Multi-band transmission system

• US 10,141,984 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Molinero, Salvador Iranzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rose, Derrick V
• Application Number:
  US14/180,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20140233526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2627 Modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2655 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space

Abstract

Signals transmitted via a plurality of frequency bands by a transmitter using respective sets of one or more transmit chains are received at a receiver device. The signals are processed at the receiver using a plurality of receive chains including using a set of first receive chains associated with a first frequency band, and using a set of one or more second receive chains associated with the second frequency band. A number of receive chains in the first set of receive chains is different than a number of transmit chains used by the transmitter device to transmit via the first frequency band. A number of receive chains in the second set of receive chains is different than a number of transmit chains used by the transmitter device to transmit via the second frequency band. MIMO processing is performed on outputs of the set of first receive chains.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a transmitter device configured to separate data into a plurality of frequency bands, wherein

each frequency band has an associated symbol time,

each associated symbol time is a whole multiple of one half of a smallest symbol time of all of the frequency bands to facilitate synchronized transmission of symbols over the plurality of frequency bands, and

the transmitter device includes;

i) a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) processing block configured to multiplex the data into a plurality of spatial channels, and

ii) an analog front end configured to, for each spatial channel of the plurality of spatial channels,

combine data in the plurality of frequency bands, including combining data in a first frequency band with data in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, into a respective combined signal for simultaneous transmission over the plurality of frequency bands, and

transmit the combined signal via a transmission medium, wherein transmission of symbols in the first frequency band is synchronized with transmission of symbols in the second frequency band.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter device is reconfigurable to omit MIMO processing by the MIMO processing block such that i) the data is not multiplexed into the plurality of spatial channels, and ii) the analog front end provides the data in the plurality of frequency bands to the transmission medium.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitter device is reconfigurable so that

the data is provided in only one frequency band in the plurality of frequency bands, and

the analog front end provides the data to the transmission medium in the one frequency band in the plurality of frequency bands.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is reconfigurable so that

the data is provided in only one frequency band in the plurality of frequency bands, and

the analog front end provides the data to the transmission medium in only one frequency band in the plurality of frequency bands.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a receiver configured to simultaneously receive the data in the plurality of frequency bands and the plurality of spatial channels.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a receiver device, wherein the transmitter device and the receiver device share processing components.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiver device is configured to apply automatic gain control independently to at least one of i) each of the plurality of frequency bands, and ii) each of a plurality of physical channels.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system performs synchronization using only one of the plurality of frequency bands, and wherein a frequency of the one of the plurality of frequency bands is less than frequencies of remaining ones of the plurality of frequency bands.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data in the plurality of frequency bands is simultaneously transmitted and received during a first period, and is not simultaneously transmitted and received during a second period.

10. A method, comprising:

separating data into a plurality of frequency bands, wherein each frequency band has an associated symbol time, and each associated symbol time is a whole multiple of one half of a smallest symbol time of all of the frequency bands to facilitate synchronized transmission of symbols over the plurality of frequency bands;

multiplexing the data into a plurality of spatial channels; and

for each spatial channel of the plurality of spatial channels,

combining data in the plurality of frequency bands, including combining data in a first frequency band with data in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band, into a respective combined signal for simultaneous transmission over the plurality of frequency bands, and

transmitting the combined signal via a transmission medium, wherein transmission of symbols in the first frequency band is synchronized with transmission of symbols in the second frequency band.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the acts of separating, multiplexing, combining, and transmitting are performed by a transmitter device;

the method further comprises reconfiguring the transmitter device such that i) the data is not multiplexed into the plurality of spatial channels, and ii) the data is provided to the transmission medium in the plurality of frequency bands.

12. The method of claim 11, the method further comprises reconfiguring the transmitter device such that:

the data is not separated into the plurality of frequency bands, and

the data is provided to the transmission medium in only one frequency band in the plurality of frequency bands.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the acts of separating, multiplexing, combining, and transmitting are performed by a transmitter device;

the method further comprises reconfiguring the transmitter device such that

the data is not separated into the plurality of frequency bands, and

the data is provided to the transmission medium in only one frequency band in the plurality of frequency bands.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

simultaneously receiving the data in the plurality of frequency bands.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

performing synchronization using only one of the plurality of frequency bands, wherein a frequency of the one of the plurality of frequency bands is less than frequencies of remaining ones of the plurality of frequency bands.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

simultaneously transmitting and receiving the data in the plurality of frequency bands during a first period; and

not simultaneously transmitting and receiving the data in the plurality of frequency bands during a second period.

