Patent ID: 9237472
Filing Date: 2016-01-12
CPC Classification: G01D,G08C,H04B,H04L,H04Q,H04W,Y04S

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for receiving and transporting real time resource usage data, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of narrowband receivers, deployed geographically within a grid, wherein each of said plurality of narrowband receivers is configured to receive transmissions from a least one of a plurality of transmitting devices, and wherein each of said plurality of transmitting devices transmits identical data on each of a plurality of frequency bands that are hopped according to a hopping sequence, and wherein said hopping sequence is initially unknown to said plurality of narrowband receivers; and a controller, coupled to said plurality of narrowband receivers, configured to control said plurality of narrowband receivers such that said each of said plurality of transmitting devices is identified and a corresponding signal quality is determined, and configured to control said plurality of narrowband receivers such that corresponding data from said each of said transmitting devices is received on at least one of said plurality of frequency bands, wherein, for one of said plurality of transmitting devices, said controller directs a set of said plurality of receivers that can receive data from said one of said plurality of transmitting devices to receive on different ones of said plurality of frequency bands, and wherein transmissions from said one of said plurality of transmitters are time stamped to generate a corresponding hopping sequence.