U.S. patent application number 14/155538 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-02 for systems/methods of spatial multiplexing.
The applicant listed for this patent is Odyssey Wireless, Inc.. Invention is credited to Peter D. Karabinis.
Application Number | 20160157146 14/155538 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56080058 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160157146 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Karabinis; Peter D. |
June 2, 2016 |
SYSTEMS/METHODS OF SPATIAL MULTIPLEXING
Abstract
Responsive to a first orientation of a first device relative to
a second device, a first element of a signaling alphabet is used to
convey information to/from the first device while a second element
of the signaling alphabet is precluded from usage to convey
information to/from the first device while said second element is
being used to convey information to/from the second device.
Moreover, responsive to a second orientation of the first device
relative to the second device, the first element and the second
element of the signaling alphabet are used to convey information
to/from the first device while said first and second elements are
also being used to convey information to/from the second device.
Systems/methods relating to smart antennas are also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Karabinis; Peter D.; (Cary,
NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Odyssey Wireless, Inc. |
Cary |
NC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56080058 |
Appl. No.: |
14/155538 |
Filed: |
January 15, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
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Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13746629 |
Jan 22, 2013 |
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14155538 |
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13011451 |
Jan 21, 2011 |
8670493 |
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13746629 |
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12372354 |
Feb 17, 2009 |
7876845 |
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13011451 |
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11720115 |
May 24, 2007 |
8050337 |
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PCT/US2006/020417 |
May 25, 2006 |
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12372354 |
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13767537 |
Feb 14, 2013 |
8891645 |
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11720115 |
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13528058 |
Jun 20, 2012 |
8537916 |
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13767537 |
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12748931 |
Mar 29, 2010 |
8233554 |
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13528058 |
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12481084 |
Jun 9, 2009 |
8462860 |
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13767537 |
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12978092 |
Dec 23, 2010 |
8537910 |
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13767537 |
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12620057 |
Nov 17, 2009 |
7881393 |
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12978092 |
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12372354 |
Feb 17, 2009 |
7876845 |
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12620057 |
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11720115 |
May 24, 2007 |
8050337 |
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PCT/US2006/020417 |
May 25, 2006 |
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12372354 |
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61644260 |
May 8, 2012 |
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61590132 |
Jan 24, 2012 |
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61033114 |
Mar 3, 2008 |
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60692932 |
Jun 22, 2005 |
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60698247 |
Jul 11, 2005 |
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61078598 |
Jul 7, 2008 |
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61100142 |
Sep 25, 2008 |
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61116856 |
Nov 21, 2008 |
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61117437 |
Nov 24, 2008 |
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61119593 |
Dec 3, 2008 |
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61155264 |
Feb 25, 2009 |
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61163119 |
Mar 25, 2009 |
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61033114 |
Mar 3, 2008 |
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60692932 |
Jun 22, 2005 |
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60698247 |
Jul 11, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
370/334 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R 25/658 20130101;
H04L 5/0023 20130101; H04W 36/08 20130101; H04B 7/0408 20130101;
H04L 27/2613 20130101; H04B 17/102 20150115; H04W 36/026 20130101;
H04W 12/001 20190101; H04W 36/30 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 36/02 20060101
H04W036/02; H04W 36/08 20060101 H04W036/08; H04W 36/30 20060101
H04W036/30 |
Claims
1. A system that is configured to provide first wireless
communications to a first device and second wireless communications
to a second device concurrently therebetween; the system comprising
a processor that is configured to control the system to perform
operations comprising: responsive to a first orientation between
the first and second devices, using alphabet element discrimination
to provide the first and second wireless communications to the
first and second devices, respectively, by using a first alphabet
element to communicate with the first device and refraining from
using a second alphabet element to communicate with the first
device while the second alphabet element is being used to
communicate with the second device; responsive to a second
orientation between the first and second devices, using antenna
pattern discrimination to provide the first and second wireless
communications to the first and second devices, respectively, and
using the first alphabet element and the second alphabet element to
communicate with the first device via a first antenna pattern that
is formed by an antenna of the system and using the first alphabet
element and the second alphabet element to communicate with the
second device co-frequency with the communications of the first
device via a second antenna pattern that is formed by the antenna
of the system; responsive to the second orientation between the
first and second devices, providing a gain by the first antenna
pattern in a direction associated with the first device that
exceeds a gain provided by the first antenna pattern in a direction
associated with the second device; and providing a gain by the
second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the second
device that exceeds a gain provided by the second antenna pattern
in a direction associated with the first device; and changing at
least one of the first and second antenna patterns responsive to a
change in said second orientation between the first and second
devices; wherein the second orientation between the first and
second devices comprises a distance between the first and second
devices that is greater than a distance between the first and
second devices corresponding to said first orientation
therebetween.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further
comprises a plurality of components that are connected therebetween
and are configured to function in synchronism therebetween so as to
provide: a level of interference at a receiver that is lower than a
level of interference that would have been provided at the receiver
absent the plurality of components being connected therebetween and
configured to function in synchronism therebetween; and/or a
communications capacity that is higher than a communications
capacity that would have been provided absent the plurality of
components being connected therebetween and configured to function
in synchronism therebetween.
3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of
components comprises a plurality of antennas; wherein each antenna
of the plurality of antennas is configured to radiate a fraction of
an aggregate power that is radiated by the plurality of antennas so
as to provide at the receiver an increased signal-to-noise ratio
and/or an increased signal-to-interference ratio compared to a
signal-to-noise ratio and/or a signal-to-interference ratio that
would have been provided at the receiver absent the plurality of
components being connected therebetween and configured to function
in synchronism therebetween.
4. The system according to claim 3, wherein N replicas of a signal
are transmitted by N respective antennas such that the N replicas
of the signal arrive at the receiver coherently therebetween and
add on a voltage basis therebetween; wherein N.gtoreq.2.
5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the system comprises a
base station and wherein the receiver is included in a
radioterminal that is configured to communicate with the base
station; wherein the system is configured to command the
radioterminal to use a first waveform of a signaling alphabet to
communicate with the base station and to refrain from using a
second waveform of the signaling alphabet that is being used by at
least one other device, responsive to a first orientation of the
radioterminal relative to the at least one other device; and
wherein the system is further configured to command the
radioterminal to use the first waveform and the second waveform of
said signaling alphabet to communicate with the base station while
said first waveform and said second waveform are also being used by
the at least one other device, responsive to a second orientation
of the radioterminal relative to the at least one other device.
6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is further
configured to command a radioterminal to preferentially communicate
with an access point when proximate thereto and to refrain from
communicating with a base station when proximate to the access
point even though the radioterminal is able to communicate with the
base station when proximate to the access point.
7. A method comprising: providing first wireless communications to
a first device and providing second wireless communications to a
second device concurrently with the first wireless communications
that are provided to the first device; responsive to a first
orientation between the first and second devices, using alphabet
element discrimination and providing the first and second wireless
communications to the first and second devices, respectively, by
using a first alphabet element to communicate with the first device
and refraining from using a second alphabet element to communicate
with the first device while the second alphabet element is being
used to communicate with the second device; responsive to a second
orientation between the first and second devices, using antenna
pattern discrimination and providing the first and second wireless
communications to the first and second devices, respectively, by
using the first alphabet element and the second alphabet element to
communicate with the first device via a first antenna pattern and
using the first alphabet element and the second alphabet element to
communicate with the second device co-frequency with the
communications of the first device via a second antenna pattern;
changing at least one of the first and second antenna patterns
responsive to a change in said second orientation between the first
and second devices; and responsive to the second orientation
between the first and second devices, providing a gain by the first
antenna pattern in a direction associated with the first device
that exceeds a gain provided by the first antenna pattern in a
direction associated with the second device; and providing a gain
by the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the
second device that exceeds a gain provided by the second antenna
pattern in a direction associated with the first device; wherein
the second orientation between the first and second devices
comprises a distance between the first and second devices that is
greater than a distance between the first and second devices
corresponding to said first orientation therebetween.
8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: providing a
plurality of components; and synchronizing the plurality of
components so as to provide: a level of interference at a receiver
that is lower than a level of interference that would have been
provided at the receiver absent said synchronizing; and/or a
communications capacity that is greater than a communications
capacity that would have been provided absent said
synchronizing.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of
components comprises a plurality of antennas; the method further
comprising: radiating by each antenna of the plurality of antennas
a fraction of an aggregate power that is radiated by the plurality
of antennas; and providing at the receiver an increased
signal-to-noise ratio and/or an increased signal-to-interference
ratio compared to a signal-to-noise ratio and/or a
signal-to-interference ratio that would have been provided at the
receiver absent said synchronizing.
10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:
transmitting N replicas of a signal by N respective antennas;
receiving at the receiver the N replicas of the signal coherently
therebetween; and adding therebetween on a voltage basis the N
replicas of the signal that are received coherently therebetween at
the receiver; wherein N.gtoreq.2.
11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method is
performed by a system that includes a base station and wherein the
receiver is included in a radioterminal that is configured to
communicate with the base station; the method further comprising:
commanding the radioterminal to use a first waveform of a signaling
alphabet to communicate with the base station and to refrain from
using a second waveform of the signaling alphabet that is being
used by at least one other device, responsive to a first
orientation of the radioterminal relative to the at least one other
device; and commanding the radioterminal to use the first waveform
and the second waveform of said signaling alphabet to communicate
with the base station while said first waveform and said second
waveform are also being used by the at least one other device,
responsive to a second orientation of the radioterminal relative to
the at least one other device.
12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:
configuring a radioterminal to preferentially communicate with an
access point when the radioterminal is proximate thereto; and
configuring the radioterminal to refrain from communicating with a
base station when proximate to the access point even though the
radioterminal is able to communicate with the base station when
proximate to the access point.
13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:
configuring the radioterminal to communicate with the access point
and with the base station; providing diversity, added
communications link robustness and/or a make before break
connection by said configuring the radioterminal to communicate
with the access point and with the base station; and handing-over
communications from the access point to the base station or from
the base station to the access point.
Description
CLAIM FOR PRIORITY
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of patent
application Ser. No. 13/746,629, filed Jan. 22, 2013, entitled
Systems/Methods of Preferentially Using a First Asset, Refraining
from Using a Second Asset and Providing Reduced Levels of
Interference to GPS and/or Satellites; U.S. provisional Patent
Application No. 61/644,260, filed May 8, 2012, entitled Additional
Systems/Methods of Increased Capacity, Increased Privacy/Security
and/or Reduced Interference Communications; and U.S. provisional
Patent Application No. 61/590,132, filed Jan. 24, 2012, entitled
Systems/Methods of Increased Capacity, Increased Privacy/Security
and/or Reduced Interference Communications, all of which are hereby
incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if set forth
fully herein.
[0002] The present application also claims the benefit of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 13/011,451, filed Jan. 21, 2011,
entitled Systems and/or Methods of Increased Privacy Wireless
Communications, which itself is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/372,354, filed Feb. 17, 2009,
entitled Wireless Communications Systems and/or Methods Providing
Low Interference, High Privacy and/or Cognitive Flexibility, which
itself claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/033,114, filed Mar. 3, 2008, entitled Next Generation (XG)
Chipless Spread-Spectrum Communications (CSSC), and is a
continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/720,115,
filed May 24, 2007, entitled Systems, Methods, Devices and/or
Computer Program Products For Providing Communications Devoid of
Cyclostationary Features, which is a 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371 national
stage application of PCT Application No. PCT/US2006/020417, filed
on May 25, 2006, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/692,932, filed Jun. 22, 2005, entitled
Communications Systems, Methods, Devices and Computer Program
Products for Low Probability of Intercept (LPI), Low Probability of
Detection (LPD) and/or Low Probability of Exploitation (LPE) of
Communications Information, and also claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/698,247, filed Jul. 11, 2005,
entitled Additional Communications Systems, Methods, Devices and
Computer Program Products for Low Probability of Intercept (LPI),
Low Probability of Detection (LPD) and/or Low Probability of
Exploitation (LPE) of Communications Information and/or Minimum
Interference Communications. The PCT International Application
referenced above was published in the English language as
International Publication No. WO 2007/001707 and is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety as if set forth fully herein.
Further, all U.S. patent applications and Provisional U.S. patent
applications referenced above are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein.
[0003] This application is also a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/767,537, filed Feb. 14, 2013, entitled
"Systems/Methods of Carrier Aggregation Providing Increased
Capacity Communications", which itself is a continuation of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 13/528,058, filed Jun. 20, 2012,
entitled Increased Capacity Communications for OFDM-Based Wireless
Communications Systems/Methods/Devices, which itself is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/748,931, filed
Mar. 29, 2010, entitled Increased Capacity Communications for
OFDM-Based Wireless Communications Systems/Methods/Devices, the
disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference
in their entirety as if set fully herein.
[0004] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/767,537 is also a
continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/481,084, filed Jun. 9, 2009, entitled Increased Capacity
Communications Systems, Methods and/or Devices, which itself claims
the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/078,598, filed
Jul. 7, 2008, entitled Increased Capacity Communications Systems,
Devices and/or Methods; Provisional Application Ser. No.
61/100,142, filed Sep. 25, 2008, entitled Additional Systems,
Devices and/or methods for Increasing Capacity of Communications
Systems; Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/116,856, filed Nov.
21, 2008, entitled Further Systems, Devices and/or Methods for
Increasing Capacity of Communications Systems; Provisional
Application Ser. No. 61/117,437, filed Nov. 24, 2008, entitled
Equalizer-Based Increased Capacity OFDM Systems, Methods and
Devices; Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/119,593, filed Dec. 3,
2008, entitled Equalizer-Based Increased Capacity OFDM Systems,
Methods and Devices; Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/155,264,
filed Feb. 25, 2009 entitled Compact OFDM Systems, Devices and/or
Methods; and Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/163,119, filed
Mar. 25, 2009, entitled Additional Compact OFDM/OFDMA Systems,
Devices and/or Methods, all of which are assigned to the assignee
of the present invention, the disclosures of all of which are
hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if set
forth fully herein.
[0005] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/767,537 is also a
continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/978,092, filed Dec. 23, 2010, entitled Private, Covert and/or
Cognitive Communications Systems and/or Methods Based Upon
Pseudo-Randomly Generated Communications Alphabets, which itself is
a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/620,057,
filed Nov. 17, 2009, entitled Waveforms Comprising a Plurality of
Elements and Transmission Thereof, which itself is a continuation
of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/372,354, filed Feb. 17, 2009,
entitled Wireless Communications Systems and/or Methods Providing
Low Interference, High Privacy and/or Cognitive Flexibility, and
claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/033,114,
filed Mar. 3, 2008, entitled Next Generation (XG) Chipless
Spread-Spectrum Communications (CSSC), and is a
continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/720,115,
filed May 24, 2007, entitled Systems, Methods, Devices and/or
Computer Program Products For Providing Communications Devoid of
Cyclostationary Features, which is a 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371 national
stage application of PCT Application No. PCT/US2006/020417, filed
on May 25, 2006, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/692,932, filed Jun. 22, 2005, entitled
Communications Systems, Methods, Devices and Computer Program
Products for Low Probability of Intercept (LPI), Low Probability of
Detection (LPD) and/or Low Probability of Exploitation (LPE) of
Communications Information, and also claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/698,247, filed Jul. 11, 2005,
entitled Additional Communications Systems, Methods, Devices and
Computer Program Products for Low Probability of Intercept (LPI),
Low Probability of Detection (LPD) and/or Low Probability of
Exploitation (LPE) of Communications Information and/or Minimum
Interference Communications, the disclosures of all of which are
hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if set
forth fully herein. The above-referenced PCT International
Application was published in the English language as International
Publication No. WO 2007/001707.
BACKGROUND
[0006] In wireless communications, access to sufficient spectrum is
becoming increasingly difficult owing to an ever-increasing desire
of users for faster multi-media broadband services. Known systems
and/or methods of LPI/LPD/LPE and/or Jam Resistant (JR)
communications and/or Burst Communications (BURSTCOMM) may combine,
in general, hybrid spread-spectrum waveforms comprising
Frequency-Hopping (FH), Direct Sequence Pseudo-Noise (DSPN)
spreading and/or Time-Hopping (TH) to increase covertness and/or
resistance to jamming. Transmitting a FH/DSPN spread-spectrum
waveform in pseudo-random short bursts using, for example, a TH
technique, may, for example, reduce an interceptor's ability to
integrate, sufficient energy to trigger a detectability threshold
associated with a radiometer that the interceptor may be using as a
means of signal detection/identification. It is known that a
radiometric approach to signal detection/identification may yield a
suboptimum and/or unsatisfactory performance measure when
attempting to detect/identify/exploit a FH/DSPN/TH spread-spectrum
communications signal in a changing noise and/or interference
environment. This may be due to a background noise/interference
level and/or a signal energy reaching the interceptor's receiver
being insufficient over the interceptor's radiometric integration
time.
SUMMARY
Undetectable Covert Communications Devoid of Signatures
[0007] A wireless communications system configured for Low
Probability of Intercept (LPI), Low Probability of Detection (LPD)
and/or Low Probability of Exploitation (LPE) communications may use
waveforms substantially devoid of a cyclostationary signature to
improve a LPI/LPD/LPE property. A set of M independent "seed"
waveforms that satisfy a time-bandwidth constraint may be used via
a Gram-Schmidt Orthogonalization (GSO) procedure to generate M
orthonormal functions. In accordance with exemplary embodiments of
the present invention, the M seed waveforms may, for example, be
chosen from a band-limited Gaussian-distributed process (such as,
for example, Gaussian-distributed pseudo-random noise) and may be
used to generate, via an orthogonalization operation, such as, for
example, a GSO, a corresponding set of M Gaussian-distributed
orthonormal functions substantially devoid of a cyclostationary
property.
[0008] The set of M Gaussian-distributed orthonormal functions may
be used in a communications system to define a signaling alphabet
of a transmitter of the communications system (and a corresponding
matched filter bank of a receiver of the communications system) to
thereby reduce or eliminate a cyclostationary signature of a
transmitted communications waveform and thus increase a covertness
measure and/or a privacy measure of the communications system.
[0009] The set of M Gaussian-distributed orthonormal functions may
be updated, modified and/or changed as often as necessary to
further increase and/or maximize a covertness/privacy measure of
the communications system.
[0010] A receiver of the communications system may be equipped with
substantially the same algorithm(s) that are used by the
transmitter of the communications system and the receiver may be
substantially synchronized with the transmitter to thereby
re-create and use at the receiver the M Gaussian-distributed
orthonormal functions for detection of communications
information.
[0011] The set of M orthonormal functions may, in some embodiments,
be a set of orthogonal but not necessarily orthonormal functions.
In further embodiments, the set of M orthonormal functions may be
non-Gaussian distributed and may be, for example, uniformly
distributed, Rayleigh distributed and/or distributed in accordance
with any other known (continuous and/or discrete) and/or arbitrary
distribution. In still further embodiments of the invention,
different functions/elements of an M-ary orthonormal and/or
orthogonal signaling alphabet may be differently distributed.
[0012] Embodiments of the invention provide a transmitter
comprising a system for communicating information based upon a
waveform that is substantially devoid of a cyclostationary
property. The transmitter may comprise at least one waveform
alphabet including a plurality of elements, wherein the waveform
that is substantially devoid of a cyclostationary property may
include at least one element of the plurality of elements of the at
least one waveform alphabet. The at least one waveform alphabet may
be generated based upon at least one statistical distribution
responsive to a key and/or Time-of-Day (TOD) value.
[0013] In some embodiments, communicating information comprises
associating a measure of information with at least one element of
the at least one waveform alphabet wherein the measure of
information may be a message and/or a symbol comprising at least
one bit.
[0014] In some embodiments, at least first and second elements of
the plurality of elements are substantially orthogonal therebetween
and/or substantially orthonormal therebetween. The at least one
statistical distribution may comprise a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli,
Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull,
Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial,
Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any
other distribution. According to some embodiments, the at least one
statistical distribution is truncated.
[0015] In further embodiments, the key comprises a bit sequence and
in some embodiments, the bit sequence comprises a TRANsmissions
SECurity (TRANSEC) and/or a COMMunications SECurity (COMMSEC) bit
sequence. The Time-of-Day (TOD) value may be based upon GPS.
Generating the at least one waveform alphabet may comprise using a
predetermined algorithm and/or look-up table.
[0016] In some embodiments, an element of the plurality of elements
is based upon a plurality of time-domain and/or frequency-domain
values, wherein a time-domain and/or frequency-domain value of the
plurality of time-domain and/or frequency-domain values may be
real, imaginary and/or complex.
[0017] The transmitter may further comprise a direct waveform
synthesis devoid of a frequency translation, wherein the direct
waveform synthesis is used to generate the at least one waveform
alphabet. In some embodiments, the direct waveform synthesis
comprises at least one pseudo-random generator, filter,
Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter, Digital-to-Analog (D/A)
converter, Fourier transform, inverse Fourier transform and/or
orthogonalizer, wherein the Fourier transform may be a Discrete
Fourier Transform (DFT) and/or a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and
the inverse Fourier transform may be an Inverse Discrete Fourier
Transform (IDFT) and/or an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform
(IFFT).
[0018] In further embodiments, the orthogonalizer may be a
Gram-Schmidt orthogonalizer. In still further embodiments, the at
least one waveform alphabet may comprise at least two waveform
alphabets. The at least one waveform alphabet may be used over a
first time interval and not used over a second time interval,
wherein the first time interval may be associated with a
Time-of-Day (TOD) value, message, symbol and/or bit. The at least
one second waveform alphabet may be used over the second time
interval and the at least one waveform alphabet and the at least
one second waveform alphabet may be different therebetween, wherein
different comprises a difference in a time-domain and/or
frequency-domain characteristic.
[0019] In some embodiments, the transmitter may further be
configured to transmit at least one second waveform during a time
interval that is not associated with communicating information,
wherein the at least one second waveform may be devoid of a
cyclostationary property and may comprise a frequency content that
is substantially the same as a frequency content of the waveform.
The frequency content may be a power spectral density.
[0020] In some embodiments, the transmitter is fixed, mobile,
portable, transportable, installed in a vehicle and/or installed in
a space-based component such as a satellite. The vehicle may be a
land-mobile vehicle, a maritime vehicle, an aeronautical vehicle
and/or an unmanned vehicle.
[0021] In further embodiments, the transmitter being devoid of a
cyclostationary property comprises being devoid of a chipping rate.
The transmitter may further include Forward Error Correction (FEC)
encoding, bit repetition, bit interleaving, bit-to-symbol
conversion, symbol repetition, symbol interleaving,
symbol-to-waveform mapping, waveform repetition and/or waveform
interleaving and, according to some embodiments, the transmitter
may include communicating information wirelessly and/or
communicating spread-spectrum information.
[0022] In some embodiments, the waveform comprises a first
plurality of frequencies over a first time interval and a second
plurality of frequencies over a second time interval, wherein the
first plurality of frequencies differ from the second plurality of
frequencies in at least one frequency. In further embodiments, at
least some frequencies of the first and/or second plurality of
frequencies are also used by a second transmitter, wherein the
second transmitter may be a transmitter associated with a
commercial and/or military communications system.
[0023] The at least one waveform alphabet may be used
deterministically and/or pseudo-randomly, wherein used
deterministically and/or pseudo-randomly may comprise usage of the
at least one waveform alphabet responsive to a Time-of-Day (TOD)
value, a pseudo-random selection and/or a usage of one or more
waveform alphabets other than the at least one waveform alphabet.
In some embodiments, usage comprises usage of at least one element
of the plurality of elements of the at least one waveform
alphabet.
[0024] In some embodiments, the transmitter comprises a synthesis
associated with the waveform that is substantially devoid of a
frequency translation. The synthesis may include a plurality of
operations that are used to form the waveform, the plurality of
operations not including a frequency translation and the
transmitter communicating information based upon the waveform
without subjecting the waveform to a frequency translation.
[0025] According to some embodiments of the invention, the
plurality of operations include generating values pseudo-randomly,
a Fourier transform, a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), a Fast
Fourier Transform (FFT), an inverse Fourier transform, an Inverse
Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT), an Inverse Fast Fourier
Transform (IFFT), Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoding, bit
interleaving, bit-to-symbol conversion, symbol interleaving,
symbol-to-waveform mapping, waveform repetition, filtering,
amplification and/or waveform interleaving. In some embodiments,
generating values pseudo-randomly comprises generating at least one
value responsive to a Time-of-Day (TOD) value and/or a key
input.
[0026] In further embodiments, generating at least one value
pseudo-randomly comprises generating at least one value based upon
at least one statistical distribution, wherein the at least one
statistical distribution may comprise a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli,
Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull,
Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial,
Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any
other distribution and the at least one statistical distribution
may be truncated. The at least one value may be a time-domain
and/or frequency-domain value and the at least one value may be
real, imaginary and/or complex. The at least one value may be based
upon at least one statistical distribution.
[0027] Embodiments of the invention provide a transmitter
comprising a synthesis block and a transmission block, wherein the
synthesis block is configured to synthesize at least one alphabet
based upon at least one statistical distribution and the
transmission block is configured to transmit a waveform based upon
the at least one alphabet. In some embodiments the waveform may be
devoid of a cyclostationary property and the at least one alphabet
may comprise a plurality of elements and each element of the
plurality of elements may be devoid of a cyclostationary property.
The synthesis block may be a direct synthesis block that does not
include a frequency translation function and the transmission block
may not include a frequency translation function.
[0028] In some embodiments, the at least one statistical
distribution comprises a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric,
Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull,
Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial,
Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any
other distribution and the at least one statistical distribution
may be truncated.
[0029] In further embodiments, the at least one alphabet comprises
a plurality of elements and at least a first and second element of
the plurality of elements are substantially orthogonal
therebetween. In still further embodiments, substantially
orthogonal comprises substantially orthonormal. The at least one
alphabet may be generated based upon the at least one statistical
distribution responsive to a key and/or Time-of-Day (TOD) value and
may be used by the transmitter for communicating information. In
some embodiments, communicating information comprises associating a
measure of information with at least one element of the at least
one alphabet, wherein the measure of information may be a message
and/or symbol comprising at least one bit. The key may comprise a
bit sequence and the bit sequence may comprise a TRANsmissions
SECurity (TRANSEC) and/or a COMMunications SECurity (COMMSEC) bit
sequence. The Time-of-Day (TOD) value may be based upon GPS.
[0030] In some embodiments, generating the at least one alphabet
comprises using a predetermined algorithm and/or a look-up table.
In further embodiments, an element of the plurality of elements is
based upon a plurality of time-domain and/or frequency-domain
values, wherein a time-domain and/or frequency-domain value of the
plurality of time-domain and/or frequency-domain values may be
real, imaginary and/or complex.
[0031] In still other embodiments, the synthesis block comprises a
direct waveform synthesis devoid of a frequency translation,
wherein the direct waveform synthesis is used to generate the at
least one alphabet. The direct waveform synthesis may comprise at
least one pseudo-random generator, filter, Analog-to-Digital (A/D)
converter, Digital-to-Analog (D/A) converter, Fourier transform,
inverse Fourier transform and/or orthogonalizer. The Fourier
transform may be a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and/or a Fast
Fourier Transform (FFT) and the inverse Fourier transform may be an
Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) and/or an Inverse Fast
Fourier Transform (IFFT). The orthogonalizer may be a Gram-Schmidt
orthogonalizer.
