Method and system for delivering broadband services over an ultrawide band radio system integrated with a passive optical network

• US 20040175173A1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P., SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: SBC, Inc. (Illinois) (Wintrust Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Deas, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25752 Optical arrangements for wireless networks

Abstract

A system and method for providing ultrawide band (UWB) communications service including voice, data, and video signals to a number of neighboring dwelling units or community access centers via a Passive Optical Network (PON) are presented. A neighborhood pedestal can be provided to serve multiple neighboring dwelling units equipped with user access. Public access centers can provide an ultrawide band signal via a PON to reach a plurality of signal receiving locations to serve a community of users. Electrical power to an UWB device may be supplied via an electrical power grid. Alternately, due to the low power consumption of UWB devices, a solar panel, or metallic-sheathed fiber cable with a center metallic member may be utilized to deliver power to the PON/UWB devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wave division multiplexer;

optical signal to electrical signal converters; and

an ultra wide band communication device responsive to the optical signal to electrical signal converters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ultra wide band communication device is a transceiver including an ultrawide band modulator and wherein the transceiver has a bandwidth of at least 2 GHz.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ultra wide band communication device is a receiver.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ultra wide band communication device is a transmitter.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an antenna responsive to the ultra wide band communication device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wavelength division multiplexer is directly coupled to the optical signal to electrical signal converters.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein an optical signal input to the wave division multiplexer is carried via a passive optical network.

8. A system comprising:

a wave division multiplexer;

an optical signal carrier coupled to the wave division multiplexer; and

an ultra wide band communication device responsive to the optical signal carrier.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the ultra wide band communication device uses pulse position modulation.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the ultra wide band communication device uses an ultra wide band modulation technique which is responsive to the optical signal.

11. A communication system comprising:

a first input to receive a signal derived from an optical signal;

an ultra wide band transceiver responsive to the first input; and

an antenna responsive to the ultra wide band transceiver, the antenna positioned to provide a wireless signal to reach a plurality of different signal receiving locations.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a first of the plurality of different signal receiving locations is within a first dwelling unit, and a second of the plurality of different signal receiving locations is within a second dwelling unit.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second dwelling unit is proximate to the first dwelling unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first dwelling unit is located on a first lot defined by a first side of a property line, and the second dwelling unit is located on a second lot defined by a second side of a property line.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein an easement area is located adjacent to the property line of the first dwelling, and the optical signal is carried by an optical facility disposed within the easement area.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of different signal receiving locations are situated centrally to a cluster formed by multiple neighboring dwelling units and wherein the communication system comprises a neighborhood pedestal to serve the neighboring dwelling units.

17. A user access communication device comprising:

an antenna;

an ultra wide band transceiver responsive to the antenna, the ultra wide band transceiver producing an output signal; and

a user interface to convert the output signal to voice, video, and data signals.

18. The user access communication device of claim 17, wherein the user interface comprises a voice interface and data interface, a voice/data/video signaling interface, and/or a video interface.

19. A method of communicating wireless ultra wide band signals, the method comprising:

receiving a first wireless signal at an ultra wide band receiver;

converting the received signal to an optical signal; and

communicating the optical signal over an optical facility.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a second wireless signal to an ultra wide band transmitter;

converting the second wireless signal to a second optical signal; and

communicating the second optical signal over the optical facility.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the optical signal includes voice and data information.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising communicating the optical signal to a wavelength division multiplexer.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the optical signal is carried via a passive optical fiber network.

24. A communication device comprising:

a power source input, the power source input configured to receive energy carried over a metallic sheathed fiber cable, the metallic sheathed fiber cable including a center metallic member; and

an ultra wide band transceiver responsive to the power source input.

26. The communication device of claim 24, wherein the metallic sheathed fiber cable includes a plurality of optical fibers.

27. The communication device of claim 24, further comprising at least one solar panel coupled to the power source input.

25. A communication device comprising:

a power source input, the power source input configured to receive energy carried over a set of interstitial gauged copper pairs, and

an ultra wide band transceiver responsive to the power source input.

28. A communication device comprising:

a power source input, the power source input configured to receive energy transformed by a power transformer after being carried over an electrical power grid; and

an ultra wide band transceiver responsive to the power source input.

29. A communication access center comprising:

an optical facility;

an optical cable to carry an optical signal from the optical facility;

an ultra wide band transceiver responsive to the optical signal; and

an antenna responsive to the ultra wide band transceiver.

30. The communication access center of claim 29, wherein the antenna is positioned to provide a wireless signal to reach a plurality of signal receiving locations.

31. The communication access center of claim 29, wherein the communication access center is a community access center serving a community of users.