Fixed OFDM wireless MAN utilizing CPE having internal antenna

• US 7,626,920 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NextNet Wireless, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dunn, J. Eric, Grindahl, Mervin L., Kelman, Vladimir Z., Froelich, Stuart A., Barnes, Keith W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh; Bob A
• Application Number:
  US11/097,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20050176379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 370/335, 370/281, 370/322, 709/227
• US Class Current: 370/208
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2657 Carrier synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2662 Symbol synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/021 adapted for Wireless Local Loop operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A fixed wireless access system generally comprises a consumer premise equipment (CPE) unit, that is connected via an Ethernet interface to a personal computer or local area network, and a base station unit that is connected via an Ethernet interface to a network. As such, the CPE unit is preferably easily user-installed while the base station unit is preferably tower-mounted within a 1-5 mile range of the CPE unit. Both the CPE unit and base station unit preferably incorporate an integrated data transceiver/switch that enables a radio frequency air link operating in the 2.5-2.686 GHz range. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing is used in the uplink and downlink transmissions between CPE units and base station units.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a first transceiver positioned at a base station unit and a second transceiver positioned at a user location remote from the base station unit, wherein said first and second transceivers communicate over a radio frequency air link permitting both uplink transmissions from the user location to the base station unit and downlink transmissions from the base station unit to the user location, that utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation and up link and downlink frames that each comprises a plurality of channel slots, between said first and second transceivers, and wherein said downlink transmission comprises a message packet that fully occupies an allocated downlink channel slot and said uplink transmission comprises a message packet that does not fully occupy an allocated downlink channel slot.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said air link is established through a media access control (MAC) protocol.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said MAC protocol provides a slotted-aloha media access with implicit reservation slots for an extended message exceeding one slot of payload information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame of said downlink transmission includes a field selected from a group consisting of:

a destination address field, a frame header field, and a uplink channel status field.

5. The system of claim 1,wherein said uplink transmission is presented within a fixed number of uplink slots.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said uplink channel status field includes quality of service (008).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said uplink transmissions and said downlink transmissions are time division duplexed.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said uplink transmissions are transmitted in a plurality of uplink slots and said downlink transmissions are transmitted in a plurality of downlink slots, and wherein there is a variable ratio of said downlink slots to said uplink slots.

9. A wireless communication method between a first transceiver and a second transceiver, comprising:

establishing a radio frequency airlink between the first and second transceivers;

communicating between the first and second transceivers over the air link permitting both uplink transmissions and downlink transmissions, that utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation and uplink and downlink frames that each comprises a plurality of channel slots, between the first and second transceivers;

configuring the downlink transmission to include a message packet that fully occupies an allocated downlink channel slot; and

configuring the uplink transmission to include a message packet that does not fully occupy an allocated downlink channel slot.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the air link is established through a media access control (MAC) protocol.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the MAC protocol provides a slotted-aloha media access with implicit reservation slots for an extended message exceeding one slot of payload information.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein configuring the frame of the downlink transmission includes configuring a field selected from a group consisting of:

a destination address field, a frame header field, and a uplink channel status field.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the uplink channel status field includes quality of service (QoS) data.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein configuring the uplink transmission comprises presenting the uplink transmission within a fixed number of uplink slots.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the uplink transmissions and the downlink transmissions are time division duplexed.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the uplink transmissions are transmitted in a plurality of uplink slots and the downlink transmissions are transmitted in a plurality of downlink slots, and wherein there is a variable ratio of the downlink slots to the uplink slots.