System and method for wireless communication in a frequency division duplexing region

• US 7,911,984 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zarbana Digital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Harington Valve LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Stanwood, Kenneth L., Klein, Israel Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US11/969,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 370/275, 370/294, 370/295
• US Class Current: 370/275
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2621 using frequency division multiple access [FDMA] H04B7/2615 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2656 for structure of frame, burst
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2687 Inter base stations synchronisation

Abstract

A method and system for using half-duplex base stations and half-duplex nodes in a Frequency Division Duplexing region to provide wireless connectivity between the half-duplex base stations and customers in multiple sectors of a cell. The method and system can use two physical channels to form two logical channels. Each logical channel shares both physical channels during alternating frames of time. The half-duplex nodes can include a millimeter-wave band frequency synthesizer configured to transmit and receive on different channels to and from the half-duplex base station. Re-use patterns of the physical channels are used for deployment of half-duplex base stations and half-duplex nodes in the FDD region to minimize co-channel interference and interference due to uncorrelated rain fade. Additional methods and systems utilize full-duplex base stations and smart antenna to communicate with the half-duplex nodes.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising:

an antenna; and

communication components coupled to the antenna and configured to;

transmit modulated data via the antenna to a first half-duplex node during a first time frame on a first channel;

receive modulated data via the antenna from a second half-duplex node during the first time frame on a second channel, the first and second half-duplex nodes being different nodes, and said transmit and said receive in the first time frame to occur substantially simultaneously;

transmit modulated data via the antenna to the second half-duplex node during a second time frame on the first channel, wherein the first time frame precedes the second time frame; and

receive modulated data via the antenna from the first half-duplex node during the second time frame on the second channel, said transmit and said receive in the second time frame to occur substantially simultaneously.

2. The base station of claim 1 wherein the communication components comprise components of a full-duplex modem configured to generate the modulated data to be transmitted and to demodulate the received modulated data.

3. The base station of claim 1 wherein the communication components comprise components of:

a first half-duplex modem configured to generate the modulated data to be transmitted to the first half-duplex node during the first time frame on the first channel and to demodulate the modulated data received from the first half-duplex node during the second time frame on the second channel; and

a second half-duplex modem configured to demodulate the modulated data received from the second half-duplex node during the first time frame on the second channel and to generate the modulated data to be transmitted to the second half-duplex node during the second time frame on the first channel.

4. The base station of claim 3 wherein the first and second half-duplex modems are coupled to a full-duplex outdoor unit configured to substantially simultaneously communicate with the first half-duplex node and the second half-duplex node.

5. The base station of claim 1 wherein the communication components are further configured to:

transmit modulated data via the antenna to a third half-duplex node during the first time frame on a third channel, the third channel being different from the first and second channels;

receive modulated data via the antenna from a fourth half-duplex node during the first time frame on a fourth channel, the fourth channel being different from the first, second and third channels;

transmit modulated data via the antenna to the fourth half-duplex node during the second time frame on the third channel; and

receive modulated data via the antenna from the third half-duplex node during the second time frame on the fourth channel.

6. The base station of claim 5 wherein the communication components include components of:

a first half-duplex modem configured to generate the modulated data to be transmitted to the first half-duplex node during the first time frame on the first channel and to demodulate the modulated data received from the first half-duplex node during the second time frame on the second channel;

a second half-duplex modem configured to demodulate the modulated data received from the second half-duplex node during the first time frame on the second channel and to generate the modulated data to be transmitted to the second half-duplex node during the second time frame on the first channel;

a third half-duplex modem configured to generate the modulated data to be transmitted to the third half-duplex node during the first time frame on the third channel and to demodulate the modulated data received from the third half-duplex node during the second time frame on the fourth channel; and

a fourth half-duplex modem configured to demodulate the modulate data received from the fourth half-duplex node during the first time frame on the fourth channel and to generate the modulated data to be transmitted to the fourth half-duplex node during the second time frame on the third channel.

