Method and system for synchronizing geographically distributed RF sensors using a pair of RF triggering devices
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorMutsuya Ii
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
RF sensors acquire and store RF data in memory. One RF sensor generates a trigger signal when the RF sensor detects a feature of interest in its acquired RF data. The detecting RF sensor wirelessly transmits the trigger signal to the non-detecting RF sensor. The non-detecting RF sensor reads the appropriate RF data from its memory in response to receipt of the trigger signal. The non-detecting RF sensor accesses the appropriate RF data using a time of day when the trigger signal is received and a predetermined time offset.
Claims17
A method for synchronizing first and second geographically distributed RF sensors, the method comprising:
- operating the first and second sensors to acquire and store RF data from a source external to said first and second sensors;
- operating the first sensor to generate a trigger signal in response to detecting a feature of interest in the RF data acquired by the first sensor;
- operating the first sensor to wirelessly transmit the trigger signal;
- operating the second sensor to wirelessly receive the trigger signal;
- and
- operating the second sensor to read stored RF data based on a time offset associated with a time difference between the first sensor generating the trigger signal and the second sensor receiving the trigger signal;
- wherein said stored RF data is stored for a period of time longer than said time offset.
An RF sensor, comprising:
- an RF receiver section operable to receive a trigger signal form another of said RF sensors;
- a clock;
- and an instrument section comprising a first memory operable to store acquired RF data and a processor operable to read RF data from the first memory using a time offset determined by the trigger signal and a time of day generated by the clock, wherein the stored RF data is stored in the first memory for period of time longer than the time offset.
A system, comprising:
- a first RF sensor operable to detect a feature of interest in acquired RF data and responsively generate and wirelessly transmit a trigger signal;
- and a second RF sensor operable to wirelessly receive the trigger signal and responsively read RF data from a memory using a time offset determined by the trigger signal and a time of day generated by a clock, wherein the stored RF data is stored in the first memory for period of time longer than the time offset.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.