[0032] In further embodiments, the at least one alphabet comprises
at least two alphabets. The at least one alphabet may be used over
a first time interval and not used over a second time interval,
wherein the first time interval may be associated with a
Time-of-Day (TOD) value, message, symbol and/or bit. At least one
second alphabet may be used over the second time interval. The at
least one alphabet and the at least one second alphabet may be
different therebetween, wherein different may comprise a difference
in a time-domain and/or frequency-domain characteristic.
[0033] In still further embodiments, at least one second waveform
is transmitted during a time interval that is not associated with
communicating information, wherein the at least one second waveform
may be devoid of a cyclostationary property and may comprise a
frequency content that is substantially the same as a frequency
content of the waveform. The frequency content may be a power
spectral density.
[0034] According to some embodiments, the transmitter is fixed,
mobile, portable, transportable, installed in a vehicle and/or
installed in a satellite. The vehicle may be a land-mobile vehicle,
a maritime vehicle, an aeronautical vehicle and/or an unmanned
vehicle. In further embodiments, devoid of a cyclostationary
property comprises devoid of a chipping rate.
[0035] In accordance with some embodiments, the transmitter further
comprises Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoding, bit repetition,
bit interleaving, bit-to-symbol conversion, symbol repetition,
symbol interleaving, symbol-to-waveform mapping, waveform
repetition and/or waveform interleaving. In accordance with other
embodiments, communicating information comprises communicating
information wirelessly. In further embodiments, communicating
information comprises communicating spread-spectrum information.
According to further embodiments, the waveform comprises a first
plurality of frequencies over a first time interval and a second
plurality of frequencies over a second time interval, wherein the
first plurality of frequencies differ from the second plurality of
frequencies in at least one frequency.
[0036] In some embodiments, at least some frequencies of the first
and/or second plurality of frequencies are also used by a second
transmitter. The second transmitter may be a transmitter of a
commercial and/or a military communications system. In other
embodiments, the at least one alphabet is used deterministically
and/or pseudo-randomly, wherein used deterministically and/or
pseudo-randomly may comprise usage of the at least one alphabet
responsive to a Time-of-Day (TOD) value, a pseudo-random selection
and/or a usage of one or more alphabets other than the at least one
alphabet. In further embodiments, usage comprises usage of at least
one element of the plurality of elements of the at least one
alphabet.
[0037] In still further embodiments of the invention, a synthesis
associated with the waveform is substantially devoid of a frequency
translation. The synthesis may include a plurality of operations
that may be used to form the waveform, the plurality of operations
may not include a frequency translation and the transmitter may
transmit the waveform without subjecting the waveform to a
frequency translation. The plurality of operations may include
generating values pseudo-randomly, a Fourier transform, a Discrete
Fourier Transform (DFT), a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), an inverse
Fourier transform, an Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT), an
Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), Forward Error Correction
(FEC) encoding, bit interleaving, bit-to-symbol conversion, symbol
interleaving, symbol-to-waveform mapping, waveform repetition,
filtering, amplification and/or waveform interleaving.
[0038] In accordance with some embodiments, generating values
pseudo-randomly comprises generating at least one value responsive
to a Time-of-Day (TOD) value and/or a key input. In further
embodiments, generating at least one value pseudo-randomly
comprises generating at least one value based upon at least one
statistical distribution, the at least one statistical distribution
comprising a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative
Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's
t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace,
Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution. In some
embodiments, the at least one statistical distribution may be
truncated. In further embodiments, the at least one value is a
time-domain and/or frequency-domain value.
[0039] In still further embodiments of the invention, the at least
one value is real, imaginary and/or complex. The at least one value
may be based upon at least one statistical distribution, wherein
the at least one statistical distribution comprises a
Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial,
Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise,
Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy,
Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution. The at least one
statistical distribution may be a truncated distribution.
[0040] Embodiments of the invention provide a transmitter
comprising a system for communicating information based upon a
spread-spectrum waveform that is substantially devoid of a chipping
rate.
[0041] Other embodiments of the invention provide a receiver
comprising a system for receiving information from a transmitter,
wherein the information is based upon a spread-spectrum waveform
that is substantially devoid of a chipping rate.
[0042] Further embodiments of the invention provide a transmitter
comprising a system for communicating information based upon a
waveform that is substantially Gaussian distributed.
[0043] Still further embodiments of the invention provide a
receiver comprising a system for receiving information from a
transmitter, wherein the information is based upon a waveform that
is substantially Gaussian distributed.
[0044] Additional embodiments provide a transmitter comprising a
system for communicating information based upon a waveform that
does not include a cyclostationary signature.
[0045] Some embodiments provide a receiver comprising a system for
receiving information from a transmitter, wherein the information
is based upon a waveform that does not include a cyclostationary
signature.
[0046] Other embodiments provide a transmitter comprising a system
for mapping an information sequence onto a waveform sequence that
is substantially devoid of a cyclostationary signature.
[0047] Further embodiments provide a receiver comprising a system
for mapping a waveform sequence that is substantially devoid of a
cyclostationary signature onto an information sequence.
[0048] Still further embodiments provide a receiver comprising a
system for providing information based upon processing a waveform
that is substantially devoid of a cyclostationary property.
[0049] Additional embodiments provide a receiver comprising a
system for receiving information comprising at least one alphabet
based upon at least one statistical distribution.
[0050] Embodiments of the invention further provide a transmitter
comprising a system for transmitting a waveform, wherein the
waveform is based upon at least one alphabet that is based upon at
least one statistical distribution. The at least one statistical
distribution comprises a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric,
Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull,
Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial,
Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any
other distribution, wherein the at least one statistical
distribution may be truncated.
[0051] In some embodiments, the at least one alphabet comprises a
plurality of elements and at least a first and second element of
the plurality of elements are substantially orthogonal
therebetween. In some embodiments, substantially orthogonal
comprises substantially orthonormal.
[0052] Embodiments of the invention provide a receiver comprising a
system for receiving a waveform, wherein the waveform is based upon
at least one alphabet that is based upon at least one statistical
distribution. The at least one statistical distribution comprises a
Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial,
Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise,
Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy,
Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution, wherein the at
least one statistical distribution may be truncated. The at least
one alphabet may comprise a plurality of elements and at least a
first and second element of the plurality of elements may be
substantially orthogonal therebetween. In some embodiments,
substantially orthogonal comprises substantially orthonormal.
[0053] In accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention, a method of communicating information is provided, the
method comprising transmitting and/or receiving a waveform that is
substantially devoid of a cyclostationary property. The method
optionally further comprises using at least one waveform alphabet
including a plurality of elements, wherein the waveform that is
substantially devoid of a cyclostationary property includes at
least one element of the plurality of elements of the at least one
waveform alphabet. In accordance with the method, the at least one
waveform alphabet is optionally generated based upon at least one
statistical distribution responsive to a key and/or Time-of-Day
(TOD) value. Further in accordance with the method, communicating
information optionally comprises associating a measure of
information with at least one element of the at least one waveform
alphabet. The measure of information may be a message and/or symbol
comprising at least one bit.
[0054] In accordance with the method, at least first and second
elements of the plurality of elements may be substantially
orthogonal therebetween, wherein substantially orthogonal may
comprise substantially orthonormal.
[0055] Further in accordance with the method, the at least one
statistical distribution optionally comprises a Normal/Gaussian,
Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential,
Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto,
Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh,
Maxwell and/or any other distribution, wherein the at least one
statistical distribution may be truncated.
[0056] In some embodiments according to the method, the key
comprises a bit sequence, wherein the bit sequence may comprise a
TRANsmissions SECurity (TRANSEC) and/or a COMMunications SECurity
(COMMSEC) bit sequence.
[0057] In further embodiments, the Time-of-Day (TOD) value is based
upon GPS. In still further embodiments, generating the at least one
waveform alphabet comprises using a predetermined algorithm and/or
look-up table. In some embodiments, an element of the plurality of
elements is based upon a plurality of time-domain and/or
frequency-domain values, wherein a time-domain and/or
frequency-domain value of the plurality of time-domain and/or
frequency-domain values may be real, imaginary and/or complex.
[0058] According to some embodiments according to the method, the
method further comprises a direct waveform synthesis devoid of a
frequency translation, wherein the direct waveform synthesis is
used to generate the at least one waveform alphabet, wherein the
direct waveform synthesis may comprise at least one pseudo-random
generator, filter, Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter,
Digital-to-Analog (D/A) converter, Fourier transform, inverse
Fourier transform and/or orthogonalizer. In some embodiments, the
Fourier transform is a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and/or a
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and the inverse Fourier transform is
an Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) and/or an Inverse Fast
Fourier Transform (IFFT). In further embodiments, the
orthogonalizer is a Gram-Schmidt orthogonalizer.
[0059] In accordance with other embodiments of the invention, the
at least one waveform alphabet comprises at least two waveform
alphabets. In accordance with some embodiments, the at least one
waveform alphabet is used over a first time interval and not used
over a second time interval, wherein the first time interval may be
associated with a Time-of-Day (TOD) value, message, symbol and/or
bit.
[0060] In accordance with further embodiments of the invention, at
least one second waveform alphabet is used over the second time
interval, wherein the at least one waveform alphabet and the at
least one second waveform alphabet may be different therebetween.
In some embodiments, different comprises a difference in a
time-domain and/or frequency-domain characteristic.
[0061] In still other embodiments of the invention, the method
comprises transmitting at least one second waveform during a time
interval that is not associated with communicating information,
wherein the at least one second waveform may be devoid of a
cyclostationary property and may comprise a frequency content that
is substantially the same as a frequency content of the waveform.
The frequency content may be a power spectral density. In further
embodiments of the invention, the method comprises using a
transmitter that is fixed, mobile, portable, transportable,
installed in a vehicle and/or installed in a satellite. The vehicle
may be a land-mobile vehicle, a maritime vehicle, an aeronautical
vehicle and/or an unmanned vehicle.
[0062] In some embodiments in accordance with the method, devoid of
a cyclostationary property comprises devoid of a chipping rate. The
method optionally further comprises using Forward Error Correction
(FEC) encoding, bit repetition, bit interleaving, bit-to-symbol
conversion, symbol repetition, symbol interleaving,
symbol-to-waveform mapping, waveform repetition and/or waveform
interleaving. In some embodiments according to the method,
communicating information comprises communicating information
wirelessly. In other embodiments according to the method,
communicating information comprises communicating spread-spectrum
information.
[0063] In further embodiments in accordance with the method, the
waveform comprises a first plurality of frequencies over a first
time interval and a second plurality of frequencies over a second
time interval, wherein the first plurality of frequencies differ
from the second plurality of frequencies in at least one frequency.
In some embodiments in accordance with the method, at least some
frequencies of the first and/or second plurality of frequencies are
also used by a second transmitter, wherein the second transmitter
may be a transmitter of a commercial communications system.
[0064] In accordance with the method, the at least one waveform
alphabet is optionally used deterministically and/or
pseudo-randomly, wherein used deterministically and/or
pseudo-randomly optionally comprises usage of the at least one
waveform alphabet responsive to a Time-of-Day (TOD) value, a
pseudo-random selection and/or a usage of one or more waveform
alphabets other than the at least one waveform alphabet. In
accordance with the method, usage optionally comprises usage of at
least one element of the plurality of elements of the at least one
waveform alphabet.
[0065] The method optionally further comprises a synthesis
associated with the waveform that may be substantially devoid of a
frequency translation. In accordance with the method, the synthesis
optionally includes a plurality of operations that are used to form
the waveform, the plurality of operations not including a frequency
translation and wherein the transmitter communicates information
based upon the waveform without subjecting the waveform to a
frequency translation. The plurality of operations may include
generating values pseudo-randomly, a Fourier transform, a Discrete
Fourier Transform (DFT), a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), an inverse
Fourier transform, an Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT), an
Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), Forward Error Correction
(FEC) encoding, bit interleaving, bit-to-symbol conversion, symbol
interleaving, symbol-to-waveform mapping, waveform repetition,
filtering, amplification and/or waveform interleaving.
[0066] Generating values pseudo-randomly may comprise generating at
least one value responsive to a Time-of-Day (TOD) value and/or a
key input. Generating at least one value may comprise generating at
least one value based upon at least one statistical distribution.
The at least one statistical distribution may comprise a
Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial,
Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise,
Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy,
Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution. In accordance with
the method, the at least one statistical distribution may be
truncated.
[0067] Further in accordance with the method, the at least one
value may be a time-domain and/or frequency-domain value. The at
least one value may be real, imaginary and/or complex and the at
least one value may be based upon at least one statistical
distribution.
[0068] According to embodiments of the present invention, a method
of transmitting a signal is provided, the method comprising
synthesizing at least one alphabet based upon at least one
statistical distribution and transmitting a waveform based upon the
at least one alphabet, wherein the waveform may be devoid of a
cyclostationary property and the at least one alphabet may comprise
a plurality of elements, each element of the plurality of elements
may be devoid of a cyclostationary property. The synthesizing may
be a direct synthesis that does not include a frequency translation
function. Further according to the method, the transmitting may not
include a frequency translation function.
[0069] The at least one statistical distribution may comprise a
Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial,
Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise,
Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy,
Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution, wherein the at
least one statistical distribution may be truncated.
[0070] In accordance with the method, the at least one alphabet may
comprise a plurality of elements and at least a first and second
element of the plurality of elements may be substantially
orthogonal therebetween. Substantially orthogonal may comprise
substantially orthonormal. According to further embodiments of the
present invention, the at least one alphabet may be generated based
upon the at least one statistical distribution responsive to a key
and/or Time-of-Day (TOD) value and may be used by a transmitter for
communicating information. Communicating information may comprise
associating a measure of information with at least one element of
the at least one alphabet. The measure of information may be a
message and/or symbol comprising at least one bit. The key may
comprise a bit sequence and the bit sequence may comprise a
TRANsmissions SECurity (TRANSEC) and/or a COMMunications SECurity
(COMMSEC) bit sequence.
[0071] According to still more embodiments of the present
invention, the Time-of-Day (TOD) value may be based upon GPS.
Generating the at least one alphabet may comprise using a
predetermined algorithm and/or look-up table.
[0072] According to yet more embodiments of the present invention,
an element of the plurality of elements may be based upon a
plurality of time-domain and/or frequency-domain values, wherein a
time-domain and/or frequency-domain value of the plurality of
time-domain and/or frequency-domain values may be real, imaginary
and/or complex.
[0073] According to further embodiments of the present invention,
the synthesizing may comprise synthesizing a direct waveform devoid
of a frequency translation, wherein the direct waveform
synthesizing may be used to generate the at least one alphabet. The
direct waveform synthesis may comprise at least one pseudo-random
generator, filter, Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter,
Digital-to-Analog (D/A) converter, Fourier transform, inverse
Fourier transform and/or orthogonalizer. The Fourier transform may
be a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and/or a Fast Fourier
Transform (FFT) and the inverse Fourier transform may be an Inverse
Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) and/or an Inverse Fast Fourier
Transform (IFFT). The orthogonalizer may be a Gram-Schmidt
orthogonalizer.
[0074] According to still further embodiments of the present
invention, the at least one alphabet may comprise at least two
alphabets. The at least one alphabet may be used over a first time
interval and not used over a second time interval. The first, time
interval may be associated with a Time-of-Day (TOD) value, message,
symbol and/or bit. According to the method, at least one second
alphabet may be used over the second time interval. Further
according to the method, the at least one alphabet and the at least
one second alphabet may be different therebetween, wherein
different may comprise a difference in a time-domain and/or
frequency-domain characteristic.
[0075] According to embodiments of the present invention, the
method further comprises transmitting at least one second waveform
during a time interval that is not associated with communicating
information, wherein the at least one second waveform may be devoid
of a cyclostationary property and may comprise a frequency content
that is substantially the same as a frequency content of the
waveform. The frequency content may be a power spectral
density.
[0076] According to the method, transmitting may be performed by a
transmitter that is fixed, mobile, portable, transportable,
installed in a vehicle and/or installed in a satellite. The vehicle
may be a land-mobile vehicle, a maritime vehicle, an aeronautical
vehicle and/or an unmanned vehicle. Further according to the
method, devoid of a cyclostationary property may comprise devoid of
a chipping rate. The method may further comprise use of Forward
Error Correction (FEC) encoding, bit repetition, bit interleaving,
bit-to-symbol conversion, symbol repetition, symbol interleaving,
symbol-to-waveform mapping, waveform repetition and/or waveform
interleaving and communicating information according to the method
may comprise communicating information wirelessly. In some
embodiments, communicating information comprises communicating
spread-spectrum information.
[0077] Still further according to the method, the waveform may
comprise a first plurality of frequencies over a first time
interval and a second plurality of frequencies over a second time
interval, wherein the first plurality of frequencies differ from
the second plurality of frequencies in at least one frequency. At
least some frequencies of the first and/or second plurality of
frequencies may also be used by a second transmitter. The second
transmitter may be a transmitter of a commercial communications
system.
[0078] According to embodiments of the present invention, the at
least one alphabet may be used deterministically and/or
pseudo-randomly, wherein used deterministically and/or
pseudo-randomly may comprise usage of the at least one alphabet
responsive to a Time-of-Day (TOD) value, a pseudo-random selection
and/or a usage of one or more alphabets other than the at least one
alphabet. According to some embodiments of the present invention,
usage comprises usage of at least one element of the plurality of
elements of the at least one alphabet. According to other
embodiments of the present invention, a synthesis associated with
the waveform is substantially devoid of a frequency
translation.
[0079] In some embodiments, the synthesis includes a plurality of
operations that are used to form the waveform, the plurality of
operations not including a frequency translation and wherein the
transmitter transmits the waveform without subjecting the waveform
to a frequency translation. In some embodiments, the plurality of
operations may include generating values pseudo-randomly, a Fourier
transform, a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), a Fast Fourier
Transform (FFT), an inverse Fourier transform, an Inverse Discrete
Fourier Transform (IDFT), an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT),
Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoding, bit interleaving,
bit-to-symbol conversion, symbol interleaving, symbol-to-waveform
mapping, waveform repetition, filtering, amplification and/or
waveform interleaving. Generating values pseudo-randomly may
comprise generating at least one value responsive to a Time-of-Day
(TOD) value and/or a key input.
[0080] In further embodiments according to the method, generating
at least one value pseudo-randomly comprises generating at least
one value based upon at least one statistical distribution. The at
least one statistical distribution may comprise a Normal/Gaussian,
Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential,
Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto,
Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh,
Maxwell and/or any other distribution. The at least one statistical
distribution may be truncated. The at least one value may be a
time-domain and/or frequency-domain value. The at least one value
may be real, imaginary and/or complex and, according to some
embodiments of the invention, the at least one value is based upon
at least one statistical distribution.
[0081] According to the method, the at least one statistical
distribution may comprise a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric,
Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull,
Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial,
Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any
other distribution. The at least one statistical distribution may
be truncated.
[0082] According to embodiments of the invention, a method of
communicating information may comprise transmitting and/or
receiving a spread-spectrum waveform that is substantially devoid
of a chipping rate.
[0083] According to some other embodiments of the invention, a
method of receiving information may comprise receiving a measure of
a spread-spectrum waveform that is substantially devoid of a
chipping rate.
[0084] According to some more embodiments of the invention, a
method of communicating information is provided, the method
comprising transmitting and/or receiving a waveform that is
substantially Gaussian distributed.
[0085] According to some additional embodiments of the present
invention, a method of receiving information is provided, the
method comprising receiving a measure of a waveform that is
substantially Gaussian distributed.
[0086] According to still more embodiments of the present
invention, a method of communicating information is provided, the
method comprising transmitting a waveform that does not include a
cyclostationary signature.
[0087] According to yet more embodiments of the present invention,
a method of receiving information from a transmitter is provided,
the method comprising receiving a measure of a waveform that does
not include a cyclostationary signature, wherein the waveform that
does not include a cyclostationary signature has been transmitted
by the transmitter.
[0088] According to further embodiments of the present invention, a
method of transmitting information is provided, the method
comprising mapping an information sequence onto a waveform
sequence, wherein the waveform sequence is substantially devoid of
a cyclostationary signature.
[0089] According to still further embodiments, a method of
receiving information is provided, the method comprising mapping a
waveform sequence that is substantially devoid of a cyclostationary
signature onto an information sequence.
[0090] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a
method of providing information is provided, the method comprising
processing a waveform that is substantially devoid of a
cyclostationary property.
[0091] According to some more embodiments of the present invention,
a method of receiving information from a transmitter is provided,
the method comprising receiving a measure of a signal that is based
upon at least one statistical distribution, wherein the transmitter
synthesizes at least one alphabet based upon the at least one
statistical distribution and transmits the signal based upon the at
least one alphabet.
[0092] According to some other embodiments of the present
invention, a method of transmitting a signal is provided, the
method comprising wirelessly transmitting a signal that is based
upon at least one alphabet, wherein the at least one alphabet is
based upon at least one statistical distribution. The at least one
statistical distribution may comprise a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli,
Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull,
Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial,
Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any
other distribution. The at least one statistical distribution may
be truncated. The at least one alphabet may comprise a plurality of
elements and at least a first and second element of the plurality
of elements may be substantially orthogonal therebetween, wherein
substantially orthogonal may comprise substantially
orthonormal.
[0093] According to embodiments of the invention, a method of
processing a waveform may comprise transmitting and/or receiving
the waveform, wherein the waveform is based upon at least one
alphabet, the at least one alphabet is based upon at least one
statistical distribution and the waveform and/or the at least one
alphabet is/are substantially devoid of a cyclostationary signature
and/or chipping rate. The at least one statistical distribution may
comprise a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative
Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's
t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace,
Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution. In some
embodiments, the at least one statistical distribution may be
truncated.
[0094] According to some other embodiments of the present
invention, the at least one alphabet may comprise a plurality of
elements and at least a first and second element of the plurality
of elements may be substantially orthogonal therebetween, wherein
substantially orthogonal may comprise substantially orthonormal.
The processing may include a plurality of operations and may be
substantially devoid of a frequency translation. According to still
more embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of
operations may include generating values pseudo-randomly, a Fourier
transform, a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), a Fast Fourier
Transform (FFT), an inverse Fourier transform, an Inverse Discrete
Fourier Transform (IDFT), an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT),
Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoding, bit interleaving,
bit-to-symbol conversion, symbol interleaving, symbol-to-waveform
mapping, waveform repetition, filtering, amplification and/or
waveform interleaving.
[0095] According to yet more embodiments of the present invention,
generating values pseudo-randomly may comprise generating at least
one value responsive to a Time-of-Day (TOD) value and/or a key
input, wherein generating at least one value may comprise
generating at least one value based upon at least one statistical
distribution. In some embodiments, the at least one statistical
distribution comprises a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric,
Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull,
Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial,
Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any
other distribution. According to further embodiments of the present
invention, the at least one statistical distribution may be
truncated.
[0096] According to still further embodiments of the present
invention, the at least one value may be a time-domain and/or
frequency-domain value, wherein the at least one value may be real,
imaginary and/or complex. The at least one value may be based upon
at least one statistical distribution.
[0097] Transmitting and/or receiving may comprise wirelessly
transmitting and/or receiving. According to some embodiments of the
present invention, transmitting and/or receiving may comprise
transmitting and/or receiving at a space-based component, at a
land-mobile vehicle, at a maritime vehicle, at an aeronautical
vehicle, at an un-manned vehicle and/or at a user device, wherein
the user device may be fixed, mobile, portable, transportable
and/or installed in a vehicle.
[0098] Wirelessly transmitting and/or receiving may be based upon
frequencies that are used by a plurality of transmitters, wherein
first and second transmitters of the plurality of transmitters may
respectively be associated with first and second systems. In some
embodiments, at least one system of the first and second systems is
a commercial system using frequencies that are authorized for use
by one or more commercial systems and/or a military system using
frequencies that are reserved for use by one or more military
systems.
[0099] Embodiments according to the invention can provide methods
and/or transmitters for communicating information based upon a
waveform that is substantially devoid of a cyclostationary
property. Pursuant to these embodiments, a method/transmitter can
be provided comprising at least one waveform alphabet including a
plurality of elements, wherein the waveform that is substantially
devoid of a cyclostationary property includes at least one element
of the plurality of elements of the at least one waveform
alphabet.
[0100] In some embodiments according to the invention, the at least
one waveform alphabet is generated based upon at least one
statistical distribution responsive to a key and/or Time-of-Day
(TOD) value.
[0101] In some embodiments according to the invention,
communicating information comprises associating a measure of
information with at least one element of the at least one waveform
alphabet. In some embodiments according to the invention, the
measure of information is a message and/or symbol comprising at
least one bit.
[0102] In some embodiments according to the invention, at least
first and second elements of the plurality of elements are
substantially orthogonal therebetween, wherein substantially
orthogonal may, in some embodiments, comprise substantially
orthonormal.
[0103] In some embodiments according to the invention, the at least
one statistical distribution comprises a Normal/Gaussian,
Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential,
Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto,
Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh,
Maxwell and/or any other distribution. In further embodiments, the
at least one statistical distribution is truncated.
[0104] In some embodiments according to the invention, a method
and/or transmitter can be provided comprising a synthesis component
and a transmission component, wherein the synthesis component
synthesizes at least one alphabet based upon at least one
statistical distribution and the transmission component transmits a
waveform based upon the at least one alphabet. In some embodiments,
the waveform is devoid of a cyclostationary property. In other
embodiments, the at least one alphabet comprises a plurality of
elements, with each element of the plurality of elements being
devoid of a cyclostationary property. In still other embodiments,
the synthesis component is a direct synthesis component that does
not include a frequency translation function and/or the
transmission component does not include a frequency translation
function.
[0105] Embodiments of the present invention have been described
above in terms of systems, methods, devices and/or computer program
products that provide communications devoid of cyclostationary
features. However, other embodiments of the present invention may
selectively provide communications devoid of cyclostationary
features. For example, if LPI/LPD/LPE and/or minimum interference
communications are desired, then non-cyclostationary waveforms may
be transmitted. However, when LPI/LPD/LPE and/or minimum
interference communications need not be transmitted,
cyclostationary waveforms may be used. An indicator may be provided
to allow a receiver/transmitter to determine whether
cyclostationary or non-cyclostationary waveforms are being
transmitted or may be transmitted. Accordingly, a given system,
method, device and/or computer program can operate in one of two
modes, depending upon whether LPI/LPD/LPE and/or minimum
interference communications are desired, and/or based on other
parameters and/or properties of the communications environment.
Multiple Communications Modes of Increasing Levels of
Privacy/Security
[0106] Various other embodiments described herein can provide
systems and/or methods of increased privacy wireless
communications. A system that is configured to communicate
information, according to some of these embodiments, comprises a
first communications mode and a second communications mode that
comprises an increased level of privacy compared to the first
communications mode. The system is configured to preferentially use
the second communications mode to communicate the information and
refrain from using the first communications mode to communicate the
information responsive to a privacy level of the information being
at or above a threshold. Moreover, the system is further configured
to preferentially use the first communications mode to communicate
the information and refrain from using the second communications
mode to communicate the information responsive to the privacy level
of the information being below the threshold.
