Broadband wireless communications systems and methods using multiple non-contiguous frequency bands/segments

• US 7,454,175 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Karabinis, Peter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US11/006,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20060233147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 455/73, 370/342, 370/335, 370/320
• US Class Current: 455/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 1/12 Arrangements for reducing cross-talk between channels in line transmission systems H04B3/32; in cables or lines H04B3/26 - H04B3/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/26526 with inverse FFT [IFFT] or inverse DFT [IDFT] demodulators, e.g. standard single-carrier frequency-division multiple access [SC-FDMA] receiver or DFT spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing [DFT-SOFDM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601

Abstract

Wireless communications transceivers include a transmitter that is configured to selectively frequency shift and transmit portions of broadband information over multiple non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the broadband information. A receiver also is configured to receive and selectively frequency shift portions of broadband information from multiple non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the second broadband information. Broadband information thereby may be transmitted and received in a regulated communications environment, even though a given provider may only be assigned discontinuous frequency bands/segments, none of which is wide enough to carry the entire broadband information.

Claims

1. A wireless communications transceiver comprising:

a transmitter that is configured to selectively frequency shift and transmit portions of first broadband information over a plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments; and

a receiver that is configured to receive and selectively frequency shift portions of second broadband information from a plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the second broadband information, so as to receive the second broadband information over the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments,

wherein the transmitter comprises;

a modulator that is configured to modulate a first carrier frequency with the first broadband information;

a frequency translator that is configured to translate portions of the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information into a plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information; and

a power amplifier that is configured to amplify the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information.

2. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a time-domain to frequency-domain converter that is configured to convert the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information from a time domain into a frequency domain representation, wherein the frequency translator is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converter; and

a frequency-domain to time-domain converter that is configured to convert the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information, back into the time domain, wherein the power amplifier is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converter.

3. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 2:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises an analog-to-digital converter that is responsive to the modulator and a Fourier transformer that is responsive to the analog-to-digital converter; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises an inverse Fourier transformer that is responsive to the frequency translator and a digital-to-analog converter that is responsive to the inverse Fourier transformer.

4. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 3 wherein the frequency translator is a digital frequency translator.

5. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 2:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises a plurality of bandpass filters; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises a summer.

6. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 5 wherein the frequency translator comprises a plurality of modulators.

7. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the receiver comprises:

a sub-band channelizer that is configured to isolate the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments;

a frequency translator that is configured to translate the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments that are isolated, into a contiguous frequency band/segment; and

a demodulator that is configured to demodulate the contiguous frequency band/segment to extract a measure of the second broadband information.

8. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 7 wherein the receiver further comprises:

a time-domain to frequency-domain converter that is configured to convert the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments into a frequency domain representation, wherein the sub-band channelizer is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converter; and

a frequency-domain to time-domain converter that is configured to convert the contiguous frequency band/segment to a time domain representation, wherein the demodulator is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converter.

9. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 8:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises an analog-to-digital converter that is responsive to the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments and a Fourier transformer that is responsive to the analog-to-digital converter; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises an inverse Fourier transformer that is responsive to the frequency translator and a digital-to-analog converter that is responsive to the inverse Fourier transformer.

10. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 9 wherein the frequency translator is a digital frequency translator.

11. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 8:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converter comprises a plurality of bandpass filters; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converter comprises a summer.

12. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 7 wherein the frequency translator comprises a plurality of modulators.

13. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the transceiver comprises a portion of a radioterminal, a space-based component, a gateway, a terrestrial base station and/or an ancillary terrestrial component.

14. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of first and second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments are satellite narrowband frequency bands/segments that are controlled by a single satellite communications provider.

15. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the transmitter is configured to preferentially transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, while suppressing transmitting the first broadband information outside the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.

16. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 1 wherein the transmitter is configured to preferentially assign subportions of the first broadband information to the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, and to transmit the preferentially assigned subportions of the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.

17. A wireless communications transceiver according to claim 14 wherein the first and second non-contiguous narrowband satellite frequency bands/segments are in L-band.

18. A wireless transceiver according to claim 1:

wherein the transmitter is configured to selectively frequency shift and transmit portions of first broadband information without deleting an element of the first broadband information; and

wherein the receiver is configured to receive and selectively shift portions of second broadband information.

19. A wireless communications transceiving method comprising:

frequency shifting and transmitting portions of first broadband information over a plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments; and

receiving and frequency shifting portions of second broadband information from a plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the second broadband information, so as to receive the second broadband information over the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments,

wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting comprises;

modulating a first carrier frequency with the first broadband information;

translating portions of the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information into a plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information; and

amplifying the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting further comprises:

time-domain to frequency-domain converting the first carrier frequency that is modulated with the first broadband information from a time domain into a frequency domain representation, wherein the translating is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converting; and

frequency-domain to time-domain converting the plurality of carrier frequencies in the plurality of first non-contiguous frequency bands/segments, each of which is modulated with a portion of the first broadband information, to a time domain representation, wherein the amplifying is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converting.

21. A method according to claim 20:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises Fourier transforming; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises inverse Fourier transforming.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein the translating is performed digitally.

23. A method according to claim 20:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises bandpass filtering; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises summing.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the translating comprises modulating.

25. A method according to claim 19 wherein the receiving and frequency shifting comprises:

isolating the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments;

translating the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments that are isolated, into a contiguous frequency band/segment; and

demodulating the contiguous frequency band/segment to extract a measure of the second broadband information.

26. A method according to claim 25 wherein the receiving and frequency shifting further comprises:

time-domain to frequency-domain converting the plurality of second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments into a frequency domain representation, wherein the isolating is responsive to the time-domain to frequency-domain converting; and

frequency-domain to time-domain converting the contiguous frequency band/segment to a time domain representation, wherein the demodulating is responsive to the frequency-domain to time-domain converting.

27. A method according to claim 26:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises Fourier transforming; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises inverse Fourier transforming.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the frequency translating is performed digitally.

29. A method according to claim 26:

wherein the time-domain to frequency-domain converting comprises bandpass filtering; and

wherein the frequency-domain to time-domain converting comprises summing.

30. A method according to claim 25 wherein the frequency translating comprises modulating.

31. A method according to claim 19 wherein the transceiving method is performed by a radioterminal, a space-based component, a gateway, a terrestrial base station and/or an ancillary terrestrial component.

32. A method according to claim 19 wherein the plurality of first and second non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments are satellite narrowband frequency bands/segments that are controlled by a single satellite communications provider.

33. A method according to claim 19 wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting comprises preferentially frequency shifting and transmitting the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, while suppressing transmitting the first broadband information outside the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.

34. A method according to claim 19 wherein the frequency shifting and transmitting comprises preferentially assigning subportions of the first broadband information to the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the first broadband information, and transmitting the preferentially assigned subportions of the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, so as to transmit the first broadband information over the plurality of first non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments.

35. A method according to claim 32 wherein the first and second non-contiguous narrowband satellite frequency bands/segments are in L-band.

36. A method according to claim 19:

wherein frequency shifting and transmitting is performed without deleting an element of the first broadband information.