Flexible method and apparatus for encoding and decoding signals using a time division multiple frequency scheme

• US 7,236,464 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Atomics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: General Atomics, Inc.
• Inventors: Walker, Michael L., Rogerson, Gerald D., Gehring, Stephan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLOUNT, STEVEN
• Application Number:
  US10/371,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20040028012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 370/280, 370/281, 370/294, 370/295, 714/776, 714/822
• US Class Current: 370/295
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00026 controlled by an analog electrical signal, e.g. obtained after conversion by a D/A converter
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00058 controlled by a digital setting
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00097 Avoiding variations of delay using feedback, e.g. controlled by a PLL
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2005/00267 using D/A or A/D converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/0315 Ring oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/133 using a chain of active delay devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/1508 using a plurality of delay lines
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/0997 Controlling the number of delay elements connected in series in the ring oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7176 Data mapping, e.g. modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/28 with simultaneous transmission of different frequencies each representing one code element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/06 the signals being represented by different frequencies combined with time-division multiplexing H04L5/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/26 combined with the use of different frequencies

Abstract

A method and apparatus for signal detection and error detection in a multi-band system, the method for error detection comprising the steps: receiving a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality of frequency bands, the plurality of bursts encoding a symbol, the symbol corresponding to data, wherein the symbol is encoded such that a burst occupying each frequency band is transmitted a specified number of times within the plurality of bursts; determining that a given burst has not been detected the specified number of times; and declaring a transmission error for the symbol. In one variation, the frequency bands comprise wideband frequency bands.

Claims

1. A method of error detection comprising:

receiving a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality of frequency bands, the plurality of bursts encoding a symbol, the symbol corresponding to data, wherein the symbol is encoded such that a burst occupying each frequency band is transmitted a specified number of times within the plurality of bursts;

determining that a given burst has not been detected the specified number of times; and

declaring a transmission error for the symbol.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises:

determining that the given burst has been detected more than the specified number of times.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises:

determining that the given burst has been detected less than the specified number of times.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified number of times is equal to one.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises:

receiving the plurality of bursts, the time order of transmission of the plurality of bursts across the plurality of frequency bands encoding the symbol, the symbol corresponding to the data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least twenty percent of the center frequency of the burst.

8. A multi-band receiver comprising:

a burst detector module configured to receive and detect each of a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality of frequency bands, the plurality of bursts encoding a symbol, the symbol corresponding to data, wherein the symbol is encoded such that a burst occupying each frequency band is transmitted a specified number of times within the plurality of bursts; and

an error detector coupled to the burst detector module configured to determine that a given burst has not been detected the specified number of times and configured to declare a transmission error for the symbol.

9. A method of signal detection comprising:

receiving a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality of frequency bands, the plurality of bursts encoding a symbol, the symbol corresponding to data, wherein the symbol is encoded such that a burst occupying each frequency band is transmitted once in the plurality of bursts;

detecting, for a first burst of the plurality of bursts received in time, a first frequency band of the first burst;

removing the first frequency band from a list of available frequency bands;

detecting, for a subsequent burst of the plurality of bursts received in time, a subsequent frequency band of the subsequent burst; and

removing the subsequent frequency band from the list of available frequency bands.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

repeating the detecting for the subsequent frequency burst step and the removing the subsequent frequency band step.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the repeating step is performed until there are no remaining frequency bands in the list of available frequency bands.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the repeating step is performed until there are no more time slots remaining for the plurality of bursts to occupy.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the receiving step comprises:

receiving the plurality of bursts, the time order of transmission of the plurality of bursts encoding the symbol, the symbol corresponding to the data.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

declaring the symbol in error in the event a subsequent burst is detected at a frequency band previously removed from the list of available frequency bands.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least two percent of the center frequency of the burst.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein a bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of bursts is at least twenty percent of the center frequency of the burst.

17. A multi-band receiver comprising:

A burst detector configured to receive a plurality of bursts, each burst occupying at least one of a plurality of frequency bands, the plurality of bursts encoding a symbol, the symbol corresponding to data, wherein the symbol is encoded such that a burst occupying each frequency band is transmitted once in the plurality of bursts;

the burst detector configured to detect, for a first burst of the plurality of bursts received in time, a first frequency band of the first burst;

a signal decoder coupled to an output of the burst detector, the signal decoder configured to remove the first frequency band from a list of available frequency bands;

the burst detector configured to detect, for a subsequent burst of the plurality of bursts received in time, a subsequent frequency band of the subsequent burst; and

the signal decoder configured to remove the subsequent frequency band from the list of available frequency bands.