Ultra-wideband pulse modulation system and method

• US 20040218687A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 73 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 73 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Santhoff, John
• Application Number:
  US10/426,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218687A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/295
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7172 Pulse shape in general H04L25/03834
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7176 Data mapping, e.g. modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation

Abstract

An ultra-wideband pulse modulation system and method is provided. One method of the present invention includes a method of transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, wherein each ultra-wideband pulse represents a data symbol. The modulation and pulse transmission method of the present invention enables the simultaneous coexistence of the ultra-wideband pulses with conventional carrier-wave signals. The present invention may be used in wireless and wired communication networks such as hybrid fiber-coax networks. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, wherein each ultra-wideband pulse represents a data symbol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the ultra-wideband pulses comprises a single burst of electromagnetic energy having a duration that may range between about 0.01 nanoseconds to about 1 millisecond.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data symbol comprises a representation of at least one binary digit.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

increasing an amplitude of each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses.

5. The method of claim 4, further including the step of:

decreasing a transmission rate of the increased amplitude ultra-wideband pulses.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

increasing a pulse width of each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the step of:

decreasing a transmission rate of the increased pulse width ultra-wideband pulses.

8. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

increasing an amplitude of each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses; and

increasing a pulse width of each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses.

9. The method of claim 8, further including the step of:

decreasing a transmission rate of the increased amplitude and increased pulse width ultra-wideband pulses.

10. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

modulating the data onto the data symbol using at least one modulation technique selected from a group consisting of;

pulse amplitude modulation, pulse frequency modulation, pulse position modulation, pulse width modulation, binary phase shift keying, quadrature phase shift keying, on-off keying, sloped amplitude modulation, coded recurrence modulation, and ternary modulation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is selected from a group consisting of:

an Internet page, a computer executable program, a computer executable code, digitized voice, a video, an image, and text.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the ultra-wideband pulses comprises an impulse radio signal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses are transmitted at a transmission rate selected from a group consisting of:

a fixed pulse transmission rate, a pseudorandom pulse transmission rate, and a variable pulse transmission rate.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the ultra-wideband pulses comprises an impulse radio signal.

15. A computer program product for directing a general purpose digital computer to perform method steps to communicate data, the method steps comprising:

transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, wherein each ultra-wideband pulse represents a data symbol.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the method step of transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, with each ultra-wideband pulse representing a data symbol, is translated into a physical implementation.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the physical implementation is selected from a group consisting of:

a field-programmable gate array and an application specific integrated circuit.

18. An apparatus including the computer program product of claim 15.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the physical implementation is selected from a group consisting of:

object code, and source code.

20. A method of transmitting data, the method comprising the steps of:

means for transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, wherein each ultra-wideband pulse represents a data symbol.

21. An ultra-wideband communication system, comprising:

a transmitter structured to transmit a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses wherein each ultra-wideband pulse is representative of a data symbol; and

a receiver structured to receive the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses.

22. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein each of the ultra-wideband pulses comprises a single burst of electromagnetic energy having a duration that may range between about 0.01 nanoseconds to about 1 millisecond.

23. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein each of the ultra-wideband pulses comprises an impulse radio signal.

24. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein the data symbol comprises a representation of at least one binary digit.

25. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein the transmitter modulates the data onto the data symbol using at least one modulation technique selected from a group consisting of:

pulse amplitude modulation, pulse frequency modulation, pulse position modulation, pulse width modulation, binary phase shift keying, quadrature phase shift keying, on-off keying, sloped amplitude modulation, coded recurrence modulation, and ternary modulation.

26. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein the ultra-wideband communication system includes a wireless communication medium.

27. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein the ultra-wideband communication system includes a substantially continuous wire medium.

28. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein the substantially continuous wired medium is selected from a group consisting of:

an optical fiber ribbon, a fiber optic cable, a single mode fiber optic cable, a multi-mode fiber optic cable, a twisted pair wire, an unshielded twisted pair wire, a plenum wire, a PVC wire, a coaxial cable, and an electrically conductive material.

29. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 21, wherein the substantially continuous wired medium is selected from a group consisting of:

a power line, an optical network, a cable television network, a community antenna television network, a community access television network, a hybrid fiber coax system network, a public switched telephone work, a wide area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area network, a TCP/IP work, a dial-up network, a switched network, a dedicated network, a non-switched work, a public network and a private network.

30. An ultra-wideband communication system, comprising:

means for transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses wherein each ultra-wideband pulse is representative of a data symbol; and

means for receiving the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses.