Bandwidth efficient wireless network modem

• US 8,089,946 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collision Communications, Inc. (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Collision Technology LLC (FlashPoint Technology, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brommer, Karl D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BALAOING, ARIEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/548,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20090310619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 370/346, 370/342, 370/328, 375/147, 375/220, 375/222, 455/552.1, 455/434
• US Class Current: 370/346
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

A modem that provides efficient use of wireless network bandwidth in the presence of multiuser interference and noise is disclosed. The modem design provides for compatibility with existing network hardware and protocols so that new efficient modems may be added to the network without removing installed hardware and software.

Claims

1. A modem which enables efficient use of bandwidth in a multiuser wireless network including a plurality of modems in the presence of interference and noise, the modem comprising:

a multiuser detection (MUD) module configured to simultaneously demodulate and recover K wirelessly transmitted signals using co-channel demodulation;

a data formatting module operatively coupled to the multiuser detection module, and configured to produce network data packets for at least one of the K recovered signals;

a control processor operatively coupled to the formatting module, and configured to detect with which protocol mode the at least one of the K recovered signals was transmitted, and to enable a corresponding transmission mode including one of a legacy protocol mode and a bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode that exploits co-channel demodulation capabilities of the modem, wherein the signals of the one of a legacy protocol mode can be selected from the group consisting of low data rate BPSK, QPSK, GMSK and OAM; and

a demultiplexer operatively coupled to the data formatting module and the control processor, and configured to select one of the recovered K wirelessly transmitted signals as a target signal intended for a user associated with the modem, where the selection is based on a control input from the control processor, wherein the data formatting module supports multiple types of format modes, and the control processor is configured to select a network data packet formatting mode in which the data formatting operates.

2. The modem of claim 1, further comprising a front end configured to simultaneously receive the K wirelessly transmitted signals, and to provide those signals to the MUD and a parameter estimator in a form that facilitates their subsequent processing by the multiuser detection module.

3. The modem of claim 1, wherein in response to the control processor knowing that a modem with which it is communicating does not support the bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode, the control processor is further adapted to enable a legacy protocol mode.

4. The modem of claim 1, further comprising a parameter estimator module receiving D diversity inputs from D analog to digital (A/D) converters, the parameter estimator module outputting an S matrix to the MUD module, wherein the S matrix comprises estimated composite signature waveforms.

5. The modem of claim 1, further comprising a bank of K decoders communicating with the K MUD module outputs, the bank of K decoders producing a matrix bn output to the MUD module from the input of K MUD module recovered signals, wherein the matrix bn is a matrix of symbol estimates.

6. The modem of claim 1, wherein the control processor is configured to detect whether wirelessly received data for each user K has been transmitted in accordance with a simultaneously transmitted single channel polling bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode.

7. The modem of claim 1, wherein the control processor detects which of the received data signals 1-K is the intended data signal m, based on packet header information provided by the data formatting module.

8. The modem of claim 1, wherein the control processor also executes channel assignment arbitration sequences and data transmission timing sequences to operate in accordance with a beacon signal polling and scheduling bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode.

9. The modem of claim 1, wherein the data formatting module provides packet header information to the control processor for each of the received signals 1-K, whereby a data signal intended for a particular modem can be identified, while other received data signals can be ignored.

10. A modem which enables efficient use of bandwidth in a multiuser wireless network including a plurality of modems in the presence of interference and noise, the modem comprising:

a multiuser detection (MUD) module receiving D inputs from D analog to digital (A/D) converters configured to simultaneously demodulate and recover K wirelessly transmitted signals using co-channel demodulation, simultaneously outputting K recovered signals;

a parameter estimator module receiving the D inputs from the D A/D converters;

a bank of K decoders communicating with the K MUD module outputs, the bank of K decoders producing a bn output to the MUD module from the input of K MUD module recovered signals;

a data formatting module operatively coupled to the parallel K MUD module outputs of the MUD module, and configured to produce network data packets of the parallel K recovered signals, the parallel K recovered signal data packets communicated to a demultiplexer, wherein the data formatting module supports multiple types of network packet format modes;

the demultiplexer operatively coupled to the data formatting module, receiving the parallel K recovered signal data packets, and configured to select one of the recovered K wirelessly transmitted signals as a target signal intended for a user, m, associated with the modem, and to communicate m data packets of the K recovered signal data packets to a recipient, where the selection is based on a control input from a control processor;

the control processor operatively coupled to the demultiplexer and the data formatting module, and configured to detect with which protocol mode the at least one of the K recovered signals was transmitted, based on input from the data formatting module, and to enable a corresponding transmission mode including one of a legacy protocol mode and a bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode that exploits co-channel demodulation capabilities of the modem, the control processor also configured to select a network data packet formatting mode in which the data formatting operates

a modulator operatively coupled to the control processor, the control processor enabling the transmission mode of the modulator, the transmission mode corresponding to the protocol mode in which the at least one of the K recovered signals was transmitted; and

an amplifier operatively coupled to the modulator, the amplifier in communication with at least one antenna output port.

