APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING A SIGNAL INCLUDING TRANSMIT DATA TO A MULTIPLE-INPUT CAPABLE NODE

• US 20110194591A1
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cpu Consultants, Inc
• Inventors: Bromberg, Matthew C., Agee, Brian G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0443 utilizing "waterfilling" technique
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0465 taking power constraints at power amplifier or emission constraints, e.g. constant modulus, into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26 Systems using multi-frequency codes H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2605 Symbol extensions, e.g. Zero Tail, Unique Word [UW]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2607 Cyclic extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2627 Modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2646 using feedback from receiver for adjusting OFDM transmission parameters, e.g. transmission timing or guard interval length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/04 based on wireless node resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 : taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 : taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 : in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 : Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 : based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 : using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus for transmitting a signal including the transmit data to a multiple-input capable node is provided. The apparatus comprises: at least two antennas; a multiple-input and multiple-output capable transceiver in communication with each of the at least two antennas; encoding circuitry capable of causing first data to be encoded; decoding circuitry capable of causing second data to be decoded; processing circuitry capable of causing diversity combining, the processing circuitry being in communication with the multiple-input and multiple-output capable transceiver, the encoding circuitry, and the decoding circuitry. In operation, the processing circuitry is capable of causing the apparatus to: receive a first signal, calculate weights associated with the first signal, apply the weights to transmit data, and add a cyclic prefix to the transmit data. Additionally, the apparatus is configured such that the at least two antennas are capable of transmitting a second signal including the transmit data to a multiple-input capable node.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least two antennas;

a multiple-input and multiple-output/orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-capable transceiver in communication with each of the at least two antennas;

encoding circuitry capable of causing first data to be encoded;

decoding circuitry capable of causing second data to be decoded;

processing circuitry capable of causing diversity combining, the processing circuitry in communication with the multiple-input and multiple-output/orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-capable transceiver, the encoding circuitry, and the decoding circuitry, the processing circuitry capable of causing the apparatus to;

receive a first spatially diverse signal,

calculate weights associated with the first spatially diverse signal,

apply the weights to transmit data;

wherein the apparatus is configured such that the at least two antennas are capable of transmitting a second spatially diverse signal including the transmit data to a multiple input-capable node.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the number of antennas equals two antennas.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the number of antennas equals four antennas.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the second spatially diverse signal including the transmit data is capable of being received by a node located in a multipoint network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the second spatially diverse signal including the transmit data is capable of being received by a node located in a mesh network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the node located in the mesh network includes a non-multiple-input and non-multiple-output capable node.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the second spatially diverse signal including the transmit data is capable of being received by a node located in a star network.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the second spatially diverse signal includes at least two signals.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further configured to simultaneously transmit the at least two signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the at least two signals are capable of being simultaneously transmitted as frequency coincident communications.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the at least two signals are capable of being simultaneously transmitted as time and frequency coincident communications.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that simultaneously transmitting the at least two signals includes transmitting such that at least two of the at least two signals are capable of being received by a multiple-input and multiple-output capable node.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that simultaneously transmitting the at least two signals includes transmitting such that at least one of the at least two signals are capable of being received by a non-multiple-input and non-multiple-output capable node.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the at least two signals are spatially diverse signals.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the at least two signals are polarization diverse signals.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the at least two signals are route diverse signals.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform transmit beamforming.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further capable of causing the apparatus to receive at least two first diverse signals.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processing circuitry is further capable of causing the apparatus to combine at least two of the at least two first diverse signals, the combing of the at least two of the at least two first diverse signals including implementing beamforming.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein processing circuitry is further capable of causing the apparatus to generate at least two second diverse signals utilizing the combined at least two of the at least two first diverse signals.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further capable of causing the apparatus to add a cyclic prefix to the transmit data.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the at least two first diverse signals include at least one cyclic prefix.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the calculated weights include beamforming weights.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the calculated weights include transmit weights.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

an antennae array of M antennae, where M is greater than or equal to one;

at least one receiver in communication with each antenna in the antennae array of M antennae;

decoding circuitry capable of causing data to be decoded; and

processing circuitry in communication with the at least one receiver and the decoding circuitry, the processing circuitry capable of causing the apparatus to receive at least one route diverse signal.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the route diverse signal is capable of being received from a first node physically separated from a second node.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus is further configured such that the apparatus includes the first node.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the route diverse signal is capable of being received by a node located in a point to multipoint network.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the route diverse signal is capable of being received by a node located in a mesh network.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the node located in the mesh network includes a non-multiple-input and non-multiple-output capable node.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the route diverse signal is capable of being received by a node located in a star network.

32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus is configured such that route diverse signal includes at least two signals.

33. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one circuit configured to operate with a spatially diverse antennae array of M antennae, where M is greater than or equal to one, the at least one circuit further configured to operate with a multiple-input and multiple-output/orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-capable transceiver in communication with each antenna in the spatially diverse antennae array of M antennae, the at least one circuit configured to cause to the apparatus to;

receive a first spatially diverse signal,

identify information associated with the first spatially diverse signal, and

increase a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) associated with the first spatially diverse signal, based on the identified information.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the apparatus is configured such that the information is received from pilot data.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the apparatus is configured such that increasing the SINR associated with the first spatially diverse signal includes maximizing the SINR associated with the first spatially diverse signal, based on the identified information.