Simultaneous use of multiple radio frequency channels

• US 9,722,660 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gossett, C Philip, McCloskey, E. Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Eva
• Application Number:
  US14/974,332
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 375140, 375272, 370342
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7103 the interference being multiple access interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/04 by frequency scrambling, i.e. by transposing or inverting parts of the frequency band or by inverting the whole band
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/10 by using two signals transmitted simultaneously or successively
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/224 with countermeasures at transmission and/or reception of the jammed signal, e.g. stopping operation of transmitter or receiver, nulling or enhancing transmitted power in direction of or at frequency of jammer

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for identifying data that is designated for wireless transmission to a remote computing device. A digital signal that encodes the data for transmission across a band of radio frequency channels is generated.

Multiple radio frequency channels in the band that are available are determined. The digital signal is filtered to substantially reduce a power level of the digital signal at frequencies that correspond to channels in the band that have not been determined to be available. The filtered digital signal is converted to an analog signal. The analog signal is provided to an analog transmitter that isolates the band of channels to generate an isolated analog signal and that wirelessly transmits the isolated analog signal over the multiple available channels using one or more antennas.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

modulating, by a first communication system, a first digital signal that encodes a first stream of data with a second digital signal that encodes a second stream of data that is different than the first stream of data, to generate a third digital signal that is adapted to occupy a first range of frequencies during wireless transmission by the first communication system,

wherein the second digital signal encodes the second stream of data at a second frequency that is greater than a first frequency at which the first digital signal encodes the first stream of data;

generating, by the first communication system, a filtered digital signal by removing or reducing a power level of frequency components of the third digital signal over a second range of frequencies that is to fall within the first range of frequencies during wireless transmission by the first communication system; and

providing the filtered digital signal for wireless transmission by the first communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second range of frequencies has been identified as being for wireless transmission that is performed by a third-party system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second range of frequencies was identified as being for wireless transmission that is performed by the third-party system as a result of a system having identified that a power level of one or more wireless transmissions within the second range of frequencies exceeded a predetermined power level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein removing or reducing the power level of the frequency components of the third digital signal is performed on a frequency domain representation of the third digital signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

converting the third digital signal from a time domain representation of the third digital signal to the frequency domain representation of the third digital signal before the filtered digital signal is generated by the first communication system; and

converting the filtered digital signal from a frequency domain representation of the filtered digital signal to a time domain representation of the filtered digital signal after the filtered digital signal has been generated by the first communication system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first digital signal is a digital signal that was received at the first communication system from another computing system and that has been designated for transmission to a particular receiving device in a cellular communication system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second digital signal encodes a pseudorandom sequence of digital values.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtered digital signal is filtered before wireless transmission by the first communication system to isolate the filtered digital signal to the first range of frequencies.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the filtered digital signal for wireless transmission by the first communication system includes providing the filtered digital signal to a digital to analog converter for conversion from digital form to analog form before a modulation with an analog carrier frequency signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission of the filtered digital signal by the first communication system occupies discontiguous portions of the first range of frequencies, the discontiguous portions of the first range of frequencies being separated from one another by the second range of frequencies over which the frequency components of the third digital signal have been removed or had their power level reduced.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device including instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause performance of operations that comprise:

modulating, by a first communication system, a first digital signal that encodes a first stream of data with a second digital signal that encodes a second stream of data that is different than the first stream of data, to generate a third digital signal that is adapted to occupy a first range of frequencies during wireless transmission by the first communication system,

wherein the second digital signal encodes the second stream of data at a second frequency that is greater than a first frequency at which the first digital signal encodes the first stream of data;

generating, by the first communication system, a filtered digital signal by removing or reducing a power level of frequency components of the third digital signal over a second range of frequencies that is to fall within the first range of frequencies during wireless transmission by the first communication system; and

providing the filtered digital signal for wireless transmission by the first communication system.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the second range of frequencies has been identified as being for wireless transmission that is performed by a third-party system.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the second range of frequencies was identified as being for wireless transmission that is performed by the third-party system as a result of a system having identified that a power level of one or more wireless transmissions within the second range of frequencies exceeded a predetermined power level.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein removing or reducing the power level of the frequency components of the third digital signal is performed on a frequency domain representation of the third digital signal.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

converting the third digital signal from a time domain representation of the third digital signal to the frequency domain representation of the third digital signal before the filtered digital signal is generated by the first communication system; and

converting the filtered digital signal from a frequency domain representation of the filtered digital signal to a time domain representation of the filtered digital signal after the filtered digital signal has been generated by the first communication system.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the first digital signal is a digital signal that was received at the first communication system from another computing system and that has been designated for transmission to a particular receiving device in a cellular communication system.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the second digital signal encodes a pseudorandom sequence of digital values.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the filtered digital signal is filtered before wireless transmission by the first communication system to isolate the filtered digital signal to the first range of frequencies.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein providing the filtered digital signal for wireless transmission by the first communication system includes providing the filtered digital signal to a digital to analog converter for conversion from digital form to analog form before a modulation with an analog carrier frequency signal.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the wireless transmission of the filtered digital signal by the first communication system occupies discontiguous portions of the first range of frequencies, the discontiguous portions of the first range of frequencies being separated from one another by the second range of frequencies over which the frequency components of the third digital signal have been removed or had their power level reduced.