Automatically adjustable radiofrequency link

• US 9,826,534 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bowers, Jeffrey A., Chan, Alistair K., Hannigan, Russell J., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Kundtz, Nathan, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Pendry, John Brian, Smith, David R., Tegreene, Clarence T., Tuckerman, David B., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Jr., Lowell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US15/402,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20170127420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 455 62, 455 631, 455 6711, 455 68- 71, 4551151, 455126, 4551611, 4551641, 4552261, 455507
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/02 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1081 Reduction of multipath noise by equalising H04B7/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/1072 by tuning the receiver frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

An automatically adjustable radiofrequency link system includes a radiofrequency transmitter configured to transmit a signal at a frequency of transmission within an extremely high frequency (EHF) band. The system further includes a receiving device configured to receive the transmitted signal and provide feedback to a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the transmitter and the receiving device, wherein the feedback is related to the received signal. The processing circuit is configured to determine required signal properties based on the feedback and determine signal loss properties including an effect of atmospheric absorption, as a function of frequency; determine a modification to the transmitted signal using the signal loss properties and the required signal properties; and adjust the frequency of transmission to obtain a desired transmission signal using the modification.

Claims

1. An automatically adjustable radiofrequency link system, comprising:

a receiving device configured to;

receive a signal transmitted at a frequency of transmission within an extremely high frequency (EHF) band; and

provide feedback to a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the receiving device, wherein the feedback is related to the received signal; and

the processing circuit configured to;

determine required signal properties based on the feedback;

determine signal loss properties including an effect of atmospheric absorption, as a function of frequency;

determine a modification to the transmitted signal using the signal loss properties and the required signal properties; and

generate an instruction signal to adjust the frequency of transmission to obtain a desired transmission signal using the modification.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a backlink transmitter coupled to the receiving device, the backlink transmitter configured to transmit a feedback signal comprising signal property information to a radiofrequency transmitter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal loss properties are determined in part from a model of atmospheric absorption properties versus frequency.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the atmospheric absorption properties are based on absorption due to oxygen molecules in the atmosphere.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the signal loss properties further include an effect of absorption properties due to water in the atmosphere.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the desired transmission signal has frequency such that a desired attenuation is induced by atmospheric absorption.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the frequency is between 57 GHz and 64 GHz.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the instruction signal comprises optimizing at least one property related to the radiofrequency link system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the property includes a signal-to-interference ratio of the signal at the receiving device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the property includes an error rate of the signal at the receiving device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

analyze the signal loss properties to determine a parameter adjustment to a parameter associated with a radiofrequency transmitter from which the signal is received; and

adjust the parameter based on the determined parameter adjustment.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein adjusting the parameter is further based on an environmental condition.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the condition includes an altitude.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the condition includes humidity.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the condition includes a type of precipitation or an amount of precipitation.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the feedback is based on characteristics of the signal as measured at the receiving device.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to generate a command corresponding to adjusting the frequency, and wherein the command instructs the receiving device how to track the adjusted frequency.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric absorption model is updated via input from a sensor.

19. A method for automatically adjusting a radiofrequency link, comprising:

receiving, by a receiving device, a radiofrequency signal at a frequency of transmission within an extremely high frequency (EHF) band;

providing, by the receiving device, feedback to a processing device communicatively coupled to the receiving device, wherein the feedback is related to the received signal;

determining, by the processing device, required signal properties based on the feedback;

determining, by the processing device, signal loss properties including an effect of atmospheric absorption, as a function of frequency;

determining, by the processing device, a modification to the transmitted signal using the signal loss properties and the required signal properties; and

generating, by the processing device, an instruction signal to adjust the frequency of transmission to obtain a desired transmission signal using the modification.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting, by a backlink transmitter coupled to the receiving device, a feedback signal comprising signal property information to a radiofrequency transmitter.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein signal loss properties are determined in part from a model of atmospheric absorption properties versus frequency.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the desired transmission signal has a frequency such that a desired attenuation is induced by atmospheric absorption.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the frequency is between 57 GHz and 64 GHz.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein adjusting the frequency of transmission comprises optimizing at least one property related to the radiofrequency link system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein optimizing the property includes minimizing interference caused by the signal.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein optimizing the property includes minimizing a probability of interception of the signal.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein optimizing the property includes minimizing a probability of detection of the signal.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

analyzing the signal loss properties to determine a parameter adjustment to a parameter associated with a radiofrequency transmitter from which the signal is received; and

adjusting the parameter based on the determined parameter adjustment.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the parameter includes a transmission direction of the radiofrequency transmitter.

30. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating a command corresponding to adjusting the frequency, and wherein the command instructs the receiving device how to track the adjusted frequency.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the command is embedded in the transmitted signal.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the command is transmitted via a communications channel separate from a channel for communication with a radiofrequency transmitter from which the transmitted signal is received.

33. The method of claim 19, wherein the atmospheric absorption model is updated via input from a sensor.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the sensor includes at least one of a barometric sensor, temperature sensor, precipitation sensor, or humidity sensor, and the input includes at least one of pressure data, temperature data, precipitation data, or humidity data.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the sensor includes an oxygen sensor, and the input includes oxygen concentration data.