ARCHITECTURE OF FUTURE OPEN WIRELESS ARCHITECTURE (OWA) RADIO SYSTEM

• US 20070105587A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wei Lu
• Inventors: LU, WEI
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0003 Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/288 taking into account the usage mode, e.g. hands-free, data transmission, telephone

Abstract

Architecture of future open wireless architecture (OWA) radio system supporting full integration of multi-bands, multi-standards wireless and mobile communication technologies with computer technology based on future open architecture platforms.

Claims

1. Architecture of future open wireless architecture (OWA) radio system said system comprising:

a) Open RF (Radio Frequency) Transceiver, designed for open architecture that the whole transmitting and receiving pipes support multi-bands and multi-standards wireless transmission technologies including existing and future over-the-air radio technologies,

b) OWA BIOS (basic input/output system) AND FRAMEWORK defining the OWA bus architecture and interfaces architecture to manage the “

plug and play”

open architecture of the whole OWA system, and scheduling the operations of the different functional modules and units of the OWA radio system,

c) CPU (central processing unit), a multi-cores processing platform with well-defined targets from algorithmic, software and architecture standpoint for the OWA system, as well as best combinations of system optimizations and algorithms for future requirements on security, privacy, usability and reliability of future OWA radio,

d) Spectrum Scheduler and Optimizer managing the dynamic spectrum sharing and spectrum recycling technologies for maximizing the spectrum utilization in OWA radio system,

e) Data Converter and Digital PHY (physical layer)/MAC (medium access control layer), an open and common data converting and base-band processing platform for the OWA radio system,

f) Other system units including Receiver/Transmitter (RX/TX) and Diversity Antenna Switch, Build-In Seft-Test, Power Management and Base-band Digital Phase Lock Loop (DPLL).

4. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said Open RF Transceiver supporting multi-bands of radio frequency spectrum around 5 GHz band, 3.5 GHZ band, 2.4 GHz/2.5 GHz band, 1800 MHZ/1900 MHz band, 800 MHz/900 MHz band as well as dynamic spectrum allocation based on spectrum sharing and spectrum recycling technologies by the Spectrum Manager.

5. Systems as recited in claim 1 wherein said Open RF Transceiver and said Data Converter connecting each other by a cross network matrix to support the integration of RF transceiver and digital conversion for the future OWA radio. In other words, the boundary of digital processing should be moved as close as possible to the antenna, and for future OWA system, the typical place for said ADC and said DAC is in the said Open RF Transceiver unit.

6. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said Digital PHY and MAC constructing the open base-band processing core to process various transmission algorithms, access control protocols and resource management protocols.

7. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said Build-In Self-Test comprising utilizing self testing, operation and maintenance (O&

M) debugging, performance and evaluation testing of the OWA radio system, as well as testing task in the system initialization process.

8. Systems as recited in claim 1 wherein said Open RF Transceiver, said Data Converter and said Digital PHY &

MAC designed with open architecture platform based on said OWA BIOS &

Framework supporting reconfigurable, upgradeable and plug-and-play features.

2. Architecture of multi-band open wireless architecture (OWA) transceiver said system comprising:

a) All-Digital Phase Lock Loop (ADPLL), a future-proven, all-digital PLL frequency synthesizer for wireless and mobile communications,

b) Extensible Receivers (RX) Array, designed as portable RF (radio frequency) front-end modules with open architecture so that user can change and upgrade this RF part easily,

c) Extensible Transmitter (TX) Array, designed as portable RF (radio frequency) front-end modules with open architecture so that user can change and upgrade this RF part easily,

d) Open Interfaces including OWA Extensible Interface, Extensible RF Interface, Extensible I/Q Interface, connecting to the said OWA BIOS &

Framework,

e) Other system modules including Digital Controlled Oscillator, Time-to-Digital Converter, Digitally-controlled Power Amplifier, Automatic Power Control, Reconfigurable Filter, and Receiver/Transmitter Switches and Antenna Array.

