DEVICE DISCOVERY IN A LOW POWER WIRELESS SYSTEM

摘要

A communications protocol is described for particular applicability to wireless low-power devices that can only operate according to a duty cycle. The protocol increases the speed at which two devices 2,11 in a network 1 may be synchronized, while minimising the power consumption of the devices 2,1 1. The protocol involves the transmission of a plurality of polling words by a transmitter 3 to a receiver 12, and determination by the receiver 12 that a polling word has been transmitted to it during a sensing period. The determination results from the receiver 12 periodically listening for a polling signal during the sensing period. The receiver 12 is thus arranged so that it is able to detect a polling word transmitted over a period of time for part of which the receiver 12 is idle.