Method and system for distributed communication

• US 9,264,125 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peltbeam Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Golba LLC
• Inventors: Moshfeghi, Mehran
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Dung B
• Application Number:
  US14/187,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0096 where a full band is frequency converted into another full band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/28 the receiver comprising at least one semiconductor device having three or more electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0002 analog front ends; means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line duplex arrangements H04L5/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1461 Suppression of signals in the return path, i.e. bidirectional control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A decentralized communication device is provided that facilitates optimal positioning and orientation of one or more antennas for wireless communication with external devices. The decentralized communication device includes one or more master components and one or more slave components. The master and the slave components are physically separate and communicate wirelessly. In some embodiments the slave acts as a carrier frequency translator between the master and an external wireless device, where it communicates with the external device using a first frequency and communicates with the master using a second frequency which is different from the first frequency. In another embodiment the slave has most or all the physical layer to do the digital coding, digital modulation, data framing, data formatting and data packetization for communicating with an external device, in which case digital coding and digital modulation is distributed between the master and the slave.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a master component comprising;

a digital baseband module;

a modem module communicatively coupled to the digital baseband module; and

a set of slave components;

each slave component comprising an antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device using a first carrier frequency;

each slave component connected to the master component by a wire line and communicating with the master component using a second carrier frequency; and

each slave component further comprising a frequency converter configured to (i) convert signals received from the master component through the wire line between the slave component and the master component from the second frequency into the first frequency and (ii) convert signals received through the antenna from the first frequency into the second frequency,

wherein the digital baseband module is configured to select a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with the external device,

wherein the modem module is configured to split a signal received at the modem module into a set of signal streams at the second carrier frequency; and

wherein the master component is configured to transmit each signal stream in the set of signal streams to each particular slave component in the plurality of slave components through the wire line between the master component and the particular slave component.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the master component and each of the slave components are physically separate and each includes a separate power source.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the master component, each of the slave components, and the external device are on separate integrated circuit (IC) chips included in an electronic device, wherein the electronic device uses the master component, the slave components, and the external device for chip-to-chip communication.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein each slave component in the set of slave components operates with one of wireless power and rechargeable batteries.

5. The communication device of claim 4, wherein the wireless power operates through one of radio frequency (RF) and magnetic induction.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the baseband module is further configured to (i) receive bits of digital information and send digitally modulated signals to the modem module and (ii) receive signals from the modem module and extract bits of digital information from the received signals.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein each slave component in the set of slave components further comprises a digital signal processing unit for digital coding, digital modulation, data framing, data formatting and data packetization for a standard or for conversion.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein each slave component in the set of slave components further comprises:

a duplexer communicatively coupled to the antenna, the duplexer configured to receive the signals from the antenna and send the signals to the antenna;

a power amplifier communicatively coupled to the duplexer, the power amplifier configured to amplify the signals sent to the duplexer; and

a low noise amplifier configured to amplify the signals received from the duplexer.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the master component further comprises a control unit and each slave component in the set of slave components further comprises a control unit communicatively coupled to the master component control unit through a control channel for synchronization, gain control, programming, calibration and changing of parameters.

10. The communication device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of slave components includes fewer slave components than the set of slave components.

11. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the external device is a first external device, wherein the plurality of slave components is a first plurality of slave components, wherein the digital baseband module is further configured to select a second plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with a second external device.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the first plurality of slave components and the second plurality of slave components concurrently use said first carrier frequency.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the first plurality of slave components and the second plurality of slave components use different carrier frequencies.

14. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the set of slave components comprises a first slave component using a first wireless communication standard and a second slave component using a second wireless communication standard, wherein the first wireless communication standard is one of Wi-Fi, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, cellular second generation (2G), cellular third generation (3G), cellular fourth generation (4G), Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), WiGig, Wireless HD, HD Radio, and Ultra-wideband, wherein the second wireless standard is a different one of Wi-Fi, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, cellular second generation (2G), cellular third generation (3G), cellular fourth generation (4G), Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), WiGig, Wireless HD, HD Radio, and Ultra-wideband.

15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the wireless power operates through one of radio frequency (RF) and magnetic induction.

16. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the master component operates with one of wireless power and rechargeable batteries.

17. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the modem module is further configured to (i) receive digitally modulated signals and generate analog signals in the second carrier frequency for transmission to one or more slave components in the set of slave components and (ii) receive signals in the second carrier frequency from one or more slave components in the set of slave components and perform analog to digital conversion on the received signals.

18. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of slave components are configured to communicate with the external device concurrently and over said first carrier frequency.

19. A communication device, comprising:

a master component comprising;

a digital baseband module; and

a set of slave components;

each slave component comprising a plurality of antennas configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device using a first carrier frequency;

each slave component comprising a beamformer communicatively coupled to said plurality of the slave component antennas;

each slave component connected to the master component by a wire line and communicating with the master component using a second carrier frequency;

each slave component further comprising a frequency converter configured to (i) convert signals having the first carrier frequency into signals having the second carrier frequency and (ii) convert signals having the second carrier frequency into signals having the first carrier frequency,

wherein the digital baseband module is configured to select a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with the external device, and

wherein each particular slave component is configured to (i) receive signals in the second carrier frequency from the master component through the wire line between the particular slave component and the master component, (ii) convert the received signals from the second carrier frequency to the first carrier frequency, and (iii) utilize the beamformer of the particular slave component to perform beamforming between the plurality of antennas of the particular slave component and the external device to transmit the converted signals to the external device using the first carrier frequency.

20. The communication device of claim 19, wherein the master component further comprises a control unit and each slave component in the set of slave components further comprises a control unit communicatively coupled to the master component control unit through a control channel for synchronization, gain control, programming, calibration and changing of parameters.

21. The communication device of claim 19, wherein said plurality of slave components includes fewer slave components than the set of slave components.

22. The communication device of claim 19, wherein the external device is a first external device, wherein the plurality of slave components is a first plurality of slave components, wherein the digital baseband module is further configured to select a second plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with a second external device.

23. The communication device of claim 19, wherein the set of slave components comprises a first slave component using a first wireless communication standard and a second slave component using a second wireless communication standard, wherein the first wireless communication standard is one of Wi-Fi, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, cellular second generation (2G), cellular third generation (3G), cellular fourth generation (4G), Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), WiGig, Wireless HD, HD Radio, and Ultra-wideband, wherein the second wireless standard is a different one of Wi-Fi, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, cellular second generation (2G), cellular third generation (3G), cellular fourth generation (4G), Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), WiGig, Wireless HD, HD Radio, and Ultra-wideband.

24. The communication device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of slave components are configured to communicate with the external device concurrently and over said first carrier frequency.

25. The communication device of claim 19, wherein the master component is further configured to (i) receive digitally modulated signals and generate analog signals in the second carrier frequency for transmission to one or more slave components in the set of slave components and (ii) receive signals in the second carrier frequency from one or more slave components in the set of slave components and perform analog to digital conversion on the received signals.