Remote control system, components and methods

A receiver for receiving a spread spectrum transmitted signal wherein a predetermined parameter of said signal is varied to carry a sequence of digital data chips comprising:

• (a) detector means for providing a detector signal representative of said predetermined parameter in said transmitted signal;
• (b) chip interval series means for generating four separate series of predetermined chip intervals such that each predetermined chip interval in each such series is equal to the duration of one chip in said transmitted signal and so that each said series is offset in time from another one of said series by a predetermined offset interval equal to one-fourth the duration of each said chip interval, and subdividing each chip interval in each of said separate series into two equal crumb intervals;
• (c) crumb-level comparison means for determining whether each of said separate series of chip intervals satisfies the condition that the values of said detector signals for the two crumb intervals in each chip interval differ from one another;
• (d) selection means for selecting one of said separate series of chip intervals which satisfies said condition and outputting the selected sequence of chip intervals as a decoding sequence of chip intervals;
• and
• (e) recovery means for assigning a first binary value or a second binary value to each chip interval in said decoding sequence of chip intervals depending upon the value of said detector signal during the chip interval.

A spread spectrum method of communicating digital information comprising the steps of:

• (a) timing predetermined transmitter chip intervals;
• (b) during a preamble period, generating a preamble chip signal having either a first or second binary value during each of said transmitter chip intervals, generating a transmitter clock signal having a predetermined series of different values for different transmitter crumb intervals, each transmitter crumb interval being a rational fraction of one of said chip intervals, and impressing both said transmitter clock signal and said preamble signal on a predetermined parameter of a transmitted signal so that said predetermined parameter of said transmitted signal carries said preamble signal encoded with said transmitter clock signal;
• (c) after said preamble period, transmitting said information as a stream of binary chip values impressed upon said predetermined parameter of said transmitted signal;
• (d) detecting said transmitted signal at a receiver remote from said transmitter and producing a detector signal representative of the value of said predetermined parameter in said transmitted signal;
• (e) generating at said receiver plural separate sequences of chip intervals such that the duration of each said chip interval in each said sequence is equal to the duration of said transmitter chip intervals and so that said sequences of receiver chip intervals are offset in time from one another, and subdividing each chip interval in each of said separate sequences into receiver crumb intervals equal in duration to said transmitter crumb intervals;
• (f) determining whether each of said separate series of receiver chip intervals satisfies the condition that the values of said detector signal for the crumb intervals in each chip interval match a template corresponding to said predetermined series of values in said transmitter clock signal, and selecting as a decoding sequence one of said separate series of receiver chip intervals which best satisfies said condition;
• and
• (g) after said preamble period, assigning first or second binary values to said chip intervals in said decoding sequence within said receiver according to the value of said decoder signal during each said decoding chip interval, to thereby provide said decoding chip intervals with binary values corresponding to the binary values in said digital information.

A receiver for receiving a spread spectrum transmitted signal wherein a predetermined parameter is varied to carry a digital message including a plurality of bits each encoded into a plurality of chips so that the chips representing each bit include substantially equal numbers of zero and one values, said receiver comprising:

• (a) detector means for producing a detector signal representative of said predetermined parameter;
• (b) reference value means for determining the time average value of said detector signal;
• (c) chip-level comparison means for comparing said detector signal with said time average value and providing a sequence of chips with first or second binary values depending on whether the detector signal is greater or less than the time average value to thereby provide a string of binary data chips representing said message;
• and
• (d) interpretation means for interpreting said string of data chips to thereby recover said message.