High bandwidth communication network and method
First Claim
1. A method of operating a high bandwidth communication network, said method comprising the steps of:
- directly receiving, at a subscriber node, signals transmitted from a base node;
identifying a communications service to be provided;
identifying a minimum data rate necessary to support said communications service;
determining whether to directly communicate between said base node and said subscriber node or to indirectly communicate between said base node and said subscriber node through a repeater subscriber node, selecting direct communication between said base node and said subscriber node when said data rate is supportable through direct communication with said base node; and
engaging in communications over said network, said communications occurring through a communication channel selected in response to said determining step.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cellular communication network (10) and method operates at frequencies above 2 GHz and achieves widespread coverage within a cell (14) by adapting routing channels, symbol rates, and FEC coding processes (78) to current RF broadcast conditions. A portion of subscriber nodes (16) act as repeaters for a base node (12). If subscriber nodes (16) cannot directly communicate with the base node (12), their communications may be indirectly routed to the base node (12) through one or more repeating subscriber nodes (16'"'"'). If current conditions do not support a high data rate, then lower data rates are supported by selection of FEC coding processes (78). If increasingly inclusive FEC coding does not achieve a data rate supportable by current conditions, slower symbol rates may be used. Communications at slower symbol rates may utilize narrower frequency bands thus keeping wider frequency bands available for higher speed usage.
124 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of operating a high bandwidth communication network, said method comprising the steps of:
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directly receiving, at a subscriber node, signals transmitted from a base node; identifying a communications service to be provided; identifying a minimum data rate necessary to support said communications service; determining whether to directly communicate between said base node and said subscriber node or to indirectly communicate between said base node and said subscriber node through a repeater subscriber node, selecting direct communication between said base node and said subscriber node when said data rate is supportable through direct communication with said base node; and engaging in communications over said network, said communications occurring through a communication channel selected in response to said determining step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating a high bandwidth communication network, said method comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a probe message from a base node to a repeater subscriber node; deciding, at said repeater subscriber node in response to said probe message, whether to repeat said probe message or to refrain from repeating said probe message; configuring said repeater subscriber node to either repeat said probe message or to refrain from repeating said probe message; determining whether to directly communicate between said base node and a subscriber node or to indirectly communicate between said base node and said subscriber node through said repeater subscriber node; and engaging in communications over said network, said communications occurring through a communication channel selected in response to said determining step. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A method of operating a high bandwidth communication network, said method comprising the steps of:
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configuring a node which communicates over said network to communicate at any one of two or more symbol rates and with any one of two or more forward error correction (FEC) coding processes; identifying a communications service to be provided; identifying a minimum data rate necessary to support said communications service over said network; determining, in response to said data rate identifying step whether to engage in direct communication between said node and a second node or to indirectly communicate between said node and said second node through a third node; and engaging in communications over said network through a communication channel selected in response to said determining step, said communications occurring at a symbol rate selected in response to said data rate identifying step and with an FEC coding process selected in response to said data rate identifying step. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A method of operating a high bandwidth communication network, said method comprising the steps of:
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configuring a node which communicates over said network to communicate at any one of two or more symbol rates and with any one of two or more forward error correction (FEC) coding processes; identifying a communications service to be provided; identifying a minimum data rate necessary to support said communications service over said network; transmitting a probe message from a second node to a third node; deciding, at said third node in response to said probe message, whether to repeat said probe message or to refrain from repeating said probe message; configuring said third node to either repeat said probe message or to refrain from repeating said probe message; determining whether to engage in direct communication between said node and said second node or to indirectly communicate between said node and said second node through said third node; and engaging in communications over said network through a communication channel selected in response to said determining step, said communication occurring at a symbol rate selected in response to said data rate identifying step and with an FEC coding process selected in response to said data rate identifying step.
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15. A wireless communication network subscriber node for use in a network having a high likelihood of successful communications within a coverage area, said node comprising:
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a symbol rate controller configured to allow said node to communicate at any one of two or more symbol rates; a forward error correction (FEC) controller configured to apply any one of two or more FEC coding processes data being communicated; a symbol rate predictor configured to predict a symbol rate which may be supported by communications between said subscriber node and a base node; and a data rate controller, coupled to said symbol rate predictor, symbol rate controller, and FEC controller, said data rate controller being configured to define a data rate at which to engage in communications over said network based on information received from said symbol rate predictor and said data rate controller. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification