Patent ID: 7146314

Claim:
A method for managing a transmitter, comprising: defining a reference level time period; receiving an input signal including noise and possibly a signal of interest; calculating a reference level as a function of the power of a first portion of the input signal over the reference time period; calculating power of a portion of the input signal subsequent to the first portion; comparing the power of the subsequent portion of the input signal with the reference level; conducting a transmitter activation determination whether said comparison satisfies a transmitter activation condition, the transmitter activation condition determining whether the power of the subsequent portion of the input signal exceeds the reference level thereby indicating the presence of the signal of interest; generating an activation signal for activating the transmitter when the transmitter activation condition is satisfied to transmit the signal of interest; conducting a reference level adjustment determination whether the comparison satisfies a reference level adjustment condition, the reference level adjustment condition testing whether there is a lack of a transition between the presence of the signal of interest in the input signal and the absence of the signal of interest in the input signal for a predetermined time period; and adjusting the reference level when said reference level adjustment condition is satisfied.