Time division duplex wireless network and associated method using modulation groups

• US 9,363,029 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kirk J. Griffin, Access Solutions, Ltd. (LOXAM SAS), Paul F. Struhsaker, Russell C. Mckown
• Original Assignee: Access Solutions, Ltd. (LOXAM SAS)
• Inventors: Struhsaker, Paul F., Griffin, Kirk J., McKown, Russell C., Eckert, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US11/811,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,283 Days
• Field of Search: 370/204, 370/294, 370/305, 370/310, 370/312, 370/314, 370/321, 370/326, 370328-330, 370/332, 370336-338, 370/341, 370344-350, 370458-459, 370461-463, 370/508, 370276-280, 370/315, 370/442, 455/59, 455 61- 62, 455/63.1, 455/67.11, 455/108, 455118-120, 455418-420, 455/434, 455/450, 4554521-4522, 455/509, 455/515, 455/517, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/561, 332/108, 332118-120, 332/151
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1694 Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0005 applied to payload information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0006 by adapting the transmission format
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0042 Encoding specially adapted to other signal generation operation, e.g. in order to reduce transmit distortions, jitter, or to improve signal shape H04L1/0067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0098 Unequal error protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/125 Arrangements for preventing errors in the return channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1453 : of modulation type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 : using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/206 : composed of PSTN and wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 : for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/06 : Lines and connections with preferential service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 : Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 : using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 : Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 : Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 : WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/021 : adapted for Wireless Local Loop operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

A transceiver for use in a wireless access network comprising a plurality of base stations, each of the plurality of base stations capable of bidirectional time division duplex (TDD) communication with wireless access devices disposed at a plurality of subscriber premises in a corresponding cell site of the wireless access network. The transceiver is associated with a first base station and comprises transmit path circuitry associated with a beam forming network for transmitting directed scanning beam signals in a sector of a cell site of the first base station. The transmit path circuitry transmits at a start of a TDD frame a broadcast beam signal comprising a start of frame field and subsequently transmits downlink data traffic in a downlink portion of the TDD frame to at least one of the wireless access devices using at least one directed scanning beam.

Claims

1. A method for use in a wireless network comprising a base station and a plurality of subscriber stations in wireless, radio frequency (RF), time division duplex (TDD) communication with the base station, the method comprising:

monitoring RF communication between the base station and at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations using a hardware processor;

setting for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations a first characteristic of the RF communication from the base station to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations based upon the monitored RF communication between the base station and the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations using the hardware processor;

assigning the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations to a modulation group according to the first characteristic for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations using the hardware processor; and

transmitting signals to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations in the modulation group in adjacent TDD slots within a TDD frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of modulation format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of Forward Error Correction (FEC) codes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of physical beam forming.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting signals comprises transmitting transmission bursts.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the transmission bursts include at least one of a preamble field, a Medium Access Control (MAC) header field, a packet data unit, and a Character Redundancy Check (CRC) field.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning at least a first two other of the plurality of subscriber stations to a second modulation group according to a second characteristic for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations using the hardware processor; and

transmitting signals to the at least a first two other of the plurality of subscriber stations in the second modulation group in adjacent TDD slots within a TDD frame,

wherein the second characteristic is more complex than the first characteristic, and

wherein the transmitting signals to the at least a first two other of the plurality of subscriber stations in the second modulation group is performed after transmitting signals to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations in the modulation group based on the second characteristic being more complex than the first characteristic.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations a third characteristic of the RF communication from the base station to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations based upon the monitored RF communication between the base station and the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations using the hardware processor,

wherein the assigning the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations to a modulation group is also according to the third characteristic for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations using the hardware processor.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of modulation format and the third characteristic is a common scheme of FEC codes.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of modulation format and the third characteristic is a common scheme of physical beam forming.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of FEC codes and the third characteristic is a common scheme of physical beam forming.

12. A system for use in a wireless network comprising a base station and a plurality of subscriber stations in wireless, radio frequency (RF), time division duplex (TDD) communication with the base station, the system comprising:

a hardware processor configured to;

monitor RF communication between the base station and at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations;

set for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations a first characteristic of the RF communication from the base station to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations based upon the monitored RF communication between the base station and the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations;

assign the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations to a modulation group according to the first characteristic for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations; and

cause signals to be transmitted to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations in the modulation group in adjacent TDD slots within a TDD frame.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of modulation format.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of Forward Error Correction (FEC) codes.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of physical beam forming.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein transmitting signals comprises transmitting transmission bursts.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the transmission bursts include at least one of a preamble field, a Medium Access Control (MAC) header field, a packet data unit, and a Character Redundancy Check (CRC) field.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

assign at least a first two other of the plurality of subscriber stations to a second modulation group according to a second characteristic for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations using the hardware processor; and

transmit signals to the at least a first two other of the plurality of subscriber stations in the second modulation group in adjacent TDD slots within a TDD frame,

wherein the second characteristic is more complex than the first characteristic, and

wherein the hardware processor is configured to transmit signals to the at least a first two other of the plurality of subscriber stations in the second modulation group after transmitting signals to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations in the modulation group based on the second characteristic being more complex than the first characteristic.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

set for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations a third characteristic of the RF communication from the base station to the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations based upon the monitored RF communication between the base station and the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations,

wherein the hardware processor is configured to assign the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations to a modulation group also according to the third characteristic for the at least two of the plurality of subscriber stations.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of modulation format and the third characteristic is a common scheme of FEC codes.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of modulation format and the third characteristic is a common scheme of physical beam forming.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first characteristic is a common scheme of FEC codes and the third characteristic is a common scheme of physical beam forming.