NETWORK COMMUNICATION USING DIVERSITY

• US 20140328423A1
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Agee, Brian G., Bromberg, Matthew C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,106,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/267
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0443 utilizing "waterfilling" technique
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0456 Selection of precoding matrices or codebooks, e.g. using matrices antenna weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0465 taking power constraints at power amplifier or emission constraints, e.g. constant modulus, into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26 Systems using multi-frequency codes H04L27/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2605 Symbol extensions, e.g. Zero Tail, Unique Word [UW]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2607 Cyclic extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2627 Modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2646 using feedback from receiver for adjusting OFDM transmission parameters, e.g. transmission timing or guard interval length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/04 based on wireless node resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 : taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 : taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 : in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 : Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 : based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 : using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus for generating at least one signal based on at least one aspect of at least two received signals is provided. The apparatus comprises: a diverse antennae array of M antennae, where M is greater than or equal to two; at least one multiple-input and multiple-output capable transceiver in communication with each antenna in the diverse antennae array of M antennae; encoding circuitry capable of causing first data to be encoded; decoding circuitry capable of causing second data to be decoded; and processing capable of causing diversity combining, where the processing circuitry is in communication with the multiple-input and multiple-output capable transceiver, the encoding circuitry, and the decoding circuitry. In operation, the processing circuitry is capable of causing the apparatus to: receive at least two first signals, combine at least two of the at least first two signals, generate at least two second signals based on at least one aspect of the at least two first signals, and simultaneously transmit the at least two second signals. Additionally, the apparatus is configured such that at least one of the at least two second signals is capable of being received by a multiple-input capable node.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

wirelessly receiving a first signal from a first network node by each of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) capable second network node and a MIMO capable third network node, wherein the second network node and the third network node are in communication with each other and wherein the first signal comprises a cyclic prefix;

determining, using the first signal, a first plurality of weights; and

wirelessly transmitting, by a plurality of diverse antennas of the second network node, using the first plurality of weights, a second signal that comprises a cyclic prefix.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, using the first signal, a second plurality of weights; and

wirelessly transmitting, by a plurality of diverse antennas of the third network node, using the second plurality of weights, a third signal that comprises a cyclic prefix.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wirelessly transmitting the second signal comprises wirelessly transmitting the second signal using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), and the cyclic prefix of the second signal comprises an OFDM cyclic prefix.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of diverse antennas of the second network node comprises a plurality of spatially diverse antennas.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the third network node, to the second network node, a message,

wherein the determining comprises determining, by the second network node, the first plurality of weights using both the first signal and the message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sending comprises sending the message over a wired connection between the third network node and the second network node.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the sending comprises wirelessly transmitting the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wirelessly transmitting comprises using the first plurality of weights to perform channel-based directive wireless transmission of the second signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wirelessly transmitting comprises using the first plurality of weights to perform channel-based retrodirective wireless transmission of the second signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wirelessly transmitting comprises using the first plurality of weights to perform route-diverse wireless transmission of the second signal.

11. A method, comprising:

in response to detecting interference in a wireless link with a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) capable first network node, sending a message from the first network node to a MIMO capable second network node; and

wirelessly transmitting, by a plurality of diverse antennas of the second network node, using the message, a signal that comprises a cyclic prefix.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving over a datagram-based network, by the first network node, data,

wherein the sending the message comprises routing the data from the first network node to the second network node.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting the interference by the first network node.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wirelessly transmitting comprises wirelessly transmitting the signal using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), and the cyclic prefix comprises an OFDM cyclic prefix.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising using the message to determine a plurality of weights, wherein the wirelessly transmitting comprises wirelessly transmitting the signal by the plurality of diverse antennas using the plurality of weights.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of diverse antennas comprises a plurality of spatially diverse antennas.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the wirelessly transmitting comprises using the message to perform retrodirective wireless transmission of the signal.

18. A method comprising:

receiving data;

routing the data through a network comprising a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) capable nodes to a first node of the plurality of MIMO capable nodes, in accordance with an availability of wireless transmission capacities of the network; and

wirelessly transmitting, by a plurality of diverse antennas of the first node, a signal comprising the data and a cyclic prefix.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the network comprises a datagram-based network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the data comprises a plurality of datagrams, and wherein the routing comprises routing the plurality of datagrams over a plurality of routes through the network.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the wirelessly transmitting comprises performing retrodirective wireless transmission of the signal.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting the first node from the plurality of MIMO capable nodes according to the availability of wireless transmission capacities of the network.

23. A system, comprising:

a first network node, comprising;

one or more first wireless transceivers; and

a first computing device configured to use the one or more first wireless transceivers to wirelessly transmit a first signal that comprises a cyclic prefix;

a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) capable second network node configured to wirelessly receive the first signal, the second network node comprising;

one or more second wireless transceivers;

a first plurality of diverse antennas; and

a second computing device configured to use the first signal to control wireless transmission of a second signal by the one or more second wireless transceivers and the first plurality of diverse antennas, the second signal comprising a cyclic prefix;

a MIMO capable third network node, comprising;

one or more third wireless transceivers;

a second plurality of diverse antennas; and

a third computing device configured to use one or more wirelessly received signals to control wireless transmission by the one or more third wireless transceivers and the second plurality of diverse antennas,

wherein the second network node and the third network node are configured to communicate datagrams with each other over a communication link.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first network node comprises a mobile phone.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the communication link comprises a wired communication link.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the second computing device is further configured to route received data over the communication link, and wherein the third computing device is further configured to use the data to control wireless transmission of a fourth signal by the one or more third wireless transceivers and the second plurality of diverse antennas, the fourth signal comprising a cyclic prefix.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the first signal is wirelessly received by the first plurality of diverse antennas, and the second computing device is configured to use the first signal to control the wireless transmission by the one or more second wireless transceivers and the first plurality of diverse antennas, and

the one or more wirelessly received signals are received by the second plurality of diverse antennas, and the third computing device is configured to use the one or more wirelessly received signals to control the wireless transmission by the one or more third wireless transceivers and the second plurality of diverse antennas.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the second network node is configured to wirelessly transmit the second signal by the first plurality of diverse antennas using retrodirective wireless transmission, and

the third network node is configured to wirelessly transmit by the second plurality of diverse antennas using retrodirective wireless transmission.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the second network node is configured to wirelessly transmit the second signal by the first plurality of diverse antennas using weight-based route diversity, and

the third network node is configured to wirelessly transmit by the second plurality of diverse antennas using weight-based route diversity.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the system is configured to wirelessly transmit a fifth wireless signal from one or both of the first network node and the second network node, in accordance with an availability of wireless transmission capacities of the system.