Patent ID: 8050313

Claim:
A single chip radio platform for communicating with an RF channel operating at a channel frequency and using OQPSK data modulation employing a spreading sequence and containing radio platform layers associated with a physical layer (PHY), a media access layer (MAC), a network layer and an application layer, comprising: an RF front end having a receive/transmit capability to receive in a receive mode an RF carrier modulated with digital data and convert the data to analog baseband data, and in a transmit mode, modulate an RF carrier with baseband data; a digital signal processor (DSP) engine for interfacing with said RF front end to form in conjunction therewith the PHY layer, and interfacing with the MAC layer in the receive mode to demodulate the baseband data and in the transmit mode to generate the baseband data for modulation and transmission by said RF front end; a microcontroller unit (MCU) performing the functionality of the MAC, network and application layers and interfacing with the DSP; clock circuitry including a stable reference clock for generating a first fixed clock for the MCU for providing MCU clocks for the operation of the MCU, and for providing a reference for a local oscillator at substantially the channel frequency for use by said RF front end and a DSP clock for use by said DSP, which said local oscillator and DSP clocks are not fixed frequency, both said MCU clocks, said local oscillator and said DSP clock having the stability of said first fixed clock; and periodic power management circuitry for controlling the operation of the radio platform to operate in a sleep mode to power down said RF front end, said DSP and said MCU and in a run mode for powered operation thereof, and to control switching from the sleep mode to the run mode at specific times based on a continuously running internal clock so as to be able to receive an RF signal generated at periodic and defined times.