Wireless internet access system and method

• US 20050100120A1
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph C. Liberti, Melbourne Barton
• Original Assignee: Joseph C. Liberti, Melbourne Barton
• Inventors: Liberti, Joseph C., Barton, Melbourne
• Granted Patent: US 7,433,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0613 using simultaneous transmission H04B7/0686 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0842 Weighted combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2647 Arrangements specific to the receiver only equalisation H04L27/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A wireless Internet access system and method supports the transmission and reception of multiple types of traffic between mobile subscriber units and existing networks. A frame structure is used that can support the transmission of multiple types of traffic and adapt to changes in the traffic types needed and the amount of data for a particular traffic type. In addition, data transmission is performed using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing and differential phase shift keying to avoid intersymbol interference. Receiving units in the mobile subscriber units and existing networks include antenna arrays to provide a multipath transmission.

Claims

1. A method for decoding symbols modulated onto a plurality of subcarriers, each symbol corresponding to one or more data bits where each combination of bits represents a unique phase, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a plurality of antennas, a waveform formed from the superposition of a plurality of modulated subcarriers, each modulated subcarrier having a different frequency and formed by modulating one of a plurality of serial symbols onto a corresponding one of a plurality of subcarriers based on the difference in phase between each pair of adjacent symbols,

extracting the response of each antenna to each of the individual subcarriers;

forming a vector for each subcarrier having a plurality of elements equal to the number of antennas, each element of a vector of a particular subcarrier representing the extracted response of one of the plurality of antennas to the particular subcarrier;

combining mathematically the vectors corresponding to each pair of adjacent subcarriers to calculate the phase difference between each pair of adjacent subcarriers; and

determining the value of each symbol based on the phase differences resulting from the mathematical combination of each pair of adjacent vectors.

2. A method for transmitting frames of data over a wireless access system, each frame having a plurality of data slots, comprising the steps of:

identifying the types of traffic being transmitted between a first communication device and a second communication device; and

reserving at least one data slot in a frame for each type of traffic being transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:

including a control time slot in the frame that identifies the first communication device, the second communication device, and the traffic type of each data slot in the frame.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the identifying step includes the substep of identifying the types of traffic being transmitted between a third communication device and one of the first and second communication devices.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the step of including a control time slot includes the substep of identifying the types of traffic that are supported by one of the first and second communication devices.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the reserving step includes the substep of reserving at least one data slot in the frame for each type of traffic being transmitted between the third communication device and one of the first and second communication devices.

7. A frame structure for transmitting information between two or more communication devices, comprising:

a plurality of data slots for transmitting data between a first communication device and second communication device, each data slot corresponding to one of a plurality of different traffic types; and

a control data slot for identifying the first communication device, the second communication device, and the traffic types of each data slot.

8. A frame structure according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of data slots includes at least one data slot for transmitting voice traffic.

9. A frame structure according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of data slots includes at least one data slot for transmitting video traffic.

10. A frame structure according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of data slots includes at least one data slot for transmitting data between a third communication device and one of the first and second communication devices.

11. A system for decoding symbols modulated onto a plurality of subcarriers, each symbol corresponding to one or more data bits where each combination of bits represents a unique phase, said system comprising:

a plurality of antennas;

means for receiving at said antennas a waveform formed from the superposition of a plurality of modulated subcarriers, each modulated subcarrier having a different frequency and formed by modulating one of a plurality of serial symbols onto a corresponding one of a plurality of subcarriers based on the difference in phase between each pair of adjacent symbols;

means for extracting the response of each of said antennas to each of the individual subcarriers;

means for forming a vector for each subcarrier having a plurality of elements equal to the number of said antennas, each element of a vector of a particular subcarrier representing the extracted response of one of said plurality of antennas to the particular subcarrier;

means for mathematically combining the vectors corresponding to each pair of adjacent subcarriers to calculate the phase difference between each pair of adjacent subcarriers; and

means for determining the value of each symbol based on the phase differences resulting from the mathematical combination of each pair of adjacent vectors.

12. A system for transmitting frames of data over a wireless access system, each frame having a plurality of data slots, said system comprising:

means for identifying the types of traffic being transmitted between a first communication device and a second communication device;

means for reserving at least one data slot in a frame for each type of traffic being transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device; and

means for including a control time slot in the frame that identifies the first communication device, the second communication device, and the traffic type of each data slot in the frame.

13. The system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said means for identifying includes means for identifying the types of traffic being transmitted between a third communication device and one of the first and second communication devices.

14. The system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said plurality of time slots includes at least one time slot for transmitting voice traffic.

15. The system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said plurality of time slots includes at least one time slot for transmitting video traffic.

16. The system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said data slots correspond to different ones of a plurality of different traffic types.

17. A system for transmitting frames of data over a wireless access system, each frame having a plurality of data slots, said system comprising:

means for identifying the types of traffic being transmitted between a first communication device and a second communication device and between a third communication device and one of the first and second communication devices; and

means for reserving at least one data slot in a frame for each type of traffic being transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device and at least one time slot in a frame for each type of traffic being transmitted between the third communication device and one of the first and second communication devices.