Adaptive digital radio communication system

• US 6,185,418 B1
• Filed: 11/07/1997
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wright, Gregory Alan, Shober, R. Anthony, MacLellan, John Austin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Armstrong, Darnell R.
• Application Number:
  US08/966,266
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/425, 455/67.1, 455/553, 455/575, 455/434, 455/426, 455/435, 370/200
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The present invention involves an adaptive digital radio communications architecture which can be reconfigured by reprogramming at least one programmable device, and thus more efficiently use the available bandwidth of a time-varying RF channel and/or to provide a flexible and adaptive digital communications system. In certain embodiments, the programmable device uses a Programmable Logic Device (PLD) to perform the digital communications processing functions of the transmitter or the receiver of a radio communications system. In this context, PLD is a general term representing a family of programmable logic devices; examples of this family are a Programmable Array Logic (PAL), a Complex PLD (CPLD), and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The architecture is reconfigurable in the sense that any or all of the digital communications processing algorithms can be modified by reprogramming the PLD.

Claims

1. A method of receiving radio communication signals, said method comprising the steps of:

providing receive circuitry having an architecture fully implemented in at least one programmable logic device for receiving said radio communication signals; and

reconfiguring all of said at least one programmable logic device to change said architecture of said receive circuitry, where said architecture change modifies at least one of the channel symbol rate, occupied bandwidth, modulation technique, or multiple access technique for said receive circuitry to receive said radio communication signals.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said reconfiguring is implemented in a dynamic manner.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of:

measuring the signal quality of said radio communication signal, and where said architecture change of said receive circuitry is based upon the results of said signal quality measurement.

4. The method of claim 3 where said signal quality measurement consists at least of a measurement of the bit error rate.

5. The method of claim 3 where said signal quality measurement consists at least of a measurement of the signal-to-noise ratio.

6. The method of claim 3 where said signal quality measurement consists at least of a measurement of the channel symbol error rate.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of:

using at least one Programmable Logic Device connected to at least one Interconnection Integrated Circuit device.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of:

receiving configuration information from a source other than said radio communication signals; and

changing said architecture of said receive circuitry based upon said configuration information.

9. A method of transmitting radio communication signals, said method comprising the steps of:

providing transmit circuitry having an architecture fully implemented in at least one programmable logic device for transmitting said radio communications signals;

reconfiguring all of said at least one programmable logic device to change said architecture of said transmit circuitry, where said architecture change modifies at least one of the data rate, occupied bandwidth, modulation technique, or multiple access technique for transmitting of said radio communications signal.

12. The method of claim 9 further including the step of:

measuring the signal quality of said radio communication signal, and where said architecture change of said transmit circuitry is based upon the results of said signal quality measurement.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said signal quality measurement consists at least of a measurement of the bit error rate.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said signal quality measurement consists at least of a measurement of the signal-to-noise ratio.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said signal quality measurement consists at least of a measurement of the channel symbol error rate.

16. The method of claim 9 further including the step of:

using said at least one programmable logic device connected to at least one Interconnection Integrated Circuit device.

17. The method of claim 9 further including the step of:

receiving configuration information from a source other than said radio communication signals; and

changing said architecture of said transmit circuitry based upon said configuration information.

10. A method of receiving radio communication signals over a radio communications channel, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a radio communications signal using receive circuitry having a particular architecture implemented in at least one programmable logic device;

measuring at least one radio channel condition for said radio communications channel; and

reconfiguring said at least one programmable logic device to change said architecture of said receive circuitry, where said architecture change modifies at least one of the information data rate, occupied bandwidth, modulation technique, or multiple access technique for said radio communication channel, and where said reconfiguration is based upon at least the results of said radio channel condition measurement.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said reconfiguring is implemented in a dynamic manner.

18. A radio transceiver comprising:

at least one programmable logic device configured to fully implement an architecture for said radio transceiver; and

a programming device configured to reconfigure all of said at least one programmable logic device to change said architecture of said transceiver, where said architecture change modifies at least one of the data rate, occupied bandwidth, modulation technique, or multiple access technique for said radio transceiver.

19. A method of transmitting a radio communication signals over a radio communications channel, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a radio communications signal over said radio communications channel;

measuring at least one radio channel condition for said radio communications channel; and

reconfiguring at least one programmable logic device implementing an architecture for transmit circuitry to change said architecture of said transmit circuitry for transmitting radio communications signals over said radio communications channel, wherein said reconfiguration modifies at least one of the information data rate, occupied bandwidth, modulation technique, or multiple access technique for said radio communication channel and said reconfiguration is based upon at least the results of said radio channel condition measurement.