Method and apparatus for data transfer using a time division multiple frequency scheme with additional modulation

• US 20040008729A1
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Atomics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: General Atomics, Inc.
• Inventors: Walker, Michael L., Ellis, Jason L., Rogerson, Gerald D., Furuno, David S., Gehring, Stephan W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/478
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00026 controlled by an analog electrical signal, e.g. obtained after conversion by a D/A converter
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00058 controlled by a digital setting
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00097 Avoiding variations of delay using feedback, e.g. controlled by a PLL
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00267 using D/A or A/D converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/0315 Ring oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/133 using a chain of active delay devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/1508 using a plurality of delay lines
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0997 Controlling the number of delay elements connected in series in the ring oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7176 Data mapping, e.g. modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/28 with simultaneous transmission of different frequencies each representing one code element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/06 the signals being represented by different frequencies combined with time-division multiplexing H04L5/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/26 combined with the use of different frequencies

Abstract

A method of data transmission according to one embodiment of the invention includes encoding a set of data values to produce a corresponding series of ordered n-tuples. The method also includes transmitting, according to the series of ordered n-tuples, a plurality of bursts over a plurality n of frequency bands. Specifically, for each of the plurality of bursts, a frequency band occupied by the burst is indicated by the order within its n-tuple of an element corresponding to the burst. A bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst. Information is encoded into an additional modulation, e.g., amplitude, width or polarization modulation, of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

Claims

1. A method of data transmission, said method comprising:

encoding an ordered set of m data values to produce a corresponding series of ordered n-tuples; and

according to the series of ordered n-tuples, transmitting a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality n of frequency bands,

wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, a frequency band occupied by the burst is indicated by the order within its n-tuple of an element corresponding to the burst, and

wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst and

wherein information is encoded into an additional modulation of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

2. The method of data transmission according to claim 1, wherein, the information is encoded into an amplitude of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

3. The method of data transmission according to claim 1, wherein, the information is encoded into a width of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

4. The method of data transmission according to claim 1, wherein, the information is encoded into a polarization of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

5. The method of data transmission according to claim 1, wherein, for each among at least some of the plurality of bursts, the burst corresponds to at least one element to the exclusion of other elements, and a value of at least one such corresponding elements indicates the additional modulation of the burst.

6. The method of data transmission according to claim 5, wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, a time of transmission of the burst relative to the rest of the plurality of bursts is indicated by the order, within the series of ordered n-tuples, of the n-tuple that includes the element corresponding to the burst.

7. The method of data transmission according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of bursts corresponds to a plurality of the m data values.

8. The method of data transmission according to claim 1, wherein each among the series of ordered n-tuples corresponds to one among a series of time periods, and

wherein each of the series of time periods has a different start time, and

wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, the time period during which the burst is launched is indicated by the location within the series of n-tuples of an n-tuple that includes an element corresponding to the burst,

wherein during each time period, no more than one of the plurality of bursts is launched.

9. The method of data transmission according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of bursts includes a first burst occupying one of the plurality of frequency bands and a second burst occupying a different one of the plurality of frequency bands, and

wherein at least one frequency point exists at which the amplitude of the first burst is within twenty decibels of the maximum amplitude of the first burst and at which the amplitude of the second burst is within twenty decibels of the maximum amplitude of the second burst.

10. A transmitter comprising:

an encoder configured to receive an ordered set of m data values and to produce a corresponding series of ordered n-tuples; and

a signal generator configured to transmit, according to the series of ordered n-tuples, a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality n of frequency bands,

wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, a frequency band occupied by the burst is indicated by the order within its n-tuple of an element corresponding to the burst, and

wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst and

wherein said transmitter is configured to encode information into an additional modulation of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

11. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein said transmitter is configured to encode information into an amplitude of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

12. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein said transmitter is configured to encode information into a width of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

13. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein said transmitter is configured to encode information into a polarization of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

14. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein said signal generator includes a plurality of burst generators,

wherein each of the plurality of burst generators is configured to receive a trigger event and to generate at least one of the plurality of bursts according to the trigger event, and

wherein at least one of the burst generators is configured to encode information into the additional modulation of a burst.

15. The transmitter according to claim 10, said transmitter further comprising a signal launcher configured to receive the plurality of bursts and to transmit the plurality of bursts over a transmission medium.

16. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein said signal generator includes an oscillator configured to output a signal over a selectable one of at least two of the plurality n of frequency bands, and

wherein said signal generator is configured to encode information into the additional modulation of the burst.

17. The transmitter according to claim 10, wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, a time of transmission of the burst relative to the rest of the plurality of bursts is indicated by the order, within the series of ordered n-tuples, of an n-tuple that includes an element corresponding to the burst.

18. A method of data reception, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality n of frequency bands, wherein information is encoded into an additional modulation of at least one of the plurality of bursts,

obtaining a series of ordered n-tuples based on the plurality of bursts; and

decoding the series of ordered n-tuples to produce an ordered set of m data values,

wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, the order within its n-tuple of an element corresponding to the burst is indicated by a frequency band occupied by the burst, and

wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst and

wherein information is decoded from the additional modulation encoded into at least one of the plurality of bursts.

19. The method of data reception according to claim 18, wherein information is encoded into an amplitude of at least one of the plurality of bursts, and

the information is decoded from the amplitude encoded into at least one of the plurality of bursts.

20. The method of data reception according to claim 18, wherein information is encoded into a width of at least one of the plurality of bursts, and

the information is decoded from the width encoded into at least one of the plurality of bursts.

21. The method of data reception according to claim 18, wherein information is encoded into a polarization of at least one of the plurality of bursts, and

the information is decoded from the polarization encoded into at least one of the plurality of bursts.

22. The method of data reception according to claim 21, wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, the order, within the series of ordered n-tuples, of an n-tuple that includes an element corresponding to the burst is indicated by a timing of the burst relative to the rest of the plurality of bursts.

23. The method of data reception according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the plurality of bursts corresponds to a plurality of the m data values.

24. A receiver comprising:

a signal detector configured to receive a signal including a plurality of bursts, wherein information is encoded into an additional modulation of at least one of the plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality n of frequency bands, and to output a series of ordered n-tuples based on the plurality of bursts; and

a decoder configured to produce an ordered set of m data values from the series of ordered n-tuples,

wherein the signal detector is configured to output, for each of the plurality of bursts, an element corresponding to the burst such that an order of the element within its n-tuple corresponds to a frequency band occupied by the burst, and

wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst and

wherein the signal detector is configured to output the information based upon the additional modulation of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

25. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein information is encoded into an amplitude of at least one of the plurality of bursts, and

the signal detector is configured to output the information based upon the amplitude of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

26. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein information is encoded into a width of at least one of the plurality of bursts, and

the signal detector is configured to output the information based upon the width of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

27. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein information is encoded into a polarization of at least one of the plurality of bursts, and

the signal detector is configured to output the information based upon the polarization of at least one of the plurality of bursts.

28. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein the signal detector includes at least one correlator configured to detect a received burst based on a correlation of a template with at least a portion of the received signal, and

wherein the at least one correlator is configured to detect the additional modulation of the received burst.

29. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein the signal detector includes at least one filter configured to select at least a portion of a corresponding one of the plurality n of frequency bands.

30. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein, for each of the plurality of bursts, the order, within the series of ordered n-tuples, of an n-tuple that includes an element corresponding to the burst is indicated by a timing of the burst relative to the rest of the plurality of bursts.

31. The receiver according to claim 24, wherein at least one of the plurality of bursts corresponds to a plurality of the m data values.

32. A method of data transmission, said method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying one of a plurality of frequency bands;

wherein at least an order of transmission of the plurality of bursts in time encodes a symbol, the symbol corresponding to a plurality of data values; and

wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst.

33. The method of data transmission according to claim 32 wherein at least the order of transmission of the plurality of bursts in time and an additional modulation of at least one of the plurality of bursts encodes the symbol, the symbol corresponding to the plurality of data values.