Apparatus, system and method for communicating information in a wireless communication network

• US 20070153729A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MeshNetworks, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alapuranen, Pertti
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0293 having a sub-controller with a low clock frequency switching on and off a main controller with a high clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques are provided for communicating a data stream in a wireless communication network. A source divides the data stream into a first data sub-stream and a second data sub-stream. The first data sub-stream can be modulated using a first modulation technique to generate a first modulated data sub-stream, and the second data sub-stream can be modulated using a second modulation technique to generate a second modulated data sub-stream. A destination receives the first data sub-stream over a first frequency band, and receives the second data sub-stream over a second frequency band. The destination demodulates the first data sub-stream using a first demodulation technique to generate a first demodulated data sub-stream, and demodulates the second data sub-stream using a second demodulation technique to generate a second demodulated data sub-stream. The destination then combines the first demodulated data sub-stream and the second demodulated data sub-stream to generate the data stream.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a processor configured to divide a data stream into a first data sub-stream and a second data sub-stream;

a first radio module having a first data rate, the first radio module being operable in a first frequency band having a first bandwidth and being configured to modulate the first data sub-stream using a first modulation technique to generate a first modulated data sub-stream; and

a second radio module having a second data rate, the second radio module being operable in a second frequency band having a second bandwidth and being configured to modulate the second data sub-stream using a second modulation technique to generate a second modulated data sub-stream.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first radio module and the second radio module are configured to operate simultaneously to modulate the first data sub-stream and the second data sub-stream, respectively.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first data sub-stream has a first size and the second data sub-stream has a second size, wherein a ratio of the first size to the second size is based on a ratio of the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth,

wherein the processor is configured to split the data stream into the first data sub-stream having the first size and the second data sub-stream having the second size based on the ratio of the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to divide the data stream into the first data sub-stream having the first size, the second data sub-stream having the second size and a third data sub-stream having a third size, and further comprising:

a third radio module having a third data rate, the third radio module being operable in a third frequency band having a third bandwidth and being configured to modulate the third data sub-stream using a third modulation technique to generate a third modulated data sub-stream, and

wherein the processor is configured to split the data stream into the first data sub-stream having the first size, the second data sub-stream having the second size and the third data-substream having the third size based on a ratio of the first bandwidth, the second bandwidth, and the third bandwidth.

5. A device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a transmitter configured use the first bandwidth, the second bandwidth and the third bandwidth to simultaneously transmit the first modulated data sub-stream in the first frequency band, transmit the second modulated data sub-stream in the second frequency band, and transmit the third modulated data sub-stream in the third frequency band, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data stream at fourth data rate being substantially equal to the sum of the first data rate, the second data rate and the third data rate.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first frequency band comprises a band of licensed spectrum used for guaranteed bandwidth allocation over licensed spectrum.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the second frequency band comprises a band of unlicensed spectrum used for providing burst data access.

8. A device according to claim 6, wherein the first bandwidth is approximately equal to the second bandwidth, and further comprising:

a transmitter configured to simultaneously transmit the first modulated data sub-stream in the first frequency band and to transmit the second modulated data sub-stream in the second frequency band, wherein the second frequency band comprises a band of licensed spectrum used for guaranteed bandwidth allocation over licensed spectrum.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the first radio module operable in the first frequency band having the first bandwidth, comprises:

a low power radio module operable in a first narrow band having the first bandwidth, wherein the low power radio module is active during power saving mode.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the second radio module operable in the second frequency band having the second bandwidth, comprises:

a high power radio module operable in the second frequency band having the second bandwidth, wherein the high power radio module is configured to turn off when its capacity is not required for a given time period.

11. A device according to claim 9, wherein the low power radio module sends a wake up signal to the high power radio module when transmission capacity of the low power radio module is inadequate.

12. A device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive at least a first data sub-stream over a first frequency band and a second data sub-stream over a second frequency band;

a first radio module being configured to demodulate the first data sub-stream using a first demodulation technique to generate a first demodulated data sub-stream;

a second radio module being configured to demodulate the second data sub-stream using a second demodulation technique to generate a second demodulated data sub-stream; and

a processor configured to combine the first demodulated data sub-stream and the second demodulated data sub-stream to generate a data stream.

13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the first radio module and the second radio module are configured to simultaneously demodulate the first data sub-stream and the second data sub-stream, respectively.

14. A device according to claim 12, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a third data sub-stream, and further comprising:

a third radio module being configured to demodulate the third data sub-stream using a third demodulation technique, and wherein the processor is configured to combine the first demodulated data sub-stream received from the first radio module, the second demodulated data sub-stream received from the second radio module and the third demodulated data sub-stream received from the third radio module to generate the data stream.

15. A device according to claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to generate the data stream by examining packet sequence numbers at each radio module, discarding any duplicate packets, and reassembling the packets into the data stream.

16. A system for communicating a data stream, comprising:

a first node configured to divide the data stream into a first data sub-stream and a second data sub-stream, the first node comprising a first radio module having a first data rate, the first radio module being operable in a first frequency band having a first bandwidth and being configured to modulate the first data sub-stream using a first modulation technique to generate a first modulated data sub-stream, and a second radio module having a second data rate, the second radio module being operable in a second frequency band having a second bandwidth and being configured to modulate the second data sub-stream using a second modulation technique to generate a second modulated data sub-stream; and

a second node configured to receive at least the first data sub-stream over the first frequency band and the second data sub-stream over the second frequency band, the second node comprising a first radio module being configured to demodulate the first data sub-stream using a first demodulation technique to generate a first demodulated data sub-stream, and a second radio module being configured to demodulate the second data sub-stream using a second demodulation technique to generate a second demodulated data sub-stream,

wherein the second node is configured to combine the first demodulated data sub-stream and the second demodulated data sub-stream to generate a data stream.

17. A method for communicating a data stream, comprising:

dividing the data stream into a first data sub-stream and a second data sub-stream;

modulating the first data sub-stream using a first modulation technique to generate a first modulated data sub-stream; and

modulating the second data sub-stream using a second modulation technique to generate a second modulated data sub-stream.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising:

receiving the first data sub-stream over a first frequency band;

receiving the second data sub-stream over a second frequency band;

demodulating the first data sub-stream using a first demodulation technique to generate a first demodulated data sub-stream;

demodulating the second data sub-stream using a second demodulation technique to generate a second demodulated data sub-stream; and

combining the first demodulated data sub-stream and the second demodulated data sub-stream to generate a data stream.