17. A system, comprising:

a receiver device including;

a plurality of receivers configured to receive signals in a plurality of frequency bands, wherein the plurality of receivers include a set of first receivers configured to receive in a first frequency band and a set of one or more second receivers configured to receive in a second frequency band; and

a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) processing block configured to demultiplex a plurality of spatial channels on the plurality of frequency bands,

wherein;

the signals in the plurality of frequency bands have been transmitted by a transmitter device to the receiver device i) utilizing a plurality of first transmitters configured to transmit a first signal in the first frequency band, and ii) utilizing a plurality of second transmitters configured to transmit a second signal in the second frequency band,

a number of receivers in the set of first receivers utilized to receive the first signal in the first frequency band is different than a number of transmitters in the plurality of first transmitters of the transmitter device utilized to transmit the first signal in the first frequency band, and

a number of receivers in the set of one or more second receivers utilized to receive the second signal in the second frequency band is different than a number of transmitters in the plurality of second transmitters of the transmitter device utilized to transmit the second signal in the second frequency band.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein signals in the plurality of frequency bands are received simultaneously.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein:

each frequency band has an associated symbol time; and

each associated symbol time is a whole multiple of one half of a smallest symbol time of all of the frequency bands.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the number of receivers in the set of first receivers is greater than the number of transmitters in the plurality of first transmitters; and

the number of receivers in the set of one or more second receivers is less than the number of transmitters in the plurality of second transmitters.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the MIMO processing block processes a plurality of spatial channels transmitted via the first frequency band; and

no MIMO processing is performed on the second frequency band.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the MIMO processing block processes a plurality of spatial channels transmitted via i) the first frequency band and ii) a first portion of the second frequency band; and

no MIMO processing is performed on a second portion of the second frequency band.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the receiver device is reconfigurable so that:

the MIMO processing block processes a plurality of spatial channels transmitted via the first frequency band; and

no MIMO processing is performed on the second frequency band.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiver device is reconfigurable to:

utilize a different number of receivers for the first frequency band that is at least the number of transmitters in the plurality of first transmitters; and

utilize a different number of receivers for the first frequency band that is at least the number of transmitters in the plurality of second transmitters.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the receiver device is configured to:

determine channel conditions;

determine whether one or more receivers should be utilized for the first frequency band or the second frequency band based on the channel conditions.

26. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a receiver device, signals transmitted via a plurality of frequency bands by a transmitter device to the receiver device using respective sets of one or more transmitters, including via a first frequency band by the transmitter device using a set of first transmitters configured to transmit a first signal in the first frequency band, and via a second frequency band by the transmitter device using a set of second transmitters configured to transmit a second signal in the second frequency band;

processing the signals at the receiver using a plurality of receivers, including

using a set of first receivers configured to receive the first signal in the first frequency band, and

using a set of one or more second receivers configured to receive the second signal in the second frequency band, wherein

the number of receivers in the first set of receivers configured to receive the first signal in the first frequency band is different than the number of transmitters in the first set of transmitters of the transmitter device configured to transmit the first signal in the first frequency band, and

the number of receivers in the second set of receivers configured to receive the second signal in the second frequency band is different than the number of transmitters in the second set of transmitters of the transmitter device configured to transmit the second signal in the second frequency band; and

performing multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) processing on outputs of the set of first receivers.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein signals in the plurality of frequency bands are received simultaneously.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein:

each frequency band has an associated symbol time; and

each associated symbol time is a whole multiple of one half of a smallest symbol time of all of the frequency bands.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein:

the number of receivers in the set of first receivers is greater than the number of transmitters in the plurality of first transmitters; and

the number of receivers in the set of one or more second receivers is less than the number of transmitters in the plurality of second transmitters.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein:

performing MIMO processing on outputs of the set of first receivers comprises recovering multiple spatial streams; and

only one spatial stream is transmitted via the second frequency band.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein:

performing MIMO processing on a plurality of spatial channels transmitted via i) the first frequency band and ii) a first portion of the second frequency band.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising reconfiguring the receiver device to:

perform MIMO processing on a plurality of spatial channels transmitted via only the first frequency band.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising reconfiguring the receiver device to:

utilize a different number of receivers for the first frequency band that is at least the number of transmitters in the plurality of first transmitters; and

utilize a different number of receivers for the first frequency band that is at least the number of transmitters in the plurality of second transmitters.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

determining channel conditions; and

determining whether one or more receivers should be utilized for the first frequency band or the second frequency band based on the channel conditions.