Patent ID: 7206575
Filing Date: 2007-04-17
Classification: H04Q

Abstract:
1. In a system including a local station and a remote station, the local station including a receiver capable of operating in an unlocked state when not tracking an uplink signal, the unlocked state corresponding to a best lock frequency (BLF) of the receiver, a method of remotely monitoring the BLF, comprising: (a) in the local station, operating the receiver in the unlocked state corresponding to the BLF; concurrently (b) in the local station, deriving data indicative of a ratio of the BLF to a reference frequency of the receiver; (c) telemetering the data indicative of the ratio from the local station to the remote station; and (d) in the remote station, estimating the BLF based on (i) the telemetered data indicative of the ratio, and (ii) a predetermined estimate of the reference frequency, to produce an estimated BLF wherein step (b) comprises: producing a first linear combination frequency as a first linear combination of the BLF and the reference frequency; producing a second linear combination frequency as a second linear combination of the BLF and the reference frequency; repeatedly counting cycles of the first linear combination frequency to produce successive first count values; and repeatedly counting cycles of the second linear combination frequency to produce successive second count values corresponding to the successive first count values, wherein the successive first and second count values represent the data indicative of the ratio.