Forward error correction media access control system

• US 8,565,289 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ingenu Inc.
• Original Assignee: On-Ramp Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Myers, Theodore J., Hughes, Matthew, Boesel, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burd, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US13/437,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 375/130, 375/140, 375/146, 375/295, 375/150, 375/147, 375/316
• US Class Current: 375/150
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/02 Automatic frequency control H03J7/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7103 the interference being multiple access interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/00 Code division multiplex systems for frequency hopping H04B1/713
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/0029 Gold
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0685 Clock or time synchronisation in a node; Intranode synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0038 Blind format detection for detection of modulation format H04L27/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0046 Code rate detection or code type detection H04L1/0038 takes precedence; detection of the data rate H04L25/0262; for packet format H04L1/0091
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0057 Block codes H04L1/0061, H04L1/0064 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1819 with retransmission of additional or different redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2027/0065 Frequency error detectors H04L2027/0067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/233 using non-coherent demodulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0004 Initialisation of the receiver H04L7/0075 and H04L7/10 take precedence

Abstract

This disclosure is directed at a method, device and system for efficiently correcting errors in a communication system. An encoded signal is created from a source signal using a forward error correction technique. The encoded signal is split into a plurality of units. A first unit of the plurality of units is transmitted to a receiver through a first route. A second unit of the plurality of units is transmitted to the receiver through a second route.

Claims

1. A method of correcting errors in a communication system, the method comprising:

creating an encoded signal from a source signal using a forward error correction technique;

splitting the encoded signal into a plurality of units;

transmitting a first unit of the plurality of units at a transmitter to a receiver through a first route, wherein the first route includes transmitting from a gateway to an access point with a designation to transmit the first unit to a first node, wherein the gateway selects the access point based on a message from the first node, wherein the message from the first node is received at a first time based in part on a slot start time and a first random timing offset, and wherein the message from the first node is received while at least a portion of a second signal is received from a second node at a second time based in part on the slot start time and a second random timing offset; and

transmitting a second unit of the plurality of units at the transmitter to the receiver through a second route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the forward error correction technique comprises a Reed Solomon encoding technique.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining which nodes of one or more nodes did not successfully decode the encoded signal;

transmitting a third unit of the plurality of units to the nodes of the one or more nodes that did not decode the encoded signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first route is on a first channel between the transmitter and the receiver and the second route is on a second channel between the transmitter and the receiver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmission of the second unit of the plurality of units is prevented if transmission of the first unit of the plurality of units ensures decoding of the signal to a predetermined reliability level.

6. A gateway comprising:

a processor configured to;

create an encoded signal from a source signal using a forward error correction technique, and

split the encoded signal into a plurality of units; and

a transmitter operatively coupled to the processor and configured to;

transmit a first unit of the plurality of units at a transmitter to a receiver through a first route, wherein the first route includes transmitting from the gateway to an access point with a designation to transmit the first unit to a node, wherein the gateway selects the access point based on a message from the node, wherein the message from the first node is received at a first time based in part on a slot start time and a first random timing offset, and wherein the message from the first node is received while at least a portion of a second signal is received from a second node at a second time based in part on the slot start time and a second random timing offset; and

transmit a second unit of the plurality of units at the transmitter to the receiver through a second route.

7. The gateway of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine which nodes of one or more nodes did not successfully decode the encoded signal;

and wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit a third unit of the plurality of units to the nodes of the one or more nodes that did not decode the encoded signal.

8. The gateway of claim 6, wherein the first route is on a first channel between the transmitter and the receiver and the second route is on a second channel between the transmitter and the receiver.

9. The gateway of claim 6, wherein transmission of the second unit of the plurality of units is prevented if transmission of the first unit of the plurality of units ensures decoding of the signal to a predetermined reliability level.

13. The gateway of claim 6, wherein the forward error correction technique comprises a Reed Solomon encoding technique.

10. A system comprising:

a node comprising;

a receiver; and

a gateway comprising;

a processor configured to;

create an encoded signal from a source signal using a forward error correction technique, and

split the encoded signal into a plurality of units; and

a transmitter operatively coupled to the processor and configured to;

transmit a first unit of the plurality of units at a transmitter to the receiver through a first route, wherein the first route includes transmitting from a gateway to an access point with a designation to transmit the first unit to a node, wherein the gateway selects the access point based on a message from the node, wherein the message from the first node is received at a first time based in part on a slot start time and a first random timing offset, and wherein the message from the first node is received while at least a portion of a second signal is received from a second node at a second time based in part on the slot start time and a second random timing offset; and

transmit a second unit of the plurality of units at the transmitter to the receiver through a second route.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor of the gateway is further configured to determine which nodes of one or more nodes did not successfully decode the encoded signal;

and wherein the transmitter of the gateway is further configured to transmit a third unit of the plurality of units to the nodes of the one or more nodes that did not decode the encoded signal.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first route is on a first channel between the transmitter and the receiver and the second route is on a second channel between the transmitter and the receiver.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the forward error correction technique comprises a Reed Solomon encoding technique.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein transmission of the second unit of the plurality of units is prevented if transmission of the first unit of the plurality of units ensures decoding of the signal to a predetermined reliability level.