[0107] In some embodiments, the privacy level of the information is
set by an element of the system, by a person who desires to
communicate the information, responsive to a value of time,
responsive a value of position, responsive to biometric data,
responsive to a distance over which the information is to be
communicated and/or responsive to a signal strength. In some of
these embodiments, the increased level of privacy of the second
communications mode prevents an unintended receiver from detecting
the information that is communicated with the second communications
mode, and the unintended receiver is capable of detecting if the
information is communicated via the first communications mode.
[0108] In other embodiments, the system is further configured to
preferentially use the second communications mode to communicate
the information and refrain from using the first communications
mode to communicate the information responsive to a value of time,
a value of position, biometric data, a distance over which the
information is to be communicated and/or a signal strength.
Moreover, in any of these embodiments, the system may be at least
part of a computer, transceiver, radioterminal, satellite,
satellite gateway, airborne platform, base station, access point
and/or femtocell.
[0109] In some embodiments, the first communications mode is based
upon TDM/TDMA, CDM/CDMA, FDM/FDMA, OFDM/OFDMA, GSM, WiMAX and/or
LTE and comprises a first level of cyclostationarity. Moreover, the
second communications mode comprises a signaling alphabet that is
pseudo-randomly generated responsive to a key, statistical
distribution and/or orthogonalization procedure. The second
communications mode comprises a second level of cyclostationarity
that is less than the first level of cyclostationarity of the first
communications mode.
[0110] In some embodiments, the key is a user defined key and/or a
network defined key. The user defined key is determined by a user
of the system and/or by a device of the user of the system, is
unique to the user of the system and differs for different users of
the system. The network defined key is determined by an element of
a network which includes the system and/or provides communications
to the system. Moreover, the network defined key is commonly used
by a plurality of users of the system and/or network.
[0111] In other embodiments, the system is a mobile device that is
configured to communicate with a base station and with an access
point. The mobile device is further configured to preferentially
communicate with the access point when proximate thereto and to
refrain from communicating with the base station when proximate to
the access point even though the mobile device is able to
communicate with the base station when proximate to the access
point. The mobile device is also configured to preferentially
communicate with the access point when proximate thereto and to
preferentially use the second communications mode to communicate
therewith. Finally, the second communications mode is based upon
the user defined key and is also based upon said signaling alphabet
that is pseudo-randomly generated. In some of these embodiments,
the user defined key is unique to the mobile device, is used only
for the communications of the mobile device and can be changed only
by a user of the mobile device and/or by the mobile device by using
an identification code, a user name and/or a password. In other
embodiments, the user defined key is provided to the access point
and/or to the base station by accessing a web site and providing to
the web site said user defined key, wherein the web site is
connected to the access point and/or to the base station. Moreover,
in some of these embodiments, the second communications mode is
based upon the user defined key over a first time interval and is
based upon the network defined key over a second time interval, and
the mobile device is further configured to hand-over communications
from communications that are based upon the user defined key to
communications that are based upon the network defined key and/or
from communications that are based upon the network defined key to
communications that are based upon the user defined key.
[0112] Moreover, in some of these mobile device embodiments, the
mobile device is configured to preferentially communicate with the
access point using frequencies of an unlicensed and/or licensed
band of frequencies. In other embodiments, the mobile device is
configured to preferentially communicate with the access point
using optical band frequencies, ultra violet frequencies and/or
infrared frequencies. In still other embodiments, the mobile device
is further configured to communicate with the access point and/or
base station using the second communications mode and the user
defined key responsive to a first orientation of the mobile device
relative to another device that is also communicating with the
access point and/or base station concurrently and co-frequency with
said mobile device, and the mobile device is further configured to
communicate with the access point and/or base station using the
second communications mode and the network defined key responsive
to a second orientation of the mobile device relative to said
another device that is also communicating with the access point
and/or base station concurrently and co-frequency with said mobile
device.
[0113] In still other mobile device embodiments, the mobile device
is configured to communicate with the base station using the second
communications mode, the network defined key and said signaling
alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated. The base station also
uses said signaling alphabet to communicate with the mobile device
and to also communicate with at least one other device concurrently
and co-frequency with the mobile device. The mobile device is
further configured to use a first element of said signaling
alphabet and to refrain from using a second element of said
signaling alphabet that is being used by the at least one other
device responsive to a first orientation of the mobile device
relative to the at least one other device. The mobile device is
further configured to use the first element and the second element
of said signaling alphabet while said first element and said second
element are also being used by the at least one other device
responsive to a second orientation of the mobile device relative to
the at least one other device.
[0114] In some of these mobile device embodiments, the mobile
device is further configured to communicate with the access point
and/or base station using the second communications mode based upon
the user defined key. The user defined key is provided to the
access point and/or base station by accessing a web site and
providing to the web site said user defined key. The web site is
connected to the access point and/or to the base station. Moreover,
in some of these embodiments, the second communications mode is
based upon the user defined key over a first time interval and is
based upon the network defined key over a second time interval, and
the mobile device is further configured to hand-over communications
from communications that are based upon the user defined key to
communications that are based upon the network defined key and/or
from communications that are based upon the network defined key to
communications that are based upon the user defined key.
[0115] In still other mobile device embodiments, the mobile device
is further configured to communicate with the base station using
the second communications mode, the network defined key and said
signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated, responsive to
a first orientation between the mobile device and another device.
Moreover, the mobile device is further configured to communicate
with the base station using the second communications mode, the
user defined key and said signaling alphabet that is
pseudo-randomly generated, responsive to a second orientation
between the mobile device and said another device. In some of these
mobile device embodiments, the user defined key is provided to the
access point and/or base station by accessing a web site and
providing to the web site said user defined key. The web site is
connected to the access point and to the base station. Moreover, in
some of these mobile device embodiments, the second communications
mode is based upon the user defined key over a first time interval
and is based upon the network defined key over a second time
interval, and the mobile device is further configured to hand-over
communications from communications that are based upon the user
defined key to communications that are based upon the network
defined key and/or from communications that are based upon the
network defined key to communications that are based upon the user
defined key.
[0116] In still other embodiments, the system is a base station
that is configured to communicate with a first device and with a
second device concurrently and co-frequency. In these base station
embodiments, the base station is configured communicate with the
first device and with the second device using the second
communications mode, the network defined key and said signaling
alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated. The base station is
further configured to use a first element of the signaling alphabet
to communicate with the first device and to refrain from using a
second element of the signaling alphabet to communicate with the
first device while said second element is being used by the base
station to communicate with the second device, responsive to a
first orientation of the first device relative to the second
device. The base station is further configured to use the first
element and the second element of the signaling alphabet to
communicate with said first device while said first element and
said second element are also being used by the base station to
communicate with said second device, responsive to a second
orientation of the first device relative to the second device.
[0117] In these base station embodiments, the second orientation
between the first device and the second device allows an antenna of
the base station, comprising a plurality of elements, to form a
first antenna pattern and use the first antenna pattern to
communicate with the first device and to also form a second antenna
pattern and use the second antenna pattern to communicate with the
second device. Moreover, a gain of the first antenna pattern in a
direction associated with the first device is greater than a gain
of the first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the
second device. Finally, a gain of the second antenna pattern in a
direction associated with the second device is greater than a gain
of the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the
first device.
[0118] Moreover, in some of these base station embodiments, the
plurality of elements comprises a first plurality of vertically
disposed elements and/or a second plurality of horizontally
disposed elements. Responsive to said second orientation the system
uses antenna pattern discrimination between the first and second
antenna patterns to reduce interference between the communications
of the first and second devices. Moreover, responsive to said first
orientation the system uses element discrimination between
different elements of the signaling alphabet to reduce interference
between the communications of the first and second devices.
[0119] In other base station embodiments, the base station is
configured to communicate with a first device using the second
communications mode and to communicate with a second device also
using the second communications mode. In these embodiments, the
base station is further configured to communicate with the first
device and with the second device concurrently and co-frequency.
The base station is also configured to communicate with the first
device and with the second device using the network defined key and
said signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated,
responsive to a first orientation between the first device and the
second device. The base station is further configured to
communicate with the first device using a first user defined key
and a first signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated
based upon the first user defined key and a statistical
distribution and to communicate with the second device using a
second user defined key and a second signaling alphabet that is
pseudo-randomly generated based upon the second user defined key
and a statistical distribution, responsive to a second orientation
between the first device and the second device.
[0120] In some of these base station embodiments, the second
orientation between the first device and the second device allows
an antenna of the base station, comprising a plurality of elements,
to form a first antenna pattern and use the first antenna pattern
to communicate with the first device and to also form a second
antenna pattern and use the second antenna pattern to communicate
with the second device. A gain of the first antenna pattern in a.
direction associated with the first device is greater than a gain
of the first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the
second device. Finally, a gain of the second antenna pattern in a
direction associated with the second device is greater than a gain
of the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with the
first device.
[0121] Moreover, in some of these base station embodiments, the
plurality of elements comprises a first plurality of vertically
disposed elements and/or a second plurality of horizontally
disposed elements. Responsive to said second orientation the system
uses antenna pattern discrimination between the first and second
antenna patterns to reduce interference between the communications
of the first and second devices. Moreover, responsive to said first
orientation the system uses element discrimination between
different elements of the signaling alphabet to reduce interference
between the communications of the first and second devices.
[0122] In still other embodiments, the system is an access point
that is configured to preferentially communicate with a first
device and is further configured to preferentially use the second
communications mode to communicate with the first device responsive
to an identity of the first device even though said first device is
within a service area of a base station and is capable of
communicating with the base station. The access point is further
configured to deny service to a second device responsive to an
identity of the second device.
[0123] In some of these access point embodiments, the access point
is configured to communicate with the first device by using only
the second communications mode. Moreover, the identity of the first
device is specified to the access point by accessing a web site and
providing to the web site an indication of the identity of the
first device and wherein the web site is connected to the access
point. Moreover, the second communications mode may be based upon
the user defined key, wherein the user defined key is specified to
the access point by accessing a web site and providing to the web
site said user defined key and wherein the web site is connected to
the access point. Finally, the second communications mode may be
based upon the user defined key over a first time interval and is
based upon the network defined key over a second time interval, and
the access point is further configured to hand-over communications
from communications that are based upon the user defined key to
communications that are based upon the network defined key and/or
from communications that are based upon the network defined key to
communications that are based upon the user defined key.
[0124] Methods of increased privacy wireless communication may also
be provided according to other embodiments described herein.
According to some method embodiments, a first communications mode
and a second communications mode comprising an increased level of
privacy relative to the first communications mode are configured.
These methods also comprise using the second communications mode to
communicate the information and refraining from using the first
communications mode to communicate the information responsive to a
privacy level of the information being at or above a threshold, and
using the first communications mode to communicate the information
and refraining from using the second communications mode to
communicate the information responsive to the privacy level of the
information being below the threshold.
[0125] In some of these method embodiments, the privacy level of
the information is set by a device that is communicating the
information, by a person who desires to communicate the
information, responsive to a value of time, responsive to a value
of position, responsive to biometric data, responsive to a distance
over which the information is to be communicated and/or responsive
to a signal strength. The increased level of privacy of the second
communications mode prevents an unintended receiver from detecting
the information that is communicated via the second communications
mode, and the unintended receiver is capable of detecting the
information if the information is communicated via the first
communications mode.
[0126] In still other embodiments, these methods also include
preferentially using the second communications mode to communicate
the information and refraining from using the first communications
mode to communicate the information responsive to a value of time,
a value of position, biometric data, a distance over which the
information is to be communicated and/or a signal strength.
Moreover, said communicating information may be performed by a
computer, transceiver, radioterminal, satellite, satellite gateway,
airborne platform, base station, access point and/or femtocell.
[0127] In some method embodiments, the first communications mode is
based upon TDM/TDMA, CDM/CDMA, FDM/FDMA, OFDM/OFDMA, GSM, WiMAX
and/or LTE and comprises a first level of cyclostationarity. In
these embodiments, the second communications mode comprises a
signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated responsive to
a key, statistical distribution and orthogonalization procedure.
Moreover, the second communications mode comprises a second level
of cyclostationarity that is less than the first level of
cyclostationarity of the first communications mode.
[0128] In some of these method embodiments, the key is a user
defined key and/or a network defined key. The user defined key is
determined by a user of a device that is involved in said
communicating information, is unique to the user of the device and
differs for different users of different devices. The network
defined key is determined by an element of a network which includes
the device and/or provides communications to the device. Moreover,
the network defined key is commonly used by a plurality of users of
a respective plurality of devices.
[0129] In some method embodiments, the device is a mobile device
that is configured to communicate with a base station and with an
access point. These mobile device methods can further comprise
preferentially communicating between the mobile device and the
access point when the mobile device is proximate to the access
point and refraining from communicating between the mobile device
and the base station when the mobile device is proximate to the
access point even though the mobile device is able to communicate
with the base station when proximate to the access point. The
second communications mode is preferentially used during said
preferentially communicating. The second communications mode is
based upon the user defined key and is also based upon said
signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated.
[0130] In some of these mobile device methods, the user defined key
is unique to the mobile device, is used only for the communications
of the mobile device and can be changed only by a user of the
mobile device who is aware of an identification code, a user name
and/or a password. Moreover, these mobile device methods may
further comprise providing the user defined key to the access point
and/or to the base station by accessing a web site and providing to
the web site said user defined key, and connecting the web site to
the access point and/or to the base station. These mobile device
methods may also comprise basing the second communications mode
upon the user defined key over a first time interval and basing the
second communications mode upon the network defined key over a
second time interval, and configuring the mobile device to
hand-over communications from communications that are based upon
the user defined key to communications that are based upon the
network defined key and/or from communications that are based upon
the network defined key to communications that are based upon the
user defined key. These mobile device methods may further comprise
preferentially communicating between the mobile device and the
access point using frequencies of an unlicensed and/or licensed
band of frequencies. These mobile device methods may further
comprise preferentially communicating between the mobile device and
the access point using optical band frequencies, ultra violet
frequencies and/or infrared frequencies.
[0131] These mobile device methods may further comprise
communicating between the mobile device and the access point and/or
base station using the second communications mode and the user
defined key responsive to a first orientation of the mobile device
relative to another device that is also communicating with the
access point and/or base station concurrently and co-frequency with
said mobile device, and communicating between the mobile device and
the access point and/or base station using the second
communications mode and the network defined key responsive to a
second orientation of the mobile device relative to said another
device that is also communicating with the access point and/or base
station concurrently and co-frequency with said mobile device.
[0132] Other mobile device methods may also be used by a mobile
device that is configured to communicate with a base station and
with an access node. In these methods, the mobile device is
configured to communicate with the base station using the second
communications mode, the network defined key and said signaling
alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated. The base station also
uses said signaling alphabet to communicate with the mobile device
and to also communicate with at least one other device concurrently
and co-frequency with the mobile device. These mobile device
methods may further comprise using by the mobile device a first
element of said signaling alphabet and refraining from using by the
mobile device a second element of said signaling alphabet that is
being used by the at least one other device, responsive to a first
orientation of the mobile device relative to the at least one other
device. These methods may further comprise using by the mobile
device the first element and the second element of said signaling
alphabet while said first element and said second element are also
being used by the at least one other device responsive to a second
orientation of the mobile device relative to the at least one other
device.
[0133] In these mobile device methods, the mobile device may be
further configured to communicate with the access point and/or base
station using the second communications mode based upon the user
defined key. These methods may further comprise providing to the
access point and/or base station the user defined key by accessing
a web site and providing to the web site said user defined key, and
connecting the web site to the access point and/or to the base
station.
[0134] Other mobile device methods may also comprise basing the
second communications mode upon the user defined key over a first
time interval and basing the second communications mode on the
network defined key over a second time interval, and configuring
the mobile device to hand-over communications from communications
that are based upon the user defined key to communications that are
based upon the network defined key and/or from communications that
are based upon the network defined key to communications that are
based upon the user defined key.
[0135] Yet other mobile device methods may comprise configuring the
mobile device to communicate with the base station using the second
communications mode, the network defined key and said signaling
alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated, responsive to a first
orientation between the mobile device and another device, and
configuring the mobile device to communicate with the base station
using the second communications mode, the user defined key and said
signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated, responsive to
a second orientation between the mobile device and said another
device. These methods may also comprise providing the user defined
key providing the user defined key to the access point and/or base
station by accessing a web site and providing to the web site said
user defined key, and connecting the web site to the access point
and/or to the base station. These methods may further comprise
basing the second communications mode upon the user defined key
over a first time interval and basing the second communications
mode upon the network defined key over a second time interval, and
configuring the mobile device to hand-over communications from
communications that are based upon the user defined key to
communications that are based upon the network defined key and/or
from communications that are based upon the network defined key to
communications that are based upon the user defined key.
[0136] In other method embodiments, the device is a base station
that is configured to communicate with a first transceiver and with
a second transceiver concurrently and co-frequency. These base
station methods may further comprise configuring the base station
to communicate with the first transceiver and with the second
transceiver using the second communications mode, the network
defined key and said signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly
generated. These methods may further comprise configuring the base
station to use a first element of the signaling alphabet to
communicate with the first transceiver and to refrain from using a
second element of the signaling alphabet to communicate with the
first transceiver while said second element is being used by the
base station to communicate with the second transceiver, responsive
to a first orientation of the first transceiver relative to the
second transceiver. These methods may also comprise configuring the
base station to use the first element and the second element of the
signaling alphabet to communicate with said first transceiver while
said first element and said second element are also being used by
the base station to communicate with said second transceiver,
responsive to a second orientation of the first transceiver
relative to the second transceiver.
[0137] In some of these base station method embodiments, the second
orientation between the first transceiver and the second
transceiver allows an antenna of the base station, comprising a
plurality of elements, to form a first antenna pattern and use the
first antenna pattern to communicate with the first transceiver and
to also form a second antenna pattern and use the second antenna
pattern to communicate with the second transceiver. A gain of the
first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the first
transceiver is greater than a gain of the first antenna pattern in
a direction associated with the second transceiver. Moreover, a
gain of the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with
the second transceiver is greater than a gain of the second antenna
pattern in a direction associated with the first transceiver.
[0138] In other of these base station method embodiments, the
plurality of elements comprises a first plurality of vertically
disposed elements and/or a second plurality of horizontally
disposed elements. The methods further comprise using antenna
pattern discrimination between the first and second antenna
patterns to reduce interference between the communications of the
first and second transceivers responsive to said second
orientation, and using element discrimination between different
elements of the signaling alphabet to reduce interference between
the communications of the first and second transceivers responsive
to said first orientation.
[0139] Other base station method embodiments provide a base station
that is configured to communicate with a first transceiver using
the second communications mode and to communicate with a second
transceiver also using the second communications mode. These base
station methods further comprise configuring the base station to
communicate with the first transceiver and with the second
transceiver concurrently and co-frequency, configuring the base
station to communicate with the first transceiver and with the
second transceiver using the network defined key and said signaling
alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated, responsive to a first
orientation between the first transceiver and the second
transceiver, and configuring the base station to communicate with
the first transceiver using a first user defined key and a first
signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly generated based upon the
first user defined key and a statistical distribution and to
communicate with the second transceiver using a second user defined
key and a second signaling alphabet that is pseudo-randomly
generated based upon the second user defined key and a statistical
distribution, responsive to a second orientation between the first
transceiver and the second transceiver.
[0140] In some of these other base station methods, the second
orientation between the first transceiver and the second
transceiver allows an antenna of the base station, comprising a
plurality of elements, to form a first antenna pattern and use the
first antenna pattern to communicate with the first transceiver and
to also form a second antenna pattern and use the second antenna
pattern to communicate with the second transceiver. A gain of the
first antenna pattern in a direction associated with the first
transceiver is greater than a gain of the first antenna pattern in
a direction associated with the second transceiver. Moreover, a
gain of the second antenna pattern in a direction associated with
the second transceiver is greater than a gain of the second antenna
pattern in a direction associated with the first transceiver.
[0141] Moreover, in some of these base station communications
embodiments, the plurality of elements comprises a first plurality
of vertically disposed elements and/or a second plurality of
horizontally disposed elements. These methods may further comprise
using antenna pattern discrimination between the first and second
antenna patterns to reduce interference between the communications
of the first and second transceivers responsive to said second
orientation, and using element discrimination between different
elements of the signaling alphabet to reduce interference between
the communications of the first and second transceivers responsive
to said first orientation.
[0142] In other method embodiments, the device is an access point,
and these methods further. comprise configuring the access point to
preferentially communicate with a first transceiver by
preferentially using the second communications mode, responsive to
an identity of the first transceiver even though said first
transceiver is within a service area of a base station and is
capable of communicating with the base station; and configuring the
access point to deny service to a second transceiver responsive to
an identity of the second transceiver. These access point methods
further comprise configuring the access point to communicate with
the first transceiver by using only the second communications mode.
These access point methods further comprise specifying an
indication of the identity of the first transceiver to the access
point by accessing a web site and providing to the web site the
indication of the identity of the first transceiver, and connecting
the web site to the access point. In some embodiments, the second
communications mode is based upon the user defined key, and these
methods further comprise specifying the user defined key to the
access point by accessing a web site and providing to the web site
said user defined key, and connecting the web site to the access
point.
[0143] Finally, these access point methods may further comprise
basing the second communications mode upon the user defined key
over a first time interval and basing the second communications
mode upon the network defined key over a second time interval.
These access point methods may further comprise configuring the
access point to hand-over communications from communications that
are based upon the user defined key to communications that are
based upon the network defined key and/or from communications that
are based upon the network defined key to communications that are
based upon the user defined key.
Preferentially Using a First Asset and Refraining from Using a
Second Asset
[0144] Various other embodiments described herein can provide
systems and/or methods of selectively using a first asset while
refraining from using a second asset. A method that may be used to
communicate information, according to some of these embodiments,
comprises: preferentially using a first set of frequencies to
provide communications; providing a second set of frequencies to be
used conditionally in providing communications; using the second
set of frequencies to provide communications responsive to an
inability of the first set of frequencies to satisfy a capacity
measure and/or responsive to a time lapse since initiating said
preferentially using a first set of frequencies to provide
communications; and refraining from using the second set of
frequencies to provide communications when the capacity measure is
satisfied by using the first set of frequencies and/or when said
time lapse has not occurred; wherein the first set of frequencies
and the second set of frequencies differ therebetween in at least
one frequency.
[0145] In some embodiments, the first set of frequencies comprises
frequencies that are less than 1559 MHz and frequencies that are
greater than 1610 MHz and, in accordance with further embodiments,
said preferentially using a first set of frequencies to provide
communications comprises: using the frequencies that are less than
1559 MHz to provide forward link communications from a base station
and/or access point to one or more user devices; and using the
frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz to provide return link
communications from the one or more user devices to the base
station and/or access point. In yet additional embodiments, the
forward link communications and the return link communications
occur over first and second respective non-overlapping time
intervals, whereas the forward link communications and the return
link communications may occur over first and second respective time
intervals that at least partially overlap therebetween, in some
embodiments
[0146] In some embodiments, the first set of frequencies comprises
frequencies that are less than 1559 MHz and the second set of
frequencies comprises frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz.
In additional embodiments, the first set of frequencies comprises
frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz and the second set of
frequencies comprises frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz
and/or frequencies that are less than 1559 MHz; wherein the first
set of frequencies and/or the second set of frequencies is/are used
to provide forward link and/or return link communications over
respective first and second time intervals that at least partially
overlap therebetween or do not overlap at all therebetween. In
accordance with yet other embodiments of the invention, the forward
link and/or the return link communications is/are based upon an
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and/or a Single Carrier
Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) technology/protocol
wherein a OFDM, OFDMA and/or SC-FDMA carrier that is/are used in
providing the forward link and/or the return link communications
comprises a plurality of subcarriers that remain unoccupied in
order to reduce a level of interference to a satellite.
[0147] According to additional embodiments of the invention, the
method that may be used to communicate information may further
comprise: interchanging the role of the first set of frequencies
and the second set of frequencies over a second time interval
compared to the role thereof over a first time interval; wherein
the first and second time intervals are non-overlapping
therebetween; and wherein said interchanging the role comprises:
preferentially using the first set of frequencies to provide
communications over the first time interval; providing the second
set of frequencies to be used conditionally in providing
communications over the first time interval; using the second set
of frequencies to provide communications over the first time
interval responsive to an inability of the first set of frequencies
to satisfy the capacity measure over the first time interval;
refraining from using the second set of frequencies to provide
communications over the first time interval when the capacity
measure is satisfied by using the first set of frequencies over the
first time interval; preferentially using the second set of
frequencies to provide communications over the second time
interval; providing the first set of frequencies to be used
conditionally in providing communications over the second time
interval; using the first set of frequencies to provide
communications over the second time interval responsive to an
inability of the second set of frequencies to satisfy the capacity
measure over the second time interval; and refraining from using
the first set of frequencies to provide communications over the
second time interval when the capacity measure is satisfied by
using the second set of frequencies over the second time
interval.
[0148] In yet additional embodiments of the invention, the method
that may be used to communicate information may further comprise:
providing forward link and/or return link communications by using
at least one carrier comprising a plurality of subcarriers; and
maintaining at least one frequency that is associated with at least
one subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers unutilized for the
forward link and/or the return link communications responsive to a
use of the at least one frequency by a satellite, in order to
maintain a level of interference to the satellite at or below a
threshold; wherein providing forward link and/or return link
communications by using at least one carrier comprising a plurality
of subcarriers may, according to some embodiments, comprise: using
at least one carrier that is based upon a fourth Generation (4G)
Long Term Evolution (LTE) specification and/or technology and,
wherein according to additional embodiments, using at least one
carrier that is based upon a fourth Generation (4G) Long Term
Evolution (LTE) specification and/or technology may comprise:
transmitting an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM)
carrier, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
carrier and/or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access
(SC-FDMA) carrier; wherein the OFDM, OFDMA and/or SC-FDMA carrier
that is/are being transmitted includes/include a plurality of
subcarriers at least one of which is configured to remain
unutilized in providing communications responsive to a use of at
least one frequency thereof by the satellite, in order to maintain
a level of interference to the satellite at or below a
threshold.
[0149] According to some embodiments of the present invention, at
least one subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers may include
frequencies that are mutually exclusive to frequencies that are
authorized for use by the satellite and wherein at least one
subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers may include frequencies
that are authorized for use by the satellite. Further, in some
embodiments, said satellite includes a first satellite and a second
satellite; wherein the first satellite is operated by a first
satellite operator and the second satellite is operated by a second
satellite operator; the method further comprising: configuring the
plurality of subcarriers of the at least one carrier so that a
frequency content thereof substantially coincides with at least one
frequency used by the first satellite and avoids frequencies used
by the second satellite.
