ASYMMETRIC TDD IN FLEXIBLE USE SPECTRUM

• US 20100124183A1
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DBSD Corporation (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DBSD Satellite Services GP (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Corea, Peter, Peters, Tom, Hyslop, Doug, Sorond, Mariam
• Granted Patent: US 7,969,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/280
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2615 using hybrid frequency-time division multiple access [FDMA-TDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/22 in which the sources have different rates or codes simultaneous speech and digital data or video transmission H04M11/06; see provisional also H04J3/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex

Abstract

A method according to an embodiment of the invention includes receiving and transmitting signals over a time division duplex (TDD) communication path. Signals are received over the TDD communication path via a first portion of a first frequency band. The first frequency band is adjacent to a second frequency band and to a third frequency band. The first frequency band is different from the second frequency band and from the third frequency band. A first frequency division duplex (FDD) communication path can be operable in the second frequency band. A second FDD communication path can be operable in the third frequency band. Signals are transmitted over the TDD communication path via a second portion of the first frequency band that is different from the first portion of the first frequency band.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving signals over a time division duplex (TDD) communication path via a first portion of a first frequency band, the first frequency band being adjacent to a second frequency band and a third frequency band, the first frequency band being different from the second frequency band and the third frequency band, a first frequency division duplex (FDD) communication path being operable in the second frequency band, and a second FDD communication path being operable in the third frequency band; and

transmitting signals over the TDD communication path via a second portion of the first frequency band different from the first portion of the first frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first frequency band, the second frequency band, and the third frequency band are mutually exclusive.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first frequency band has an associated bandwidth, the second portion of the first frequency band has an associated bandwidth larger than the bandwidth associated with the first portion of the first frequency band.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the first frequency band has an associated bandwidth, the first portion of the first frequency band has an associated bandwidth larger than the bandwidth associated with the second portion of the first frequency band.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first frequency band includes at least a portion of the second portion of the first frequency band.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving includes receiving the signals during a first time interval associated with the first portion of the first frequency band, and

the transmitting includes transmitting signals during a second time interval associated with the second portion of the first frequency band, a duration of the first time interval associated with the first portion of the first frequency band being substantially the same as a duration of the second time interval associated with the second portion of the first frequency band.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving includes receiving the signals during a first time interval associated with the first portion of the first frequency band, and

the transmitting includes transmitting signals during a second time interval associated with the second portion of the first frequency band, a duration of the first time interval associated with the first portion of the first frequency band being different from a duration of the second time interval associated with the second portion of the first frequency band.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first FDD communication path operable in the second frequency band is an FDD uplink, the second portion of the first frequency band being adjacent to the second frequency band, the first portion of the first frequency band being separated from the second frequency band by a predetermined guard band.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first FDD communication path operable in the second frequency band is an FDD downlink, the first portion of the first frequency band being adjacent to the second frequency band, the second portion of the first frequency band being separated from the second frequency band by a predetermined guard band.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first FDD communication path operable in the second frequency band is an FDD downlink and the second FDD communication link being operable in the third frequency band is an FDD downlink, the first portion of the first frequency band being adjacent to the second frequency band and the third frequency band, the second portion of the first frequency band being separated from the second frequency band by a first predetermined guard band, the second portion of the first frequency band being separated from the third frequency band by a second predetermined guard band.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first portion of the first frequency band or the second portion of the first frequency band is adjacent to the second frequency band.

12. A method, comprising:

operating over a wireless asymmetric time division duplex (TDD) communication path via a first frequency band, the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path having an uplink portion associated with a first portion of the first frequency band and a downlink portion associated with a second portion of the first frequency band different from the first portion of the first frequency band associated with the uplink portion, the first frequency band being adjacent to a second frequency band and a third frequency band, the first frequency band being different from the second frequency band and the third frequency band, a wireless frequency division duplex (FDD) communication path being operable in the second frequency band, and a wireless TDD communication path being operable in the third frequency band and synchronized to the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path; and