9. A system as recited in claim 2 wherein said All-Digital Phase Lock Loop comprising:

a) Digitally-controlled Oscillator (DCO)

b) Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC)

c) Digital loop filter and digital reconfigurable filter

d) External frequency reference

10. A system as recited in claim 2 wherein said Extensible Receiver Array connecting to the proceeding OWA receiving units through said Extensible I/O Interface.

11. A system as recited in claim 2 wherein said Extensible Transmitter Array connecting to the other OWA transmitting units through said Extensible RF Interface.

12. Systems as recited in claim 2 wherein said All-Digital Phase Lock Loop, said Extensible Receiver Array, said Extensible Transmitter Array, said Automatic Power Control and said Digital Controlled Oscillator controlled by said OWA BIOS and Framework through said OWA Extensible Interface.

13. Systems as recited in claim 2 wherein said Extensible RF Interface and said Extensible I/Q Interface controlled by said OWA Extensible Interface.

3. Architecture of layered open wireless architecture (OWA) system framework said system comprising:

a) Physical layer framework including antenna array, said open RF transceiver, open ADC (analog to digital converter) and DAC (digital to analog converter), open base-band core,

b) Middle Ware layer framework including OWA device drivers, OWA real-time OS (operating system) with network protocol capability, OWA API (application programming interface) and the method of system management,

c) Application layer framework supporting the services and applications of different wireless transmission technologies, and also constructing the open service oriented architecture platform for users to define various applications upon the OWA radio system.

14. A system as recited in claim 3 wherein said OWA Device Drivers comprising drivers for said open RF transceiver, said ADC and DAC, said open base-band core and network devices.

15. A system as recited in claim 3 wherein said OWA API comprising programming interfaces for said open RF transceiver, said ADC and DAC, said open base-band core, antenna array and spectrum allocation.

16. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said OWA API comprising the system management of:

a) Resource Manager optimizing OWA system resources of channel, network, radio transmission, bandwidth, capacity and antennas,

b) Spectrum Manager handling the spectrum band management on band identification, band location, spectral condition, spectrum index and band priority,

c) Power Manager utilizing the system power management and power scheduling when and how the OWA system is optimized for sleep mode, standby mode, receiving mode or transmitting mode.

17. A system as recited in claim 3 wherein said layered framework comprising utilizing the following firmware flow architecture:

a) OWA Security performing the functions of user and equipment registration, authentication and verification,

b) OWA Initialization process including CPU initialization, chipset initialization, memory initialization, module initialization, network searching initialization, I/O (input/output) device discovery, bus and interface initialization as well as initial resource management,

c) OWA Drivers providing the OWA framework architecture with its extensibility to meet requirements from a range of wireless platforms;

incorporate new initiatives and fixes as well as new hardware, and support modular software architecture,

d) OWA Network Boot processing series of wireless networks related processing including spectrum searching and scheduling;

wireless networks searching and updating;

network access control and configuration, wireless transmission convergence and establishment, and boot management and optimization,

e) OWA OS (operating system) Load providing high-layer processing of transient OS loading, API (application program interface) and GUI (graphical user interface) loading, and final OS loading,

f) OWA Network Optimization performing spectrum optimization and sharing management;

network performance testing and optimization;

network re-selection and reconfiguration, and wireless transmission optimization and calibration,

g) OWA Run-Time utilizing system applications and user applications of the OWA platform,

h) OWA Termination triggering the system termination process including pushing application data to the stack and memory;

saving user data to internal and external memory;

updating the network Operation and Maintenance (O&

M), and releasing the network resource and spectrum allocation.

18. Systems as recited in claim 17 wherein said OWA Initialization and said OWA Drivers deployed as separately constructed open modules which are collected in a storage abstraction referred to as a software definable module (SDM) used to describe the platform nonvolatile storage among other technologies.

19. A system as recited in claim 17 wherein said OWA Network Optimization validating the system performance and the network performance, and optimizing the spectrum utilization, transmission capacity and quality of service.

20. Systems as recited in claim 17 wherein said OWA Drivers, said OWA Network Boot and said OWA OS Load are open system extensible modules which can be developed at different times by different organizations.