Method and system for distributed communication
First Claim
1. A communication device, comprising:
- a master component comprising;
a digital baseband module;
a modem module communicatively coupled to the digital baseband module; and
an antenna communicatively coupled to the modem module;
a set of slave components, each slave component comprising;
a first antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device using a first carrier frequency;
a second antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with the antenna of the master component using a second carrier frequency; and
a frequency converter configured to (i) convert signals received through the second antenna from the second carrier frequency into the first carrier frequency and (ii) convert signals received through the first antenna from the first carrier frequency into the second carrier frequency, wherein the first carrier frequency is lower than the second carrier frequency, wherein the first antenna is larger than the second antenna,wherein the digital baseband module is configured to select a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with the external device,wherein the modem module is configured to split a signal received at the modem module at a third frequency into a set of signal streams at the second carrier frequency, the third carrier frequency higher than the second carrier frequency, andwherein the master component antenna is configured to (i) receive the set of signal streams from the modem module and (ii) transmit each signal stream in the set of signal streams to the second antenna of one of the slave components in the plurality of slave components.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A decentralized communication device is provided that facilitates optimal positioning and orientation of one or more antennas for wireless communication with external devices. The decentralized communication device includes one or more master components and one or more slave components. The master and the slave components are physically separate and communicate wirelessly. In some embodiments the slave acts as a carrier frequency translator between the master and an external wireless device, where it communicates with the external device using a first frequency and communicates with the master using a second frequency which is different from the first frequency. In another embodiment the slave has most or all the physical layer to do the digital coding, digital modulation, data framing, data formatting and data packetization for communicating with an external device, in which case digital coding and digital modulation is distributed between the master and the slave.
21 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A communication device, comprising:
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a master component comprising; a digital baseband module; a modem module communicatively coupled to the digital baseband module; and an antenna communicatively coupled to the modem module; a set of slave components, each slave component comprising; a first antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device using a first carrier frequency; a second antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with the antenna of the master component using a second carrier frequency; and a frequency converter configured to (i) convert signals received through the second antenna from the second carrier frequency into the first carrier frequency and (ii) convert signals received through the first antenna from the first carrier frequency into the second carrier frequency, wherein the first carrier frequency is lower than the second carrier frequency, wherein the first antenna is larger than the second antenna, wherein the digital baseband module is configured to select a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with the external device, wherein the modem module is configured to split a signal received at the modem module at a third frequency into a set of signal streams at the second carrier frequency, the third carrier frequency higher than the second carrier frequency, and wherein the master component antenna is configured to (i) receive the set of signal streams from the modem module and (ii) transmit each signal stream in the set of signal streams to the second antenna of one of the slave components in the plurality of slave components. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A communication device, comprising:
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a master component comprising; a processing unit; and an antenna communicatively coupled to the processing unit; a set of slave components, each slave component comprising; a first antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of external devices using a first carrier frequency; a second antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with the antenna of the master component using a second carrier frequency; and a frequency converter configured to (i) convert signals received through the second antenna from the second carrier frequency into the first carrier frequency and (ii) convert signals received through the first antenna from the first frequency into the second frequency, wherein the first carrier frequency is lower than the second carrier frequency, wherein the first antenna is larger than the second antenna, wherein the master component processing unit is configured to select a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with a particular external device from the plurality of external devices based on a set of criteria, wherein the master component antenna is configured to transmit signals to the second antenna of each slave component in the plurality of slave components using the second carrier frequency, wherein the master component processing unit is further configured to change RF delays, phases, and amplitudes of the signals transmitted from the master component antenna to the second antenna of each slave component in the plurality of slave components to maximize a signal received at the particular external device from the plurality of slave components, and wherein the plurality of slave components are configured to (i) receive signals transmitted from the master component antenna and (ii) perform beam-forming by combining signals transmitted from the first antenna of each slave component in the plurality of slave components to the particular external device into one channel using the first carrier frequency. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A communication device, comprising:
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a master component comprising; a digital baseband module; a plurality of modem modules communicatively coupled to the digital baseband module, each modem module configured to modulate and demodulate a carrier frequency in a plurality of carrier frequencies with digital information; and an antenna communicatively coupled to the plurality of modem modules; a set of slave components, each slave component comprising; a first antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device using a particular carrier frequency; a second antenna configured to wirelessly communicate with the antenna of the master component using a corresponding carrier frequency from a plurality of carrier frequencies, each carrier frequency in the plurality of carrier frequencies higher than the particular carrier frequency, wherein the digital baseband module is configured to select a plurality of slave components from the set of slave components to communicate with the external device, wherein the plurality of modem modules is configured to perform space-time coding of signals transmitted from the master component antenna to the second antenna of each slave component in the plurality of slave components, the space-time coded signals having a different carrier frequency corresponding to each slave component in the plurality of slave components, and wherein each slave component in the plurality of slave components is configured to (i) receive signals in the corresponding frequency of the slave component from the master component antenna, (ii) convert the received signal from the corresponding frequency to said particular carrier frequency, and (iii) transmit the converted signals from the first antenna of the slave component to the external device using the particular carrier frequency. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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Specification