Medtronic, Inc.

Zarlink Semiconductor Limited

Andrew Michael Bottomley

Eric D Corndorf

Peter Bradley

Nicholas C Wine

George C Rosar

Charles H Dudding

Quentin Scott Denzene

Robert S Wentink

Didier Sagan

Remi Le Reverend

Guy A Delight

Philip Dorning

Richard F Woicik

A method and apparatus are provided for low power simultaneous frequency, automatic gain control and timing acquisition in a low power radio receiver. A baseband signal received is split into a limited signal having limited data and a non-limited signal. The limited signal is fed through a limited phase-shift keying (PSK) correlation path in which a PSK correlator operating on the limited signal simultaneously determines coarse frequency estimations, timing estimations, and packet synchronization detection. The non-limited signal is fed through an automatic gain control path where automatic gain control is performed on the non-limited signal simultaneously with the coarse frequency and timing estimations and packet synchronization detection performed by the PSK correlator. By operating the PSK correlator on limited data from the received baseband signal and through a separate path from the automatic gain control, substantial power savings are achieved without degrading performance since the preamble time is significantly reduced.

Method and apparatus for low power simultaneous frequency, automatic gain control and timing acquisition in radio receivers

A low power multiple channel receiver mixing architecture for detecting wake-up signals over multiple communication channels in sniff processing performed in an implantable medical device (IMD). The architecture includes a direct conversion real receiver configured to scan a selected center channel and a Weaver receiver configured in parallel to the direct conversion real receiver to simultaneously scan side channels, together simultaneously detecting whether a wake-up signal is being received over the center and side channels with minimal power consumption. The architecture further utilizes a falsing protection algorithm that reduces power consumption during sniff operations by inhibiting the sniffing of channels likely to provide a false indication of a wake-up signal based the presence of unwanted signals on those channels. The falsing protection algorithm restricts those channels from sniff processing likely to provide a false indication of a wake-up signal, such that sniff processing can aborted, prevented, limited or otherwise altered to conserve power consumption.

Low power multiple channel mixing architecture for detecting wake-up signals and related falsing protection algorithm

A method and system for sampling an analog signal that minimizes perturbations caused by noise. In one embodiment, the sample and hold circuit includes a plurality of switches in series between the sampled source and a hold capacitor. A resistor is located in parallel with the first switch. The two switches are controlled so as to provide three signal paths between the hold capacitor and the sampled signal. The first signal path is a closed circuit between the charge capacitor and the sampled signal. This path occurs during a first phase of operation for the sample and hold circuit. During a second phase of operation, the first switch is opened which sends any current loss from the capacitor to path through the resistor. The high resistance provided by the resistor minimizes this current loss. The third signal path occurs when the second switch is opened which present an open circuit between the capacitor and the sampled signal. During the transition from the second phase to the third phase, any current loss due to noise passes through the resistor and thus minimizes the voltage loss across the hold capacitor. Another embodiment of the sample and hold circuit only operates between a first and a second phase.

Sample and hold circuit

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Andrew Michael Bottomley