Systems and Methods for Communicating by Modulating Data on Zeros in the Presence of Channel Impairments

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a novel communication system that transmits information by encoding data onto the zeros of a signal's mathematical z-transform, rather than traditional amplitude or phase methods. It specifically addresses the challenges of short, sporadic transmissions in wireless channels subject to unpredictable timing (timing offsets) and frequency shifts (carrier frequency offsets). The system uses specialized codes (cyclically permutable codes derived from BCH codes) to make the encoded data robust against such offsets, facilitating reliable communication of short data packets even in channels that have random, unknown, or rapidly varying characteristics, without needing traditional channel estimation or synchronization procedures.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Ultra-reliable low-latency wireless control in industrial automation (e.g., factory robots, smart grids).
• Wireless signaling or command/control applications where devices only briefly transmit small data packets, such as in the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, or sporadically active devices.
• Secure communication applications (e.g., transmission of secret keys or authentication tokens).
• Wireless communication in environments with very short coherence times and strong multipath effects, such as indoor mmWave (millimeter wave) deployments.
• Mobile or ad-hoc wireless networks where node synchronization is difficult or impossible (e.g., emergency disaster response, military communications).
• Channel probing or synchronization packets to support larger communication sessions in 5G/6G networks.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• High robustness to timing and frequency offsets, allowing communication with little or no prior synchronization between transmitter and receiver.
• Low latency, as data can be reliably transmitted and decoded in extremely short bursts, often with just a single symbol.
• Ultra-reliable data transfer, critical for safety and control systems.
• Significant reduction in communication overhead compared to conventional schemes (no need for large training sequences, pilots, or handshaking).
• Efficient for sporadic, unpredictable, or short-packet data transmissions, making it ideal for IoT and machine-type communications.
• Improved performance in harsh or unknown multipath wireless environments, where traditional channel estimation is difficult or infeasible.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

Communication systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of the invention utilize modulation on zeros. Carrier frequency offsets (CFO) can result in an unknown rotation of all zeros of a received signal's z-transform. Therefore, a binary MOCZ scheme (BMOCZ) can be utilized in which the modulated binary data is encoded using a cycling register code (e.g. CPC or ACPC), enabling receivers to determine cyclic shifts in the BMOCZ symbol resulting from a CFO. Receivers in accordance with several embodiments of the invention include decoders capable of decoding information bits from received discrete-time baseband signals by: estimating a timing offset for the received signal; determining a plurality of zeros of a z-transform of the received symbol; identifying zeros from the plurality of zeros that encode received bits by correcting fractional rotations resulting from the CFO; and decoding information bits based upon the received bits using a cycling register code.