[0150] In accordance with additional embodiments of the invention,
said maintaining at least one frequency that is associated with at
least one subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers unutilized
comprises: providing forward link communications by using a first
plurality of subcarriers of the plurality of subcarriers and
refraining from providing return link communications by using the
first plurality of subcarriers; and providing return link
communications by using a second plurality of subcarriers of the
plurality of subcarriers and refraining from providing forward link
communications by using the second plurality of subcarriers;
wherein, according to some embodiments, said providing forward link
communications and said providing return link communications
comprise: providing the forward link communications by selecting a
forward link frequency interval and by transmitting an Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) carrier and/or an Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) carrier comprising a
plurality of subcarriers over the selected forward link frequency
interval; providing the return link communications by selecting a
return link frequency interval over which a return link waveform is
to exist; allowing at least one frequency that is included in the
selected return link frequency interval to provide a frequency
content to the return link waveform; excluding at least one
frequency that is included in the selected return link frequency
interval from providing a frequency content to the return link
waveform; forming the return link waveform comprising a plurality
of elements; and sequentially transmitting the plurality of
elements via a single carrier frequency; wherein, according to yet
further embodiments, said forming the return link waveform
comprises: forming a waveform using a first plurality of
frequencies over a first time interval; and forming a waveform
using a second plurality of frequencies over a second time
interval; wherein the second plurality of frequencies differs from
the first plurality of frequencies in at least one frequency and,
wherein, according to some embodiments, the forward link frequency
interval includes frequencies that are less than or equal to 1559
MHz and the return link frequency interval includes frequencies
that are greater than 1610 MHz.
[0151] In some embodiments according to the invention, the
satellite comprises a first satellite, a second satellite, a third
satellite and a fourth satellite which are operated by respective
first, second, third and fourth satellite operators; and wherein
maintaining at least one frequency that is associated with at least
one subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers unutilized for the
forward link and/or the return link communications responsive to a
use of the at least one frequency by a satellite, in order to
maintain a level of interference to the satellite at or below a
threshold comprises: maintaining at least one frequency that is
associated with at least one subcarrier of the plurality of
subcarriers unutilized for the forward link and/or the return link
communications responsive to a use of the at least one frequency by
the first and/or the second satellite; and utilizing at least one
other frequency that is associated with at least one other
subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers for providing forward
link and/or the return link communications responsive to a use of
the at least one other frequency by the third and/or the fourth
satellite.
[0152] According to additional embodiments, the method that may be
used to communicate information may further comprise: providing
forward link and return link communications by using at least one
carrier comprising a plurality of subcarriers; providing the
forward link communications by transmitting an Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplexed (OFDM) carrier and/or an Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) carrier comprising a plurality of
subcarriers over a selected forward link frequency interval;
providing the return link communications by selecting a return link
frequency interval over which a return link waveform is to be
formed; allowing at least one frequency that is included in the
selected return link frequency interval to provide a frequency
content to the return link waveform; excluding at least one
frequency that is included in the selected return link frequency
interval from providing a frequency content to the return link
waveform; forming the return link waveform comprising a plurality
of elements; and transmitting the return link waveform that
comprises the plurality of elements by transmitting the plurality
of elements sequentially one after another via a single carrier
frequency; wherein said forming the return link waveform comprises:
forming a first return link waveform using a first plurality of
frequencies over a first time interval; and forming a second return
link waveform using a second plurality of frequencies over a second
time interval; wherein the second plurality of frequencies differs
from the first plurality of frequencies in at least one frequency.
According to further embodiments, the forward link frequency
interval comprises frequencies that are less than 1559 MHz and at a
distance of at least 3 MHz from 1559 MHz, and the return link
frequency interval comprises frequencies that are greater than 1610
MHz and at a distance of at least 4 MHz from 1610 MHz.
[0153] According to yet additional embodiments of the invention,
said forming the return link waveform comprising a plurality of
elements further comprises: forming a first return link waveform by
a first mobile device comprising a first plurality of elements;
forming a second return link waveform by a second mobile device
comprising a second plurality of elements; increasing the first
plurality of elements responsive to decreasing the second plurality
of elements; decreasing the first plurality of elements responsive
to increasing the second plurality of elements; and maintaining a
frequency content of the first plurality of elements mutually
exclusive from a frequency content of the second plurality of
elements; and, wherein further embodiments comprise: increasing the
second plurality of elements responsive to decreasing the first
plurality of elements; decreasing the second plurality of elements
responsive to increasing the first plurality of elements; and
maintaining a frequency content of the first plurality of elements
mutually exclusive from a frequency content of the second plurality
of elements. Further to the above, in some embodiments, said
frequency content of the first plurality of elements comprises
frequencies from 1610 MHz to 1675 MHz and wherein said frequency
content of the second plurality of elements comprises frequencies
from 1610 MHz to 1675 MHz. In yet additional embodiments of the
invention, the return link frequency interval comprises frequencies
from 1610 MHz to 1675 MHz and wherein the forward link frequency
interval comprises frequencies from 1525 MHz to 1559 MHz and/or
frequencies from 1610 MHz to 1675 MHz. Finally, according to yet
further embodiments of the present invention, the method that may
be used to communicate information may include the first set of
frequencies comprising frequencies from 1610 MHz to 1675 MHz and
the second set of frequencies comprising frequencies from 1525 MHz
to 1559 MHz and/or frequencies from 1610 MHz to 1675 MHz.
[0154] The present invention may also be used to provide
embodiments of systems/devices, such as nodes, and/or user
equipment that are analogous to the embodiments of the various
methods summarized above or are analogous to various combinations
and/or sub-combinations thereof. For example, according to
embodiments of the invention, a system may be provided that may be
used to communicate information, wherein the system comprises a
processor that is configured to preferentially use a first set of
frequencies to provide communications and is also configured to
conditionally use a second set of frequencies to provide
communications responsive to an inability of the first set of
frequencies to satisfy a capacity measure and/or responsive to a
time lapse since having begun to preferentially use the first set
of frequencies to provide communications; and wherein the processor
is further configured to refrain from using the second set of
frequencies to provide communications when the capacity measure is
satisfied by using the first set of frequencies and/or when said
time lapse has not occurred; wherein the first set of frequencies
and the second set of frequencies differ therebetween in at least
one frequency.
[0155] According to additional embodiments of the invention, a
communications method is provided comprising: using by an entity,
over a first time interval, a first set of frequencies to provide
communications; refraining by the entity, over the first time
interval, from using a second set of frequencies to provide
communications in order to avoid subjecting a device to a first
level of interference; and using by the entity, over a second time
interval that follows the first time interval, the second set of
frequencies to provide communications, and subjecting the device to
a second level of interference that is less than the first level of
interference; wherein the first set of frequencies and the second
set of frequencies differ therebetween in at least one
frequency.
[0156] In some embodiments, said using by the entity, over a second
time interval that follows the first time interval, the second set
of frequencies to provide communications, and subjecting the device
to a second level of interference that is less than the first level
of interference, is preceded by: reconfiguring a component of a
network that the entity is using to provide communications, the
device and/or a component of the device; wherein said reconfiguring
comprises adding filtering; wherein said component of a network
comprises a base station and/or access point; and wherein said
device comprises a GPS receiver.
[0157] In some embodiments, the first set of frequencies comprises
frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz and the second set of
frequencies comprises frequencies that are less than 1559 MHz.
[0158] In additional embodiments, the communications method further
comprises: providing, over the first time interval, forward link
communications from one or more base stations to one or more
radioterminals using frequencies of the first set of frequencies
that are greater than 1610 MHz and providing return link
communications from the one or more radioterminals to the one or
more base stations also using frequencies of the first set of
frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz; and providing, over the
second time interval, forward link communications from the one or
more base stations to the one or more radioterminals using
frequencies of the first set of frequencies that are greater than
1610 MHz and frequencies of the second set of frequencies that are
less than 1559 MHz and providing return link communications from
the one or more radioterminals to the one or more base stations
using frequencies of the first set of frequencies that are greater
than 1610 MHz.
[0159] In yet other embodiments, the communications method further
comprises: radiating the first set of frequencies at a first
Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power level; and radiating the second
set of frequencies at a second Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power
level that is less than the first Equivalent Isotropic Radiated
Power level.
[0160] According to additional embodiments, the communications
method uses a first antenna that is located on a base station tower
to radiate the first and/or second set of frequencies at a
predetermined Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power level; the base
station tower also including a second antenna that is used to
radiate frequencies other than the first and second frequencies;
the method further comprising: increasing a gain of the first
antenna relative to a gain of the second antenna; reducing a power
level at an input of the first antenna responsive to said
increasing; and maintaining invariant the predetermined Equivalent
Isotropic Radiated Power level responsive to said increasing and
said reducing.
[0161] In further embodiments, the method comprises: exceeding, by
an aggregate signal that is to be transmitted by a transmitter, a
bandwidth limit associated with an antenna and/or other element of
the transmitter; segmenting by a processor the aggregate signal
into a plurality of signal components, each signal component of the
plurality of signal components having a bandwidth that is smaller
than an aggregate bandwidth of the aggregate signal; and
configuring the transmitter with a respective plurality of antennas
and/or power amplifiers to transmit the plurality of signal
components.
[0162] According to yet additional embodiments, the method
comprises: providing communications by transmitting a waveform that
comprises a first plurality off frequencies over a first symbol
interval and a second plurality of frequencies over a second symbol
interval that is adjacent to the first symbol interval; wherein the
second plurality of frequencies differs from the first plurality of
frequencies in at least one frequency; and wherein a bandwidth
associated with the second plurality of frequencies differs from a
bandwidth associated with the first plurality of frequencies.
[0163] In yet other embodiments, the first set of frequencies
comprises a first frequency band that is controlled by a first
party and a second frequency band that is provided to the first
party by a second party; the second frequency band being contiguous
with the first frequency band; the method further comprising: using
by the entity the first frequency band and the second frequency
band devoid of any guard-band therebetween; generating by a
processor at least one first subcarrier over the first frequency
band; and generating by the processor at least one second
subcarrier over the second frequency band; wherein the at least one
first subcarrier and the at least one second subcarrier satisfy an
orthogonality criterion therebetween.
[0164] The present invention may also be used to provide
embodiments of systems/devices, such as nodes, and/or user
equipment that are analogous to the embodiments of the various
methods summarized above or are analogous to various combinations
and/or sub-combinations thereof. For example, according to
embodiments of the invention, a system may be provided that
comprises a transceiver that is configured to use, over a first
time interval, a first set of frequencies to provide communications
and is further configured to refrain from using, over the first
time interval, a second set of frequencies to provide
communications in order to avoid subjecting a device to a first
level of interference; wherein the transceiver is further
configured to use, over a second time interval that follows the
first time interval, the second set of frequencies to provide
communications, and to subject the device to a second level of
interference that is less than the first level of interference;
wherein the first set of frequencies and the second set of
frequencies differ therebetween in at least one frequency.
[0165] According to additional embodiments, prior to the second
time interval, at least one of the transceiver, a component of a
network that the transceiver is connected to, the device and a
component of the device is reconfigured in order to provide the
second level of interference that is less than the first level of
interference while the transceiver is using the second set of
frequencies; wherein said reconfigured comprises a reconfiguration
or addition of a filter; wherein said component of a network
comprises a base station and/or access point; and wherein said
device comprises a GPS receiver.
[0166] In some embodiments, the first set of frequencies comprises
frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz and the second set of
frequencies comprises frequencies that are less than 1559 MHz.
[0167] According to further embodiments, the transceiver is
configured to provide, over the first time interval, forward link
communications from one or more base stations to one or more
radioterminals using frequencies of the first set of frequencies
that are greater than 1610 MHz and to provide return link
communications from the one or more radioterminals to the one or
more base stations also using frequencies of the first set of
frequencies that are greater than 1610 MHz; and to further provide,
over the second time interval, forward link communications from the
one or more base stations to the one or more radioterminals using
frequencies of the first set of frequencies that are greater than
1610 MHz and frequencies of the second set of frequencies that are
less than 1559 MHz and to provide return link communications from
the one or more radioterminals to the one or more base stations
using frequencies of the first set of frequencies that are greater
than 1610 MHz.
[0168] In yet other embodiments, the transceiver is further
configured to radiate the first set of frequencies at a first
Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power level; and to radiate the
second set of frequencies at a second Equivalent Isotropic Radiated
Power level that is less than the first Equivalent Isotropic
Radiated Power level.
[0169] According to yet additional embodiments, a first antenna
that is located on a base station tower is used by the transceiver
to radiate the first and/or second set of frequencies at a
predetermined Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power level; wherein
the base station tower also includes a second antenna that is used
to radiate frequencies other than the first and second set of
frequencies; and wherein the first antenna is configured to
maintain the predetermined Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power
level by being configured to provide a gain that is greater than a
gain of the second antenna while being configured to receive an
input power level that is lower than an input power level
associated with the second antenna.
[0170] According to additional embodiments, the communications
system further comprises: a processor that is configured to
generate a plurality of signal components and to provide the
plurality of signal components to a respective plurality of
antennas and/or power amplifiers of the transceiver; wherein the
plurality of signal components represents an aggregate signal that
is to be transmitted by the transceiver; and wherein each component
of the plurality of signal components comprises a bandwidth that is
less than an aggregate bandwidth of the aggregate signal.
[0171] In accordance with yet additional embodiments of the
invention, the communications system further comprises: a processor
that is configured to generate a signal that comprises a first
plurality off frequencies over a first symbol interval and a second
plurality of frequencies over a second symbol interval that is
adjacent to the first symbol interval and to provide the signal to
the transceiver; wherein the second plurality of frequencies
differs from the first plurality of frequencies in at least one
frequency; and wherein a bandwidth associated with the second
plurality of frequencies differs from a bandwidth associated with
the first plurality of frequencies.
[0172] In other embodiments, the first set of frequencies comprises
a first frequency band that is controlled by an entity and a second
frequency band that is provided to the entity by a party other than
the entity; the second frequency band being contiguous with the
first frequency band; the communications system further comprising:
a processor that is configured to use the first frequency band and
the second frequency band, devoid of any guard-band therebetween,
to generate at least one first subcarrier over the first frequency
band and to generate at least one second subcarrier over the second
frequency band; wherein the at least one first subcarrier and the
at least one second subcarrier satisfy an orthogonality criterion
therebetween.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0173] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of functions of a
transmitter according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0174] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of further functions of a
transmitter according to further embodiments of the present
invention.
[0175] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of waveform generation
according to additional embodiments of the present invention.
[0176] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of further functions of a
transmitter according to further embodiments of the present
invention.
[0177] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of additional functions
of a transmitter according to additional embodiments of the present
invention.
[0178] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of functions of a
receiver according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0179] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of further functions of a
transmitter according to further embodiments of the present
invention.
[0180] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of spectrum used by a
transmitter according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0181] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of further functions of a
receiver according to further embodiments of the present
invention.
[0182] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of a communications
system based upon one or more transmitters and one or more
receivers according to further embodiments of the present
invention.
[0183] FIGS. 11 through 14 illustrate functions of a receiver
according to further embodiments of the present invention.
[0184] FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of further functions of
a transmitter and receiver according to further embodiments of the
present invention.
[0185] FIG. 16 is a flowchart of operations that may be performed
according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0186] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a XG-CSSC system transmitter
architecture according to various embodiments of the present
invention.
[0187] FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a XG-CSSC system receiver
architecture according to various embodiments of the present
invention.
[0188] FIGS. 19(a)-19(c) illustrate a power spectral density of a
XG-CSSC waveform (a) in an interference-free environment, (b) in
interference avoidance mode illustrating a cognitive property, and
(c) following a square-law detector illustrating featureless
(cyclostationary-free) nature, according to various
embodiments.
[0189] FIG. 20 illustrates a power spectral density of a
conventional QPSK waveform and a cyclostationary feature
thereof.
[0190] FIG. 21 illustrates a constellation of a XG-CSSC waveform
according to various embodiments.
[0191] FIG. 22 illustrates a histogram of transmitted symbols of a
XG-CSSC waveform corresponding to the constellation of FIG. 21
according to various embodiments of the invention.
[0192] FIG. 23 graphically illustrates BER vs. E.sub.S/N.sub.0 for
16-ary XG-CSSC and 16-QAM spread spectrum according to various
embodiments of the invention.
[0193] FIG. 24 graphically illustrates BER vs. E.sub.S/N.sub.0 for
16-ary XG-CSSC and 16-QAM Spread Spectrum subject to Co-Channel
("CC") interference according to various embodiments of the
invention. The CC interference considered is of two types:
Wide-Band ("WB"), spanning the entire desired signal spectrum; and
Band-Pass ("BP"), spanning only 20% of the desired signal spectrum.
Interference and desired signal are assumed to have identical
power.
[0194] FIG. 25 graphically illustrates BER vs. E.sub.S/N.sub.0 for
16-ary XG-CSSC and 16-QAM Spread Spectrum subject to Band-Pass
("BP") Co-Channel interference according to various embodiments of
the invention. The BP interference spans 20% of the desired signal
spectrum. The term "Adaptive XG-CSSC" in the legend refers to the
cognitive feature of XG-CSSC in sensing and avoiding the
interference. Interference and desired signal are assumed to have
identical power.
[0195] FIG. 26 is a block diagram of systems and/or methods of
increased privacy wireless communications according to various
embodiments of the present invention.
[0196] FIG. 27 is a block diagram of additional systems and/or
methods of increased privacy wireless communications according to
various embodiments of the present invention.
[0197] FIGS. 28a, 28b and 29 are block diagrams of yet additional
systems and/or methods of increased privacy wireless communications
according to various embodiments of the present invention.
[0198] FIGS. 30-33 illustrate still additional systems and/or
methods according to various embodiments of the present
invention.
[0199] FIG. 34 illustrates yet additional systems and/or methods
according to various embodiments of the present invention.
[0200] FIGS. 35-36 illustrate embodiments of the invention relating
to phasing-in various assets of a system/method over time.
[0201] FIG. 37 illustrates systems/methods of reducing or
eliminating guard bands in order to increase spectrum usage for
providing communications.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION
[0202] The following applications are incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein: U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 13/011,451, filed Jan. 21, 2011,
entitled Systems and/or Methods of Increased Privacy Wireless
Communications, which itself is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/372,354, filed Feb. 17, 2009,
entitled Wireless Communications Systems and/or Methods Providing
Low Interference, High Privacy and/or Cognitive Flexibility, which
itself claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/033,114, filed Mar. 3, 2008, entitled Next Generation (XG)
Chipless Spread-Spectrum Communications (CSSC), and is a
continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/720,115,
filed May 24, 2007, entitled Systems, Methods, Devices and/or
Computer Program Products For Providing Communications Devoid of
Cyclostationary Features, which is a 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371 national
stage application of PCT Application No. PCT/US2006/020417, filed
on May 25, 2006, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/692,932, filed Jun. 22, 2005, entitled
Communications Systems, Methods, Devices and Computer Program
Products for Low Probability of Intercept (LPI), Low Probability of
Detection (LPD) and/or Low Probability of Exploitation (LPE) of
Communications Information, and also claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/698,247, filed Jul. 11, 2005,
entitled Additional Communications Systems, Methods, Devices and
Computer Program Products for Low Probability of Intercept. (LPI),
Low Probability of Detection (LPD) and/or Low Probability of
Exploitation (LPE) of Communications Information and/or Minimum
Interference Communications, and all U.S. patent applications
and/or Provisional U.S. patent applications cited therein and are
assigned to the present Assignee, EICES Research, Inc. The
above-referenced PCT International Application was published in the
English language as International Publication No. WO
2007/001707.
[0203] Also, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as
if set forth fully herein are: U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/481,084, filed Jun. 9, 2009, entitled Increased Capacity
Communications Systems, Methods and/or Devices, and U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/748,931, filed Mar. 29, 2010, entitled
Increased Capacity Communications for OFDM-Based Wireless
Communications Systems/Methods/Devices (now U.S. Pat. No.
8,233,554), and all U.S. patent applications and/or Provisional
U.S. patent applications cited therein and are assigned to the
present Assignee, EICES Research, Inc.
[0204] Specific exemplary embodiments of the invention now will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This
invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the
scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will be
understood that any two or more embodiments of the present
invention as presented herein may be combined in whole or in part
to form one or more additional embodiments.
[0205] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as
being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be
directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening
elements may be present. Furthermore, "connected" or "coupled" as
used herein may include wirelessly connected or coupled.
[0206] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless
expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the
terms "includes," "comprises," "including" and/or "comprising,"
when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components,
but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or
groups thereof.
[0207] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such
as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their
meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present
disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly
formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0208] It will be understood that although terms such as first and
second are used herein to describe various elements, these elements
should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to
distinguish one element from another element. Thus, a first element
below could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second
element may be termed a first element without departing from the
teachings of the present invention. As used herein, the term
"and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the
associated listed items. The symbol "I" is also used as a shorthand
notation for "and/or".
[0209] Moreover, as used herein the term "substantially the same"
means that two or more entities that are being compared have common
features/characteristics (e.g., are based upon a common kernel) but
may not be identical. For example, substantially the same bands of
frequencies, means that two or more bands of frequencies being
compared substantially overlap, but that there may be some areas of
non-overlap, for example at a band end. As another example,
substantially the same air interfaces means that two or more air
interfaces being compared are similar but need not be identical.
Some differences may exist in one air interface (e.g., a satellite
air interface) relative to another (e.g., a terrestrial air
interface) to account for one or more different characteristics
that may exist between the terrestrial and satellite communications
environments. For example, a different vocoder rate may be used for
satellite communications compared to the vocoder rate that may be
used for terrestrial communications (i.e., for terrestrial
communications, voice may be compressed ("vocoded") to
approximately 9 to 13 kbps, whereas for satellite communications a
vocoder rate of approximately 2 to 4 kbps, for example, may be
used); a different forward error correction coding, different
interleaving depth, and/or different spread-spectrum codes may also
be used, for example, for satellite communications compared to the
coding, interleaving depth, and/or spread spectrum codes (i.e.,
Walsh codes, long codes, and/or frequency hopping codes) that may
be used for terrestrial communications.
[0210] The term "truncated" as used herein to describe a
statistical distribution means that a random variable associated
with the statistical distribution is precluded from taking-on
values over one or more ranges. For example, a Normal/Gaussian
distribution that is not truncated, allows an associated random
variable to take-on values ranging from negative infinity to
positive infinity with a frequency (i.e., a probability) as
determined by the Normal/Gaussian probability density function. In
contrast, a truncated Normal/Gaussian distribution may allow an
associated random variable to take-on values ranging from, for
example, V.sub.1 to V.sub.2 (-.infin.<V.sub.1,
V.sub.2<.infin.) in accordance with a Normal/Gaussian
distribution, and preclude the random variable from taking-on
values outside the range from V.sub.1 to V.sub.2. Furthermore, a
truncated distribution may allow an associated random variable to
take-on values over a plurality of ranges (that may be a plurality
of non-contiguous ranges) and preclude the random variable from
taking-on values outside of the plurality of ranges.
[0211] As used herein, the term "transmitter" and/or "receiver"
include(s) transmitters/receivers of cellular and/or satellite
terminals with or without a multi-line display; smartphones and/or
Personal Communications System (PCS) terminals that may include
data processing, facsimile and/or data communications capabilities;
Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) that can include a radio
frequency transceiver and/or a pager, Internet/Intranet access, Web
browser, organizer, calendar and/or a Global Positioning System
(GPS) receiver; and/or conventional laptop and/or palmtop computers
or other appliances, which include a radio frequency transceiver.
As used herein, the term "transmitter" and/or "receiver" also
include(s) any other radiating device, equipment and/or source that
may have time-varying and/or fixed geographic coordinates and/or
may be portable, transportable, installed in a vehicle
(aeronautical, maritime, or land-based) and/or situated/configured
to operate locally and/or in a distributed fashion at any
location(s) on earth, vehicles (land-mobile, maritime and/or
aeronautical) and/or in space. A transmitter and/or receiver also
may be referred to herein as a "terminal" or as a "radioterminal".
As used herein, the term "space-based" component and/or
"space-based" system include(s) one or more satellites and/or one
or more other objects and/or platforms (such as airplanes,
balloons, unmanned vehicles, space crafts, missiles, etc.) that
have a trajectory above the earth at any altitude.
Communications Devoid of Signatures/Features and Devoid of
Cyclostationarity
[0212] Some embodiments of the present invention may arise from
recognition that it may be desirable to communicate information
based upon a waveform that is substantially devoid of a
cyclostationary property. As used herein to describe a waveform,
the term "cyclostationary" means that the waveform comprises at
least one signature/pattern that may be a repeating
signature/pattern. Examples of a repeating signature/pattern are a
bit rate, a symbol rate, a chipping rate and/or a pulse shape
(e.g., a Nyquist pulse shape) that may be associated with a
bit/symbol/chip. For example, each of the well-known terrestrial
cellular air interfaces of GSM and CDMA (cdma2000 or W-CDMA)
comprises a bit rate, a symbol rate, a chipping rate and/or a
predetermined and invariant pulse shape that is associated with the
bit/symbol/chip and, therefore, comprise a cyclostationary
property/signature. In contrast, a waveform that represents a
random (or pseudo-random) noise process does not comprise a bit
rate, a symbol rate, a chipping rate and/or a predetermined and
invariant pulse shape and is, therefore, substantially devoid of a
cyclostationary property/signature. According to some embodiments
of the present invention, non-cyclostationary waveforms may be
used, particularly in those situations where LPI, LPD, LPE,
private, secure and/or minimum interference communications are
desirable.
[0213] Conventional communications systems use waveforms that are
substantially cyclostationary. This is primarily due to a
methodology of transmitting information wherein a unit of
information (i.e., a specific bit sequence comprising one or more
bits) is mapped into (i.e., is associated with) a specific waveform
shape (i.e., a pulse) and the pulse is transmitted by a transmitter
in order to convey to a receiver the unit of information. Since
there is typically a need to transmit a plurality of units of
information in succession, a corresponding plurality of pulses are
transmitted in succession. Any two pulses of the plurality of
pulses may differ therebetween in sign, phase and/or magnitude, but
a waveform shape that is associated with any one pulse of the
plurality of pulses remains substantially invariant from pulse to
pulse and a rate of pulse transmission also remains substantially
invariant (at least over a time interval). The methodology of
transmitting (digital) information as described above has its
origins in, and is motivated by, the way Morse code evolved and was
used to transmit information. Furthermore, the methodology yields
relatively simple transmitter/receiver implementations and has thus
been adopted widely by many communications systems. However, the
methodology suffers from generating cyclostationary
features/signatures that are undesirable if LPE/LPI/LPD and/or
minimum interference communications are desirable. Embodiments of
the present invention arise from recognition that communications
systems may be based on a different methodology that is
substantially devoid of transmitting a modulated carrier, a
sequence of substantially invariant pulse shapes and/or a chipping
rate and that even spread-spectrum communications systems may be
configured to transmit/receive spread-spectrum information using
waveforms that are devoid of a chipping rate.
[0214] A publication by W. A. Gardner, entitled "Signal
Interception: A Unifying Theoretical Framework for Feature
Detection," IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. 36, No. 8,
August 1988, notes in the Abstract thereof that the unifying
framework of the spectral correlation theory of cyclostationary
signals is used to present a broad treatment of weak random signal
detection for interception purposes. The relationships among a
variety of previously proposed ad hoc detectors, optimum detectors,
and newly proposed detectors are established. The
spectral-correlation-plane approach to the interception problem is
put forth as especially promising for detection, classification,
and estimation in particularly difficult environments involving
unknown and changing noise levels and interference activity. A
fundamental drawback of the popular radiometric methods in such
environments is explained. According to some embodiments of the
invention, it may be desirable to be able to communicate
information using waveforms that do not substantially include a
cyclostationary feature/signature in order to further reduce the
probability of intercept/detection/exploitation of a communications
system/waveform that is intended for LPI/LPD/LPE
communications.
