14: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of processing nodes is configured to obtain operating power from at least one link.

[0080]

[0089] Clause 15: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of processing nodes includes at least one element for preventing RF energy from reaching the power supply circuit.

[0081]

[0090] Clause 16: The system of clause 15, wherein the at least one element includes at least one of an inductor or a ferrite bead.

[0082]

[0091] Clause 17: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 16, wherein the plurality of processing nodes are configured to communicate using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols having a guard interval (GI) smaller than the GI used for wireless RF communications.

[0083]

[0092] Clause 18: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 17, wherein the plurality of processing nodes are configured to communicate using OFDM symbols having a GI that is less than or equal to a minimum GI defined by the wireless communication protocol.

[0084]

[0093] Clause 19: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 18, further comprising a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, the number of taps of the FIR filter being greater than the number of taps associated with wireless RF communication between the processing nodes.

[0085]

[0094] Clause 20: A system described in any one of clauses 1 to 19, wherein conductive RF communications between processing nodes include a subset of one or more modulation and coding scheme (MCS) rates defined by a wireless communications protocol.

[0086] Additional Considerations

[0095] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The examples described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or aspects described in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various steps or components as appropriate. For example, described methods may be performed in an order different from that described, or various actions may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined in some other embodiments. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects described herein. Additionally, the scope of the disclosure is intended to encompass apparatuses or methods that are practiced using other structure, functions, or structure and functions in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure described herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0087]

[0096] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with this disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0088]

[0097] As used herein, phrases referring to "at least one of" a list of items refer to any combination of those items, including single members. By way of example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to encompass a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination having multiples of the same element (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other permutation of a, b, and c).

[0089]

[0098] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. Also, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. Also, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0090]

[0099] As used herein, the term "communicating" broadly encompasses various signaling between devices. Communicating can include one or both of receiving (or acquiring) or transmitting (outputting for transmission).

[0091]

[0100] The methods disclosed herein include one or more actions that achieve the method. The actions of those methods may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions. These means may include various hardware and / or software component(s) and / or various hardware and / or software module(s), including, but not limited to, circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors.

[0092]

[0101] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within the claims, reference to an element by the singular is intended to mean "one and only one," unless expressly stated otherwise, and rather "one or more." The term "some" refers to one or more, unless expressly stated otherwise. Claim elements are not to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for." All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later become known to those skilled in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be made available to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A system for processing data, comprising: a plurality of processing nodes, each processing node including at least one processor and at least one radio frequency (RF) chain; at least one link for conductive RF communication between said processing nodes using a wireless communication protocol; A system comprising:

2. a direct current (DC) blocking circuit coupled to the at least one link; The system of claim 1 further comprising:

3. 10. The system of claim 1, The system further comprises a balanced-unbalanced (balun) circuit coupled to the at least one link.

4. At least one link is constructed from coaxial cable or twisted pair wire; The system of claim 1 .

5. one or more of the processing nodes comprises a subsystem including the at least one processor and at least one RF chain; The system of claim 1 .

6. the at least one RF chain includes a first RF chain and a second RF chain; the at least one link includes a first link for conductive RF communication between the processing nodes via the first RF chain and a second link for conductive RF communication between the processing nodes via the second RF chain; The system of claim 1 .

7. the first RF chain is configured for conductive RF communication between the processing nodes in a first frequency band; the second RF chain is configured for conductive RF communication between the processing nodes in the first frequency band or a second frequency band. The system of claim 6.

8. At least one RF chain comprises one or more RF communication devices having RF links operable on multiple frequency bands; The system of claim 1 .

9. the processing node is reconfigurable to switch from operating on one of the plurality of frequency bands to operating on another of the plurality of frequency bands; The system of claim 8.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the processing nodes is configured to transmit redundant packets on the first link and the second link.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the redundant packets include a marker to identify them as redundant.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of processing nodes comprises heterogeneous processing nodes.

13. At least one of the heterogeneous processing nodes: actuator, Remote control, sensors, a user interface terminal, or a communications link for interfacing the system with the outside world; Including, The system of claim 12.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of processing nodes is configured to obtain operating power from the at least one link.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of processing nodes includes at least one element for preventing RF energy from reaching a power supply circuit.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the at least one element comprises at least one of an inductor or a ferrite bead.

17. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing nodes are configured to communicate using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols having a guard interval (GI) smaller than a GI used for wireless RF communications.

18. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing nodes are configured to communicate using OFDM symbols having a GI that is less than or equal to a minimum GI defined by the wireless communication protocol.

19. 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, the number of taps of the FIR filter being greater than the number of taps associated with the wireless communication protocol.

20. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the conductive RF communications between the processing nodes comprises a subset of one or more modulation and coding scheme (MCS) rates defined by the wireless communications protocol.

21. At least one of the plurality of processing nodes: measuring one or more metrics between the at least one of the plurality of processing nodes and one or more other processing nodes of the plurality of processing nodes; detecting a fault based on a change in the metric; configured to: The system of claim 1 .

22. The one or more metrics are: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), Packet Error Rate (PER), or distance based on packet round trip time (RTT) measurements; at least one of:

22. The system of claim 21.

23. 1. A method for processing data, comprising: establishing at least one link with one or more processing nodes for conductive RF communication using a wireless communication protocol; communicating with the one or more processing nodes over the at least one link using the wireless communication protocol; A method comprising:

24. 1. An apparatus comprising: means for establishing at least one link with one or more processing nodes for conductive RF communication using a wireless communication protocol; means for communicating with the one or more processing nodes over the at least one link using the wireless communication protocol; An apparatus comprising:

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