Optimization of ultra-wideband communication through a wire medium

• US 7,486,742 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 81 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Pulse-Link Incorporated
• Inventors: Moore, Steve, Santhoff, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahn, Sam K
• Application Number:
  US11/977,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20080063039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 375/130, 375/237, 375/239, 375/257, 375/353, 375/354, 375/358, 375/142, 375/143, 375/145, 375/149, 375/150, 375/152, 375/343, 370/280, 370/503, 455/69, 455/266, 455/67.1, 455/517, 455/522
• US Class Current: 375/295
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71632 Signal aspects H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71637 Receiver aspects H04B1/7183 takes 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 2201/71636 Transmitted reference
• 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 3/00 Line transmission systems combined with near-field transmission systems H04B5/00
• 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 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks

Abstract

Apparatus and methods to optimize ultra-wideband communication through wire and cable media are provided. One apparatus comprises an ultra-wideband transmitter structured to transmit a training set of ultra-wideband pulses through the wire medium. An ultra-wideband receiver is structured to receive the training set of ultra-wideband pulses from the wire medium. A determination of which of the pulses within the training set is best suited for communication through the media is then performed. 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 system for a wire medium, comprising:

an ultra-wideband transmitter structured to transmit a set of predetermined ultra-wideband pulses through the wire medium, with each of the ultra-wideband pulses having a different power spectral density; and

an ultra-wideband receiver structured to receive the set of predetermined ultra-wideband pulses from the wire medium and the ultra-wideband receiver then responds to the ultra-wideband transmitter which ultra-wideband pulse of the set was received having a power spectral density closest to its transmitted power spectral density.

2. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 1, wherein each of the predetermined ultra-wideband pulses comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that range from about 10 picoseconds to about 10 milliseconds.

3. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined ultra-wideband pulses comprises at least one ultra-wideband pulse selected from a group consisting of:

a pre-distorted pulse, a pre-emphasized pulse, a shaped pulse, a substantially triangular pulse, a substantially square pulse, a pulse occupying a portion of a radio frequency spectrum, with a segment of the occupied radio frequency spectrum substantially eliminated; and

a pulse occupying a portion of a radio frequency spectrum, with a segment of the occupied radio frequency spectrum amplified.

4. The ultra-wideband communication system 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, a coaxial cable, and an electrically conductive material.

5. The ultra-wideband communication system of claim 1, wherein the wire medium 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.

6. A method of optimizing ultra-wideband communications through a wire medium, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a set of predetermined ultra-wideband pulses through the wire medium, with each of the ultra-wideband pulses having a different power spectral density;

receiving the set of predetermined ultra-wideband pulses from the wire medium; and

determining which of the predetermined ultra-wideband pulses was received in a form that is most similar to a transmitted form.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining which of the predetermined ultra-wideband pulses was received in the form that is most similar to the transmitted form is selected from a group of steps selected from:

correlating each of the received ultra-wideband pulses with a corresponding pulse template, and determining which of the transmitted predetermined ultra-wideband pulses most closely matches its corresponding pulse template;

calculating a received signal strength indicator for each of the transmitted ultra-wideband pulses, and selecting the pulse having a highest received signal strength indicator; and

determining a radio frequency content for each of the transmitted ultra-wideband pulses, and selecting the pulse having a received radio frequency content that is most similar to a transmitted radio frequency content.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the wire medium 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, and a hybrid fiber coax system.

9. The method of claim 6, 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, a coaxial cable, and an electrically conductive material.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one ultra-wideband pulse comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that range from about 10 picoseconds to about 10 milliseconds.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of predetermined ultra-wideband pulses comprises at least one ultra-wideband pulse selected from a group consisting of:

a pre-distorted pulse, a pre-emphasized pulse, a shaped pulse, a substantially triangular pulse, a substantially square pulse, a pulse occupying a portion of a radio frequency spectrum, with a segment of the occupied radio frequency spectrum substantially eliminated; and

a pulse occupying a portion of a radio frequency spectrum, with a segment of the occupied radio frequency spectrum amplified.

12. A method of optimizing ultra-wideband communications through a wire medium, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a set of ultra-wideband pulses through the wire medium, with each of the ultra-wideband pulses in the set having a different power spectral density;

receiving the set of ultra-wideband pulses from the wire medium; and

determining a radio frequency content for each of the transmitted ultra-wideband pulses, and selecting the pulse having a radio frequency content that is most similar to a transmitted radio frequency content.

13. The method of claim 12, further including the step of adjusting an ultra-wideband pulse recurrence frequency relative to a bit-error-rate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the bit-error-rate comprises a percentage of bits that have an error relative to a total number of received bits.

15. The method of claim 12, 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, a coaxial cable, and an electrically conductive material.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the wire medium 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.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the ultra-wideband pulses comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that range from about 10 picoseconds to about 10 milliseconds.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the ultra-wideband pulses comprises a pulse of electromagnetic energy having a duration that range from about 10 picoseconds to about 10 milliseconds and a power that can range from about +30 power decibels to about −

60 power decibels, as measured at a single frequency.