7. A method for communicating, comprising:

downlinking, by a first half-duplex node, modulated data from a base station during a first time frame on a first channel;

uplinking, by a second half-duplex node, modulated data to the base station during the first time frame on a second channel, the first and second half-duplex nodes being different nodes, the downlinking and the uplinking in the first time frame occurring substantially simultaneously;

downlinking, by the second half-duplex node, modulated data from the base station during a second time frame on the first channel, wherein the first time frame precedes the second time frame; and

uplinking, by the first half-duplex node, modulated data to the base station during the second time frame on the second channel, the downlinking and the uplinking in the second time frame occurring substantially simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the first and second half-duplex nodes, a timing signal from the base station; and

synchronizing, by the first and second half-duplex nodes, the uplinkings and downlinkings in the first and second timeframes based on the received timing signal.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

downlinking by a third half-duplex node, modulated data from the base station during the first time frame on a third channel, the third half-duplex node being different from the first and second half-duplex nodes;

uplinking by a fourth half-duplex node, modulated data to the base station during the first time frame on a fourth channel, the fourth half-duplex node being different from the first, second, and third half-duplex nodes;

downlinking by the fourth half-duplex node, modulated data from the base station during the second time frame on the third channel; and

uplinking, by the third half-duplex node, modulated data to the base station during the second time frame on the fourth channel.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

means for transmitting modulated data to a first half-duplex node during a first time frame on a first channel;

means for receiving modulated data from a second half-duplex node during the first time frame on a second channel, the first and second half-duplex nodes being different nodes, and the transmitting and the receiving in the first time frame occurring substantially simultaneously;

means for transmitting modulated data to the second half-duplex node during a second time frame on the first channel, wherein the first time frame precedes the second time frame; and

means for receiving modulated data from the first half-duplex node during the second time frame on the second channel, the transmitting and the receiving in the second time frame occurring substantially simultaneously.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for generating the modulated data to be transmitted and for demodulating the received modulated data.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for transmitting modulated data to a third half-duplex node during the first time frame on a third channel, the third half-duplex node being different from the first and second half-duplex nodes;

means for receiving modulated data from a fourth half-duplex node during the first time frame on a fourth channel, the fourth half-duplex node being different from the first, second, and third half-duplex nodes;

means for transmitting modulated data to the fourth half-duplex node during the second time frame on the third channel; and

means for receiving modulated data from the third half-duplex node during the second time frame on the fourth channel.

13. A base station, comprising:

an antenna; and

communication components coupled to the antenna and configured to;

cause the antenna to alternatingly transmit modulated data to a first half-duplex node on a first channel and receive modulated data from the first half-duplex node on a second channel; and

maintain a frequency offset between the first and second channels;

wherein the communication components are further configured to cause the antenna to alternatingly transmit modulated data to a second half-duplex node on the first channel and receive modulated data from the second half-duplex node on the second channel; and

wherein the communication components are further configured to cause the antenna to simultaneously transmit modulated data to the first half-duplex node on the first channel and receive modulated data from the second half-duplex node on the second channel.

14. The base station of claim 13 wherein the communication components are further configured to cause the antenna to simultaneously receive modulated data from the first half-duplex node on the second channel and transmit modulated data to the second half-duplex node on the first channel.

15. The base station of claim 13 wherein the communication components are further configured to cause the antenna to alternatingly transmit modulated data to a third half-duplex node on a third channel and receive modulated data from the third half-duplex node on a fourth channel.

16. The base station of claim 15 wherein the communication components are further configured to cause the antenna to alternatingly transmit modulated data to a fourth half-duplex node on the third channel and receive modulated data from the fourth half-duplex node on the fourth channel.

17. The base station of claim 16 wherein the communication components are further configured to cause the antenna to simultaneously transmit modulated data to the third half-duplex node on the third channel and receive modulated data from the fourth half-duplex node on the fourth channel.

18. The base station of claim 13 wherein the communication components are further configured to cause the antenna to simultaneously receive modulated data from the third half-duplex node on the fourth channel and transmit modulated data to the fourth half-duplex node on the third channel.

19. The base station of claim 13 wherein the communications components include a frequency synthesizer that is configured to perform said maintain the frequency offset between the first and second channels.