Multi-mode wireless devices having reduced-mode receivers

• US 20040218683A1
• Filed: 04/06/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Batra, Anuj, Dabak, Anand G., Balakrishnan, Jaiganesh, Hosur, Srinath
• Application Number:
  US10/818,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218683A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Multi-mode wireless devices having single-mode or reduced-mode receivers. In one embodiment, a wireless device is provided with a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter transmits with any one of multiple selectable modulation techniques, the selected modulation technique being selected to correspond to a modulation technique supported by a target wireless device. The receiver receives signals modulated in accordance any one of a subset of the selectable modulation techniques. The subset might include only one modulation technique. Also disclosed is a wireless communications method in a wireless device having a transmitter configurable to transmit in at least one modulation mode other than that receivable by the wireless device.

Claims

1. A wireless device that comprises:

a transmitter configured to transmit with a selected modulation technique from a set of selectable modulation techniques, the selected modulation technique being selected to correspond to a modulation technique supported by a target wireless device; and

a receiver configured to receive a signal modulated in accordance with at least one modulation technique from a subset of the selectable modulation techniques.

2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the subset includes only one modulation technique.

3. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein the one modulation technique in the subset is one of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multi-band signaling, pulsed multi-band signaling, pulsed wide band signaling, code division multiple access (CDMA) signaling, 802.11 family signaling, and Bluetooth family signaling.

4. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the set of selectable modulation techniques includes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multi-band signaling.

5. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the set of selectable modulation techniques includes pulsed multi-band signaling.

6. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the set of selectable modulation techniques includes pulsed wide-band signaling.

7. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the set of selectable modulation techniques includes code division multiple access (CDMA) signaling.

8. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the set of selectable modulation techniques includes 802.11 family signaling.

9. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the set of selectable modulation techniques includes Bluetooth family signaling.

10. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the wireless device includes a digital processor that implements digital portions of the transmitter and receiver in compliance with the IEEE 802.15.3a standard.

11. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is configured to cooperate with other wireless devices to form a wireless personal area network.

12. A wireless network that comprises:

a first wireless device having a receiver configured to receive signals modulated in accordance with a first modulation technique; and

a second wireless device having a receiver configured to receive signals modulated in accordance with a second, different modulation technique,

wherein the first wireless device includes a transmitter configured to transmit signals to the second wireless device using the second modulation technique, and

wherein the second wireless device includes a transmitter configured to transmit signals to the first wireless device using the first modulation technique.

13. The wireless network of claim 12, wherein the first and second modulation techniques are different techniques from a set consisting of OFDM multi-band signaling, pulsed multi-band signaling, pulsed wide-band signaling, CDMA signaling, 802.11 signaling, and Bluetooth signaling.

14. The wireless network of claim 12, further comprising:

a third wireless device having a receiver configured to receive signals modulated in accordance with the first modulation technique,

wherein the transmitter of the first wireless device is configured to transmit signals to the third wireless device using the first modulation technique.

15. The wireless network of claim 14, further comprising:

n other wireless devices, 1≦

n≦

253, each including a transmitter configured to transmit signals to the first wireless device using the first modulation technique and to transmit signals to the second wireless device using the second modulation technique.

16. The wireless network of claim 12, further comprising:

a piconet controller device configured to transmit beacons, wherein each beacon includes beacon information sent in accordance with the first modulation technique, and wherein each beacon includes beacon information sent in accordance with the second modulation technique.

17. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein each beacon further includes beacon information sent in accordance with a third modulation technique.

18. The wireless network of claim 12, further comprising:

a piconet controller device configured to transmit beacons, wherein at least some of the beacons are transmitted in accordance with the first modulation technique, and wherein others of the beacons are sent in accordance with the second modulation technique.

19. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the modulation of the beacons alternates between the two modulation techniques.

20. The wireless network of claim 12, further comprising:

a piconet controller device configured to transmit beacons, wherein at least some of the beacons are transmitted in accordance with each of three or more modulation techniques.

21. The wireless network of claim 20, wherein the modulation of the beacons cycles systematically through the three or more modulation techniques.

22. A method of wireless communication by a wireless device, the method comprising:

ascertaining a modulation mode receivable by a target device;

presenting capability information indicative of a modulation mode receivable by said wireless device, said wireless device including a transmitter configurable to transmit in at least one modulation mode other than that receivable by said wireless device;

configuring the transmitter to transmit in the modulation mode receivable by the target device; and

transmitting data to the target device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement from the target device, wherein the acknowledgement is transmitted in the modulation mode receivable by the wireless device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the transmitter is configurable to transmit in at least two different modulation modes from a set consisting of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multi-band modulation, pulsed multi-band modulation, pulsed wide band modulation, code division multiple access (CDMA) modulation, 802.11 signaling, and Bluetooth signaling.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

ascertaining a modulation mode receivable by a destination device, wherein the modulation mode receivable by the destination device is different from the modulation mode receivable by said target device;

configuring the transmitter to transmit in the modulation mode receivable by the destination device;

transmitting data to the destination device; and

receiving an acknowledgement from the destination device, wherein the acknowledgement is transmitted in the modulation mode receivable by the wireless device.

26. A method of facilitating wireless communications, the method comprising:

receiving registration requests from wireless devices; and

periodically transmitting a beacon, wherein the beacon includes capability information of wireless devices that have transmitted registration requests, wherein the capability information includes for each wireless device a modulation mode receivable by that wireless device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the capability information is provided multiple times in each beacon, each time in a different modulation mode.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the beacons are alternately transmitted in different modulation modes.