communicating signals over the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second portion of the first frequency band associated with the downlink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path is larger than the first portion of the first frequency band associated with the uplink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless FDD communication path operable in the second frequency band is an FDD downlink, the second portion of the first frequency band associated with the downlink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path being adjacent to the second frequency band, the first portion of the first frequency band associated with the uplink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path being separated from the second frequency band by a predetermined guard band.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first portion of the first frequency band associated with the uplink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path is larger than the second portion of the first frequency band associated with the downlink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless FDD communication path operable in the second frequency band is an FDD uplink, the first portion of the first frequency band associated with the uplink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path being adjacent to the second frequency band, the second portion of the first frequency band associated with the downlink portion of the wireless asymmetric TDD communication path being separated from the second frequency band by a predetermined guard band.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving signals over a first time division duplex (TDD) scheme via a first portion of a first wireless frequency band, the first wireless frequency band being adjacent to a second wireless frequency band and a third wireless frequency band, the first wireless frequency band being different from the second wireless frequency band and the third wireless frequency band, a second TDD scheme unsynchronized with the first TDD scheme being operable in the second wireless frequency band, and a third TDD scheme synchronized with the first TDD scheme being operable in the third wireless frequency band; and

transmitting signals over the first TDD scheme via a second portion of the first wireless frequency band different from the first portion of the first wireless frequency band.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first portion of the first wireless frequency band has an associated bandwidth, the second portion of the first wireless frequency band has an associated bandwidth different from the bandwidth associated with the first portion of the first wireless frequency band.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the receiving is associated with a downlink portion of the first TDD scheme, and the transmitting is associated with an uplink portion of the first TDD scheme.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first portion of the first wireless frequency band is separate from the second wireless frequency band by a first predetermined guard band,

the first portion of the first wireless frequency band is adjacent to the third wireless frequency band,

the second portion of the first wireless frequency band is separate from the second wireless frequency band by a second predetermined guard band, and

the second portion of the first wireless frequency band is adjacent to the third wireless frequency band.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first TDD scheme has an uplink time interval and a downlink time interval,

the second TDD scheme has an uplink time interval and a downlink time interval,

the uplink time interval of the first TDD scheme being different from the uplink time interval of the second TDD scheme, and

the downlink time interval of the first TDD scheme being different from the downlink time interval of the second TDD scheme.

22. A method, comprising:

operating a first communication portion of a first time division duplex (TDD) scheme via an uplink portion of a first wireless frequency band, the first wireless frequency band being adjacent to a second wireless frequency band and a third wireless frequency band, the first wireless frequency band being different from the second wireless frequency band and the third wireless frequency band, a second TDD scheme unsynchronized with the first TDD scheme being operable in the second wireless frequency band, and a third TDD scheme unsynchronized with the first TDD scheme being operable in the third wireless frequency band; and

operating a second communication portion of the first TDD scheme via a downlink portion of the first wireless frequency band different from the uplink portion of the first wireless frequency band.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the uplink portion of the first wireless frequency band is separate from the second wireless frequency band by a first predetermined guard band,

the uplink portion of the first wireless frequency band is separate from the third wireless frequency band by a second predetermined guard band, and

the downlink portion of the first wireless frequency band is adjacent to the second wireless frequency and the third wireless frequency band.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the downlink portion of the first wireless frequency band is separate from the second wireless frequency band by a first predetermined guard band,

the downlink portion of the first wireless frequency band is separate from the third wireless frequency band by a second predetermined guard band, and

the uplink portion of the first wireless frequency band is adjacent to the second wireless frequency and the third wireless frequency band.

25. A method, comprising:

operating a wireless time division duplex (TDD) communication path via a first frequency band, the wireless TDD communication path having an uplink bandwidth and a downlink bandwidth larger than the uplink bandwidth, the first frequency band being adjacent to a second frequency band and a third frequency band, the first frequency band being different from the second frequency band and the third frequency band, a wireless broadcast being operable in the second frequency band, and a wireless frequency division duplex (FDD) communication path being operable in the third frequency band; and

communicating signals over the wireless TDD communication path.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein:

a first portion of the first frequency band is associated with the uplink bandwidth of the wireless TDD communication path,

a second portion of the first frequency band different from the first portion of the first frequency band is associated with the downlink bandwidth of the wireless TDD communication path, and

the second portion of the first frequency band being separated from the second frequency band by a predetermined guard band.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the uplink bandwidth of the wireless TDD communication path and the downlink bandwidth of the wireless TDD communication path are not mutually exclusive.