# US 10,771,288 B2 · Processing module for a communication device and method therefor

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- Number: US 10,771,288 B2
- Document ID: US10771288B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/360,945
- Filed: 2019-03-21
- Published: 2019-07-18
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2016-06-08
- Assignees: NXP B.V.
- Applicants: NXP B.V.
- Inventors: Thomas Baier; Wolfgang Küchler; Frank Leong
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10771288B2

## CPC

- H04L 25/0202: {Channel estimation}
- G01S 13/765: {with exchange of information between interrogator and responder}
- H04L 9/3236: {using cryptographic hash functions}
- H04L 25/0224: {using sounding signals}
- H04J 3/0608: {Detectors therefor, e.g. correlators, state machines}
- H04L 7/043: {Pseudo-noise [PN] codes variable during transmission (synchronisation of spread spectrum receivers H04B1/69)}
- H04L 25/0212: {of impulse response}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S)

## Abstract

A processing module for a receiver device. The processor module comprises a channel estimate generation component arranged to output channel estimate information for a received signal, and a timestamping module arranged to determine a ToA measurement for a marker within a packet of the received signal based at least partly on the channel estimate information for the received signal generated by the channel estimate generation component. The channel estimate generation component comprises a validation component arranged to derive a validation pattern for the packet within the received signal for which a ToA measurement is to be determined, identify a section of the packet containing a validation sequence, and perform cross-correlation between at least a part of the validation sequence within the packet and at least a part of the generated validation pattern to generate channel estimate validation information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A processing module for a receiver device to receive a signal transmitted by a transmitter device; the processing module comprising:
a channel estimate generation component to output channel estimate information for the received signal; and
a timestamping module to determine a Time-of-Arrival, ToA, measurement for a packet within the received signal based at least partly on the channel estimate information;
a validation component configured to:
generate a validation pattern for the packet within the received signal for which a ToA measurement is to be determined, wherein the validation pattern is generated using a validation pattern reference;
perform cross-correlation between at least a part of the validation sequence within the packet and at least a part of the generated validation pattern to generate channel estimate validation information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The processing module of claim 1, wherein the validation pattern and the validation sequence are unknown to the validation component prior to the deriving of the validation pattern.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The processing module of claim 1, wherein the validation component is arranged to:
receive unvalidated channel estimate information for the received signal;
select at least one channel estimate tap for which channel estimate validation information is to be generated based on the unvalidated channel estimate information; and
perform cross-correlation between at least a part of the validation sequence within the packet and at least a part of the generated validation pattern to generate channel estimate validation information for the at least one selected channel estimate tap.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The processing module of claim 3, wherein the validation component is further arranged to determine whether the unvalidated channel estimate information for the at least one selected channel estimate tap is valid based at least partly on the generated channel estimate validation information for the at least one selected channel estimate tap, and to output to the timestamping module an indication of whether the generated channel estimate information for the at least one selected channel estimate tap is valid based on said determination.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The processing module of claim 3, wherein the validation component is further arranged to replace unvalidated channel estimate information for the at least one selected channel estimate tap with validated channel estimate tap values for the at least one selected tap and to output validated channel estimate information to the timestamping module comprising the validated channel estimate tap values for the at least one selected tap.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The processing module of claim 1, wherein the channel estimate generator comprises a symbol correlator arranged to perform cross-correlation of the received signal with a reference pattern and to output a resulting correlation signal from which the channel estimate generator is arranged to generate channel estimate information, and the validation component is arranged to reconfigure the symbol correlator to perform cross-correlation between the validation sequence within the packet within the received signal and the generated validation pattern.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The processing module of claim 1, wherein the validation component is arranged to generate a non-repeating symbol validation pattern.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The processing module of claim 1, wherein the validation component is arranged to generate the validation pattern based on at least one of:
a pseudo random number generator function;
a cryptographically secure pseudo random number generator function;
a hash function; and
a secure hash function.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The processing module of claim 1, wherein the validation component is arranged to generate the validation pattern comprising at least one of:
a validation code pattern;
a validation code position pattern; and
a validation code interleaving sequence.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The processing module of claim 1, wherein the section of the packet containing the validation sequence comprises at least one of:
a preamble of the packet;
a part of a preamble of the packet;
time-multiplexed segments within a payload of the packet; and
segments interleaved with payload segments.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A communication receiver device arranged to receive a signal transmitted by a transmitter device; the communication receiver device comprising at least one processing module according to claim 1.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The communication receiver device of claim 11, wherein the communication receiver device comprises at least one of:
a Impulse Radio Ultra-WideBand receiver device;
light/laser ranging receiver device; and
sound-based ranging receiver device.