Ultra-wideband communication protocol

• US 7,339,883 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2003
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 81 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pulse-Link Incorporated
• Inventors: Siwiak, Kazimierz, Santhoff, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US10/663,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20050058121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 370203-208, 370/335, 370/338, 370/342, 455/84
• US Class Current: 370/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71632 Signal aspects H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/181 Transcoding devices; Rate adaptation devices

Abstract

A communication protocol for ultra-wideband communications is provided. The present invention provides compatibility and interoperability between ultra-wideband communications devices within various types of networks. In one embodiment, combined, or interleaved data frames having both high and low data transfer rate capability are provided. The low data transfer rate may be used for initial discovery of the type of network that is being accessed, and the high data transfer rate may be used to quickly transfer data within networks that have a high data transfer rate capability. 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. An ultra-wideband communication device, comprising:

a first transceiver that communicates information between any of a plurality of ultra-wideband communication devices employing a common physical layer at a first data rate; and

a second transceiver that communicates information between only those ultra-wideband communication devices having like physical layers, at a second data rate that is greater than or equal to the first data rate, wherein communication at the second data rate is established between those of the plurality of ultra-wideband communication devices having like physical layers, based on communication capabilities recovered as part of the information communicated at the first data rate while employing the common physical layer.

2. The ultra-wideband communication device of claim 1, wherein the first data rate transmits data at a rate that ranges between about 1 kilobit per second to about 5 megabits per second.

3. The ultra-wideband communication device of claim 1, wherein the second data rate transmits data at a rate that ranges between about 5 megabits per second to about 1 gigabit per second.

4. The ultra-wideband communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the first transceiver communicates at the first data rate; and

the second transceiver is kept off.

5. The ultra-wideband communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the first transceiver communicates at the first data rate; and

the second transceiver kept off until communication at the second data rate is desired.

6. A communication network, comprising:

at least two communication devices each having a first transceiver and a second transceiver, wherein each first transceiver implements a common physical layer operating at a low data rate for communicating information, and each of the at least two communication devices operate to select at least one physical layer associated with the second transceiver of each of the at least two implementing at least two communication devices, for communication at a high data rate, based on communication capabilities recovered as part of the information communicated at the low data rate using the common physical layer; and

a master transceiver capable of communicating with the at least two communication devices via the first transceiver using the common physical layer operating at the low data rate, the master transceiver operating to allocate at least one of a low data rate communication frame and a high data rate communication frame to each of the at least two communication devices such that the at least two communication devices can exchange information using the at least low data rate communication frame and the at least one high data rate communication frame at corresponding low and high data rates.

7. The communication network of claim 6, wherein the low and high data rates are selected from a group consisting of:

one kilobit per second, five megabits per second, 25 megabits per second, 50 megabits per second, 100 megabits per second, 200 megabits per second, 400 megabits per second, 480 megabits per second, 500 megabits per second, and one gigabit per second.

8. The communication network of claim 6, wherein the master ultra-wideband transceiver chooses each of the low and high data rates by determining a communication data rate capability of each of the at least two ultra-wideband communication devices.

9. The communication network of claim 6, wherein each of the at least two ultra-wideband communication devices transmit a plurality of pulses.

10. The communication network of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of pulses has duration that ranges from about ten picoseconds to about one millisecond.

11. The communication network of claim 6, wherein each of the at least two ultra-wideband communication devices transmits a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signals.

12. The communication network of claim 6, wherein each of the at least two ultra-wideband communication devices includes a low data rate transceiver and a high data rate transceiver.

13. The communication network of claim 6, wherein the master transceiver directs information through the network comprising the at least two communication devices by communicating configuration information to the at least two communication devices via the first transceiver using the common physical layer operating at the low data rate, said configuration information being used by the at least two communication devices to select modes comprising a low data rate, a high data rate, the common physical layer, and an alternative physical layer.