[0215] There are at least two potential advantages associated with
signal detection, identification, interception and/or exploitation
based on cyclic spectral analysis compared with the energy
detection (radiometric) method: (1) A cyclic signal feature (i.e.,
chip rate and/or symbol rate) may be discretely distributed even if
a signal has continuous distribution in a power spectrum. This
implies that signals that may have overlapping and/or interfering
features in a power spectrum may have a non-overlapping and
distinguishable feature in terms of a cyclic characteristic. (2) A
cyclic signal feature associated with a signal's cyclostationary
property, may be identified via a "cyclic periodogram." The cyclic
periodogram of a signal is a quantity that may be evaluated from
time-domain samples of the signal, a frequency-domain mapping such
as, for example, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and/or discrete
autocorrelation operations. Since very large point FFTs and/or
autocorrelation operations may be implemented using Very Large
Scale Integration (VLSI) technologies, Digital Signal Processors
(DSPs) and/or other modern technologies, a receiver of an
interceptor may be configured to perform signal Detection,
Identification, Interception and/or Exploitation (D/I/I/E) based on
cyclic feature detection processing.
[0216] Given the potential limitation(s) of the radiometric
approach and the potential advantage(s) of cyclic feature detection
technique(s) it is reasonable to expect that a sophisticated
interceptor may be equipped with a receiver based on cyclic feature
detection processing. It is, therefore, of potential interest and
potential importance to develop communications systems capable of
communicating information devoid of cyclostationary
properties/signatures to thereby render cyclic feature detection
processing by an interceptor substantially ineffective.
[0217] FIG. 1 illustrates embodiments of generating a
communications alphabet comprising M distinct pseudo-random,
non-cyclostationary, orthogonal and/or orthonormal waveforms. As
illustrated in FIG. 1, responsive to a "key" input (such as, for
example, a TRANsmissions SECurity (TRANSEC) key input, a
COMMunications SECurity (COMMSEC) key input and/or any other key
input), a Pseudo-Random Waveform Generator (PRWG) may be used to
generate a set of M distinct pseudo-random waveforms, which may,
according to some embodiments of the invention, represent M
ensemble elements of a Gaussian-distributed random (or
pseudo-random) process. The M distinct pseudo-random waveforms
(i.e., the M ensemble elements) may be denoted as
{S(t)}={S.sub.1(t), S.sub.2(t), . . . , S.sub.M(t)};
0<t<.tau.. The set of waveforms {S(t)} may be a band-limited
set of waveforms having a one-sided bandwidth less than or equal to
B Hz. As such, a number of distinct orthogonal and/or orthonormal
waveforms that may be generated from the set {S(t)} may, in
accordance with established Theorems, be upper-bounded by C.tau.B,
where C.gtoreq.2 (see, for example, P. M. Dollard, "On the
time-bandwidth concentration of signal functions forming given
geometric vector configurations," IEEE Transactions on Information
Theory, IT-10, pp. 328-338, October 1964; also see H. J. Landau and
H. O. Pollak, "Prolate spheroidal wave functions, Fourier analysis
and uncertainty--III. The dimension of the space of essentially
time-and band-limited signals," Bell System Technical Journal, 41,
pp. 1295-1336, July 1962). It will be understood that in some
embodiments of the present invention, the key input may not be used
and/or may not exist. In such embodiments, one or more Time-of-Day
(TOD) values may be used instead of the key input. In other
embodiments, a key input and one or more TOD values may be used. In
still other embodiments, yet other values may be used.
[0218] In accordance with some embodiments of the present
invention, the j.sup.th element of the set of waveforms {S(t)},
S.sub.j(t); j=1, 2, . . . , M; may be generated by a respective
j.sup.th PRWG in response to a respective j.sup.th key input and/or
TOD value, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In some embodiments according
to FIG. 2, each of the PRWG is the same PRWG and each key differs
relative to each other key. In other embodiments, each key is the
same key and each PRWG differs relative to each other PRWG. In
further embodiments of FIG. 2, each key differs relative to each
other key and each PRWG also differs relative to each other PRWG.
Other combinations and sub-combinations of these embodiments may be
provided. In still other embodiments, a single PRWG and a single
key may be used to generate a "long" waveform S.sub.L(t) which may
be segmented into M overlapping and/or non-overlapping components
to form a set of waveforms {S(t)}, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Note
that any .tau.-sec. segment of S.sub.L(t) may be used to define
S.sub.1(t). Similarly, any .tau.-sec. segment of S.sub.L(t) may be
used to define S.sub.2(t), with possibly the exception of the
segment used-to define S.sub.1(t), etc. The choices may be
predetermined and/or based on a key input.
[0219] In some embodiments of the invention, a new set of waveforms
{S(t)} may be formed periodically, non-periodically, periodically
over a first time interval and non-periodically over a second time
interval and/or periodically but with a jitter imposed on a
periodicity interval, responsive to one or more TOD values that
may, for example, be derived from processing of Global Positioning
System (GPS) signals, and/or responsive to a transmission of a
measure of at least one of the elements of {S(t)}. In some
embodiments, a processor may be operatively configured as a
background operation, generating new sets of waveforms {S(t)}, and
storing the new sets of waveforms {S(t)} in memory to be accessed
and used as needed. In further embodiments, a used set of waveforms
{S(t)} may be discarded and not used again, whereas in other
embodiments, a used set of waveforms {S(t)} may be placed in memory
to be used again at a later time. In some embodiments, some sets of
waveforms {S(t)} are used once and then discarded, other sets of
waveforms {S(t)} are not used at all, and still other sets of
waveforms {S(t)} are used more than once. Finally, in some
embodiments, the waveform duration r and/or the waveform bandwidth
B may vary between different sets of waveforms, transmission
intervals and/or elements of a given set of waveforms.
[0220] Still referring to FIG. 1, the set of substantially
continuous-time waveforms {S(t)}={S.sub.1(t), S.sub.2(t), . . . ,
S.sub.M(t)}; 0.ltoreq.t.ltoreq..tau.; may, according to some
embodiments of the present invention, be transformed from a
substantially continuous-time representation to a substantially
discrete-time representation using, for example, one or more
Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converters and/or one or more
Sample-and-Hold (S/H) circuits, to generate a corresponding
substantially discrete-time set of waveforms {S(nT)}={S.sub.1(nT),
S.sub.2(nT), . . . , S.sub.M(nT)}; n=1, 2, . . . , N;
nT.ltoreq..tau.. A Gram-Schmidt orthogonalizer and/or
orthonormalizer and/or any other orthogonalizer and/or
orthonormalizer, may then be used, as illustrated in FIG. 1, to
generate a set of waveforms {U(nT)}={U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . .
. , U.sub.M(nT)}; n=1, 2, . . . , N; nT.ltoreq..tau. that are
orthogonal and/or orthonormal therebetween. The GSO and/or other
orthogonalization and/or orthonormalization procedure(s) are known
to those skilled in the art and need not be described further
herein (see, for example, Simon Haykin, "Adaptive Filter Theory,"
at 173, 301, 497; 1986 by Prentice-Hall; and Bernard Widrow and
Samuel D. Stearns "Adaptive Signal Processing," at 183; 1985 by
Prentice-Hall, Inc.).
[0221] It will be understood that the sampling interval T may be
chosen in accordance with Nyquist sampling theory to thereby
preserve by the discrete-time waveforms {S(nT)} all, or
substantially all, of the information contained in the
continuous-time waveforms {S(t)}. It will also be understood that,
in some embodiments of the invention, the sampling interval T may
be allowed to vary over the waveform duration .tau., between
different waveforms of a given set of waveforms and/or between
different sets of waveforms. Furthermore, the waveform duration
.tau. may be allowed to vary, in some embodiments, between
different waveforms of a given set of waveforms and/or between
different sets of waveforms. In some embodiments of the present
invention, {S(nT)}={S.sub.1(nT), S.sub.2(nT), . . . S.sub.M(nT)};
n=1, 2, . . . , N; nT.ltoreq..tau. may be generated directly in a
discrete-time domain by configuring one or more Pseudo-Random
Number Generators (PRNG) to generate S.sub.j(nT); n=1, 2, . . . ,
N; nT.ltoreq..tau. for each value of j (j=1, 2, . . . , M). The one
or more PRNG may be configured to generate S.sub.j(nT); n=1, 2, . .
. , N; j=1, 2, . . . , M, based upon at least one statistical
distribution. In some embodiments according to the present
invention, the at least one statistical distribution comprises a
Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial,
Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise,
Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy,
Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution. In further
embodiments, the at least one statistical distribution is
truncated. In still further embodiments, the at least one
statistical distribution depends upon a value of the index j and/or
n (i.e., the at least one statistical distribution is a function of
(j, n)).
[0222] In still further embodiments of the present invention,
{S(nT)} may be generated by configuring one or more PRNG to
generate real, imaginary and/or complex values that are then
subjected to a linear and/or non-linear transformation to generate
S.sub.j(nT); n=1, 2, . . . , N; j=1, 2, . . . , M. In some
embodiments of the present invention, the transformation comprises
a Fourier transformation. In further embodiments, the
transformation comprises an inverse Fourier transformation. In
still further embodiments, the transformation comprises an Inverse
Fast Fourier Transformation (IFFT). The real, imaginary and/or
complex values may be based upon at least one statistical
distribution. The at least one statistical distribution may
comprise a Normal/Gaussian, Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative
Binomial, Exponential, Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's
t, Rise, Pareto, Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace,
Cauchy, Rayleigh, Maxwell and/or any other distribution and the at
least one statistical distribution may be truncated. In still
further embodiments, the at least one statistical distribution
depends upon a value of the index j and/or n (i.e., the at least
one statistical distribution is a function of (j, n)).
[0223] The set {U(nT)}={U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . ,
U.sub.M(nT)}; n=1, 2, . . . , N; NT.ltoreq..tau., may be used, in
some embodiments of the present invention, to define an M-ary
pseudo-random and non-cyclostationary alphabet. As illustrated in
FIG. 4, an information symbol I.sub.k, occurring at a discrete time
k (for example, at t=k.tau. or, more generally, if the discrete
time epochs/intervals are variable, at t=.tau..sub.k), and having
one of M possible information values, {I.sub.1, I.sub.2, . . .
I.sub.M}, may be mapped onto one of the M waveforms of the alphabet
{U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.M(nT)}; n=1, 2, . . . , N;
NT.ltoreq..tau.. For example, in some embodiments, if
I.sub.k=I.sub.2, then during the k.sup.th signaling interval the
waveform U.sub.2(nT) may be transmitted; n=1, 2, . . . , N;
NT.ltoreq..tau.. It will be understood that transmitting the
waveform U.sub.2(nT) comprises transmitting substantially all of
the elements (samples) of the waveform U.sub.2(nT) wherein
substantially all of the elements (samples) of the waveform
U.sub.2(nT) means transmitting U(T), U.sub.2(2T), . . . , and
U.sub.2(NT). Furthermore, it will be understood that any
unambiguous mapping between the M possible information values of
I.sub.k and the M distinct waveforms of the M-ary alphabet,
{U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.M(nT)}, may be used to
communicate information to a receiver (destination) provided that
the receiver also has knowledge of the mapping. It will also be
appreciated that the ordering or indexing of the alphabet elements
and the unambiguous mapping between the M possible information
values of I.sub.k and the M distinct waveforms of the M-ary
alphabet may be arbitrary, as long as both transmitter (source) and
receiver (destination) have knowledge of the ordering and
mapping.
[0224] In some embodiments of the invention, the information symbol
I.sub.k, may be constrained to only two possible values (binary
system). In such embodiments of the invention, the M-ary alphabet
may be a binary (M=2) alphabet comprising only two elements, such
as, for example, {U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT)}. In other embodiments
of the invention, while an information symbol, I.sub.k, is allowed
to take on one of M distinct values (M.gtoreq.2) the alphabet
comprises more than M distinct waveforms, that may, according to
embodiments of the invention be orthogonal/orthonormal waveforms,
{U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.L(nT)}; L>M, to thereby
increase a distance between a set of M alphabet elements that are
chosen and used to communicate information and thus allow an
improvement of a communications performance measure such as, for
example, an error rate, a propagations distance and/or a
transmitted power level. It will be understood that in some
embodiments, the number of distinct values that may be made
available to an information symbol to thereby allow the information
symbol to communicate one or more bits of information, may be
reduced or increased responsive to a channel state such as, for
example an attenuation, a propagation distance and/or an
interference level. In further embodiments, a number of distinct
elements comprising an alphabet may also change responsive to a
channel state. In some embodiments, as a number of information
symbol states (values) decreases a number of distinct elements
comprising an alphabet increases, to thereby provide further
communications benefit(s) such as, for example, a lower bit error
rate, a longer propagation distance, reduced transmitted power,
etc.
[0225] It will be understood that at least some conventional
transmitter functions comprising, for example, Forward Error
Correction (FEC) encoding, interleaving, data repetition,
filtering, amplification, modulation, frequency translation,
scrambling, frequency hopping, etc., although not shown in FIGS. 1
through 4, may also be used in some embodiments of the present
invention to configure an overall transmitter chain. At least some
of these conventional transmitter functions may be used, in some
embodiments, in combination with at least some of the signal
processing functions of FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, to specify an
overall transmitter signal processing chain. For example, an
information bit sequence may be FEC encoded using, for example, a
convolutional encoder, interleaved and/or bit-to-symbol converted
to define a sequence of information symbols, {I.sub.k}. The
sequence of information symbols, {I.sub.k}, may then be mapped onto
a waveform sequence {U.sub.k}, as illustrated in FIG. 4. At least
some, and in some embodiments all, of the elements of the waveform
sequence {U.sub.k} may then be repeated, at least once, to increase
a redundancy measure, interleaved, filtered, frequency translated,
amplified and/or frequency-hopped, for example, (not necessarily in
that order) prior to being radiated by an antenna of the
transmitter. An exemplary embodiment of a transmitter comprising
conventional signal functions in combination with at least some of
the signal processing functions of FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 is
illustrated in FIG. 5.
[0226] A receiver (destination) that is configured to receive
communications information from a transmitter (source) comprising
functions of FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, may be equipped with sufficient
information to generate a matched filter bank responsive to the
M-ary alphabet {U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.M(nT)} of
FIG. 4. Such a receiver may be substantially synchronized with one
or more transmitters using, for example, GPS-derived timing
information. Substantial relative synchronism between a receiver
and at least one transmitter may be necessary to reliably
generate/update at the receiver the M-ary alphabet functions
{U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.M(nT)} and/or the matched
filter bank to thereby provide the receiver with substantial
optimum reception capability.
[0227] In some embodiments of the invention, all transmitters and
receivers are substantially synchronized using GPS-derived timing
information. It will be understood that a receiver may be provided
with the appropriate key sequence(s) and the appropriate signal
processing algorithms to thereby responsively form and/or update
the M-ary alphabet functions and/or the matched filter bank. It
will also be understood that a receiver may also be configured with
an inverse of conventional transmitter functions that may be used
by a transmitter. For example, if, in some embodiments, a
transmitter is configured with scrambling, interleaving of data and
frequency hopping, then a receiver may be configured with the
inverse operations of de-scrambling, de-interleaving of data and
frequency de-hopping. An exemplary embodiment of a receiver, which
may correspond to the exemplary transmitter embodiment of FIG. 5,
is illustrated in FIG. 6.
[0228] FIG. 7 illustrates elements of a communications transmitter
according to further embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG.
7, following conventional operations of Forward Error Correction
(FEC) encoding, bit interleaving and bit-to-symbol conversion
(performed on an input bit sequence {b} to thereby form an
information symbol sequence {I.sub.k}), the information symbol
sequence {I.sub.k} is mapped onto a non-cyclostationary waveform
sequence {U.sub.k(nT)} using a first M-ary non-cyclostationary
orthonormal alphabet (Alphabet 1). An element of {U.sub.k(nT)} may
then be repeated (at least once), as illustrated in FIG. 7, using a
second M-ary non-cyclostationary orthonormal alphabet (Alphabet 2),
interleaved, transformed to a continuous-time domain
representation, filtered, amplified (not necessarily in that order)
and transmitted. The repeat of an element of {U.sub.k(nT)} may be
performed using a different alphabet (Alphabet 2) in order to
reduce or eliminate a cyclostationary feature/signature in the
transmitted waveform. For at least the same reason, the at least
two alphabets of FIG. 7 may be replaced by new alphabets following
the transmission of a predetermined number of waveform symbols. In
some embodiments, the predetermined number of waveform symbols is
one. As stated earlier, a large reservoir of alphabets may be
available and new alphabet choices may be made following the
transmission of the predetermined number of waveform symbols and/or
at predetermined TOD values.
[0229] According to some embodiments of the invention, the M-ary
non-cyclostationary orthonormal alphabet waveforms may be broadband
waveforms as illustrated in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 illustrates a power
spectral density of a broadband waveform defining the M-ary
non-cyclostationary orthonormal alphabet (such as, for example,
waveform S.sub.L(t) of FIG. 3), over frequencies of, for example,
an L-band (e.g., from about 1525 MHz to about 1660.5 MHz). However,
FIG. 8 is for illustrative purposes only and the power spectral
density of S.sub.L(t) and/or any other set of waveforms used to
define the M-ary non-cyclostationary orthonormal alphabet may be
chosen to exist over any other frequency range and/or interval(s).
In some embodiments, different alphabets may be defined over
different frequency ranges/intervals (this feature may provide
intrinsic frequency hopping capability). As is further illustrated
in FIG. 8 (second trace), certain frequency intervals that warrant
protection (or additional protection) from interference, such as,
for example, a GPS frequency interval, may be substantially
excluded from providing frequency content for the generation of the
M-ary non-cyclostationary orthonormal alphabets. It will be
appreciated that the transmitter embodiment of FIG. 7 illustrates a
"direct synthesis" transmitter in that the transmitter directly
synthesizes a waveform that is to be transmitted, without resorting
to up-conversion, frequency translation and/or carrier modulation
functions. This aspect may further enhance the LPI/LPD/LPE
feature(s) of a communications system.
[0230] In embodiments of the invention where a bandwidth of a
signal to be transmitted by a transmitter (such as the transmitter
illustrated in FIG. 7) exceeds a bandwidth limit associated with an
antenna and/or other element of the transmitter, the signal may be
decomposed/segmented/divided into a plurality of components, each
component of the plurality of components having a bandwidth that is
smaller than the bandwidth of the signal. Accordingly, a
transmitter may be configured with a corresponding plurality of
antennas and/or a corresponding plurality of other elements to
transmit the plurality of components. Analogous operations for
reception may be included in a receiver.
[0231] In some embodiments of the invention, a receiver
(destination) that is configured to receive communications
information from a transmitter (source) comprising the
functionality of FIG. 7, may be provided with sufficient
information to generate a matched filter bank corresponding to the
transmitter waveform set of the M-ary alphabet {U.sub.1(nT),
U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.M(nT)}. Such a receiver may be
substantially synchronized with the transmitter using GPS-derived
timing information (i.e., TOD). FIG. 9 illustrates elements of such
a receiver, according to exemplary embodiments of the present
invention. As illustrated in FIG. 9, following front-end filtering,
amplification and Analog-to-Digital (A/D) and/or discrete-time
conversion of a received waveform, a matched-filter bank,
comprising matched filters reflecting the TOD-dependent waveform
alphabets used by the transmitter, is used for detection of
information. The receiver may have information regarding what
waveform alphabet the transmitter may have used as a function of
TOD. As such, the receiver, operating in substantial TOD
synchronism with the transmitter, may know to configure the
matched-filter bank with the appropriate (TOD-dependent) matched
filter components to thereby achieve optimum or near optimum signal
detection. Following matched-filter detection, symbol
de-interleaving and symbol repeat combination, soft decisions of a
received symbol sequence may be made, followed by bit
de-interleaving and bit decoding, to thereby generate an estimate
of a transmitted information bit sequence.
[0232] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a
receiver architecture, such as, for example, the receiver
architecture illustrated in FIG. 9, may further configure a matched
filter bank to include a "rake" matched filter architecture, to
thereby resolve multipath components and increase or maximize a
desired received signal energy subject to multipath fading
channels. Owing to the broadband nature of the communications
alphabets, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a
significant number of multipath components may be resolvable. Rake
matched filter architectures are known to those skilled in the art
and need not be described further herein (see, for example, John G.
Proakis, "Digital Communications," McGraw-Hill, 1983, section 7.5
starting at 479; also see R. Price and P. E. Green Jr. "A
Communication Technique for Multipath Channels," Proc. IRE, Vol.
46, pp. 555-570, March 1958).
[0233] FIG. 10 illustrates an operational scenario relating to a
communications system that may be a covert communications system,
in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention,
wherein air-to-ground, air-to-air, air-to-satellite and/or
satellite-to-ground communications may be conducted.
Ground-to-ground communications (not illustrated in FIG. 10) may
also be conducted. Modes of communications may be, for example,
point-to-point and/or point-to-multipoint. A network topology that
is predetermined and/or configured in an ad hoc fashion, in
accordance with principles known to those skilled in the art, may
be used to establish communications in accordance with any of the
embodiments of the invention and/or combinations (or
sub-combinations) thereof.
[0234] FIGS. 11 through 14 illustrate elements relating to a
matched filter and/or a matched filter bank in accordance with
exemplary embodiments of the invention, as will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art. FIG. 15 further illustrates elements of a
transmitter/receiver combination in accordance with further
embodiments of the invention. The design and operation of blocks
that are illustrated in the block diagrams herein and not described
in detail are well known to those having skill in the art.
[0235] Embodiments of the present invention have been described
above in terms of systems, methods, devices and/or computer program
products that provide communications devoid of cyclostationary
features. However, other embodiments of the present invention may
selectively provide these communications devoid of cyclostationary
features. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, if LPI/LPD/LPE and/or
minimum interference communications are desired, then
non-cyclostationary waveforms may be transmitted. However, when
LPI/LPD/LPE and/or minimum interference communications need not be
transmitted, cyclostationary waveforms may be used. An indicator
may be provided to allow a receiver/transmitter to determine
whether cyclostationary or non-cyclostationary waveforms are being
transmitted or need to be transmitted. Accordingly, a given system,
method, device and/or computer program can operate in one of two
modes, depending upon whether LPI/LPD/LPE and/or minimum
interference communications are desired, and/or based on other
parameters and/or properties of the communications environment.
[0236] In still further embodiments of the present invention, a
transmitter may be configured to selectively radiate a
pseudo-random noise waveform that may be substantially devoid of
information and is distributed in accordance with at least one
statistical distribution such as, for example, Normal/Gaussian,
Bernoulli, Geometric, Pascal/Negative Binomial, Exponential,
Erlang, Weibull, Chi-Squared, F, Student's t, Rise, Pareto,
Poisson, Binomial, Uniform, Gamma, Beta, Laplace, Cauchy, Rayleigh,
Maxwell and/or any other distribution. The at least one statistical
distribution may be truncated and the pseudo-random noise waveform
may occupy a bandwidth that is substantially the same as a
bandwidth occupied by a communications waveform. The transmitter
may be configured to selectively radiate the pseudo-random noise
waveform during periods of time during which no communications
information is being transmitted. This may be used, in some
embodiments, to create a substantially constant/invariant
ambient/background noise floor, that is substantially independent
of whether or not communications information is being transmitted,
to thereby further mask an onset of communications information
transmission.
[0237] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the
communications systems, waveforms, methods, computer program
products and/or principles described herein may also find
applications in environments wherein covertness may not be a
primary concern. Communications systems, waveforms, methods,
computer program products and/or principles described herein may,
for example, be used to provide short-range wireless communications
(that may, in accordance with some embodiments, be broadband
short-range wireless communications) in, for example, a home,
office, conference and/or business environment while reducing
and/or minimizing a level of interference to one or more other
communications services and/or systems that may be using the same,
substantially the same and/or near-by frequencies as the
short-range communications system.
[0238] Other applications of the communications systems, waveforms,
methods, computer program products and/or principles described
herein will also occur to those skilled in the art, including, for
example, radar applications and/or cellular telecommunications
applications.
[0239] In a cellular telecommunications application, for example, a
cellular telecommunications system, in accordance with
communications waveform principles described herein, may be
configured, for example, as an overlay to one or more conventional
cellular/PCS systems and/or one or more other systems, using the
frequencies of one or more licensed and/or unlicensed bands (that
may also be used by the one or more conventional cellular/PCS
systems and/or the one or more other systems) to communicate with
user equipment using broadband and/or Ultra Wide-Band (UWB)
waveforms. The broadband and/or UWB waveforms may be
non-cyclostationary and Gaussian-distributed, for example, in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention, to thereby
reduce and/or minimize a level of interference to the one or more
conventional cellular/PCS systems and/or to the one or more other
systems by the overlay cellular telecommunications system and
thereby allow the overlay cellular telecommunications system to
reuse the available spectrum (which is also used by the one or more
conventional cellular/PCS systems and/or the one or more other
systems) to provide communications services to users.
[0240] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a
cellular telecommunications system that is configured to
communicate with user devices using communications waveforms in
accordance with the transmitter, receiver and/or waveform
principles described herein, is an overlay to one or more
conventional cellular/PCS systems and/or to one or more other
systems and is using the frequencies of one or more licensed and/or
unlicensed bands (also being used by the one or more conventional
cellular/PCS systems and/or the one or more other systems). The
cellular telecommunications system may be further configured to
provide communications preferentially using frequencies of the one
or more licensed and/or unlicensed bands that are locally not used
substantially and/or are locally used substantially as guardbands
and/or transition bands by the one or more conventional
cellular/PCS systems and/or the one or more other systems, to
thereby further reduce a level of interference between the cellular
telecommunications system and the one or more conventional
cellular/PCS systems and/or the one or more other systems.
[0241] As used herein, the terms "locally not used substantially"
and/or "locally used substantially as guardbands and/or transition
bands" refer to a local service area of a base station and/or group
of base stations and/or access point(s) of the cellular
telecommunications system. In such a service area, the cellular
telecommunications system may, for example, be configured to
identify frequencies that are "locally not used substantially"
and/or frequencies that are "locally used substantially as
guardbands and/or transition bands" by the one or more conventional
cellular/PCS systems and/or the one or more other systems and
preferentially use the identified frequencies to communicate
bidirectionally and/or unidirectionally with user equipment thereby
further reducing or minimizing a measure of interference.
[0242] While the present invention has been described in detail by
way of illustration and example of preferred embodiments, numerous
modifications, substitutions and/or alterations are possible
without departing from the scope of the invention as described
herein. Numerous combinations, sub-combinations, modifications,
alterations and/or substitutions of embodiments described herein
will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such
combinations, sub-combinations, modifications, alterations and/or
substitutions of the embodiments described herein may be used to
form one or more additional embodiments without departing from the
scope of the present invention.
[0243] Embodiments of the present invention have been described
above in terms of systems, methods, devices and/or computer program
products that provide communication devoid of cyclostationary
features. However, other embodiments of the present invention may
selectively provide communications devoid of cyclostationary
features. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, if LPI/LPD/LPE
communications are desired, then non-cyclostationary waveforms may
be transmitted. In contrast, when LPI/LPD/LPE communications need
not be transmitted, cyclostationary waveforms may be used. An
indicator may be provided to allow a receiver to determine whether
cyclostationary or non-cyclostationary waveforms are being
transmitted. Accordingly, a given system, method, device and/or
computer program can operate in one of two modes, depending upon
whether LPI/LPD/LPE communications are desired.
