Method and apparatus for robust communication based upon angular modulation

A method of communicating binary information, said method comprising the steps of:

• encoding said binary information into a data packet having a plurality of data bits and at least one error detection bit;
• transmitting said data packet across a communication channel to a receiver;
• receiving said plurality of data bits and said at least one error detection bit of said data packet within said receiver and generating a recovered data signal;
• measuring in-phase amplitude on said communication channel within said receiver while receiving said plurality of data bits and said at least one error detection bit, said in-phase amplitude relative to a rotating phase reference vector;
• detecting if a transmission error occurred during said step of transmitting by testing said at least one error detection bit;
• identifying a set of bits in said recovered binary information that are most likely to be in error only by correlating when said in-phase amplitude of said recovered data signal is weak with when said plurality of data bits and said at least one error detection bit of said data packet are transmitted;
• and
• correcting errors detected in recovered binary information by changing the state of said set of bits most likely to be in error.

A method of communicating binary information, said method comprising the steps of:

• encoding said binary information into a data packet having a plurality of data bits and at least one error detection bit;
• transmitting a signal containing said plurality of data bits and said at least one error bit of said data packet across a communication channel to a receiver;
• detecting when at least two types of anomalies occur in said signal at said receiver, said step of detecting comprising recording an in-phase amplitude of said signal and recording phase changes;
• distinguishing between at least two types of errors within said data bits and said at least one error bit, said two types of errors having different error characteristics;
• identifying a set of bits in said recovered binary information that are most likely to be in error only by correlating when said two types of anomalies occur in said signal with when said plurality of data bits and said at least one error detection bit of said data packet are transmitted;
• and
• correcting errors detected in recovered binary information by changing the state of said set of bits most likely to be in error.

A method of communicating binary information, said method comprising the steps of:

• dividing said binary information into a series of data words;
• concatenating a word sync pattern at the head of said series of data words to create a data packet, said word sync pattern specifying a word boundary, said word sync pattern uniquely identifiable if a data inversion occurs beginning at any point in said word sync pattern;
• transmitting said data packet across a communication channel to a receiver;
• detecting said word sync pattern within said receiver;
• and
• aligning said receiver to receive said series of data words within said data packet in response to said detected word sync pattern.

A method of communicating binary information, said method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting an analog carrier signal containing binary information across a communication channel to a receiver;
• measuring a phase relationship between said analog carrier signal and a local reference signal over a period of time to determine a set of phase characteristics of said analog carrier signal;
• comparing the set of phase characteristics of said analog carrier signal with a set of phase signatures, said set of phase signatures representing a set of anomalous phase characteristics that occur in response to various impairments on said communication channel;
• and
• adjusting for said phase relationship between said analog carrier signal and said local reference signal.

A method of communicating binary information, said method comprising the steps of:

• encoding said binary information into a data word having a plurality of data bits and additional coding bits such that data inversions can be detected;
• transmitting an angularly modulated signal containing said data word across a communication medium to a receiver;
• recording when phase changes of said angularly modulated signal occur as each data bit is received in said receiver;
• testing said additional coding bits in each data word to determine if a data inversion occurred during transmission of said data word;
• and
• inverting said data bits in said data word starting with a bit transmitted when a phase change most likely to cause a data inversion occurred if a data inversion is detected in said data word.

A method of communicating binary information, said method comprising the steps of:

• encoding said binary information into a data word having a plurality of data bits and a parity bit;
• transmitting an angularly modulated signal containing said plurality of data bits and said parity bit of said data word across a communication medium to a receiver;
• receiving said plurality of data bits and said parity bit of said data word within said receiver;
• recording an in-phase amplitude of said angularly modulated signal while each of said plurality of data bits and said parity bit are received in said receiver, said in-phase amplitude relative to a rotating phase reference vector;
• testing said parity bit in each data word to determine if an error occurred during transmission of said data word;
• and
• altering a data bit in said data word transmitted during a smallest recovered in-phase amplitude if an error was detected in said data word.

An apparatus for communicating binary information, said apparatus comprising:

• a transmitter, said transmitter comprising;
• an encoder for encoding said binary information into a data packet having a plurality of data words, said data words comprising a set of bits having a plurality of data bits, at least one error detection bit, and additional coding bits, said additional coding bits indicating an error if at least one of said additional coding bits is inverted;
• a modulator for angularly modulating said data packet into an angularly modulated data packet sent across a communication channel;
• and
• a receiver for receiving said angularly modulated data packet, said receiver comprising:
• a phase detector for detecting when phase anomalies occur on said communication channel at said receiver;
• a demodulator for demodulating said angularly modulated data packet to generate recovered binary information within said receiver;
• an error detection unit for detecting errors in said recovered binary information using said at least one error detection bit and said additional coding bits;
• an error correction unit for identifying a set of bits most likely to be in error only by correlating when each bit of said data packet was transmitted with when said phase anomalies occur and correcting said errors by changing the state of a set of bits.

An apparatus for communicating binary information, said apparatus comprising:

• a transmitter, said transmitter comprising;
• an encoder for encoding said binary information into a data packet having a plurality of data words, said data words having at least one error detection bit;
• a modulator for modulating said data packet onto an analog carrier signal sent across a communication channel;
• and
• a receiver for receiving said analog carrier signal, said receiver comprising:
• a demodulator for demodulating said analog carrier signal into a recovered data signal;
• a detector for measuring an in-phase amplitude of said recovered data signal to generate a recorded data signal amplitude, said in-phase amplitude relative to a rotating phase reference vector;
• an error detection unit for detecting errors in said recovered binary information using said at least one error detection bit;
• an error correction unit for identifying a set of bits most likely to be in error only by correlating when said bits in said data packet are transmitted with when a smallest in-phase amplitude occurred and changing a state of said set of bits most likely to be in error.

An apparatus for decoding an angularly modulated signal, said apparatus comprising:

• a data bit decode unit, said data bit decode unit decoding individual data bits from said angularly modulated signal, said data bit decode unit recording phase changes occurring during the transmission of said angularly modulated signal for each data bit;
• an error identification unit, said error identification unit receiving said data bits from said data bit decode unit, said error identification unit organizing said data bits into data words, said error identification unit testing each data word for an error;
• and
• an error correction unit, said error correction unit receiving said data bits from said error identification unit, said error correction unit organizing said data bits into data words, said error correction unit testing each data word for a data inversion, said error correction unit correcting said data inversion by inverting said data bits in said data word starting with a data bit received during a largest phase change.

A method of encoding binary information, said method comprising the steps of:

• organizing said binary information into a data word, said data word having a plurality of data bits;
• generating a partial checksum for said data word, said step of generating a partial checksum comprising the substeps of;
• assigning a bit-weight to each said data bit in said data word;
• summing said bit-weights multiplied by said data bits;
• and
• concatenating a multi-bit data integrity code to said data word, said multi-bit data integrity code comprising a value such that said partial checksum for said data word plus a partial checksum for said multi-bit data integrity code equals a special checksum value that indicates a valid data word.