Ultra-wideband communication through a wire medium

• US 7,099,368 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 73 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pulse-Link Incorporated
• Inventors: Santhoff, John, Moore, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, DON NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US10/855,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20040214522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 375/130, 375/256, 375/257, 375/259, 375/260, 342/202
• US Class Current: 375/130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71632 Signal aspects H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7172 Pulse shape in general H04L25/03834
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/719 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25751 Optical arrangements for CATV or video distribution adaptations of television systems for optical transmission H04N7/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/6908 using time hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5416 by adding signals to the wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/78 CATV [Community Antenna Television] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for creating, transmitting and receiving ultra-wideband pulses through wire media are presented. One embodiment of the present invention transmits ultra-wideband pulses that occupy radio frequencies that are not used by other electromagnetic signals present in a wire medium of interest. Other embodiments of the invention may create, transmit, and receive ultra-wideband pulses that use radio frequency(s) that are not used by other signals present on wire media within a wire network of interest. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method for a wire medium, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a carrier wave signal that occupies a first portion of a radio frequency spectrum; and

transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses that occupy a second portion of the radio frequency spectrum.

2. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the radio frequency spectrum and the second portion of the radio frequency spectrum comprise different radio frequencies.

3. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the carrier wave signal comprises a substantially continuous sinusoidal wave.

4. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the radio frequency spectrum ranges from about 5 megahertz to about 500 megahertz.

5. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the radio frequency spectrum ranges from about 500 megahertz to about 10 gigahertz.

6. The communication method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that can range between about 0.1 nanoseconds to about 1 microsecond.

7. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

transmitting a synchronization signal within either the first or the second portions of the radio frequency spectrum.

8. The communication method of claim 7, wherein the synchronization signal comprises a substantially continuous sinusoidal wave.

9. The communication method of claim 7, wherein the synchronization signal provides a common timing source.

10. The communication method of claim 1, wherein the wire medium is selected from a group consisting of:

an optical fiber ribbon, a fiber optic cable, a single mode fiber optic cable, a multi-mode fiber optic cable, a twisted pair wire, an unshielded twisted pair wire, a plenum wire, a PVC wire, and a coaxial cable.

11. A communication system for a wire medium, comprising:

a transmitter structured to transmit a carrier wave signal that occupies a first portion of a radio frequency spectrum; and

an ultra-wideband transmitter structured to transmit a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses that occupy a second portion of the radio frequency spectrum.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the radio frequency spectrum and the second portion of the radio frequency spectrum comprise different radio frequencies.

13. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the carrier wave signal comprises a substantially continuous sinusoidal wave.

14. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the first portion of the radio frequency spectrum ranges from about 5 megahertz to about 500 megahertz.

15. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the second portion of the radio frequency spectrum ranges from about 500 megahertz to about 10 gigahertz.

16. The communication system of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that can range between about 0.1 nanoseconds to about 1 microsecond.

17. The communication system of claim 11, further comprising a synchronization signal located within either the first or the second portions of the radio frequency spectrum.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the synchronization signal comprises a substantially continuous sinusoidal wave.

19. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the synchronization signal provides a common timing source.

20. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the wire medium is selected from a group consisting of:

an optical fiber ribbon, a fiber optic cable, a single mode fiber optic cable, a multi-mode fiber optic cable, a twisted pair wire, an unshielded twisted pair wire, a plenum wire, a PVC wire, and a coaxial cable.

21. A method of transmitting data through a wire network, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a plurality of carrier wave signals that occupy a first portion of a radio frequency spectrum; and

transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses that occupy a second portion of the radio frequency spectrum.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first portion of the radio frequency spectrum ranges from about 5 megahertz to about 500 megahertz.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the second portion of the radio frequency spectrum ranges from about 500 megahertz to about 10 gigahertz.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of carrier wave signals comprises a substantially continuous sinusoidal wave.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that can range between about 0.1 nanoseconds to about 1 microsecond.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of:

transmitting a synchronization signal within either the first or the second portions of the radio frequency spectrum.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the synchronization signal comprises a substantially continuous sinusoidal wave.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the synchronization signal provides a common timing source.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the wire medium is selected from a group consisting of:

an optical fiber ribbon, a fiber optic cable, a single mode fiber optic cable, a multi-mode fiber optic cable, a twisted pair wire, an unshielded twisted pair wire, a plenum wire, a PVC wire, and a coaxial cable.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein the wire network is selected from a group consisting of:

a power line, an optical network, a cable television network, a community antenna television network, a community access television network, a hybrid fiber coax system network, a public switched telephone network, a wide area network, a local area network, a metropolitan area network, a TCP/IP network, a dial-up network, a switched network, a dedicated network, a nonswitched network, a public network and a private network.

31. A method of transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a wire network that uses a group of discrete radio frequencies;

determining which of the discrete radio frequencies are occupied by a carrier wave;

transmitting a plurality of ultra-wideband pulses that occupy the discrete radio frequencies that are not occupied by a carrier wave.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of determining which of the discrete radio frequencies are occupied by a carrier wave comprises sampling each of the discrete radio frequencies to determine if a carrier wave is present.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of:

transmitting a synchronization signal that occupies at least one discrete radio frequency.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the synchronization signal comprises a substantially continuous sinusoidal wave.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the synchronization signal provides a common timing source.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein each of the plurality of ultra-wideband pulses comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that can range between about 0.1 nanoseconds to about 1 microsecond.