11. The modem of claim 10, further comprising:

a front end receiver block comprising a plurality, D, of antenna diversity ports, a plurality of D tuners, and the plurality of D A/D converters;

the plurality, D, of antenna diversity ports communicating, respectively, with D antennas;

the plurality of D tuners communicating, respectively, with the D antenna diversity ports;

the plurality of D A/D converters communicating, respectively, with the D tuners, each outputting a baseband waveform, respectively corresponding to each of the D antenna diversity ports.

12. The modem of claim 10, wherein the m data packets of the K recovered signal data packets are formatted for and provided to a network, where the selection is based on a control input from the control processor.

13. The modem of claim 10, wherein the m data packets of the K recovered signal data packets are formatted for and provided to a backbone, where the selection is based on a control input from the control processor.

14. The modem of claim 10, wherein the m data packets of the K recovered signal data packets are formatted for and provided to a local host, where the selection is based on a control input from the control processor.

15. The modem of claim 10, wherein the data formatting module provides packet header information to the control processor for each of received signals 1-K.

16. The modem of claim 15, wherein the packet header information of a data signal comprises intended destination of that data signal, whereby the data signal intended for a particular modem can be identified, while other received data signals are ignored.

17. The modem of claim 10, wherein a legacy default mode is default operating mode, and an automatic switch to a non-default bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode is made once all of receiving and transmitting modems communicating in an established link are identified and known to support the non-default bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode.

18. The modem of claim 10, wherein the modem is a polling point coordinator access point (AP) element or in a distributed coordination function (DCF) configuration, wherein the AP serves as a global timer;

and the DCF provides best-effort delivery of asynchronous packet data.

19. The modem of claim 10, wherein the modem supports both polling point coordinator access point (AP) and distributed coordination function (DCF) configurations, wherein the DCF employs Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA), whereby the modem transmits and receives at the same time.

20. A modem which enables efficient use of bandwidth in a multiuser wireless network including a plurality of modems in the presence of interference and noise, the modem comprising:

a front end receiver block comprising a plurality, D, of antenna diversity ports, a plurality of D tuners, and a plurality of D analog to digital (A/D) converters;

the plurality, D, of antenna diversity ports communicating, respectively, with D antennas;

the plurality of D tuners communicating, respectively, with the D antenna diversity ports;

the plurality of D A/D converters communicating, respectively, with the D tuners, each outputting a baseband waveform, respectively corresponding to each of the D antenna diversity ports;

a multiuser detection (MUD) module receiving D inputs from the D A/D converters, wherein the MUD module is configured to simultaneously demodulate and recover K wirelessly transmitted signals using co-channel demodulation, simultaneously outputting K recovered signals;

a parameter estimator module receiving the D inputs from the D A/D converters, wherein the parameter estimator estimates the relative received timing offsets, phases, received amplitudes, and multipath structure for each of the interfering signals present in the received signal, outputting parameter estimation matrix S to the MUD module;

a bank of K decoders communicating with the K MUD module outputs, the bank of K decoders producing a bn output to the MUD module from the input of K MUD module recovered signals;

a data formatting module operatively coupled to the parallel K MUD module outputs of the MUD module, and configured to produce network data packets of the parallel K recovered signals, the parallel K recovered signal network data packets communicated to a demultiplexer, wherein the data formatting module supports multiple types of network data packet format modes;

the demultiplexer operatively coupled to the data formatting module, receiving the parallel K recovered signal network data packets, and configured to select one of the recovered K wirelessly transmitted signals as a target signal intended for a user, m, associated with the modem, and to communicate m data packets of the K recovered signal data packets to a recipient, where the selection is based on a control input from a control processor;

the control processor operatively coupled to the demultiplexer and the data formatting module, and configured to detect with which protocol mode the at least one of the K recovered signals was transmitted, based on input from the data formatting module, and to enable a corresponding transmission mode including one of a legacy protocol mode and a bandwidth efficient aggressive access protocol mode that exploits co-channel demodulation capabilities of the modem, wherein the signals of the one of a legacy protocol mode comprise low data rate BPSK or QPSK, or BPSK and QPSK, the control processor also configured to select a network data packet formatting mode in which the data formatting operates;

a modulator operatively coupled to the control processor, the control processor providing a burst control input, enabling a transmission mode of the modulator, the transmission mode corresponding to the protocol mode in which the at least one of the K recovered signals was transmitted, and an input of data from the user m from the demultiplexer; and

an amplifier operatively coupled to the modulator, the amplifier in communication with at least one antenna output port.