Method for sharing bandwidth using reduced duty cycle signals

• US 20060114879A1
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North Star Innovations Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Welborn, Matthew L., Shvodian, William M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,499,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71632 Signal aspects H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1647 Subrate or multislot multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/02 Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows

Abstract

A method is provided for transmitting data. A first device (121) generates a first signal (320) having a first duty cycle, comprising a first gated-on portion (323) and a first gated-off portion (363) in a time slot (260); and a second device (125) generates a second signal (330) having second duty cycle, comprising a second gated-on portion (333) and a second gated-off portion (363) in the same time slot (260). The first gated-on portion (323) is generated during a first segment of the time slot (260) and the first gated-off portion (363) is generated during a second segment of the time slot (260), while the second gated-on portion (333) is generated during the second segment and the second gated-off portion (363) is generated during the first segment. The first and second duty cycles are individually below 100%, and the sum of the first and second duty cycles is below 100%.

Claims

1. A method of coordinating the transmission of data:

dividing an available transmission channel into a plurality of nominal time slots;

assigning a first device to generate a first reduced duty cycle signal comprising a first gated-on portion and a first gated-off portion in a first nominal time slot selected from the plurality of nominal time slots, such that the first gated-on portion is generated during a first segment of the first nominal time slot and that the first gated-off portion is generated during a second segment of the first nominal time slot; and

assigning a second device to generate a second reduced duty cycle signal comprising a second gated-on portion and a second gated-off portion in the first nominal time slot such that the second gated-on portion is generated during the second segment of the first nominal time slot and that the second gated-off portion is generated during a first segment of the first nominal time slot,

wherein the first reduced duty cycle signal has a first duty cycle below 100%,

wherein the second reduced duty cycle signal has a second duty cycle below 100%, and

wherein the sum of the first and second duty cycles is less than or equal to 100%.

2. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a third device to generate a third reduced duty cycle signal comprising a third gated-on portion and a third gated-off portion in the first nominal time slot such that the third gated-on portion is generated during a third segment of the first nominal time slot and that the third gated-off portion is generated during the first and second segments of the first nominal time slot,

wherein the third reduced duty cycle signal has a third duty cycle below 100%, and

wherein the sum of the first, second, and third duty cycles is less than or equal to 100%.

3. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second gated-on portions are separated by a guard band.

4. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 3, wherein the guard band is between 30 nanoseconds and 10 microseconds.

5. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, wherein the nominal time slot has a length between 1 microsecond and 2 milliseconds.

6. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second duty cycles are equal.

7. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second duty cycles are different.

8. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second devices have one of the following relationships:

the first and second devices are in the same network, the first device is in a parent network and the second device is in a child network; and

the first and second devices are in neighboring networks.

9. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in an integrated circuit.

10. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is implemented in an ultrawide bandwidth device.

11. A method of coordinating the transmission of data:

dividing an available transmission channel into a plurality of nominal time slots;

assigning first through N^th devices to generate first through N^th reduced duty cycle signals, respectively, in a first nominal time slot selected from the plurality of nominal time slots, the first through N^th reduced duty cycle signals comprising a first through N^th gated-on portions and first though N^th gated-off portions, respectively,

wherein the first through N^th reduced duty cycle signals have first through N^th duty cycles,

wherein the first through N^th duty cycles are all below 100%,

wherein the sum of the first through N^th duty cycles is less than or equal to 100%,

wherein each of the first through N^th reduced duty cycle signals are instructed to be transmitted such that none of the first through N^th gated-on portions overlap,

wherein N is an integer greater than 1.

12. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 11, wherein N is between 3 and 12.

13. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 11, wherein the first through N^th gated-on portions are each separated by a guard band.

14. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 12, wherein the guard band is between 30 nanoseconds and 10 microseconds.

15. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 11, wherein the nominal time slot has a length between 1 microsecond and 2 milliseconds.

16. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 11, wherein the first through N^th duty cycles are of equal length.

17. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 11, wherein the method is implemented in an integrated circuit.

18. A method of coordinating the transmission of data, as recited in claim 11, wherein the method is implemented in an ultrawide bandwidth device.

19. A method of transmitting a signal at a local device, comprising:

receiving control information from a remote device, the control information indicating a nominal time slot assigned to the local device, and a first segment of the nominal time slot assigned to the local device;

generating a signal having a duty cycle lower than 100%, the signal including a gated-on portion and a gated-off portion;

transmitting the signal such that the gated-on portion is transmitted in the first segment of the nominal time slot,

wherein the signal meets a peak-to-average threshold criteria, and

wherein the signal meets an average power criteria.

20. A method of transmitting a signal at a local device, as recited in claim 19, wherein the peak-to-average threshold criteria is met if the peak-to-average power of the signal is below 0 dBm/50 MHz.

21. A method of transmitting a signal at a local device, as recited in claim 19, wherein the average power criteria is met if the average power of the signal is below −

41.3 dBm/MHz.

22. A method of transmitting a signal at a local device, as recited in claim 19, wherein the duty cycle is 50% or lower.

23. A method of transmitting a signal at a local device, as recited in claim 19, wherein the nominal time slot has a length between 1 microsecond and 2 milliseconds.

24. A method of transmitting a signal at a local device, as recited in claim 19, wherein the method is implemented in an integrated circuit.

25. A method of transmitting a signal at a local device, as recited in claim 19, wherein the method is implemented in an ultrawide bandwidth device.