[0244] The present invention has been described with reference to
block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus
(systems) and/or computer program products according to embodiments
of the invention. It is understood that a block of the block
diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks
in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can be
implemented by computer program instructions. These computer
program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general
purpose computer, special purpose computer, and/or other
programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such
that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the
computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus,
create means (functionality) and/or structure for implementing the
functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart
block or blocks.
[0245] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable
memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions
which implement the function/act specified in the block diagrams
and/or flowchart block or blocks.
[0246] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a
series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or
other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented
process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or
other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the
functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart
block or blocks.
[0247] Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in
hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software,
micro-code, etc.). Furthermore, the present invention may take the
form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or
computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or
computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or
in connection with an instruction execution system. In the context
of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may
be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or
transport the program for use by or in connection with the
instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
[0248] It should also be noted that in some alternate
implementations, the functions/acts noted in the blocks of the
block diagrams/flowcharts may occur out of the order noted in the
block diagram/flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in
succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or
the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order,
depending upon the functionality/acts involved. Moreover, the
functionality of a given block of the flowcharts/block diagrams may
be separated into multiple blocks and/or the functionality of two
or more blocks of the flowcharts/block diagrams may be at least
partially integrated.
Next Generation (XG) Chipless Spread-Spectrum Communications
(CSSC)
[0249] Introduction & Executive Summary:
[0250] According to some embodiments of a neXt Generation (XG)
Chipless Spread-Spectrum Communications (CSSC) system, described
further hereinbelow and referred to as "XG-CSSC," XG-CSSC provides
extreme privacy, cognitive radio capability, robustness to fading
and interference, communications performance associated with M-ary
orthonormal signaling and high multiple-access capacity. XG-CSSC
uses spread-spectrum waveforms that are devoid of chipping and
devoid of any cyclostationary signature, statistically
indistinguishable from thermal noise and able to cognitively fit
within any available frequency space (narrow-band, broad-band,
contiguous, non-contiguous).
[0251] According to some embodiments, XG-CSSC maintains some or all
desirable features of classical direct-sequence spread-spectrum
communications while providing new dimensions that are important to
military and commercial systems. For military communications,
XG-CSSC combines M-ary orthonormal signaling with chipless
spread-spectrum waveforms to provide extreme covertness and
privacy. Military wireless networks whose mission is to gather and
disseminate intelligence stealthily, in accordance with Low
Probability of Intercept (LPI), Low Probability of Detection (LPD)
and Low Probability of Exploitation (LPE) doctrine, may use XG-CSSC
terrestrially and/or via satellite. In situations where armed
forces face difficult spectrum access issues, XG-CSSC may be used
to cognitively and covertly utilize spectrum resources at minimal
impact to incumbent users.
[0252] Commercially, XG-CSSC may be used to provide opportunistic
communications using spectrum that is detected unused. As spectrum
usage continues to increase, it may become important to equip
networks and user devices with agility to use opportunistically any
portion (or portions) of a broad range of frequencies that is/are
detected as unused or lightly used. A regime is envisioned wherein
primary usage of spectrum and secondary (opportunistic) usage of
the same spectrum co-exist on a non-interference, or substantially
non-interference, basis. Further, XG-CSSC may be used to improve
security aspects of wireless and/or wireline communications,
relating to, for example, e-commerce, corporate communications,
Cyber security and/or cloud computing, by utilizing an intrinsic
encryption property of a pseudo-randomly generated alphabet.
[0253] The technology of XG-CSSC provides encryption by scrambling
the signaling alphabet. Accordingly, an added layer of
privacy/security may be provided that is over and above the
conventional methodology of scrambling bits. The new technology
does not exclude conventional encryption techniques, thus providing
"concatenated" encryption (bit level and alphabet level scrambling)
that yields wireless or wireline communications with additional
security and privacy.
[0254] XG-CSSC Fundamentals:
[0255] In accordance with XG-CSSC, a Gram-Schmidt
Orthonormalization (GSO) procedure, or any other orthonormalization
or orthogonalization procedure, may be applied to a set of "seed"
functions, to generate an orthonormal/orthogonal set of waveforms.
According to some embodiments, the seed functions may be
discrete-time functions, may be constructed pseudo-randomly in
accordance with, for example, Gaussian statistics (that may be
truncated Gaussian statistics) and in accordance with any desired
power spectral density characteristic that may be predetermined
and/or adaptively formed based on cognitive radio principles. The
GSO operation performed on the seed functions yields a set of
Gaussian-distributed orthonormal waveforms. The set of
Gaussian-distributed orthonormal waveforms may be used to define a
signaling alphabet that may be used to map an information sequence
into spread-spectrum waveforms without resorting to chipping of the
information sequence.
[0256] Referring to FIG. 17, a Power Spectrum Estimator (PSE) may
be used to identify frequency content being radiated by other
transmitters. This may be accomplished by, for example, subjecting
a band of frequencies, over which it is desired to transmit
information, to a Fast. Fourier Transform (FFT). Responsive to the
output of the PSE, a "Water-Filling Spectrum Shape" (WFSS) may be
formed in the FFT domain. Each element (bin) of the WFSS FFT may be
assigned a pseudo-random phase value that may be chosen from (0,
2.pi.). An Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) may be applied to
the WFSS FFT, as illustrated in FIG. 17, to generate a
corresponding Gaussian-distributed discrete-time function. (The
technique is not limited to Gaussian distributions. However, the
Gaussian distribution is of particular interest since waveforms
that have Gaussian statistics and are devoid of cyclostationary
features are substantially indistinguishable from thermal noise.)
The process may be repeated M times to produce a set of M
independent Gaussian-distributed discrete-time functions. Still
referring to FIG. 17, the output values of the IFFT may be limited
in amplitude, in accordance with a truncated Gaussian distribution,
in order to minimize non-linear distortion effects in the
amplification stages of the radio.
[0257] We let the set of M independent Gaussian-distributed
discrete-time functions be denoted by {S(nT)}={S.sub.1(nT),
S.sub.2(nT), . . . , S.sub.M(nT)}; n=1, 2, . . . , N. We also let a
one-sided bandwidth of {S(nT)} be limited to B Hz. As such, a
number of orthogonal waveforms that may be generated from {S(nT)}
may, in accordance with established theorems, be upper-bounded by
2.4.tau.B; where .tau.=NT. (See P. M. Dollard, "On the
time-bandwidth concentration of signal functions forming given
geometric vector configurations," IEEE Transactions on Information
Theory, IT-10, pp. 328-338, October 1964; also see H. J. Landau and
H. O. Pollak, "Prolate spheroidal wave functions, Fourier analysis
and uncertainty--III: The dimension of the space of essentially
time-and band-limited signals," BSTJ, 41, pp. 1295-1336, July
1962). Accordingly, {S(nT)} may be subjected to a GSO in order to
generate a set of M orthonormal waveforms
{U(nT)}.ident.{U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.M(nT)}; n=1,
2, . . . , N.
[0258] The set of orthonormal waveforms {U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT),
. . . , U.sub.M(nT)} may be used to define an M-ary orthonormal
Gaussian-distributed signaling alphabet whose elements may be used
to map an M-ary information sequence {I.sub.k};
I.sub.k.epsilon.{I.sub.1, I.sub.2, . . . , I.sub.M} into a
spread-spectrum waveform sequence {U.sub.k(nT)}. (The discrete-time
index "k" relates to the signaling interval whereas the
discrete-time index "n" refers to the waveform sampling interval. A
signaling interval includes N waveform sampling intervals.)
[0259] Thus, in accordance with M-ary signaling, a block of L bits
(2.sup.L=M) may be associated with one element of {U.sub.1(nT),
U.sub.2(nT), . . . , U.sub.M(nT)}. Alternatively, since the system
comprises M orthogonal channels (as defined by the M orthonormal
waveforms) two or more of the orthonormal waveforms may be
transmitted simultaneously. In this configuration, each one of the
transmitted orthonormal waveforms may be modulated by either "+1"
or "-1", to reflect a state of an associated bit, thus conveying
one bit of information. The following example illustrates a
trade-off between M-ary orthogonal signaling and binary
signaling.
[0260] As stated earlier, a number of orthogonal waveforms that may
be generated from a set of seed waveforms {S(nT)} is upper-bounded
by 2.4.tau.B. Let us assume that each seed waveform is band-limited
to B=500 kHz (one-sided bandwidth) and that the signaling interval
.tau.=NT is 1 ms. Thus,
M.ltoreq.2.4.tau.B=2.4*(10.sup.-3)*(0.5*10.sup.6)=1200. Assuming
that a number of 1024 of orthonormal waveforms can be constructed,
transmitting one orthonormal waveform may relay 10 bits of
information. Thus, the M-ary signaling approach may yield a data
throughput of 10 kbps (since the signaling interval is 1 ms).
Turning now to the binary signaling approach, each one of a
plurality of orthonormal waveforms may be modulated by either "+1"
or "-1" and transmitted, conveying 1 bit of information. If all
1024 orthonormal waveforms are used, the data throughput may be
1024 bits per .tau.=10.sup.-3 seconds or, 1.024 Mbps. It is seen
that the two approaches differ in data throughput by 20 dB but they
also differ in E.sub.b/N.sub.0 performance. Since the M-ary
signaling scheme conveys 10 bits of information per transmitted
waveform, while the binary signaling approach conveys one bit of
information per transmitted waveform, the M-ary signaling approach
enjoys a 10 dB E.sub.b/N.sub.0 advantage over the binary signaling
approach. (Assuming the probability of error associated with a
channel symbol is kept the same for the two signaling schemes.)
Thus, whereas the binary signaling scheme may be ideally suited for
high-capacity multiple-access military and/or commercial
communications, the M-ary signaling scheme may be preferred for
certain special operations situations that require extreme
covertness and/or privacy.
[0261] A receiver that is configured to receive information from
the transmitter of FIG. 17, may be equipped with sufficient
information to generate a matched filter bank corresponding to the
M-ary signaling alphabet {U.sub.1(nT), U.sub.2(nT), . . . ,
U.sub.M(nT)}. FIG. 18 illustrates key functions of such a receiver.
The receiver may further be optimized for fading channels by using
"rake" principles. In some embodiments, the receiver may be
configured to detect lightly used or unused frequencies and
instruct one or more transmitters, via a control channel message,
to transmit information over the detected lightly used or unused
frequencies. This may be accomplished, in some embodiments of the
invention, by configuring the receiver to instruct the one or more
transmitters by transmitting frequency-occupancy information, via
the control channel, over a predetermined, known to the one or more
transmitters, frequency interval, that may contain interference.
The predetermined frequency interval may, according to some
embodiments, be changing with time responsive to, for example, a
Time-of-Day (ToD) value and/or any other input. The
frequency-occupancy information may be of relatively low data rate
and the predetermined frequency interval may be relatively large in
bandwidth so as to provide sufficient processing gain to overcome
the interference. In further embodiments of the invention, one or
more elements of the M-ary signaling alphabet may be precluded from
being used for wireless transmission and this may be used to
provide a receiver with error detection and/or error correction
capability, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
[0262] Computer Simulations:
[0263] Transmission and reception of information based on XG-CS SC
waveforms has been simulated using 16-ary Gaussian-distributed
orthonormal alphabets that were constructed in accordance with the
principles described herein. FIG. 19(a) is a Power Spectral Density
("PSD") of a transmitted XG-CSSC carrier in an interference-free
environment (or in the presence of interference but without the
cognitive function having been activated). In contrast, FIG. 19(b)
shows the impact of a radio's cognitive function. As seen from FIG.
19(b), responsive to a detection of interference (indicated in FIG.
19(b) by the red or lighter trace), the PSD of a XG-CSSC carrier is
"molded" around the interference. That is, the radio's cognitive
function senses the power spectrum distribution of interference and
forms a 16-ary signaling alphabet with spectral content that avoids
the interference. FIG. 19(c) shows the PSD of the XG-CSSC carrier
(of FIG. 19(a) or 19(b)) following square-law detection,
illustrating a featureless (non-cyclostationary) nature thereof. By
comparison, the first and second traces of FIG. 20 show a PSD of
conventional QPSK and a PSD of conventional QPSK following
square-law detection, illustrating a cyclostationary signature of
conventional QPSK.
[0264] FIG. 21 shows a constellation associated with transmission
of 20,000 16-ary symbols of the XG-CSSC carrier (of FIG. 19(a) or
19(b)) and FIG. 22 represents a histogram thereof. It is seen from
FIGS. 19, 21 and 22 that XG-CSSC transmissions may be substantially
featureless and substantially indistinguishable from thermal
noise.
[0265] Communications performance has also been evaluated. FIG. 23
shows a Bit Error Rate ("BER") vs. a Symbol Energy to Noise Power
Spectral Density ("E.sub.S/N.sub.0") comparison for uncoded 16-ary
XG-CSSC and uncoded spread-spectrum 16-QAM (See Donald L. Schilling
et al., "Optimization of the Processing Gain of an M-ary Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum Communication System," IEEE Transactions
on Communications, Vol. Com-28, No. 8; August 1980).
Spread-spectrum 16-QAM was chosen for this comparison in order to
keep a number of transmitted bits per symbol invariant between the
two transmission formats. The E.sub.S/N.sub.0 advantage of XG-CSSC
is apparent, owing to its orthonormal signaling alphabet. It is
seen that at 10.sup.-2 BER, XG-CSSC enjoys almost a 5 dB advantage
over 16-QAM.
[0266] FIG. 24 shows BER performance subject to Co-Channel ("CC")
interference. The two systems (16-ary XG-CSSC and spread-spectrum
16-QAM) remain uncoded as in FIG. 23. Two types of CC interference
are considered: Wide-Band ("WB") and Band-Pass ("BP"). The WB
interference is modeled as wideband complex Gaussian noise and its
PSD spans the entire desired signal spectrum. The BP interference
is modeled as band-pass complex Gaussian noise and its PSD spans
only 20% of the desired signal spectrum. The power of interference
(whether WB or BP) is made equal to the power of the desired
signal. In FIG. 24, the cognitive aspect of XG-CSSC is not
activated. As a consequence, the interference spectrum and the
XG-CSSC spectrum remain co-channel impairing BER performance. FIG.
25 focuses on the impact of BP interference and displays XG-CSSC
system performance with and without cognition. The two systems
remain uncoded, as above, and the power of interference remains
equal to the power of the desired signal. In the legend of FIG. 25,
the term "Adaptive XG-CSSC" indicates that the associated curve
represents XG-CSSC with the cognitive feature active. It can be
observed that performance of XG-CSSC subject to the cognitive
feature (interference avoidance) is indistinguishable from the
interference-free case (the blue [square points] and green [star
points] curves are on top of each other).
[0267] Embodiments of the present invention have been described
above in terms of systems, methods, devices and/or computer program
products that provide communication devoid of cyclostationary
features. However, other embodiments of the present invention may
selectively provide communications devoid of cyclostationary
features. For example, as shown in FIG. 16 if LPI/LPD/LPE
communications are desired, then non-cyclostationary waveforms may
be transmitted. In contrast, when LPI/LPD/LPE communications need
not be transmitted, cyclostationary waveforms may be used. An
indicator may be provided to allow a receiver to determine whether
cyclostationary or non-cyclostationary waveforms are being
transmitted. Accordingly, a given system, method, device and/or
computer program can operate in one of two modes, depending upon
whether LPI/LPD/LPE communications are desired.
Multiple Modes of Increasing Privacy/Security
[0268] Privacy and security are paramount concerns for
military/government communications systems. Privacy and security
are also important concerns for civilian/commercial systems owing
to the proliferation of e-commerce and other sensitive information
of a personal and/or corporate/business/financial nature. Theft of
sensitive and/or proprietary information, for example, by
interception of signals, is on the rise and can be very costly to
businesses and/or individuals. People often discuss sensitive
information over wireless networks providing opportunities for
illegal interception and theft of secrets. Accordingly, wireless
communications systems/methods/devices that increase privacy and
security of information and reduce or eliminate the possibility of
unauthorized interception thereof would be valuable to
corporations/businesses, government/military, and civilians who
desire added privacy and security.
[0269] Additional embodiments of systems/methods/devices that
increase privacy, security, covertness and/or undetectability of
signals, such as wireless signals, will now be presented. At least
some of the additional embodiments are based upon a realization
that a XG-CSSC technology (i.e., a XG-CSSC-based communications
system, method and/or air interface/protocol), as described
hereinabove, or one or more variations thereof, may be used alone,
or in combination with one or more other conventional technologies
(conventional communications systems, methods and/or air
interfaces/protocols), to provide the added privacy, security,
covertness and/or undetectability of signals, that may be,
according to embodiments of the invention, wireless signals. The
XG-CSSC technology is described in U.S. application Ser. No.
12/372,354, filed Feb. 17, 2009, entitled Wireless Communications
Systems and/or Methods Providing Low Interference, High Privacy
and/or Cognitive Flexibility, and in the U.S. and International
applications cited and incorporated therein by reference and
assigned to the Assignee of the present application (EICES
Research, Inc.) as well as in the Provisional Applications cited
and incorporated therein by reference and assigned to the Assignee
of the present Application, all of which are incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein.
[0270] Further, the XG-CSSC technology may include
aspects/embodiments, in part or in whole, as described in U.S.
application Ser. No. 12/748,931, filed Mar. 29, 2010, entitled
Increased Capacity Communications for OFDM-Based Wireless
Communications Systems/Methods/Devices, and in the U.S. and
International applications cited and incorporated therein by
reference and assigned to the Assignee of the present application
(EICES Research, Inc.) as well as in the Provisional Applications
cited and incorporated therein by reference and assigned to the
Assignee of the present Application, all of which are incorporated
herein by reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein.
It will be understood that the term "XG-CSSC technology" as used
herein refers to any type of communications (wireless or otherwise)
using a waveform, system, method, air interface and/or protocol
that is based upon and/or uses a pseudo-randomly generated
signaling alphabet and wherein the communications can comprise a
reduced cyclostationary signature, a reduced detectability feature
and/or increased privacy/security/covertness compared to
conventional waveforms/technologies of, for example, TDM/TDMA,
CDM/CDMA, FDM/FDMA, OFDM/OFDMA, GSM, WiMAX and/or LTE. Further, it
will be understood that the term "conventional
waveforms/technologies" as used herein refers to communications
using a waveform, system, method, air interface and/or protocol
that is not based upon and/or does not use a pseudo-randomly
generated signaling alphabet.
[0271] Accordingly, a user device may be configured to include a
XG-CSSC mode, comprising a XG-CSSC technology/air interface, and at
least one additional mode (technology/air interface), such as, for
example, a LTE (Long Term Evolution)-based technology/air
interface. A user of such a device who desires the added privacy,
security, covertness and/or undetectability of signals may elect to
activate/use the XG-CSSC mode of the device by providing, for
example, a key-pad command and/or a voice command to the device. In
some embodiments, instead of the above or in combination with the
above, the XG-CSSC mode of the device may be activated responsive
to at least a time value, position value, proximity state,
velocity, acceleration, a biometric value (that may be a biometric
value associated with the user of the device and/or some other
entity) and/or signal strength value (as may be sensed by the
device and/or other device, such as, for example, an access point).
Following activation of the XG-CSSC mode, the user device may be
configured to establish communications with a base station and/or
access point using the XG-CSSC mode, while refraining from using,
at least for some elements/portions of the communications, the at
least one additional technology and/or air interface.
[0272] It will be understood that the base station and/or access
point (which, in some embodiments may be a femtocell) is/are also
configured to include a XG-CSSC mode. Also, it will be understood
that establishing communications between the user device and the
base station and/or access point using a XG-CSSC mode may be more
expensive to the user (i.e., may be offered by a service provider
at a premium) compared to establishing communications between the
user device and the base station and/or access point using the at
least one additional technology and/or air interface. It will
further be understood that the service provider may not charge a
premium for XG-CSSC mode communications between an access point
(e.g., femtocell) and a user device, thus encouraging access point
deployments and usage, for example, to relieve capacity bottlenecks
within conventional wireless infrastructure of the service
provider.
[0273] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the user device may be
configured to preferentially use the XG-CSSC mode responsive to a
classification/sensitivity and/or a privacy level of information to
be communicated being above a predetermined threshold and/or
responsive to a first time value, a first position, a first
proximity state, a first velocity, a first acceleration, a first
biometric measurement and/or a first signal strength and to
preferentially use the at least one additional technology or air
interface responsive to the classification/sensitivity and/or
privacy level of information to be communicated being equal to or
below the predetermined threshold and/or responsive to a second
time value, a second position, a second proximity state, a second
velocity, a second acceleration, a second biometric measurement
and/or a second signal strength. In multimedia communications, for
example, wherein sensitive as well as non-sensitive information may
need to be communicated simultaneously and/or sequentially, the
user device may be configured to communicate the sensitive
information using the XG-CSSC mode and to use the at least one
additional technology and/or air interface (simultaneously with
using the XG-CSSC mode and/or at different times) to communicate
the non-sensitive information. It will be understood that the term
"XG-CSSC mode" as used herein refers to communications using a
waveform, system, method, air interface and/or protocol that is
based upon and/or uses a pseudo-randomly generated signaling
alphabet and wherein the communications can comprise a reduced
cyclostationary signature, a reduced detectability feature and/or
increased privacy/security/covertness compared to conventional
waveforms, systems and/or methods of, for example, TDM/TDMA,
CDM/CDMA, FDM/FDMA, OFDM/OFDMA, GSM, WiMAX and/or LTE.
[0274] As has been stated earlier, a signaling alphabet that may be
associated with the XG-CSSC mode (i.e., an M-ary signaling alphabet
comprising at least two elements that are pseudo-randomly generated
and may be orthogonal therebetween) may be determined
pseudo-randomly responsive to a statistical distribution based upon
a key (seed) and/or a Time-of-Day ("ToD") value. In some
embodiments, the key may be a network defined key (e.g.,
defined/determined by an element/unit of the service provider) and
may be used by one or more base stations of the network and by a
plurality of user devices associated therewith. In other
embodiments, instead of the above, or in combination with the
above, a key that is associated with a user device may be defined
(or determined) by a user of the user device and/or by the user
device. In further embodiments, a user device may include a network
defined key and a user defined key.
[0275] In order for the user (and/or the user device) to define the
user defined key, the user (and/or the user device) may access a
web site, that may be associated with the service provider, and
access an individual account associated with the user (and/or the
user device) by providing, for example, an on-line ID, a user name
and/or a password. Following authentication of the user (and/or
user device) by the web site, the user (and/or the user device) may
define the user defined key by specifying, for example, a sequence
of letters, numbers and/or other characters. The web site may be
connected (wirelessly or otherwise) to a network element thus
providing the user defined key to one or more access points and/or
one or more base stations of the network. Also, the user may have
to provide the same user defined key to the user device.
Accordingly, the network and the user device may, responsive to the
same key, derive the same signaling alphabet and may thus be able
to communicate via the XG-CSSC mode (i.e., the same XG-CSSC mode).
In some embodiments, the signaling alphabet may only/solely be
based upon the user defined key. In other embodiments, the
signaling alphabet may be based upon a combination of the user
defined key and the network defined key. In further embodiments,
the signaling alphabet may only/solely be based upon the network
defined key. The user defined key may be changed by the user and/or
by the user device (that is, may be re-defined by the user and/or
by the user device) as often as the user desires thus providing
additional security and privacy to the user. In some embodiments,
upon accessing said web site and upon accessing said individual
account associated with the user/user device, the web site may be
configured to offer a key (i.e., a new unique key) to be used by
the user/user device as a new "user defined" key. The user/user
device may accept the offer or decline it, and, in the event the
offer is declined, the user/user device may proceed to define the
user defined key as described earlier. In the event the offer is
accepted, the user may have to insert/activate the new "user
defined" key provided by the web site into the user device.
[0276] In some embodiments, a forward link, from an access point
and/or a base station to the user device, may be based upon the
network defined key while a return link, from the user device to an
access point and/or a base station, may be based upon the user
defined key. In further embodiments, a system element (e.g., an
access point and/or a base station) may relay to a first user
device a user defined key that is associated with a second user
device and may require/instruct the first user device to initiate
communications using the user defined key of the second user device
or to hand-over communications from communications that are based
upon a first key being used by the first user device to
communications that are based upon the user defined key of the
second user device. In some embodiments, said relay to a first user
device a user defined key that is associated with a second user
device may occur responsive to an orientation and/or distance of
the first device relative to the second device. In further
embodiments, the second user device, whose user defined key is
relayed to the first user device, is selectively and/or
preferentially chosen from a group of user devices that are
authorized to communicate with an access point that the first user
device may also be authorized to communicate with. Said relay to a
first user device a user defined key that is associated with a
second user device may take place using communications that are
based upon the first key that is being used by the first user
device (the first key being a network defined key and/or a user
defined key of the first device).
[0277] It will be understood that any of the principles/embodiments
(in whole or in part) described above regarding network defined
and/or user defined keys may relate to an XG-CSSC mode and/or to
one or more other conventional waveforms/modes such as, for
example, TDM/TDMA, CDM/CDMA, FDM/FDMA, OFDM/OFDMA, GSM, WiMAX
and/or LTE, in order to provide user defined and/or network defined
encryption and/or data scrambling therein and increase a
privacy/security level thereof. Further, it will be understood that
an XG-CSSC mode may comprise the user defined key and/or the
network defined key, as already described, for forming the
signaling alphabet, and may also comprise a "special" user defined
key and/or a "special" network defined key, that differs from the
user defined key and/or network defined key already discussed
above, for encryption/scrambling of data prior to transmission
thereof. The special user/network defined key may be defined by the
user/network and/or user device along the same lines as discussed
earlier for the user/network defined key but, wherein the
user/network defined key may be shared by a plurality of devices,
as already discussed above, the special user/network defined key
may not be shared. Accordingly, in some embodiments of the present
invention first and second devices may be communicating with a
given base station and/or a given access point (e.g., femtocell)
using the same user/network defined key for constructing/generating
the signaling alphabets thereof and may be communicating with the
given base station and/or given access point using respective first
and second different special user/network defined keys for
encryption and/or scrambling of data.
[0278] FIGS. 26 and 27 illustrate additional embodiments of the
present invention. As is illustrated in FIG. 26, a wireless network
may comprise a plurality of base stations, only one of which is
illustrated in FIG. 26, and a plurality of access points, installed
in homes, offices and in/at any other place, as deemed
necessary/desirable, to provide additional privacy/security while
off-loading capacity from one or more near-by base stations (only
one access point of the plurality of access points is illustrated
in FIG. 26). A user device (e.g., a radioterminal; first user
device of FIG. 26) may be configured to detect proximity to an
access point, such as the access point illustrated in FIG. 26, and
establish communications preferentially with the access point while
refraining from communicating with a base station even though the
user device is within a service region of the base station (such as
the base station illustrated in FIG. 26) and can communicate with
that base station. The first user device illustrated in FIG. 26 may
further be configured, according to embodiments of the invention,
to establish communications preferentially with the access point
and to preferentially use the XG-CSSC mode to communicate with the
access point. In some embodiments, the first user device is
configured to use the network defined key and/or the user defined
key corresponding to the first user device. In other embodiments,
the first user device is provided (by the wireless network via the
access point and/or the base station) a user defined key of another
user device that may be already engaged in communications with an
access point and/or a base station or is getting ready to engage in
communications with an access point and/or base station. A user
device (e.g., a radioterminal) may be configured to detect
proximity to an access point by, for example, detecting a signal
being radiated by the access point and/or by detecting a position
that the user device has reached. It will be understood that in the
event that communicating preferentially with the access point is
not possible, due to a network malfunction and/or other reason,
then the user device may be configured to communicate with the base
station.
