Apparatus and method for extending a cable modem data service over wireless links

• US 20050235333A1
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Arcowv Wireless LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bertonis, James G., Szilagyi, Tomany
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/104 Switchers or splitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

An apparatus and method are presented to allow the extension of a data cable modem service, for example DOCSIS, over a wireless link. According to the invention a wireless hub transceiver is connected to a distribution coax cable of, for example, a DOCSIS based system. The downstream data is transferred over a wireless link to a remote subscriber radio frequency (RF) unit connected to a cable modem that provides the downstream data to the subscriber. Similarly, upstream data is sent from the subscriber cable modem over the wireless link to the wireless hub transceiver where such data is inserted back to the distribution coax cable.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a cable television (CATV) upstream and downstream data service with wireless connectivity, comprising:

a splitter;

an embedded cable modem controller connected to said splitter;

a downstream channel unit connected to said splitter and also connected to an automatic gain control (AGC) module;

an upstream channel unit connected to said splitter and further connected to a programmable gain unit (PGU); and

an up-converter and a down converter each having an antenna connection, said up-converter connected to said AGC and said down-converter connected to said PGU, wherein said down-converter and said up converter are connected to a single local oscillator, said single local oscillator connected to a phase locked loop (PLL).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said single local oscillator is operable at an oscillation frequency that is half a desired band frequency.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said oscillation frequency is 2.86 GHz.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission band comprised of a first wireless frequency range used for upstream transmission, a second wireless frequency range used for a downstream frequency, and a frequency gap between said first wireless frequency range and said second wireless frequency range.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said wireless upstream frequency range comprises 5.810 GHz to 5.875 GHz.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said wireless downstream frequency is in the range comprises 5.725 GHz to 5.770 GHz.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said frequency guard range comprises 5.770 GHz to 5.810 GHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said transmission band comprises license free frequency band.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cable television (CATV) upstream and downstream data service conforms with a over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS).

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna comprised of a puck-style bandstop filter for separating said upstream and downstream signals.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said upstream channel unit:

upconverts a data signal of said data service to a first intermediate frequency (IF); and

downconverts said first IF to a second IF.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first IF comprise 1220 MHz.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second IF comprise 44 MHz.

14. An apparatus for adding upstream and downstream wireless data transmission to a data service provided on a cable television (CATV) network, comprising:

a splitter unit (SU) connected to a distribution coax cable of said CATV; and

a wireless hub transceiver (WHT) connected to said SU, said WHT comprising an up-converter and a down-converter, wherein said down-converter and said up-converter are each connected to a single local oscillator, said single local oscillator connected to a phase locked loop (PLL);

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

an antenna connected to said WHT for wireless transmission of downstream data to at least one subscriber radio frequency unit (SRFU) and reception of upstream data from said at least one SRFU.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said single local oscillator is operable at an oscillation frequency that is half a desired band frequency.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said oscillation frequency comprises 2.86 GHz.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a transmission band comprised of a first wireless frequency range used for upstream transmission, a second wireless frequency range used for a downstream frequency, and a guard frequency gap between said first wireless frequency range and said second wireless frequency range.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said wireless upstream frequency range comprises 5.725 GHz to 5.770 GHz.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said wireless downstream frequency range comprises of 5.810 GHz to 5.875 GHz.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said frequency guard range 5.770 GHz and 5.810 GHz.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said transmission band comprises a license free frequency band.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said antenna comprising of a puck-style bandstop filter for separating said upstream and downstream signals.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said cable television (CATV) upstream and downstream data service conforms with an over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS).

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said WHT:

upconverts a data signal of said data service to a first intermediate frequency (IF); and

downconverts said first IF to a second IF.

26. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said first IF comprises 1220 MHz.

27. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said second IF comprising 44 MHz.

28. A method for converting a cable television (CATV) network for wireless transmission of upstream data, comprising the steps of:

receiving upstream data via a wireless receive channel;

converting said wireless receive channel frequency to a respective data over a CATV upstream frequency;

mixing said wireless frequency with a local oscillator frequency, wherein a same local oscillator frequency is used for both upstream and downstream frequency conversions;

providing a frequency gap between said upstream frequency and said downstream frequency;

adjusting signal gain to levels required for cable system operation;

filtering said received data to the respective data over a CATV upstream frequency and bandwidth; and

returning said data over a CATV upstream data to a distribution coax cable of said CATV network.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of:

an antenna comprised of a puck-style bandstop filter for wireless transmission and to separate said upstream and said downstream signals.

30. The method of claim 28, the step of wireless upstream transmission occurring comprises:

at frequencies in the range of 5.725 GHz to 5.770 GHz.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein said transmission band comprises a license free frequency band.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein said cable television (CATV) upstream data service conforms with an over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS).

33. A method for converting for wireless transmission of downstream data a cable television (CATV) network, comprising the steps of:

intercepting a downstream data signal from a CATV network distribution coax cable;

filtering downstream traffic on a cable data channel;

adjusting said data signal to a required transmission level; and

converting said data signal into a wireless frequency;

mixing said wireless frequency with a local oscillator frequency, wherein same local oscillator frequency is used for both upstream and downstream data signal conversion; and

providing a frequency gap between an upstream frequency and a downstream frequency.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein said cable television (CATV) downstream data service conforms with an over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS).

35. The method of claim 35, wireless upstream transmission comprise the step of:

transmitting at frequencies in a range comprising 5.810 GHz to 5.885 GHz.

34. The method of claim 35, providing wireless transmission further comprising the step of:

using an antenna comprised of a puck-style bandstop filter, for wireless transmission and for separating upstream and downstream signals.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said transmission band comprises a license free frequency band.

37. The method of claim 35, said converting step further comprising the steps of:

upconverting said data signal to a first intermediate frequency (IF); and

downconverting said first IF to a second IF.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said first IF comprises 1220 MHz.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein said second IF comprises 44 MHz.

41. A method for determining and optimizing a license free air map for wireless transmission of data from a CATV data distribution system, comprising the steps of:

intercepting traffic from a distribution coax cable;

adjusting signal gain to a required level;

upconverting a signal to a first fixed intermediate frequency (IF) and downconverting said signal to a second fixed IF;

filtering downstream traffic of a data over cable channel; and

upconverting said signal to a wireless channel in a license free frequency band.

42. A method for compensating for wireless upstream receiver gain due to plant level variations at a wireless connection point in a cable plant, comprising the steps of:

determining an upstream transmit level;

calculating upstream gain (g_us); and

setting a programmable gain unit to a required upstream gain (g_us).