Dynamic frequency hopping

• US 20060222054A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Bauman, Donald R., Mitchell, William J., Hedin, John M., Hermel, Michael J., Cannon, Jeffrey J., Weaver, Douglas D., Conyers, David J., Toms, Jerry Edward, Sonbarse, Santosh K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/132
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0012 Hopping in multicarrier systems for frequency hopping in spread spectrum systems H04B1/713
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0082 at predetermined intervals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A frequency hopping communications system is disclosed. A server is adapted to have one or more radio head interface modules and a call processing software module. The call processing software module performs modulation and demodulation of voice and data streams using one or more air interface standards. A radio head unit is coupled to the radio head interface module over one or more transport mediums and communicates with one or more subscriber units using the one or more air interface standards. The one or more radio head interface modules, are adapted to receive frequency channel hopping information, including a channel and a time to hop trigger, from the call processing software module for one or more of a plurality of communication channels.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a server, including;

one or more radio head interface modules; and

a call processing software module, the one or more radio head interface modules adapted to communicate with the call processing software module;

wherein the call processing software module performs modulation and demodulation of voice and data streams using one or more air interface standards; and

a radio head unit coupled to the radio head interface module over one or more transport mediums;

wherein the radio head unit communicates with one or more subscriber units using the one or more air interface standards;

wherein the radio head interface module receives frequency channel hopping information from the call processing software module for a plurality of communication channels;

wherein the frequency channel hopping information comprises a channel and a time to hop trigger for one or more of the plurality of communication channels.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises:

one or more interface devices, wherein the one or more radio head interface modules communicate with the call processing software module over the one or more interface devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein one or more interface devices includes at least one of a PCI-X interface, a ATCA interface, a PCI Express interface, a Gigabit Ethernet interface, a SCSI interface, a Rocket I/O interface, a UDP/IP link interface, a TCP/IP link interface, a Serial ATA interface, a Card bus for PCMIA cards interface, a high speed serial interface and a high speed parallel interface.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more air interface protocols include at least one of Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), code division multiple access (CDMA), Wide-band CDMA, time division multiple access (TDMA), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the call processing software module communicates one or more pages of data samples with the one or more radio head interface modules, each of the one or more pages of data samples having a page header;

and

wherein frequency channel hopping information is contained in the page header.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the time to hop trigger is a designated time.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the designated time correlates to a time count internal to the radio head interface module.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein radio head interface module further comprises:

a global positioning system receiver, wherein the time count internal to the radio head interface module is synchronized with an output signal from the global positioning system receiver.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the call processing software is synchronized with an output signal from the global positioning system receiver.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the time to hop trigger is a designated data sample.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the transport mediums are one or more of twisted pair cable, optical fiber, millimeter wave, coaxial cable, and Free Space Optics (FSO).

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio head interface module further comprises:

a transmit buffer, the transmit buffer adapted to receive a data stream from the call processing software module and store the data stream as a page of data samples;

a transmit engine;

a digital upconverter, wherein the transmit engine is adapted to transfer the page of data samples from the transmit buffer to the digital upconverter;

a configuration management unit adapted to receive frequency channel hopping information from the call processing software module; and

a memory adapted with digital upconverter parameters;

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to access the memory to lookup digital upconverter parameters based on the frequency channel hopping information;

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to output the digital upconverter parameters to the digital upconverter.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the radio head interface module further comprises:

a receive buffer;

a receive engine; and

a digital downconverter;

the receive engine adapted to transfer a data stream from the digital downconverter to the receive buffer, the receive buffer adapted to store the data stream as a page of data samples, the receive buffer further adapted to output the page of data samples to the call processing software module;

the memory further adapted with digital downconverter parameters;

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to access the memory to lookup digital downconverter parameters based on the frequency channel hopping information;

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to output the digital downconverter parameters to the digital downconverter.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the time to hop trigger is a designated time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the designated time correlates to a time count internal to the radio head interface module.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein radio head interface module further comprises:

a global positioning system receiver, wherein the time count internal to the radio head interface module is synchronized with an output signal from the global positioning system receiver.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the call processing software is synchronized with an output signal from the global positioning system receiver.

