US 5,629,875 AGranted

Method and apparatus for interactively tuning frequency hopping transmitter

AssigneeSchlumberger Industries

InventorHenry H. Adair, Jr.

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for interactively tuning a transmitter for use in a monitoring station is described. The monitor includes a voltage controlled oscillator producing a radiowave signal for use as a carrier. The voltage used to control the voltage controlled oscillator is provided by a voltage supply that produces an output voltage corresponding to an input data stream. The tuning station provides test data streams to the voltage supply and monitors the output frequencies of the transmitter to determine when the output frequency of the transmitter is above or below the maximum allowable output frequencies. When data streams corresponding to the maximum and minimum output frequencies are determined, they are stored in a memory in the monitoring station and a complete table of temperature-compensated data is generated based upon typical unit temperature drifts. The entire table is loaded into the monitoring station to provide maximum and minimum data sequences for various operating temperature ranges.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method for storing sequences corresponding to minimum and maximum frequencies in maximum and minimum limit locations, respectively, in a frequency hopping transmitter, wherein the transmitter transmits radiowave signals at frequencies determined by an input voltage from a voltage generator received at a frequency adjust input, comprising:

(a) producing a series of test data sequences with a microprocessor;
(b) supplying a series of test data sequences to the voltage generator such that the voltage generator produces a series of voltages, each corresponding to a respective data sequence;
(c) supplying the voltages from the voltage generator to the frequency adjust input of the transmitter such that the transmitter transmits the radiowave signal at the frequencies corresponding to the voltages;
(d) receiving with a radiowave receiver the radiowave signals from the transmitter;
(e) detecting the frequencies of the radiowave signals;
(f) for the radiowave signal having a frequency closest to, but less than to the maximum frequency, identifying the corresponding data sequence;
(g) storing the data sequence corresponding to the frequency closest to, but less than the maximum frequency in the maximum limit location;
(h) for the frequencies closest to, but greater than to the minimum frequency, identifying the corresponding data sequence;
and
(i) storing the data sequence corresponding to the radiowave signal having a frequency closest to, but greater than the minimum frequency in the minimum limit location.

7 more elements

A method for interactively tuning a data transmitter to emit radiowave signals between a maximum frequency and a minimum frequency, wherein the frequency of the radiowave signal emitted by the transmitter is controlled by an input voltage from a voltage generator received at a frequency adjust input, comprising the steps of:

(a) producing a test data sequence;
(b) storing the test data sequence in a temporary location in a memory;
(c) supplying the test data sequence to the voltage generator such that the voltage generator produces a voltage corresponding to the data sequence;
(d) supplying the voltage from the voltage generator to the frequency adjust input of the transmitter such that the transmitter transmits a radiowave signal;
(e) receiving with a radiowave receiver the radiowave signal from the transmitter;
(f) detecting the frequency of the radiowave signal;
(g) if the frequency of the radiowave signal is between the minimum and maximum frequencies, storing the data sequence in the temporary location, adjusting the data sequence and repeating steps (a) through (f);
(h) if the frequency of the radiowave signal is greater than the maximum frequency, transferring the data sequence from the temporary location to a memory location corresponding to a maximum frequency data sequence;
and
(i) if the frequency of the radiowave signal is less than the minimum frequency, transferring the data sequence from the temporary location in the memory to a location corresponding to the minimum frequency.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.