[0279] FIG. 26 also illustrates a second user device that is not
proximate to the access point and/or is not allowed to communicate
with the access point (e.g., the access point is privately owned
and has not provided access to the second user device).
Accordingly, the second user device is configured to communicate
with the base station and may do so by using one of the
conventional air interface standards/protocols (such as an LTE
mode, as is illustrated in FIG. 26) if the information that is
being communicated has not been deemed sensitive, and to
communicate with the base station using the XG-CSSC mode if the
information that is being communicated has been deemed sensitive
and needs a higher level of protection and/or privacy. In some
embodiments, a first portion of the information to be communicated
may be deemed sensitive, requiring extra protection, while a second
portion of the information to be communicated may not be deemed
sensitive. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the first portion of
the information is communicated using the XG-CSSC mode while the
second portion of the information is communicated, concurrently
with the first portion or otherwise, using a mode other than
XG-CSSC (e.g., LTE, WiMAX, GSM, etc.). Providing access of a user
device to an access point comprises, according to some embodiments,
providing to the access point an identity of the user device. The
identity of the user device may be provided to the access point
manually by interacting directly with the access point and/or
remotely by providing the identity of the user device to a web site
(e.g., along the lines discussed earlier in connection with
providing the user defined key) and then having the web site, which
is connected to the access point, provide the identity of the user
device to the access point. Similarly, a user device may be deleted
from having access to an access point by either manually
interacting with the access point and deleting/erasing the identity
of the user device from a memory of the access point and/or by
doing so remotely via the web site that is connected to the access
point.
[0280] Whether a user device is communicating with the access point
and/or with the base station (wherein the "and" part of the
immediately preceding "and/or" may be valid thus providing
diversity, added communications link robustness and/or a "make
before break" connection in handing-over communications from the
access point to the base station or vice versa) the user device,
the base station and/or the access point may be configured to
initiate and implement a hand-over from communications that are
based upon the XG-CSSC mode and a first key to communications that
are based upon the XG-CSSC mode and a second key, wherein the first
key is at least one of: a user defined key relating to the user
device, a user defined key relating to another user device and a
network defined key; and wherein the second key differs from the
first key.
[0281] Referring now to FIG. 27, additional embodiments of the
present invention will be described. FIG. 27 illustrates four user
devices communicating with a base station. The user devices are
labeled "1," "2," "3" and "4," respectively, wherein user devices 1
and 2 (indicated as "group 1" in FIG. 27) are proximate
therebetween and user devices 3 and 4 (indicated as group 2 in FIG.
27) are proximate therebetween but are not proximate to user
devices 1 and 2. Accordingly, responsive to a distance between
group 1 and group 2 approaching and/or exceeding a predetermined
value, the base station may be configured, according to some
embodiments, to communicate with group 1 using a first antenna
pattern and to communicate with group 2 using a second antenna
pattern that is substantially different than the first antenna
pattern, as illustrated in FIG. 27. Antenna pattern discrimination
may thus be provided to group 1 and to group 2, reducing a level of
interference therebetween and allowing reuse of resources
(frequencies, keys, alphabet elements) between the two groups. It
will be understood that the number of groups being served by a base
station (or a base station sector) may be more than two and a
number of user devices per group may exceed two or be less than two
(i.e., one). The antenna patterns that are illustrated in FIG. 27
may be formed by the base station using any one of the
principles/teachings/embodiments (in whole or in part) of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/748,931, filed Mar. 29, 2010,
entitled Increased Capacity Communications for OFDM-Based Wireless
Communications Systems/Methods/Devices, which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if set forth
fully herein, including all references and definitions cited
therein.
[0282] Still referring to FIG. 27, user device 1, communicating
with the base station via link 1, and user and user device 2,
communicating with the base station via link 2, may be
communicating with the base station concurrently and co-frequency
therebetween while relying on alphabet element discrimination
(e.g., code discrimination) to maintain a level of interference
therebetween at or below an acceptable level. Each one of the
wireless communications links that are established and served by
the first antenna pattern, link 1 and link 2, may be using (may
have been allocated) different, substantially orthogonal, alphabet
elements of a XG-CSSC mode, wherein the XG-CSSC mode may be based
upon a network defined key and/or a user defined key (as described
earlier). Accordingly, a signaling alphabet of the XG-CSSC mode,
based upon a network/user defined key and a statistical
distribution, comprising a plurality of orthogonal waveform
elements, may be distributed by the base station over a plurality
of links (e.g., link 1 and link 2) that are being served by a
common antenna pattern and do not/cannot rely upon antenna pattern
discrimination for acceptable performance. That is, the base
station may allocate at least a first element of the plurality of
orthogonal waveform elements of the signaling alphabet to, for
example, link 1 while allocating at least a second element of the
plurality of orthogonal waveform elements to link 2. Similar
arguments hold relative to the user devices of group 2
communicating with the base station via links 3 and 4 of the second
antenna pattern, as is illustrated in FIG. 27.
[0283] The base station(s), access point(s) and/or mobile device(s)
that have been discussed/illustrated herein and/or in the
references provided herein may be configured, according to
embodiments of the present invention, to execute a handover during
a communications session between a first signaling alphabet that is
associated with a first key and a second signaling alphabet of a
second key, responsive to a physical orientation between at least
two mobile devices and/or responsive to a level of interference. We
stress that by using pseudo-randomly generated signaling alphabets
to provide communications (wireless and/or wireline), an extra
level of encryption/scrambling is provided that is over and above
the conventional encryption/scrambling that is provided at the bit
level. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide
what may be termed "concatenated" encryption/scrambling, at the bit
level and at the signaling alphabet level. Each one of these two
encryption/scrambling components may be based upon a user defined
key and/or a network defined key.
[0284] In additional embodiments of the present invention, a
system/method such as that illustrated in FIG. 17 (or a variation
thereof), that may comprise performing a FFT and a IFFT in order to
generate an M-ary signaling alphabet, may be combined (in whole or
in part) with a system/method such as that illustrated in FIG. 5
(or a variation thereof). It will be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that the "I" and/or "Q" output signals of the block
labeled "Symbol to Waveform Mapping" of FIG. 17 may correspond to
the output signal of the block labeled "Bit-to-Symbol Conversion"
of FIG. 5 and/or to the input signal of the block labeled "Symbol
Repeat" of FIG. 5. It will be understood that the blocks of FIG. 5
that are labeled "Symbol Repeat" and/or "Symbol Interleaver" may be
bypassed in some embodiments. Accordingly, in some embodiments,
said "I" and/or "Q" output signals (or a variant thereof) may be
used as an input to the "MODULATOR" of FIG. 5. In some embodiments,
the "I" and/or "Q" output signals (or a variant thereof) may be
subjected to a FFT (or a IFFT) before being presented to the
"MODULATOR" of FIG. 5, whereby a frequency-domain representation
thereof is used by the "MODULATOR" of FIG. 5. This may reduce a
peak-to-average ratio of a signal to be amplified and
transmitted.
[0285] It will be understood that generating pseudo-randomly a
communications alphabet, as has been discussed hereinabove, may
also be applied to a system and/or method wherein the
communications alphabet comprises a constellation of points and
does not include a set of functions (time-domain and/or
frequency-domain functions). The communications alphabet may, for
example, comprise a constellation of only four points. Whereas
according to a conventional QPSK system/method the four points
would be defined at respective centers of four quadrants, as is
well known by those skilled in the art, according to principles of
the present invention (of generating pseudo-randomly a
communications alphabet) the locations of the four points within
two-dimensional space may be determined pseudo-randomly. Finally,
those skilled in the art will appreciate that by leaving some
elements and/or dimensions of a communications alphabet un-utilized
for transmission of data, thus giving-up capacity, BER performance
may be improved by increasing a size of a decision space that may
be associated with a correct decision at a receiver. For example,
in QPSK, if the constellation points of the second and fourth
quadrants, were to be left un-utilized for transmission of data,
the decision space for a correct decision at a receiver would grow
from one fourth of the two-dimensional plane to one half of the
two-dimensional plane.
Minimum Interference Systems/Methods Using XG-CSSC
[0286] In further embodiments, a base station may be configured to
transmit information to a user device using a waveform that is
based upon XG-CSSC, or a variant thereof, and the user device may
be configured to transmit information to the base station using a
waveform that is based upon XG-CSSC, LTE and/or any other waveform.
Further, the base station may be configured to transmit information
to the user device by using frequencies that are less than or equal
to 1559 MHz and the user device may be configured to transmit
information to the base station by using frequencies that are
greater than 1559 MHz (as is illustrated in FIG. 28a). Such
embodiments may reduce or eliminate one or more intermodulation
product(s) in a GP S receiver, owing to a reduced cyclostationary
signature of the waveform that is based upon XG-CSSC, or a variant
thereof, and may thus improve a performance of the GPS
receiver.
[0287] In yet further embodiments, a user device may be configured
to transmit information to a base station using a waveform that is
based upon XG-CSSC, LTE and/or any other waveform and the base
station may be configured to transmit information to the user
device using a waveform that is based upon XG-CSSC, LTE and/or any
other waveform. Further, in these embodiments, the base station may
be configured to transmit information to the user device by using
frequencies that are greater than 1559 MHz and the user device may
be configured to transmit information to the base station by using
frequencies that are less than or equal to 1559 MHz (as is
illustrated in FIG. 28b). Such embodiments may reduce or eliminate
one or more intermodulation product(s) in a GPS receiver, owing to
a reduced cyclostationary signature of the waveform that is based
upon XG-CSSC, or a variant thereof, and may thus improve a
performance of the GPS receiver.
[0288] In other embodiments, the user device and the base station
may be configured to exchange information therebetween via a Time
Division Duplex ("TDD") protocol wherein a common set of
frequencies may be used for the exchange of information; the common
set of frequencies may be less than or equal to 1559 MHz or greater
than 1559 MHz, while the base station may be configured to transmit
information to the user device using a waveform that is based upon
XG-CSSC when the common set of frequencies are less than or equal
to 1559 MHz, and the user device may be configured to transmit
information to the base station using a waveform that is based upon
XG-CSSC, LTE or any other waveform (as illustrated in FIG. 29).
[0289] Some embodiments that are based upon FIG. 29 and/or the
description of the present paragraph may deviate from using a
"common set of frequencies" as described above. In such
embodiments, the base station may transmit information to the user
device using a first set of frequencies that are less than or equal
to 1559 MHz and the user device may transmit information to the
base station using a second set of frequencies that are less than
or equal to 1559 MHz; wherein the first set of frequencies differs
from the second set of frequencies in at least one frequency. Such
embodiments may not be based upon a TDD mode and may be based upon
the waveforms associated with frequencies that are less than or
equal to 1559 MHz, as illustrated in FIG. 29 and described above in
the present paragraph.
[0290] Yet other embodiments that may be based upon FIG. 29 and/or
the description of the present paragraph may also deviate from
using a "common set of frequencies" as described above. In such
embodiments, the base station may be configured to transmit
information to the user device using a third set of frequencies
that are greater than 1559 MHz and the user device may be
configured to transmit information to the base station using a
fourth set of frequencies that are greater than 1559 MHz; wherein
the third set of frequencies differs from the fourth set of
frequencies in at least one frequency. Such embodiments may not be
based upon a TDD mode and may be based upon one or more of the
waveforms that are associated with frequencies that are greater
than 1559 MHz, as illustrated in FIG. 29 and described above in the
present paragraph. It is understood that any combination or
sub-combination of any two or more embodiments may be used to
provide yet one or more additional embodiments, as will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art.
Reduction of Interference by Imposing Time-Frequency
Constraints/Discontinuities on a Base Station
[0291] Additional embodiments that may be used to reduce
intra-system interference and/or inter-system interference will now
be described. FIG. 30 illustrates a 4-cell reuse pattern wherein a
plurality of base stations ("BTSs"), illustrated in FIG. 30 by a
respective plurality of circles, is configured to form a plurality
of sets, wherein each set of the plurality of sets comprises four
BTSs. As is further illustrated in FIG. 30, each set of the
plurality of sets comprising four BTSs, comprises a first base
station ("BTS") illustrated by a circle with vertical lines through
it, a second BTS illustrated by a circle with horizontal lines
through it, a third BTS illustrated by a circle with slanted lines
through it and a fourth BTS illustrated by a circle with vertical
and horizontal lines through it. According to some embodiments of
the invention, four BTSs, that belong to a set of the plurality of
sets comprising four BTSs, are configured to transmit information
to user devices sequentially and discontinuously therebetween in
time and, in some embodiments, with no time overlap therebetween,
as is illustrated at the bottom of FIG. 30. In other embodiments, a
time overlap may be allowed between transmissions of the four BTSs.
It will be understood that four BTSs belonging to each set of a
plurality of sets is presented herein as an illustrative example,
and that any number of BTSs may belong to each set of the plurality
of sets.
[0292] Accordingly, a four-cell time reuse pattern may be provided
whereby, for example, all (or at least some) first cells of FIG. 30
(i.e., all, or at least some, BTSs of FIG. 30 that are illustrated
by a circle with vertical lines through it) are configured to
transmit information to user devices simultaneously/concurrently
therebetween while other BTSs that are adjacent and/or proximate
thereto are configured to refrain from transmitting information to
user devices. It will be understood that the 4-cell time reuse
pattern of FIG. 30 is illustrative and that many other time reuse
patterns that will occur to those skilled in the art (e.g., a
7-cell time reuse pattern) may be used instead of a 4-cell time
reuse pattern or in combination with a 4-cell time reuse pattern. A
user device may be configured to transmit information to a BTS
while the BTS is transmitting information to one or more user
devices and/or during a time interval when the BTS is silent (i.e.,
is not transmitting information wirelessly and directly to any user
device). Further, it will be understood that any protocol and/or
air interface (including XG-CSSC or any derivative thereof and/or
LTE or any derivative thereof) may be used by a BTS to transmit
information to one or more user devices and that any protocol
and/or air interface (including XG-CSSC or a derivative thereof
and/or LTE or a derivative thereof) may be used by the one or more
user devices to transmit information to the BTS. According to some
embodiments, the protocol used by the BTS differs from the protocol
used by the one or more user devices (e.g., the BTS may use LTE or
a derivative thereof to transmit information to the one or more
user devices and the one or more user devices may use XG-CSSC or a
derivative thereof to transmit information to the BTS).
[0293] Embodiments of BTSs that are based upon a time reuse
pattern, as described herein and illustrated in the accompanying
FIGURES (i.e., FIGS. 30-33), are based on a realization that as an
activity factor associated with radiating information by a BTS is
reduced, an interference level that is caused by the BTS is also
reduced. Specifically, a receiver that is proximate to a BTS and is
configured to receive information from an entity other than the BTS
may be adversely impacted by at least some radiated emissions of
the BTS. More specifically, a performance measure of a GPS receiver
may degrade when the GPS receiver is proximate to a BTS,
particularly when the GPS receiver is configured with a broadband
front-end filter that allows at least some frequencies that are
being radiated by the BTS to be sensed by the GPS receiver.
Accordingly, configuring the BTS in accordance with a time reuse
pattern, as described herein, may reduce the degradation of the
performance measure of the GPS receiver by reducing an amount of
time (i.e., an exposure time) over which the GPS receiver is
subjected to the at least some radiated emissions of the BTS (i.e.,
the at least some frequencies that are being radiated by the BTS)
that are deleterious to the GPS receiver and are responsible for
the degradation of the performance measure of the GPS receiver. For
example, if a GPS receiver is proximate to a BTS, such as the BTS
that is marked with a dot (see FIG. 30), that GPS receiver may be
subjected to a level of interference over the time interval
0.ltoreq.t<T but will remain substantially free of interference
over the time interval T.ltoreq.t<4T during which the BTS that
is marked with the dot remains silent.
[0294] Further to the above, FIG. 31 illustrates additional
embodiments that further decrease the amount of time (i.e., the
exposure time) over which the GPS receiver is subjected to the at
least some radiated emissions of the BTS (i.e., the at least some
frequencies that are being radiated by the BTS) that are
deleterious to the GPS receiver and are responsible for the
degradation of the performance measure of the GPS receiver. The top
trace of FIG. 31 illustrates a band of frequencies used by a GPS
receiver and four other frequency bands (labeled "1" through "4")
that a BTS may use to transmit information to user devices (smart
phones, computers, etc.). Further, let us assume that frequency
band "2," when emitted by a BTS that the GPS receiver is proximate
to, creates a level of interference to the GPS receiver; while
frequency bands "1," "3" and "4" when emitted by the BTS that the
GPS receiver is proximate to, create a negligible level of
interference to the GPS receiver or no interference at all. In
order to reduce the level of interference to the GPS receiver, the
BTS may be configured to radiate frequency bands "1" through "4,"
over four respective sectors thereof, over time interval A
(0.ltoreq.t<T), as is illustrated in the upper left hand corner
of FIG. 31. Following time interval A, the BTS remains silent until
time interval B (4T.ltoreq.t<5T) during which it again radiates
frequency bands "1" through "4," as is illustrated by the lower
left hand corner of FIG. 31. However, over time interval B, the BTS
is configured to radiate the frequency bands "1" through "4" after
the BTS has redistributed the frequency bands "1" through "4" over
its four respective sectors. Prior (or during) time interval B, the
BTS may be configured to redistribute (once or a plurality of
times) the frequency bands "1" through "4" over a plurality of its
sectors (e.g., over four sectors) relative to a distribution
thereof over the plurality of sectors over time interval A.
[0295] In some embodiments, the redistribution of frequency bands
"1" through "4" may comprise a rotation of said frequency bands
(clockwise or counter clockwise) over the sectors of the BTS (as is
illustrated in FIG. 31 for a counter clockwise rotation). In other
embodiments, the redistribution of the frequency bands may comprise
a random or pseudo-random element, a rotation over two or more BTS
sectors and/or no redistribution at all over a time interval
followed by a resumption of redistribution after the time interval.
In further embodiments, a redistribution of the frequency bands may
be performed responsive to a position of a GPS receiver and/or a
position (or sensing) of a user device that may be the GPS
receiver, or may be associated with a GPS receiver. In yet further
embodiments of the invention, a first subset of BTSs (comprising
one or more BTSs) may be subject to a redistribution of the
frequency bands (as described above and illustrated in FIG. 31)
and/or may be subject to an inactivity/silence period (as described
above and illustrated in FIG. 30) while a second subset of BTSs
(comprising one or more BTSs) may remain devoid of the
redistribution of the frequency bands and/or the inactivity/silence
period. In still further embodiments of the invention, a first set
of BTSs (comprising at least one BTS) may be configured to
undergo/implement (i.e., may be subject to) a first redistribution
of the frequency bands and/or a first inactivity/silence period
while a second set of BTSs (comprising at least one BTS) may be
configured to undergo/implement (i.e., may be subject to) a second
redistribution of the frequency bands and/or a second
inactivity/silence period; wherein the first redistribution of the
frequency bands differs from the second redistribution of the
frequency bands and/or the first inactivity/silence period differs
from the second inactivity/silence period. It will be understood
that any redistribution of the frequency bands (via a rotation
thereof or otherwise), as described above and/or in the
accompanying figures, such as in FIG. 31, may comprise a partial
redistribution of the frequency bands wherein not all of the bands
are redistributed and/or not all of the frequencies therein are
redistributed (e.g., at least one of the bands may not be
redistributed and/or at least one frequency of at least one band
may not be redistributed). Stated differently, a redistribution of
the frequency bands may, in some embodiments, be devoid of a
redistribution of at least one frequency of at least one band.
[0296] FIG. 32 provides a summary of some key aspects/features of
some embodiments described thus far. Accordingly, as an activity
factor of a base station is reduced (e.g., by a factor of 4), an
available spectrum for the base station may be increased
proportionally by the same factor (e.g., by a factor of 4) thus
maintaining a capacity of the base station substantially invariant
(and in some embodiments increasing capacity relative to a
conventional configuration of the base station wherein there is no
reduction in activity factor). During a time interval when a BTS is
active, BTSs that are adjacent and/or proximate to the active BTS
may remain silent. This reduces interference therebetween and
further increases capacity. Reducing an activity factor of a BTS
reduces an aggregate time over which one or more frequencies
radiated by the BTS may interfere with a device, such as, for
example, a GPS receiver, that may be proximate to the BTS and is
configured to receive information from an entity other than the
BTS. The BTS may also use a rotational frequency management (i.e.,
a redistribution of the frequency bands thereof) to further reduce
the aggregate time over which the one or more frequencies radiated
by the BTS may interfere with the device that may be proximate to
the BTS and is configured to receive information from an entity
other than the BTS.
[0297] User devices that the BTS serves (i.e., provides information
to and/or receives information from), may be configured to respond
to the BTS (i.e., may be configured to send information to the BTS)
during a time interval when the BTS is silent/inactive (i.e.,
during a time interval when the BTS is not transmitting information
to the user devices). This provides a significant amount of time
for the mobiles to respond and, in some embodiments, at least some
mobiles that may be proximate therebetween, may be configured to
respond sequentially, over substantially non-overlapping time
intervals. In some embodiments, responsive to a distance between a
first user device and a second user device and/or responsive to a
frequency band to be used by the first user device and the second
user device, the first user device and the second user device may
be commanded/configured by the BTS (and/or a processor/controller
associated therewith) to respond sequentially in time, over
respective substantially non-overlapping first and second time
intervals, in order to reduce a level of interference to the device
that may be proximate to the BTS, and may also be proximate to the
first and second user devices, and is configured to receive
information from an entity other than the BTS (in some embodiments,
some overlapping may be allowed).
[0298] The BTS may also be configured to provide information to the
user devices that relates to the frequency management and/or
redistribution of the frequency bands of the BTS so that the user
devices may remain cognizant of frequencies that may be used to
receive and/or transmit information from/to the BTS. In some
embodiments, a user device may be configured to respond to the BTS
using the same band of frequencies that the BTS has used and/or is
using to transmit information to the user device. In other
embodiments, the user device is configured to respond to the BTS
using a band of frequencies that is different from the band of
frequencies that the BTS has used and/or is using to transmit
information to the user device. Referring to FIG. 31, in some
embodiments, frequency band "1" comprises frequencies from 1526.3
MHz to 1531.3 MHz and/or frequency band "2" comprises frequencies
from 1550.2 MHz to 1555.2 MHz. Still referring to FIG. 31, in
further embodiments, frequency band "1" comprises frequencies from
1526 MHz to 1536 MHz and/or frequency band "2" comprises
frequencies from 1545.2 MHz to 1555.2 MHz. The frequency band of
FIG. 31 referred to as "GPS" comprises at least some frequencies
from 1559 MHz to 1610 MHz, wherein a GPS carrier frequency is at
1575.42 MHz. Frequency bands "3" and "4" are within the frequency
range from 1626.5 MHz to 1660.5 MHz.
[0299] It will be understood that a BTS that is configured to
provide communications to one or more user devices subject to a
time reuse pattern and/or activity factor (as described above and
illustrated in FIG. 30) can use any air interface, protocol and/or
standard, including OFDM, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, LTE, XG-CSSC and/or any
derivative thereof. Further, it is understood that, based upon an
assumption of linearity, a reduction of interference to GPS of 6 dB
may be expected as a result of configuring base stations to provide
communications to user devices in accordance with the time reuse
pattern of FIG. 30, and that if the frequency management of FIG. 31
is also included, a total reduction of interference to GPS ranging
from 9 dB to 12 dB may be expected (i.e., 9 dB if band "1" and band
"2" are assumed to be equally deleterious to GPS; and 12 dB if only
band "2" is assumed to be deleterious to GPS). The expected
reductions of interference to GPS, as discussed above, are further
illustrated in FIG. 33 which also provides two alternate frequency
management configurations/embodiments for a BTS. Many other
frequency management configurations/embodiments will occur to those
skilled in the art such as, for example, using/distributing
frequencies that are exclusively greater than 1610 MHz over each
one of the BTS sectors while refraining from using/distributing
frequencies that are less than 1559 MHz; or alternating in time
between using/distributing frequencies that are exclusively less
than 1559 MHz and using/distributing frequencies that are
exclusively greater than 1610 MHz. Further to the above, it will be
understood that although illustrative examples of embodiments
comprising base stations (BTSs) with four sectors have been
presented, BTSs comprising three sectors or any other number of
sectors may also be used. It will further be understood that
systems/methods may be provided according to the present invention
including a first region wherein BTSs are based upon a first number
of sectors, and including a second region wherein BTSs are based
upon a second number of sectors that is different than the first
number of sectors. The first region may overlap with the second
region, in some embodiments, while in other embodiments there may
be no overlap therebetween,
[0300] Accordingly, many different embodiments stem from the above
description and the accompanying drawings. It will be understood
that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally
describe and illustrate every combination, sub-combination and
variation of these embodiments of systems/methods. Accordingly, the
present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed
to constitute a complete written description of all combinations,
sub-combinations and variations of the embodiments described
herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and
shall support claims to any such combination, variation and/or
sub-combination.
Preferentially Using a First Set of Frequencies; Refraining from
Using a Second Set of Frequencies; Preferentially Using a First Set
of Frequencies Over a First Time Interval while Refraining from
Using a Second Set of Frequencies Over the First Time Interval and
Using the Second Set of Frequencies Over a Second Time Interval
Following a Reconfiguration of GPS Equipment
[0301] According to additional embodiments of the invention, one or
more base stations may be configured to provide communications
services (data, voice, multimedia, etc.) to one or more user
devices by preferentially using one or more downlink
(space-to-earth) frequencies of a satellite frequency band (e.g.,
1525-1559 MHz) while refraining from using uplink (earth-to-space)
frequencies of a satellite frequency band (e.g., 1626.5-1660.5 MHz)
unless additional capacity (over and above that which may be
provided by using the downlink frequencies only) is required by the
one or more base stations to provide the communications services.
Generalizing on this principle, it may be stated that a base
station and/or access point may be configured to provide
communications to a user device (or user devices) by preferentially
using a first set of frequencies while refraining from using a
second set of frequencies. The base station and/or access point may
be further configured to begin to use at least some of the
frequencies of the second set of frequencies when a capacity.
Quality-of-Service, speed of information transfer and/or any other
measure of communications performance may no longer be satisfied by
usage of only the first set of frequencies. Further to the above
(i.e., in conjunction with the above or in lieu of the above), in
some embodiments, the base station and/or access point may be
configured to provide communications to a user device (or user
devices) by preferentially using the first set of frequencies over
a first time interval (e.g., 0<t<3 years) while refraining
from using the second set of frequencies over the first time
interval and, over a second time interval (e.g., t>3 years), the
base station and/or access point may be configured to begin to use
at least some frequencies of the second set of frequencies, in
conjunction with at least some frequencies of the first set of
frequencies or without the first set of frequencies.