18. A radio head interface module for a software defined radio communications system having a call processing software module, the radio head interface module comprising:

one or more digital frequency converters; and

a configuration management unit, the configuration management unit adapted to receive frequency channel hopping information from the call processing software module for at least one digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters, the configuration management unit further adapted to reconfigure center frequency of the at least one digital frequency converter of the one or more digital frequency converters based on the frequency channel hopping information, wherein the frequency channel hopping information are contained within a page of data samples received from the call processing software module.

19. The radio head interface of claim 18, wherein the at least one digital frequency converter is a digital up-converter.

20. The radio head interface of claim 18 wherein the at least one digital frequency converter is a digital down-converter.

21. The radio head interface of claim 18, wherein the page of data samples further comprises a page header, wherein the frequency channel hopping information is contained in the page header.

22. The radio head interface of claim 21, wherein frequency channel hopping information include at least one of a frequency hopping indicator, a frequency channel, and a timing trigger.

23. The radio head interface of claim 22, wherein the timing trigger is a designated time.

24. The radio head interface of claim 23, wherein the designated time correlates to a time count internal to the radio head interface module.

25. The radio head interface of claim 22, wherein the timing trigger is a designated data sample.

26. A radio head interface module, the module comprising:

a transmit buffer, the transmit buffer adapted to receive a data stream from a call processing software module and store the data stream as a page of data samples having a page header;

a transmit engine;

a digital upconverter, the transmit engine adapted to transfer the page of data samples from the transmit buffer to the digital upconverter;

a configuration management unit adapted to receive frequency channel hopping information from the call processing software module; and

a memory adapted with digital upconverter parameters;

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to access the memory to lookup associated digital upconverter parameters based on the frequency channel hopping information;

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to output the associated digital upconverter parameters to the digital up converter.

27. The radio head interface module of claim 26, the module further comprising:

a receive buffer;

a receive engine; and

a digital downconverter;

the receive engine adapted to transfer a data stream from the digital downconverter to the receive buffer, the receive buffer adapted to store the data stream as a page of data samples, the receive buffer further adapted to output the page of data samples to the call processing software;

the memory further adapted with digital downconverter parameters;

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to access the memory to lookup the associated digital downconverter parameters based on the frequency channel hopping information; and

wherein the configuration management unit is further adapted to output the associated digital downconverter parameters to the digital downconverter.

28. A method of dynamic frequency channel hopping, the method comprising:

receiving frequency hopping instructions indicating a RF channel to hop to and a designated trigger event;

determining whether a logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency channel hopping; and

when the logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency hopping, reconfiguring the logical channel to the RF channel indicated by the frequency hopping instructions upon occurrence of the designated trigger event.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated time.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated data sample.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein frequency channel hopping information is contained in a page header.

32. A method of dynamic frequency channel hopping, the method comprising:

receiving frequency hopping instructions indicating an RF channel to hop to and a designated trigger event;

determining whether a logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency channel hopping; and

when the logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency hopping, reconfiguring the logical channel to the RF channel indicated by the frequency hopping instructions upon the passing of a time delay interval after the occurrence of the designated trigger event.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated time.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated data sample.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein frequency channel hopping information is contained in the page header.

36. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for a method for dynamic frequency channel hopping, the method comprising:

receiving frequency hopping instructions indicating a RF channel to hop to and a designated trigger event;

determining whether a logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency channel hopping; and

when the logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency hopping, reconfiguring the logical channel to the RF channel indicated by the frequency hopping instructions upon occurrence of the designated trigger event.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated time.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated data sample.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein frequency channel hopping information is contained in a page header.

40. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for a method for dynamic frequency channel hopping, the method comprising:

receiving frequency hopping instructions indicating an RF channel to hop to and a designated trigger event;

determining whether a logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency channel hopping; and

when the logical channel is configured for a modulation protocol that supports frequency hopping, reconfiguring the logical channel to the RF channel indicated by the frequency hopping instructions upon the passing of a time delay interval after the occurrence of the designated trigger event.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated time.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the designated trigger event is a designated data sample.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein frequency channel hopping information is contained in the page header.