Communications system and network

• US 4,451,699 A
• Filed: 06/16/1982
• Issued: 05/29/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Broadcom, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadcom, Inc.
• Inventors: Gruenberg, Elliot L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Psitos, Aristotelis M.
• Application Number:
  US06/389,033
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2 EB, 343/100 TD, 455/11-13, 455/15-17, 455/19-22, 455/25, 455/56, 455/62
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/00 Radio transmission systems, i.e. using radiation field H04B10/00, H04B15/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18521 Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service for optical links between satellites H04B10/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A communications system and network wherein communications links between subscribers are established by retrodirective oscillating loops between each subscriber and a node station. Provision is also made for establishment of retrodirective oscillating loops between nodes so that remotely located subscribers can communicate. Information is transmitted between subscribers by using a mixing process in the node whereby information transmitted from one subscriber to a node is transferred to a carrier signal transmitted between nodes or between a second node and another subscriber. A sampling technique is also described for use in the node which greatly minimizes the amount of apparatus required to implement the mixing process.

Claims

1. A communication system having at least two node stations and at least one subscriber station associated with each node station, said communication system comprising, means for establishing a first retrodirective loop between one of said subscriber stations and its associated node station, means for establishing a second retrodirective loop between said two node stations, means for establishing a third retrodirective loop between the other of said subscriber stations and its associated node station and means for transferring information between said subscriber stations via said first, second and third retrodirective loops, said first, second and third retrodirective oscilating loops being interdependent and being established substantially simultaneously.

2. A node for use in a communications system including a plurality of subscriber stations, said node comprising a plurality of antenna means, each of said antenna means for receiving a first carrier signal of a characteristic frequency transmitted by a first one of said subscriber stations and a second carrier signal transmitted by a second one of said subscriber stations and having a frequency related to the characteristic frequency of said first carrier signal, a signal processor, first multiplexing means for successively coupling selected ones of said receiving antenna means to said signal processor, said signal processor receiving said first and second carrier signals to produce a third carrier signal at a particular frequency, a plurality of antenna means for transmitting said third carrier signal at a particular frequency to said first and second subscriber stations and second multiplexing means for successively coupling selected ones of said transmitting antenna means to said signal processor, whereby retrodirective oscillating loops are selectively established between subscriber stations and the node to permit communications between subscriber stations, said retrodirective oscillating loops being interdependent and established substantially simultaneously.

3. A node for use in a communication system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said signal processor includes a modulation processor and a control carrier signal processor, said first and second carrier signals each including modulation signals from said first and second subscriber stations, said carrier signal processor including means for generating said third carrier signal and said modulation processor including means for removing the modulation from said first and second carrier signals and for directing the modulation removed from said first carrier signal to said second subscriber station and for directing the modulation removed from said second carrier signal to said first subscriber station.

4. A node for use in a communications system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said first multiplexing means includes means for sampling said first and second carrier signals present at a selected one of said receiving antenna means for a predetermined interval of time, said node further including means for summing said first and second carrier signal samples during an interval in which said selected receiving antenna means is not coupled to said signal processor, and means for transferring said summed first and second carrier signal samples to said signal processor during the interval in which said selected receiving antenna means is coupled to said control carrier signal processor.

5. A communication system having at least two retrodirective node stations, at least one subscriber station associated with each retrodirective node station and a retrodirective communication link between said retrodirective node stations, said communication system comprising means for establishing a first retrodirective oscillating loop between one of said subscriber stations and its associated retrodirective node station, for establishing a second retrodirective oscillating loop between the other of said subscriber stations and its associated node stations, and for establishing a third retrodirective oscillating loop between said two retrodirective node stations, said first, second and third retrodirective oscillating loops being interdependent and being established substantially simultaneously, said third retrodirective oscillating loop conveying energy characteristic of said first retrodirective oscillating loop to said second retrodirective node and conveying energy characteristic of said second retrodirective oscillating loop to said first retrodirective node so that the energy characteristic of each of said retrodirective oscillating loops combine in each of said retrodirective nodes and means for transferring information between said subscriber stations via said first, second and third retrodirective oscillating loops.

6. A communications system in accordance with claim 5 wherein each of said retrodirective stations includes a plurality of antenna means, each of said antenna means for receiving a first carrier signal of a characteristic frequency transmitted by a first one of said subscriber stations and a second carrier signal transmitted by a second one of said subscriber stations and having a frequency related to the characteristic frequency of said first carrier signal, a signal processor, first multiplexing means for successively coupling selected ones of said receiving antenna means to said signal processor, said signal processor receiving said first and second carrier signals to produce a third carrier signal at a particular frequency, a plurality of antenna means for transmitting said third carrier signal at a particular frequency to said first and second subscriber stations and second multiplexing means for successively coupling selected ones of said transmitting antenna means to said signal processor.

7. A communication system in accordance with claim 6 wherein said signal processor includes a modulation processor and a control carrier signal processor, said first and second carrier signals each including modulation signals from said first and second subscriber stations, said carrier signal processor including means for generating said third carrier signal and said modulation processor including means for removing the modulation from said first and second carrier signals and for directing the modulation removed from said first carrier signal to said second subscriber station and for directing the modulation removed from said second carrier signal to said first subscriber station.

8. A comunications system in accordance with claim 7 wherein said first multiplexing means includes means for sampling said first and second carrier signals present at a selected one of said receiving antenna means for a predetermined interval of time, each of said retrodirective node stations further including means for summing said first and second carrier signal samples during an interval in which said selected receiving antenna means is not coupled to said signal processor, and means for transferring said summed first and second carrier signals samples to said signal processor during the interval in which said selected receiving antenna means is coupled to said control carrier signal processor.

9. A method for establishing a communications highway between at least two subscriber stations, with each subscriber station being associated with at least one node station, the method comprising the steps of;

establishing a first retrodirective loop between one of said subscriber stations and an associated node station, establishing a second retrodirective loop between the other of said subscriber stations and an associated node station, establishing a third retrodirective loop between two node stations and transferring information between said subscriber stations via said first, second and third retrodirective loops, said first, second and third retrodirective loops being interdependent and being established substantially simultaneously.

10. A method for establishing a communications highway between a plurality of subscriber stations including the steps of;

receiving, at a plurality of node receiving antennas, a first carrier signal of a characteristic frequency transmitted by a first one of said subscriber stations and a second carrier signal transmitted by a second one of said subscriber stations, said second carrier signal having a frequency related to the characteristic frequency of said first carrier signal, successively coupling selected ones of said node receiving antennas to a signal processor, receiving at said signal processor said first and second carrier signals and producing a third carrier signal at a particular frequency, transmitting from a plurality of node transmitting antennas said third carrier signal at a particular frequency to said first and second subscriber stations and successively coupling selected ones of said node transmitting antennas to said signal processor, whereby retrodirective oscillating loops are selectively established between subscriber stations to permit communications, said retrodirective oscillating loops being interdependent and established substantially simultaneously.