[0302] The above strategy may be used by a Company such as, for
example, LightSquared, in cooperation/agreement with
regulatory/government/industry bodies/agencies, in order to provide
time to a System that needs additional time in order to improve
upon a design aspect thereof (e.g., to provide additional time so
that, for example, sensitive GPS receivers may incorporate
appropriate front-end filtering in order to be able to coexist
harmoniously with planned electromagnetic emissions of the Company)
and to provide certainty to the Company and to the investors
thereof. FIGS. 35 and 36 illustrate the approach. Referring to FIG.
35, scenario "A" (or scenario "B") may be deployed by the Company
initially ("t=0") with little or no opposition from
regulatory/government/industry bodies since scenario "A" (or "B")
does not create harmful interference (e.g., does not create harmful
interference to GPS or to any other system that the
regulatory/government/industry bodies may be concerned about).
Substantially concurrently with the deployment of scenario "A" (or
"B") the Company may also deploy scenario "C," having coordinated
with, and having received the support of, "XYZ Company" that may be
impacted by the deployment of scenario "C." Accordingly, the
Company (e.g., LightSquared) and the XYZ Company (e.g., Inmarsat)
may provide a united front vis-a-vis the
regulatory/government/industry bodies in support of scenario "C,"
and thus win approval for the deployment of scenario "C." An
initial deployment of scenario "A" (or "B") plus scenario "C" may
be sufficient to sustain the business of the Company for several
years (e.g., for the first three years), particularly if the
regulatory and government bodies have provided a letter of
assurance to the Company that the Company will be allowed to deploy
per its preferred mode in, for example, three years from now ("t=3
years"), as is illustrated in FIG. 36.
[0303] Generalizing on the above principle(s), a business method
may be provided comprising: initiating operations by a first
company and providing a service over a first time interval using a
first asset; refraining by the first company from using a second
asset over the first time interval in order to prevent an impact to
a second company; receiving by the first company an assurance from
a regulatory/government body that the second asset may be used over
a second time interval, following the first time interval;
requiring by the regulatory/government body that the second company
take action to avoid the impact when the first company begins to
use the second asset; and using by the first company the second
asset over the second time interval.
[0304] According to some embodiments of the invention, the first
set of frequencies may comprise frequencies that are greater than
1610 MHz and are at a significant distance from 1610 MHz, and may
also comprise, in some embodiments, frequencies that are less than
1559 MHz and are significantly distant from 1559 MHz. The second
set of frequencies may comprise frequencies that are less than 1559
MHz and frequencies that are greater than 1626.5 MHz. More
specifically, according to some embodiments, a forward link
component of the first set of frequencies may comprise frequencies
that are greater than 1660.5 MHz and/or frequencies that are less
than 1536 MHz while a return link component of the first set of
frequencies may comprise frequencies from 1626.5 MHz to 1660.5 MHz.
The forward link component of the second set of frequencies may
comprise frequencies that are less than or equal to 1536 MHz and
the return link component of the second set of frequencies may
comprise frequencies from 1626.5 MHz to 1660.5 MHz.
[0305] In some embodiments, said preferentially using the first set
of frequencies comprises preferentially using a first subset of the
first set of frequencies by a base station and/or an access point
to provide information to user devices (i.e., to provide forward
link communications) while the user devices provide information to
the base station and/or the access point (i.e., provide return link
communications) by using a second subset of the first set of
frequencies. In some embodiments, said first subset of the first
set of frequencies comprises frequencies that are less than or
equal to 1559 MHz; while said second subset of the first set of
frequencies comprises frequencies that are greater than or equal to
1610 MHz. In further embodiments, the first set of frequencies may
be used bi-directionally (in a Time Division Duplex "TDD" mode) to
provide forward link and return link communications; wherein the
first set of frequencies are used to provide forward link
communications over a first time interval and are used again to
provide return link communications over a second time interval that
does not overlap with the first time interval. The second set of
frequencies may also be used via a TDD mode bi-directionally to
provide forward link and return link communications when said
capacity, Quality-of-Service, speed of information transfer and/or
any other measure of communications performance may no longer be
satisfied by usage of only the first set of frequencies and/or when
the first time interval has lapsed and the second time interval is
occurring.
[0306] In additional embodiments the first set of frequencies may
include frequencies of blocks "1" and/or "2" of FIG. 31 and the
second set of frequencies may include frequencies of block "3"
and/or "4" of FIG. 31. More specifically, according to some
embodiments, the first set of frequencies may include any set of
frequencies from 1525 MHz to 1559 MHz and the second set of
frequencies may include any set of frequencies from 1610 MHz to
1675 MHz. In further embodiments, the first set of frequencies may
include any set of frequencies from 1610 MHz to 1675 MHz and the
second set of frequencies may include any set of frequencies from
1525 MHz to 1559 MHz. In yet additional embodiments, the first set
of frequencies may include at least one frequency that is less than
or equal to 1559 MHz and at least one frequency that is greater
than or equal to 1610 MHz.
Using LTE Carrier Frequencies Selectively to Reduce Interference to
a Satellite
[0307] In other embodiments according to the present invention,
base stations and/or access points may be configured to
receive/transmit information from/to user devices using at least
some frequencies of a band of frequencies that is
used/authorized/licensed to provide satellite-based communications
via one or more satellites. Accordingly, in some embodiments where
the base stations and/or access points are configured to use said
at least some frequencies of a band of frequencies to, for example,
transmit and receive information to/from user devices in a TDD
and/or FDD mode, a level of interference to at least one satellite
(of said one or more satellites) may be unacceptable. To avoid
generating an unacceptable level of interference to the at least
one satellite, the base stations and/or access points may be
configured to transmit and/or receive using a 4.sup.th Generation
("4G") Long Term Evolution ("LTE") technology (air interface
specification) whereby a modulation/transmission technique may be
based upon Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing ("OFDM"),
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access ("OFDMA") and/or
Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access ("SC-FDMA"),
wherein a OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA carrier that is used comprises a
plurality of subcarriers some of which may be configured to remain
unoccupied/inactive (i.e., unused for transmitting and/or receiving
information) in order to reduce or eliminate a level of
interference to the at least one satellite.
[0308] FIG. 34 illustrates an embodiment wherein, for example, a
band of frequencies from 1626.5 MHz to 1660.5 MHz is authorized for
the provision of uplink satellite-based communications
(earth-to-space communications) by a plurality of satellite
operators. The plurality of satellite operators includes
LightSquared (formerly SkyTerra, Mobile Satellite Ventures ("MSV"),
American Mobile Satellite Corporation ("AMSC")); Inmarsat; a
Russian operator; and a Mexican operator. The spectrum allocation
scenario of FIG. 34 is provided for illustrative purposes only and
should not be construed as representing any real spectrum
allocation scenario for the satellite operators indicated therein.
Continuing with the illustrative scenario of FIG. 34, two LTE
carriers, each of 20 MHz in width/span/bandwidth, are assumed to be
used by base stations and/or access points in utilizing the
satellite uplink frequency band from 1626.5 MHz to 1660.5 MHz (the
second LTE carrier extending beyond 1660.5 MHz, as is illustrated
in FIG. 34). At least one other LTE carrier (not illustrated in
FIG. 34) may also be provided in order for the base stations and/or
access points to utilize additional frequencies beyond 1666.5 MHz.
It will be understood that a number of LTE carriers that is
provided to the base stations and/or access points, and a bandwidth
that is associated with each LTE carrier, may differ from that
illustrated in FIG. 34 (the LTE specifications provide a wide
selection of carrier bandwidths: 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15
MHz, 20 MHz).
[0309] In some embodiments, as is illustrated in FIG. 34, at least
one subcarrier of a plurality of subcarriers of a
OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA carrier may be left unutilized in providing
communications in order to reduce a level of interference to a
satellite (that would otherwise have received an unacceptable level
of interference if the at least one subcarrier had been used by the
base stations and/or access points). As FIG. 34 illustrates, at
least one satellite operator may not be adversely impacted by
allowing usage of subcarriers whose spectral content coincides with
at least some frequencies of the at least one satellite operator
(in some cases the at least one satellite operator is adversely
impacted by said allowing usage of subcarriers but has been
provided a financial incentive to enable/allow/provide said
allowing of subcarriers). In additional embodiments, the at least
one subcarrier of the plurality of subcarriers of the
OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA carrier may be left unutilized in providing
communications over a first time interval and may then be utilized
over a second time interval, in order to reduce a level of
interference to a satellite. A duration of the first time interval
may be equal to, or may be different than, a duration of the second
time interval.
[0310] Any embodiment, system and/or method described herein (i.e.,
in the present Application) and/or in any document that is
referenced herein and incorporated herein by reference may be used,
in whole or in part, to provide wireless communications (via base
stations and/or access points) using, for example, frequencies that
are authorized for space-based (i.e., satellite) communications or
any other frequencies; and/or to provide wireless communications
via one or more satellites using the frequencies that are
authorized for space based (i.e., satellite) communications, such
as, for example frequencies 1525-1559 MHz and/or frequencies
1626.5-1660.5 MHz. Further, any of the embodiments that are
described herein (i.e., in the present application) and/or are
illustrated in the FIGURES herein, may be based upon any of the
principles/teachings/embodiments (in whole or in part) of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/748,931, filed Mar. 29, 2010,
entitled Increased Capacity Communications for OFDM-Based Wireless
Communications Systems/Methods/Devices, and/or U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/481,084, filed Jun. 9, 2009, entitled
Increased Capacity Communications Systems, Methods and/or Devices,
both of which have been incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety as if set forth fully herein, including all provisional
patent applications related therewith.
[0311] It has been realized that relative to a level of
interference that may be generated in a direction of a satellite by
using (terrestrially) by one or more base stations satellite uplink
frequencies to transmit information, that it is the true power
being transmitted by the base station, not the EIRP (the Equivalent
Isotropic Radiated Power) that is being transmitted by the base
station, that is responsible for generating said level of
interference. One primary mechanism of generating said level of
interference relates to said true power being transmitted by the
base station hitting a rough surface (e.g., the ground, trees,
buildings and/or vehicles, etc.) and scattering towards space,
including scattering towards the direction of the satellite.
Accordingly, it has been realized that for a given EIRP that may be
required by a base station, a gain of an antenna of the base
station may be increased while decreasing a power level that is
provided by a Power Amplifier (PA) feeding the antenna.
Accordingly, the EIRP required by the base station may be
maintained/preserved while reducing the true power being radiated
by the base station and thus reducing the level of interference in
the direction of the satellite. Based on this principle, a
communications method may be provided for reducing a level of
interference to an object in space (such as, for example, an
orbiting satellite), the method comprising: reducing a level of
power being provided by a PA to an antenna; and increasing a gain
of the antenna in order to maintain a desired EIRP. Analogous
systems may also be provided. According to some embodiments, said
reducing comprises reducing by X dB and said increasing comprises
increasing by X dB; wherein X dB may be 10 dB, 6 dB, 3 dB or any
other value that may be necessary in order to reduce the level of
interference to an acceptable value. According to further
embodiments, said reducing comprises reducing by X dB and said
increasing comprises increasing by Y dB; wherein X.noteq.Y.
[0312] Accordingly, many different embodiments stem from the above
description and the accompanying drawings. It will be understood
that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally
describe and illustrate every combination, sub-combination and
variation of these systems/methods embodiments. Accordingly, the
present specification, including the drawings and Claims thereof,
and all documents that are incorporated in the present
specification by reference in their entirety as if having set forth
fully in the present specification, including patent applications
and/or Provisional patent applications, and those cited therein,
shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of
all combinations, sub-combinations and variations of the
systems/methods embodiments described herein, and of the manner and
process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any
such combination, sub-combination and/or variation thereof.
Reconfiguring a Base Station Responsive to Having Detected Presence
of a GPS Receiver
[0313] If there weren't any GPS receivers in close proximity to a
given base station, that base station could use any, and possibly
all, of its authorized frequencies uninhibited/unfettered by the
possibility of causing interference to GPS.
[0314] Imagine now that as a "sensitive" GPS receiver is
approaching that base station, the sensitive GPS receiver has the
ability to "inform" the base station of its proximity thereto by
transmitting a predetermined signal, and the base station (i.e.,
each sector thereof) is configured to be able to detect the
presence of the predetermined signal and, responsive to such
detection, take action to reconfigure itself accordingly in order
to avoid interfering with the GPS receiver.
[0315] The Concept:
[0316] If a GPS receiver transmitted a signal that the base station
could sense then, responsive to having sensed the signal from the
GPS receiver, the base station could be configured to alter a
transmission mode thereof in order to preclude causing harmful
interference to that GPS receiver (or at least reduce a probability
associated therewith). According to this concept, in the absence of
having sensed/detected any signal from any GPS receiver, the base
station could transmit information to user devices using any, and
possibly all, downlink frequencies of the satellite band (i.e.,
1525-1559 MHz) and receive information from the user devices using
uplink frequencies of the satellite band (i.e., 1626.5-1660.5 MHz).
As soon as the base station senses/detects at least one signal from
at least one GPS receiver, the base station (i.e., the sector or
sectors of the base station that did the sensing/detecting) can be
reconfigured to transmit information to the user devices using
uplink frequencies of the satellite band and to receive information
from the user devices also using the uplink frequencies of the
satellite band. When the at least one signal from the at least one
GPS receiver is no longer sensed/detected by the base station
(i.e., the at least one GPS receiver is no longer in the vicinity
of the base station) the base station can then revert to its
preferred mode of transmitting information to the user devices by
using downlink frequencies of the satellite band and receiving
information from the user devices via uplink frequencies of the
satellite band. Accordingly, a technical guarantee may be provided
to the GPS community and to the regulatory/government authorities
that harmful interference to GPS from base station emissions may be
significantly reduced or eliminated.
[0317] Implementation of the Concept:
[0318] A small, low-cost transmitter may be developed and may be
provided to anyone using a "sensitive" GPS receiver. This
transmitter may be situated next to the sensitive GPS receiver and
may be activated by the user of the sensitive GPS receiver to
periodically transmit a low-power "pulse," (i.e., a predetermined
signal) say once per second, during the time that the sensitive GPS
receiver is in use, so that the presence of the GPS receiver may be
sensed/detected by any base station proximate thereto. Preferably,
the transmitter may be integrated with (i.e., built inside of) the
sensitive GPS receiver so that it could be activated automatically
only when the GPS receiver is functioning (and be turned off
otherwise), without relying on direct human intervention for its
activation and/or deactivation. However, for the GPS receiver units
that are already manufactured and deployed this may not be
possible.
[0319] Discussion:
[0320] Any base station that is not sensing any emission from any
such transmitter would be free to use all of its downlink satellite
frequencies (lower and upper downlink channels) to provide
forward-link service to user devices. Upon sensing a transmitter
emission, the base station would reconfigure itself and refrain
from using the upper downlink frequency channel or, refrain from
using both the upper and lower downlink frequency channels, as
necessary. (At the beginning, when not all sensitive GPS receivers
can be assumed to have incorporated appropriate front-end
filtering, the base station can be configured to refrain from using
both upper and lower downlink frequency channels. At some point in
the future (e.g., five years after deployment of ATC base
stations), when all sensitive GPS receivers would have incorporated
the appropriate front-end filter, the base station may, for
example, only refrain from using the upper downlink frequency
channel.)
[0321] The temporary capacity loss due to the refraining, while the
base station is sensing the transmitter emission, would be
replenished (i.e., gained back) via the use of uplink satellite
frequencies for the provision of forward-link service to user
devices, for the duration of time during which the transmitter
emission is being sensed by the base station.
[0322] Accordingly, given that the population of sensitive GPS
receivers is relatively small, and given that the probability of
such a sensitive GPS receiver being proximate to a base station is
also small, the approach allows both downlink satellite channels
(upper, e.g., 1545.2-1555.2 MHz; and lower, e.g., 1526-1536 MHz) to
be used by base stations most of the time, doubling the capacity of
the network, while for a small fraction of the time and for a small
percentage of the base stations, at least some of the downlink
satellite frequencies are not used and are substituted with uplink
satellite frequencies. Given that this "substitution" of downlink
frequencies with uplink frequencies would be for a small fraction
of time by a small number of base stations, the additional penalty
in terms of .DELTA.T/T to any satellite (LightSquared's and/or
Inmarsat's) is expected to be minimal.
Synchronization of First and Second Networks in Order to Reduce or
Eliminate a Guard Band of Frequencies Therebetween
[0323] Referring now to FIG. 37, frequencies that may be used by
two operators/systems (operator/system 1 and operator/system 2) in
providing communications services, are illustrated as being
adjacent or proximate therebetween. Accordingly, in order to reduce
a level of interference between the two operators (i.e., between
the two systems) guard bands may be provided as is illustrated in
FIG. 41. Operator 1 (or system 1) uses a guard band, labeled as
guard band A in FIG. 37, and operator 2 (or system 2) also uses a
guard band, labeled as guard band B in FIG. 37. The frequencies
that are associated with guard band A and guard band B cannot be
used to provide a communications service and are thus a waste of a
valuable resource.
[0324] According to some embodiments of the present invention,
system 1 (associated with operator 1) and system 2 (associated with
operator 2) may be configured in synchronism therebetween so that
at least one transmitter of system 1 and at least one transmitter
of system 2 use respective signaling interval(s), symbol
interval(s), frame interval(s), Fourier transform(s) and/or inverse
Fourier transform(s) that are synchronized therebetween. According
to some embodiments of the invention, system 1 and system 2 may be
configured to use one and the same signaling interval, symbol
interval, frame interval and/or super-frame interval. Accordingly,
guard band A and guard band B may be eliminated and the frequencies
associated therewith may be used by the respective
systems/operators to transmit communications information (i.e.,
voice, data, multi-media, etc.). In some embodiments, system 1 uses
an OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA protocol/transmission standard, such as, for
example, the LTE protocol/transmission standard, in providing
communications services and system 2 also uses an
OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA protocol/transmission standard, such as, for
example, the LTE protocol/transmission standard, in providing
communications services. Accordingly, subject to the synchronism
between system 1 and system 2, as described above, the frequency
space associated with guard band A and guard band B may be filled
with OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA sub-carriers, generating usable frequency
space A' for system/operator 1 and usable frequency space B' for
system/operator 2 (wherein usable frequency space A' is greater
than usable frequency space A and usable frequency space B' is
greater than usable frequency space B; as FIG. 37 illustrates).
[0325] A receiver that is associated with system 1 may be
configured to process a frequency space A' (associated with system
1; see bottom of FIG. 37) and a frequency space B' (associated with
system 2; see bottom of FIG. 37). Further, a receiver that is
associated with system 2 may be configured to process the frequency
space B' (associated with system 2) and the frequency space A'
(associated with system 1). In some embodiments, the receiver that
is associated with system 1 may be configured to process an
aggregate frequency space comprising frequencies A' and frequencies
B' by subjecting the aggregate frequency space to a Fourier
transform (that may be a Discrete Fourier transform or a fast
Fourier transform). Following the Fourier transform, the receiver
that is associated with system 1 may be configured to perform
further processing only on subcarriers that are associated with
frequency space A' (in order to derive information associated
therewith) and to discard subcarriers that are associated with
frequency space B'. It will be understood that the receiver that is
associated with system 1 is cognizant of the frequency boundary
between the A' frequency space of system 1 (or operator 1) and the
B' frequency space of system 2 (or operator 2); see FIG. 37, bottom
portion. The receiver that is associated with system 2 may also be
configured to process the aggregate frequency space comprising
frequencies A' and frequencies B' by subjecting the aggregate
frequency space to a Fourier transform (that may be a Discrete
Fourier transform or a fast Fourier transform). Following the
Fourier transform, the receiver that is associated with system 2
may be configured to perform further processing only on subcarriers
that are associated with frequency space B' (in order to derive
information associated therewith) and to discard subcarriers that
are associated with frequency space A'. It will be understood that
the receiver that is associated with system 2 is also cognizant of
the frequency boundary between the A' frequency space of system 1
and the B' frequency space of system 2.
[0326] In some embodiments, the frequency space boundary (of either
the top or bottom illustrations of FIG. 37) may be variable (i.e.,
may change with time), shifting to the right (thus increasing the
frequency space A' or A and decreasing the frequency space B' or B)
or shifting to the left (thus increasing the frequency space B' or
B and decreasing the frequency space A' or A), responsive to an
outcome of a negotiation between operator 1 and operator 2.
Accordingly, a system/method may be provided comprising:
establishing a capacity sharing rule between a first system and a
second system; providing additional capacity to the first system by
shifting a frequency space boundary, responsive to a state of
traffic and/or anticipated state of traffic of the first system
and/or the second system; and notifying transmitters and receivers
of the first system and of the second system of the frequency space
boundary shifting. It will be understood that in some embodiments,
a frequency space that is owned by and/or used by operator 1 may
not be adjacent to, proximate to, or contiguous with, a frequency
space that is owned by and/or used by operator 2.
[0327] Frequency space A' plus B' (i.e., the aggregate frequency
space) provides for a higher capacity carrier, such as, for
example, a higher capacity LTE carrier or a higher capacity XG-CSSC
carrier, relative to using frequency space A' (or A) alone or
frequency space B' (or B) alone. Accordingly, using the aggregate
frequency space to transmit information via a code division
multiplexing (or code division multiple access) protocol, such as,
for example, XG-CSSC, wherein a code division multiplexed (or code
division multiple access) carrier uses all (or substantially all)
of the aggregate frequency space, a first subset of a code set may
be designated for system 1 (operator 1) and allocated to users
thereof, and a second subset of the code set may be designated for
system 2 (operator 2) and allocated to users thereof. In some
embodiments wherein a OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA protocol, such as, for
example a LTE protocol, is used to provide communications, wherein
a OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA carrier is using the aggregate frequency space
to transmit information via a plurality of subcarriers thereof, a
first subset of a subcarrier set may be designated for system 1
(operator 1) and allocated to users thereof, and a second subset of
the subcarrier set may be designated for system 2 (operator 2) and
allocated to users thereof. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the
frequency space boundary may not be an entity/parameter that is
shifted to the left or to the right in order to provide more
capacity to system/operator 1 or to system/operator 2, as
previously discussed. In accordance with some embodiments, the
frequency space boundary may not be a variable and, instead, the
variable may be a number of subcarriers (or a number of codes) that
is allocated to a system/operator and/or to the users thereof. In
further embodiments, the frequency space boundary may be a variable
and a number of subcarriers (or a number of codes) that is
allocated to a system/operator and/or to the users thereof may also
be a variable. It will be understood that a value of a parameter
that is a variable may be relayed to a receiver via a control
channel. That is, a receiver associated with either system/operator
1 or system/operator 2 may need to know a current value of a
parameter that is a variable (whose present value has been used by
a transmitter to transmit information) in order for the receiver to
receive and decode information that is intended for the receiver
while discarding/ignoring information that is not intended for the
receiver. It will also be understood that system 1 may use an
encryption key/algorithm that is different from an encryption
key/algorithm used by system 2. Further, other aspects may differ
between the two systems such as, for example, an error correction
code, a vocoder rate, an inter-leaver span/depth, etc.
[0328] Accordingly, a system/method may be provided comprising:
establishing a capacity sharing rule between a first system and a
second system; changing (i.e., increasing or decreasing) a capacity
of the first system by shifting a frequency space boundary
associated therewith, changing (i.e., increasing or decreasing) a
number of codes allocated to the first system and/or changing
(i.e., increasing or decreasing) a number of subcarriers allocated
to the first system responsive to a state of traffic and/or
anticipated state of traffic of the first system and/or the second
system; and notifying transmitters and receivers of the first
system and of the second system of the frequency space boundary
shift, the changed number of codes allocated to the first system
and/or the changed number of subcarriers allocated to the first
system. In some embodiments, wherein said changing at least one of
the listed parameters (capacity, number of codes and/or number of
subcarriers) for the first system comprises increasing at least one
of the listed parameters for the first system while decreasing at
least one of the listed parameters for the second system. That is,
the aggregate frequency space A'+B' (or A+B) may be fixed. Thus,
increasing A' (or A) by shifting the boundary to the right
decreases B' (or B). Stated differently, increasing a capacity of
the first system may, in some embodiments, imply decreasing a
capacity of the second system. Similarly, increasing a number of
codes and/or subcarriers for the first system may, in some
embodiments, imply decreasing a number of codes and/or subcarriers
for the second system.
[0329] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
based upon a synchronization between system 1 and system 2, as
described above, a first number of subcarriers of a
OFDM/OFDMA/SC-FDMA carrier that exist over spectral segment A' or A
and a second number of such subcarriers that exist over spectral
segment B' or B, may remain orthogonal therebetween. Accordingly, a
Fourier transform (e.g., a discrete Fourier transform or a fast
Fourier transform) of an aggregate signal that exists over an
aggregate frequency space comprising frequencies of A' and
frequencies of B' (or frequencies of A and frequencies of B) may be
devoid of interference (e.g., inter-symbol interference between
first and second symbols/subcarriers associated with the two
respective frequency spaces A' and B', respectively). Similarly, an
inverse Fourier transform (e.g., an inverse discrete Fourier
transform or an inverse fast Fourier transform) that is performed
on an aggregate signal that exists over the aggregate frequency
space comprising frequencies of A' and frequencies of B' (or
frequencies of A and frequencies of B) may be devoid of
interference.
[0330] The present invention has been described with reference to
block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus
(systems) and/or computer program products according to embodiments
of the invention. It is understood that a block of the block
diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks
in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can be
implemented by computer program instructions. These computer
program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general
purpose computer, special purpose computer, and/or other
programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such
that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the
computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus,
create means (functionality) and/or structure for implementing the
functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart
block or blocks.
[0331] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular
manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable
memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions
which implement the function/act specified in the block diagrams
and/or flowchart block or blocks.
[0332] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a
series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or
other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented
process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or
other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the
functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart
block or blocks.
[0333] Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in
hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software,
micro-code, etc.). Furthermore, the present invention may take the
form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or
computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or
computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or
in connection with an instruction execution system. In the context
of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may
be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or
transport the program for use by or in connection with the
instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
[0334] It should also be noted that in some alternate
implementations, the functions/acts noted in the blocks of the
block diagrams/flowcharts may occur out of the order noted in the
block diagram/flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in
succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or
the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order,
depending upon the functionality/acts involved. Moreover, the
functionality of a given block of the flowcharts/block diagrams may
be separated into multiple blocks and/or the functionality of two
or more blocks of the flowcharts/block diagrams may be at least
partially integrated.
[0335] Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in
connection with the above description, drawings and documents that
have been incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if
set forth fully herein. It will be understood that it would be
unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe and
illustrate every combination and sub-combination of these
embodiments. Accordingly, the present specification, including the
drawings, claims and cited provisional patent applications and
patent applications that are assigned to the present Assignee,
EICES Research, Inc., and are incorporated herein by reference in
their entirety as if fully set forth herein, shall be construed to
constitute a complete written description of all combinations and
sub-combinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the
manner and process of making and using them, and shall support
claims to any such combination and/or subcombination.
[0336] In the specification (written description, Figures, Claims
and documents incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as
if fully set forth herein), there have been disclosed embodiments
of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they
are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for
purposes of limitation. The following claims are provided to ensure
that the present application meets all statutory requirements as a
priority application in all jurisdictions and shall not necessarily
be construed as setting forth the entire scope of the present
invention.
* * * * *